Chapter12
It was a six-hour flight from Miami to San Francisco, so it surprised me when Lucky called just about six and a half hours after I’d reached out to him and told me, “I just landed at SFO, miamor. How are you holding up?”
As I took a pitcher of iced tea out of the refrigerator, I said, “I feel numb.”
“Hang in there, sweetheart. I’m getting in the car, and I’ll be there soon. Have you eaten? I can call ahead and have dinner delivered.”
“Thanks, but Dylan just ordered a lot of pizza. It’ll probably arrive about the same time you do,” I said, as I put the pitcher on the counter. “The Pink Victorian Crew is coming together in a show of support, and later we’re holding a family meeting to talk about the custody case. We all agreed not to talk about this until after the baby goes to bed, just in case he picks up on our tension. Anyway, there’s a lot to figure out here, including how much we have to spend on a lawyer once we all pool our resources.”
“Your friends are wonderful, but you don’t have to do that. It’s already taken care of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I made arrangements to hire two of the senior partners from Singh, Spiegel, Jackson, and Mulvaney and paid their retainer. I hope that’s okay. I did some research first, and by all indications they’re the top family law practice in California. But we haven’t signed the contract yet, so if you’d rather go with someone else—”
That law firm had come up in some of my research that afternoon, so I knew they had an excellent reputation. “No, that’s perfect. Thank you. I’m surprised any of the senior partners were available on such short notice.”
“Actually, I offered to triple their fee if they’d fit you onto their case load, and they agreed.”
“That’s really going to add up…”
“It’ll be worth it,” he said, “because they’re supposed to be phenomenal.”
“Okay, you’re right. If that’s what it takes to get the best lawyers on our side, then I’m all for it. But is it okay if I pay you back over time? I won’t be able to come up with that kind of money all at once.”
“I don’t want you to pay me back.”
“You really are the sweetest man alive, but I can’t let you pay for this on your own,” I said. “It’s going to end up costing a fortune.”
“We can talk about this later, but for now I’d better go. I’ll see you in maybe half an hour, depending on traffic. Just one more thing, though—the two lawyers I hired are Padma Singh and Charles Spiegel. One of their assistants will be calling you soon to set up a meeting for later this week. They’re squeezing you in, so it may end up at an odd time.”
“That’s fine, I’ll be there no matter what.”
After we said goodbye, I stood in the middle of the kitchen for a few moments and closed my eyes. Lark, Dylan, and JoJo were entertaining Owen in the backyard. I could hear his delighted shrieks of laughter as they played a game of freeze tag with him.
And there it was again—that overwhelming fear and worry, rising up to twist my gut and crush my chest. That there was even a possibility of losing my son made it hard to breathe.
A few moments later, someone knocked on the front door. My stomach flip-flopped at the idea that it was probably the pizza. No way was I going to manage even a bite of it.
But instead of a delivery driver, I found a smiling blond guy in a suit at my door. He was carrying a leather portfolio, and he said, “Hi, is Logan Genardi here? I’m Walt Frazier, Padma Singh’s assistant.”
“That’s me.”
He stuck his hand out, and as I shook it he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Genardi. Please forgive me for dropping by unannounced. I happened to notice your address and realized I’d be passing right through your neighborhood on my way home from work.”
“That’s totally fine. Would you like to come in?”
“No thank you, this will only take a moment. I just wanted to give you some paperwork, so you can look it over before you meet with two of our senior partners. I’ll be calling you with a time for your initial meeting tomorrow. We’re still trying to make some adjustments to their schedules.”
I took the dark blue portfolio when he held it out to me. It was heavier than I’d expected, and its cover was embossed with the name of the law firm in gold letters. When I looked inside, I found business cards for the lawyers and their assistants, a thick brochure introducing me to the law firm, and a pocket holding a contract. “That’s your review copy,” he said, as he indicated the contract. “You’ll get a signed copy during the meeting, of course. Also, I’ve taken the liberty of writing my cell number on the back of my business card. If you have any questions or concerns outside of regular business hours, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”
“Thank you. Wow, I’m blown away. Do all your clients get this level of service?”
He smiled at me and said, “You’re very welcome. And while our firm strives for excellence in the care of all our clients, let’s just say we go above and beyond for a client of Mr. Suarez-Rivas’ caliber.” Apparently paying extra carried some weight. He asked, “Do you have any questions at this point?”
I had a million, but they could wait for the meeting. “I’m all set. Thank you again, Mr. Frazier.”
“Please call me Walt, and thank you, sir. I’ll speak with you tomorrow. Have a good night.” With that, he turned and made his way to a white sedan double-parked in the street.