Page 27 of Proof

“Doubtful. Like you said, he’s going through enough changes without any help from a moving company.”

Chris let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sure you’re right. Then I’ll let him know I am filing for full custody.” Chris had a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’ll tell him he’ll have to do an interview with a psychologist, because it’s required. He’s a smart kid. He knows there are lots of rules.”

“I’m sure. His father is in law enforcement.” Evan smiled as he tried to assuage Chris’s trepidation.

“Let’s get back to Monica calling Lucinda. She will have a cow if it comes out of the blue,” Chris said.

“Most likely. If you want to give her a heads-up, that’s fine. Just tell her Monica will be calling to set up a meeting this week. We’re going to have to fast-track this if we want a resolution before she moves. Before you go, let me know when you’re available so we’re not wasting time playing phone tag.”

Chris gave him the days and times while Evan continued writing. When he was finished, he stood and asked, “Ready for a beer?”

“Am I ever,” Chris answered, and got up from his chair. Evan walked around and put his arm around Chris’s shoulders. “You’ve got a good case. It will be grueling, annoying, and aggravating, but you have a lot going for you.”

It dawned on Chris that he hadn’t told Evan about his new position and the raise. “I have something else that will work in my favor. I’ll catch you up over that beer.”

Chapter Seven

Luna’s House

Wednesday Night

A Flash from the Past

Luna was stuffed from the pizza and the cannoli. Her first inclination was to flop on the sofa and hit the TV remote, but the box containing pieces of her past was summoning her like the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. She pushed herself off the couch and stepped over Wylie, who was equally stuffed from the meatball.

Luna moved the colorful hand-blown bowl she’d bought from Patsy Lambert’s Hot Sand shop. The mixture of blues and greens reminded Luna of flowing water. Serene. Tranquil. She hoped it would give her a sense of calm as she sifted through the tokens of days long gone.

Junior Year

Luna continued to work on the psychology project with Brendan and was grateful he didn’t discuss his girlfriend, Laura, with her. Luna wasn’t sure if he was being sensitive to her feelings, but then again, did he even know how she felt? Luna thought perhaps the relationship wasn’t going that well, and he was keeping it to himself. But then again, he was spending almost every weekend with Laura. Luna hated how much she cared. But she was stalwart in keeping their friendship spirited, and their banter remained the same as they argued over who had the better voice: Rihanna or Adele, or Adam Levine versus Eminem. Brendan would argue that Levine sounded like a girl, and Luna’s retort was that Eminem had a potty mouth and no real voice. One artist they did agree on was Toni Braxton. Luna could sense the pain in Braxton’s performance of “Un-Break My Heart,” and later, she would experience it for real.

It was shortly after spring break when Luna noticed Brendan was acting a bit sullen. He was much too quiet. After a week went by, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brendan, is something the matter?”

“Huh? Yeah. Nah. Well, yeah.”

Guys are so not articulate, Luna thought to herself. “What’s up?”

“Laura and I broke up.” He sighed. “It’s okay.”

Luna sensed it was not okay. “What happened? Unless you don’t want to tell me.”

“She went back with her ex.” He made a face, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.

“Well, that stinks,” Luna said kindly, but inside, she was doing cartwheels. Maybe she would get a second bite at that apple.

“I’ll get over it,” he snickered, but Luna knew he was crushed. This was his second relationship in two years that had gone south. The first one was because the girl moved across the country, and they couldn’t keep up with each other, three thousand miles apart. This breakup was new. Fresh. Maybe it didn’t sting as much.

“You sure you’re alright?”

“Me? Yeah. Two for two. At this rate, I’ll have an ex-girlfriend every year,” he joked.

Luna thought—hoped—she could break that pattern, but a lot had to happen first. She would have to make her feelings known. But not yet. She didn’t want to be the rebound girlfriend.

* * *

Luna jumped at the sound of her phone. It was Chris. “Hey, dollface. How was your day?”

“Good. We have everything under control for tomorrow’s event.”

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