Page 66 of A Way Out
“My mother is putting you up to this, isn’t she?” Maria demanded.
She imagined Tim tugging at his collar right now. “Not directly, although she did have a conversation with Rutgers. And he made it clear I was to take Vic’s case.”
Mr. Rutgers was a founding member of the firm. He and Maria’s father had gone to both undergrad and graduate school together. They dined together once a week. Her father’s admin sent Rutgers a Christmas gift every year. Rutgers had billed an obscene amount of hours to the Hearsys’ company over the years.
This was not good.
“Can you at least tell me why? Is he accusing me of something?” She could not imagine Vic wanting sole custody. His entire life would have to change, and he was not a fan of change.
Tim cleared his throat. “Child endangerment. There are pictures all over the internet that unfortunately do not paint your most recent parenting tactics in a good light.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Search for yourself—you’ll see what I mean. There’s also an article in the local paper that has everyone whispering. And we’ve already started digging on this guy you have apparently been hanging around with. And while that’s all circumstantial, the kicker is, you took Riley out of state without asking Vic’s permission. That requirement is explicitly stated in your divorce agreement. I remember pointing it out to you.”
Oh shit. Maria wasn’t one to swear often, but—double shit.
“It doesn’t look good, Maria. You need to hire a lawyer. A good one. And while I’m not supposed to advise you any longer, I will suggest this: do not hire someone from Roma. Find one in Seattle. I can send you the names of a few colleagues if you’d like.”
This couldn’t be happening.
But it was.
Vic was suing her. He was trying to take away her baby.
She had to get home. She had to figure this out.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes, Tim, that would be great. Please send me the names of your colleagues in Seattle. Preferably one or two who could possibly beat you in court.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Oz resisted the urge to step onto the patio with Maria. What the hell was going on that would cause her to blow him off like this? And he still didn’t know who the hell Tim was.
He should go downstairs. Riley shouldn’t be left alone for very long. Besides, Maria would go down eventually, and then she’d tell him what that conversation was all about.
It was probably nothing.
It hadn’t looked like nothing. In fact, based purely on her dilated eyes and the twist of her lips, he’d say it looked like a whole lot of…something.
Luckily, the conversation didn’t last long, which was good because. Oz had already taken two strides toward the sliding glass door when she opened it and stepped back into the bedroom.
“Who was that?” he demanded, wincing at his own ridiculous tone. He had no right to make demands of her. They hadn’t had any sort of conversation about their relationship. She had an entire life in Washington that he knew nothing about.
She didn’t respond.
“It was about your ex, wasn’t it?” he added.
She dropped her gaze to her phone. “I have to go home.”
“Home?”
“Washington,” she clarified.
“Washington,” he echoed. It did have to do with her ex. “Why?”
“I…” She shook her head without meeting his gaze. “To sort some things out. I’m so sorry I have to miss tonight’s concert.”
“You told him you had commitments until next weekend.”
