Mrs. Russell’s mouth dropped open before she gathered herself. “Cash?Today?”
“Yes. And I can have the rest transferred by the end of the week.”
“I. Well. I’ll.” She waved her hand about. He’d clearly flummoxed her. “Go make a call.”
He smiled. “We’ll wait in the backyard while you do.”
Jake walked to the glass slider, unlocked it, and pushed the door open. Stepping out, he saw the single car garage with its high-pitched roof and dormer windows on the right side of the yard. It almost butted up to the new garage addition but not quite.
A surge of excitement rose inside him. It could be attributed to finding their home, and while that was true, it wasn’t the only reason he felt that bubble of anticipation.
No. He knew himself well enough to know it wasn’t just the new house and the prospect of building their new life.
It was also because Mallory Dawson would be right on his doorstep.
6
“Donna, I have to—”
“I know you’re busy but you didn’t call me after you met with the detective and I want to know what’s happening. Do you need me to come there—”
“No.” Mallory interrupted her stepmother before she could argue about that again. “You don’t need to be here. I didn’t call because there was nothing to tell you. Detective Malone didn’t give me any information we didn’t already have. And I promised you, I still promise, as soon as I’ve talked to Maddox’s father, I will let you know. We agreed it would be best if you weren’t here in the beginning, remember?”
“Well, yes, we did agree on that, but I’ve been thinking about all of this, especially after talking to the lawyer—”
“What lawyer?” Mallory spat out, her spine stiffening. The only lawyers she knew her stepmother spoke to were the Dawson family lawyers and Davis hadn’t mentioned speaking to Donna when she had called him after getting back from the talking with Detective Malone.
“The one representing Renee in her appeal.”
“How the hell did that happen?” she blurted before she could censor her words or tone.
“Oh, he called me.” Mallory could hear the defensiveness in Donna’s voice. “Renee gave him my information—”
“Yes, I bet she did,” Mallory muttered. “Listen. I know it’s hard to wait but this is a delicate situation with a small child who’s already been traumatized.”
“How can spending time with his mother be traumatic?” Donna huffed.
“When that mother feeds you sedatives repeatedly, not to mention having been taken away from that mother to begin with for neglect and abandonment.”
“Renee would never abandon her son.”
Mallory took a deep breath and closed her eyes.This cannot be happening. Donna had been strong in her resolve to cut contact with Renee. Until now. They’d been over this again and again.
In the beginning Donna refused to believe anything that had happened to Maddox was Renee’s fault but after going over the PI’s report, Mallory thought she’d finally gotten through to her stepmother.
“Look. I know you love Renee”—the words threatened to stick in her throat but she forced them out—“and you want to believe the best of her, but you of all people know she’s capable of doing and saying anything to get what she wants. Maddox was placed in Jacob Conners’ sole custody after Renee left him alone in a one-room apartment for a day. She didn’t return to that apartment for another twenty-four hours after the police broke in and removed him.”
“I know she didn’t show good judgment there but she got caught—”
“She abandoned a six-month-old baby in a locked apartment!” Mallory tried to rein in her disgust and anger except all she could see in her mind was a defenseless baby without food or water lying in his own filth. “Donna. I know you love Renee, there’s no doubt about how much, but I cannot, andwill not, stand by and let her—or her lawyer—convince you she didn’t leave Maddox alone by choice. And don’t even get me started on what she did after not seeing him for months.”
“A mother should be able to see her child,” she argued, but Mallory could hear some of her conviction had gone out of her.
“Yes, you’re right, she should, unless that mother is a danger to the child and Renee has proven twice now that she is definitely a danger to Maddox. She had ample opportunity to see him after he was placed with his father and didn’t. Then when she finally had a supervised visit, which I might add, were required by court order, shetook him.”
“She was depressed. Postnatal depression is nothing to sneeze at,” Donna huffed.
“And if I thought for one second that Renee suffered from it, I’d agree with you but I don’t and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit you don’t believe it either. We’ve had this discussion. Multiple times.” Mallory sighed. “Donna. I promise you, you will get to meet Maddox. You will be able to see him regularly.”
