"Good morning, Michael," Maggie answered.
There was a small, awkward beat where neither of them quite knew what to do, as they stood staring at each other before Michael leaned in to hug her. Only Maggie had also decided to take the initiative, and she leaned in at the same moment. There was a clumsy hug, and somehow he ended up pressing a kiss to her cheek as her arms encircled his torso, her folder tumbling to the ground unnoticed.
Her warm body pressed against his, and as Michael lifted his lips from her cheek, they both froze in a tangle of clumsy hugs and sloppy cheek kisses. They glanced at each other in stunned fascination while the cafe blurred around them. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, her breath hitching.
"Morning," the waiter said cheerfully, appearing at the table with two menus.
Michael stepped back so fast he nearly knocked his chair over, while Maggie ducked to pick up her folder, catching her head on the side of the table, making it jolt as she came up.
“Ow!” Maggie hissed, grabbing her head as she straightened.
“Are you okay?” Michael lurched forward, knocking the small vase on the table over.
The restaurant seemed to pause as a quiet hush fell over it, and all heads turned toward the commotion. For a brief few seconds, they were the center of attention until their server jumped in to clean up the mess, and the other diners turned away.
“Ooops,” the waiter said, calmly with a warm smile. “Let me get this cleaned up. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” She dashed off.
“Well, that was rather…” Maggie made a joke, her cheeks flushed with heat. “Elegantly clumsy and dreadfully awkward.”
“I’m sorry,” Michael found himself apologizing. “Guess I really am still a klutz.”
“No!” Maggie laughed softly. “This wasn’t just you.” She rubbed her head.
“Are you sure your head’s okay?” Michael asked worriedly.
“It’s just a bump,” Maggie assured him as the server came back and cleaned up the mess.
“There you go,” the server said brightly. “As good as new.”
They slid into their seats, and she took their drink order. “I’ll get these and come back for your breakfast order.”
Maggie put her folder on the table and slid it toward Michael. “This is everything I have on my divorce.”
Before he could answer, the server returned with their coffee, and they ordered a light breakfast: fruit, toast, and eggs. Once they’d ordered, the waiter took the menus and left.
"Let me take a look," Michael said, thankful for the distraction as he opened the folder, and his eyebrows went up.
It was immaculately kept. Every document was labeled. Every section was tabbed and dated. There were printed copies of Kevin's emails, arranged chronologically, each annotated in Maggie's neat handwriting. There were screenshots of text messages, printed and filed. There was a complete record of every hearing, every motion her own attorney had filed, everyinvoice she'd paid, and what it had achieved, which in most cases appeared to be nothing at all.
"Maggie," Michael said, genuinely impressed, turning through the tabs. "This is extraordinary. I have paralegals who don't organize a file this well."
"I learned a long time ago not to trust Kevin's version of events," Maggie answered. "So I started keeping everything. Every email. Every text. Every phone call." She shrugged, pouring honey into her coffee. “I tend to be a neat freak that likes everything in easy accessible order to find things fast.”
Michael looked up. "Every phone call?" His brows crinkled. “How do you have those?”
"I have recordings," Maggie admitted, her voice low. "I started recording them years ago, when I realized Kevin had a habit of saying one thing on the phone and claiming he'd said another. I checked, and it's legal in this state. They're on a drive. I can give you copies of all of them."
Michael felt a slow, cold anger begin to build in his chest on her behalf. Not at her. At the man who had made a warm, generous woman like Maggie feel she had to record her own husband's phone calls to protect herself.
"That was smart," Michael told her quietly. "That was exactly the right thing to do. We may not even need them, but having them changes the whole balance of the negotiation. Kevin's attorney is going to be a great deal less confident when he learns they exist."
"That's what I hoped," Maggie said.
The server returned with their coffees. Michael waited until she’d gone before he asked the question that had been sitting on his mind since the night before.
"What about Toby?" Michael asked. "Does Kevin have any contact with him? Any claim to him?"
Maggie's whole face changed at the sound of her grandson's name. It seemed to soften and harden at the same time.
