Page 65 of Full Throttle

I liked those words.

Halton showed up at the garage on Monday afternoon, Fee with him. My heart sank in my chest, and I hurried over, meeting him.

“What’s wrong?”

He smiled, waving his hand. “Nothing big. We were driving back from a place I was thinking of buying and saw the sign for Littleburn, and I thought I’d drop in and see you.”

“You know, Counselor, for a lawyer, you’re a shit liar.”

He chuckled.

Cherry came over, looking concerned. “What happened?”

“Honestly, nothing big. But I did hear from the judge today.”

Cherry frowned. “Let’s talk in the office.”

We went in, and she shut the door. I grabbed her hand for support. “Tell me.”

“We were driving by,” Halton stressed. “Roxanne called the judge, furious you had Josh’s cell number and could reach him directly, therefore circumventing her.”

“He offered. I didn’t think I was breaking any rules.”

“You didn’t. The judge thought it was a positive sign that Josh was open to exploring a relationship.” Halton crossed his arms. “I guess he was a little enthusiastic about his upcoming visit to the garage, and she wasn’t happy.”

“I don’t like the fact that Josh says her new boyfriend yells at him.”

Halton’s eyebrows shot up. “Good information to know. I can use that.”

I released Cherry’s hand and gripped my hair in frustration. “I’m not trying to destroy her relationship with Josh. Or interfere in his life. I want to be a part of it. Why is that so hard for her to understand? Why can’t she give up on the grudge she has against me?”

Fee spoke up. “When I met Halton, I was getting a divorce. My husband no longer wanted me, but he didn’t want anyone else to have me either. Lots of people are like that.”

I barked out a laugh. “So, if I were single, miserable, and alone, she might be more open to me seeing Josh?”

Halton shrugged. “She strikes me as the type who wants all the attention and affection from every person in her life. She won’t like the fact that Josh liked you and Cherry.”

“Should I stay away for a while?” Cherry asked.

“No!” I said, panicked. I looked at Halton. “Right?”

“Absolutely not. But she is gonna try every trick in the book. She told the judge you were demanding the whole day from eight to well after dinner.”

“Josh asked if I could get him at eight. I said we’d ask. And I never mentioned after dinner.”

“I said as much. The judge is onto her, I think. He suggested nine to four. Then if it goes well, you get him the following weekend from nine Saturday morning to lunch on Sunday. We’ll go from there.”

“What should I do to protect Josh?”

“Exactly what you are doing. Putting him first and letting him decide. Don’t engage with Roxanne. If she comes after you, you call me.”

He stood. “Now, my car is making a funny noise. Can you squeeze me in?”

I knew he was trying to distract me. I appreciated the fact that he’d come here to see me—to tell me face-to-face that Roxanne wasn’t going to accept this quietly.

But this time, I wasn’t going away so easily.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN