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“Because we’re working this case together, and I want us to look like a unit,” I explained.
In fact, I was starting to wonder if maybe Magda could be that fling I was looking for. We wouldn’t exactly be friends, but I was looking forward to the benefits part of things.
Magda agreed to ride with me after a moment and we went through the custody brief one last time before we got into the car.
“You know we’re probably going to lose this one,” I told her. “But it’s just temporary custody. We can win it back later.”
“You’re not going to tell me that it’s what’s best for the kids?” she asked dryly.
I shrugged. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But I guess you can be a cheater and still be a good parent.”
“You and I are just never going to agree on this, are we?” she asked.
“Probably not,” I agreed. We arrived half an hour early and met with Mrs. Martinez, our client. She was a buxom blonde, a trophy wife, for sure, and she was patting her eyes with tissues.
“Listen, Mrs. Martinez,” Magda said softly. “We’re going to do the best we can here, but—”
“But most likely, your husband will get temporary custody,” I blurted out.
The woman blinked at me and then her eyes ever so slowly filled with tears. I wanted to roll my eyes. This was one of the most obvious acting jobs I’d ever seen. She should win an Oscar. No one actually cried like that, gracefully, like she was trying to.
Magda took the blonde’s hands in hers. “Even if he does, it’ll just be until the next custody hearing. First, we’re doing the divorce proceedings and fighting for your half of the marital assets—”
“And my business?” Mrs. Martinez asked, squeezing Magda’s hands. I found it interesting that she seemed more worried about her business than her children, but I kept my mouth shut.
“We’ll be asking for that in the divorce proceedings,” Magda explained patiently. “The permanent custody hearing will take place about a month from now. If the judge decides in your husband’s favor for emergency custody, we’ll negotiate visitation.”
“I don’t want to lose my children,” Mrs. Martinez sobbed.
“Mrs. Martinez… Sandra. Can I call you Sandra?” I asked, patting her shoulder, and she dropped Magda’s hands and looked at me, her brown eyes barely even wet even though she had just been making sobbing noises.
“Yes, of course,” she said easily, blinking rapidly as she looked up at me.
“You don’t have to lose your children. You did nothing wrong, right?”
She looked me right in the face as she lied to me. “I never stepped out on Brantley. I would never do that,” she said.
I justknewshe was lying, but it wasn’t exactly my job to figure out who was telling the truth or not. It was my job to win cases for clients, even if that went against my moral code now and again. All I could hope was that the custody turned out the way it should, even if Sandra Martinez ended up with half the doctor’s assets. I guessed that was what he got for believing in love.
Magda could learn something from this case, in more ways than one.
“Well then, don’t worry about today’s hearing. It’ll only be a month before we can get your children back to you,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure that was true at all.
Sandra Martinez hugged me and kissed my cheek in gratitude, her lipstick leaving a mark on my skin that Magda wiped off quickly with a napkin, frowning.
“Jealous?” I whispered to her as Sandra walked off toward the bathroom.
“What, of our charm or Sandra laying a wet one on you?” Magda joked. “In either case, absolutely not.”
“You have to admit I’m charming,” I whined, and she rolled her eyes as we went into the courtroom. I nodded to the judge, who I’d worked with several times before, and he nodded back.
The custody hearing went about as quickly as I thought it would be, and Mr. Martinez was awarded emergency custody pending the divorce proceedings.
Sandra Martinez burst into tears, and Magda frowned after her, trying to catch her before she got into a two-seater car, meaning that she definitely hadn’t had the kids when she’d arrived at court.
“I feel so bad for her,” Magda said, and I turned to stare at her.
“Why? She’s clearly not a great mother. You didn’t notice those were crocodile tears earlier?” I asked.
