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There’s a sharp knock on the door. I don’t even look at it, because I want her to continue. She was thinking about me? She thought the kid was mine? Did that make her jealous? A thousand thoughts swarm me, but her eyes are now on the door as Shelly opens it.
“Hi. Courtney Perry’s here.” She seems concerned.
Tenley checks the clock and stands, smoothing her skirt. “She’s early. I thought you said she was going to be late?”
“That’s what she told me…”
Shelly tucks her chin. “She’s… on her third tissue.”
“She’s crying?” I ask, as Tenley looks at me, alarmed. “I’ve got this.”
I stride out into the lobby to find Courtney hunched on one of our leather sofas, sobbing, a pile of tissues in her lap. Interestingly enough, her social media pages never feature this side of her. But it’s a side I’m familiar with, after God-knows how many times coming in from school or waking up in the morning to find my mother in the exact same position.
So I don’t hesitate to put a hand on her shoulder and crouch in front of her. “Hey. Courtney. What’s going on? Did something happen?”
She sniffles. “Did you find anything, Brooks?”
We were hoping for something big. It seems, as sleazy as her ex was, he should’ve left a paper trail. But though Tenley’s accountant friend has been going over the numbers for weeks, she hasn’t found anything untoward. Everything is squeaky clean. “We’re still looking.”
“How hard are you looking?” Her tone borders on anger. “He cheated me. Again and again, that bastard cheated, and not just with Raul. All those sneaky tactics he’s used to hide his assets? It’s got to be all over the books. We have to make him pay. I don’t care how much it costs or how long it takes. We have to ruin him.”
That’s a surprise. Not that James isn’t a sleaze, but this vindictiveness is another side of my client I’ve never seen. “Courtney, the first time we met, you told us that if all you did was walk away with primary custody of you kids, that would be enough.”
Her face morphs to sheer, rabid rage. “It’s not enough. Not nearly, for what he’s putting me through.”
I look back, wondering if Tenley’s hearing this. Sure enough, she’s standing a few paces behind me, looking just as concerned as I feel.
“So are you going to tear him a new one, or what?” Courtney demands, scrunching another tissue in her balled fist.
“The goal is always to get you the most equitable settlement possible, Courtney. So—”
“—Equitable? Bullshit, he’s never been equitable to me,” she snarls, standing up. “Forget it. Let me know when that accountant of yours finds something. And if they don’t… I’ll be finding another attorney.”
She storms off, slipping into the elevator at the last second, before the doors closed, leaving Tenley and me staring after her, stunned.
“Ohhhkay,” I say, drawing the word out and clapping my hands. “That went well.”
Tenley barks out an uncertain laugh. “What do you think got into her?”
“Probably something her asshole ex said.” That’s always how these things work. Divorcing couples go into it wanting the least amount of drama possible. But almost always harsh words and truths are unleashed, and it isn’t long before the claws come out. “I think we all want to ruin that asshat, but I don’t know that a judge will care. Marriages end every day. People cheat. It hardly affects the division of property and assets.”
“She’s thinks more money would put her in the best position to care for her children without having to involve him.”
“Ordinarily I’d agree with you, but she made it pretty clear that her goal is to ruin him.” The price for that is that the kids get a front-row seat to their parents’ smackdown. Never a good thing, especially since when there are kids around. No matter how much a parent wants to, you can never fully extricate an ex from your life. Because the Perry kids are young, James and Courtney will have to be dealing with one another, frequently, for the better part of two decades. Better to be on friendly terms.
Or… not. Based on what I just saw, that’s looking less and less possible.
“You might be giving our client too much credit. She talked a good game, but she’s used to presenting a façade. She did it every day on social media. You never know a person’s true colors.”
She tilts her head at me. “Even when you’re family.”
I know what she’s thinking about. I follow her into the conference room and sit down. “Just so you know, I told Ellie she was wrong to exploit you like that, and that she needs to drop out of that program.”
She gives me a look that tells me she wishes I hadn’t. “Don’t. There are other ways we can help. I have a lot of resources at my disposal.”
