Chapter Eight

Thursday Morning Law Offices of Evan Houston, Esq. And So It Begins . . .

L ucinda sat in the reception area, sending dagger looks at everyone who walked into the office. She was fuming, and she didn't care who knew or what they thought. It wasn't as if people had any right to judge her or her situation. Most people waiting in a lawyer's office were probably there because there was a problem. Evan dealt with family law, so there was a good chance every person in the office had something major going on in their lives. But Lucinda was self-centered. Whatever their problems were didn't matter to her. The only thing that mattered was how this situation was going to affect her plans. She was ready for a battle, especially after she heard Chris's voicemail informing her Monica was going to call to set up an appointment. She kept checking her watch, anticipating Chris would be late due to his job. His job. Everything had to do with his job.

Chris walked in exactly on time and was totally prepared for her ire. What did she expect? That she could take his kid halfway across the country without a fight? Did she not know him after all this time? Chris was an easygoing guy when it came to many things, but not when it came to his job or his son.

"Lucinda," Chris greeted her. She ignored him and turned her back. "Great," he muttered. He caught the eye of another man sitting across the room. The man gave Chris a sympathetic look. The brotherhood of divorced men, especially those dealing with an angry ex-wife. Chris had paid his dues to this particular club. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs. He was ready for a fight.

Chris spotted Monica walking in his direction. She told them Evan was ready and then escorted Lucinda and Chris into Evan's office. As Chris rose from his chair, the man sitting across the room gave him a thumbs-up. Chris nodded and smiled. Then he chuckled to himself, thinking there should be some kind of secret handshake among this club of exes.

Monica opened the door to Evan's office. "I'll be at my desk if you need me." She turned and left.

Evan stood as the two entered the room. "Lucinda," he said cordially. She nodded but said nothing, sat, placed her purse on her lap, and waited. "Chris." The men shook hands. It wasn't a secret handshake, but it might as well have been. Evan was going to win this case for his friend.

Evan began. "I understand you have plans to move out of state," he said to Lucinda.

"Yes, I do." A curt answer.

"When is this going to take place?"

"In six months." Another curt answer.

Evan pushed ahead. "Do you have an exact date?"

"Not yet."

"When do you think you will know?"

"I'm not sure."

"And is it your intention to take Carter with you?"

"I'm his mother."

"True. But as of now, you have joint custody, and you need to get a court order to take him out of state."

"Not if Chris will agree to it. I don't understand why we have to go through all of this."

"Because you . . ." Chris's voice trailed off. He wanted to say, "Because you can't be trusted," but stopped short. No point in starting an argument on top of a disagreement.

Lucinda shot him a nasty look. "Because I what?" Her voice was shrill.

"Nothing." He leaned back in his chair, letting Evan take the wheel.

"Lucinda, you have to understand that you signed a legal document regarding custody. If you take Carter out of state, you could be charged with kidnapping."

"That is ridiculous!" This time a louder shrill.

"No, it's the law." Evan paused to give her time to digest what the ramifications of such an action would be.

"I would not be kidnapping my son. He's my son." Lucinda spat out the words.

Chris couldn't hold back any longer. "He is our son. Plural. Yours and mine."

She folded her arms and looked away.

Evan was quite familiar with situations like this one. Everyone thought they were right, and the other person was wrong.

"You are going to need a court order, Lucinda. That's all there is to it."

"We'll just see about that." With that, she got up and stormed out of the office.

Chris looked up at Evan. "Now what?"

"Now we file for full custody. She has been put on notice that she simply cannot do what she wants."

Chris smirked. "That'll be a first. She is not going to take it well."

"Not your problem. She can have all the tantrums she wants, but unless a judge decrees that she can move Carter out of state, she doesn't have a leg to stand on."

"But what if she just packs him up and leaves?"

"Chris. Are you forgetting you are a U.S. Marshal? Kidnapping is your area of jurisdiction."

Chris laughed for the first time. "That woman makes me nuts, although I doubt they would let me take the case. Conflict of interest." He paused. "But did you know that there are over 875,000 abductions every year? And ninety percent are family members, sixty percent of which are women."

"Interesting stats, but I doubt she'll become one of them. Do you think Carter would go willingly without telling you?"

"I would hope not."

"Good. When do you plan on speaking with him?"

"He has practice on Thursday, and I'll be there coaching. Then we usually go to Jack's Bar-B-Que. Sometimes one or two of his friends will join us."

"Good. Glad to hear you have a lot of interaction with Carter and his friends. Does Bruce?"

"Who?" Chris joked.

Evan chuckled. "Keep everything on a routine schedule, so Carter doesn't feel any disruption." Evan checked his notes. "We don't want him to start to experience anxiety over this. I'm not saying he won't, because he probably will, but maintaining a sense of normalcy will help. If they plan on leaving in six months, that will put the date sometime after the school year begins. Is she aware of how unsettling that can be?"

Chris huffed. "Is she aware of anything other than herself? You know her as well as I do."

Evan nodded. "I'm acting as your lawyer now. She will be her own worst enemy if she continues to be combative. I was relieved you controlled your emotions. The two main things we need to focus on are winning over the psychologist and winning over the judge. As I mentioned the other night, keep a journal of everything pertaining to Carter: how much time you spend with him, homework, baseball, anything and everything. Evidence of your ability to parent him singularly will be key."

"Understood. So, what's next?"

"Monica should have the paperwork ready." He picked up the phone and buzzed her. "Do you have the papers for Mr. Gaines?" There was a pause as he listened and then said, "Great. Thanks."

A few minutes later, Monica appeared with a file. She sat in the chair that had been occupied earlier by Lucinda. The top of the form said M ODIFICATION OF C USTODY A GREEMENT . Chris looked it over. "Do you want me to fill this out now?"

"The sooner, the better. It's going to take some time to get all our ducks in a row. Once the initial paperwork is filed, then we can get a court-appointed psychiatrist or psychologist so there will be no issues with favoritism."

Chris went to work on the forms. "What should I put down for the ‘AS OF' date?"

"I suggest September first. That will keep Carter in the same school district."

"Do you think this will be resolved in the next few months?"

"That, I cannot guarantee. But often, when a parent is attempting to violate an agreement, the court gives the case priority treatment. Remember, we're heading into the summer, and people take vacations."

"Speaking of vacations, I wanted to take Carter to the Grand Canyon, but I doubt Lucinda will go for that, especially if I'm filing for full custody."

"Correct. Keep things local and uncomplicated."

Gaines let out a huge sigh. "Plus, with the new job, I may not be able to get much time off."

"Don't let anyone hear you say that. Your stance is that you are available to your son twenty-four-seven."

"Roger that." Chris completed the forms and handed them back to Monica. "Thanks."