Chapter 30

CHAPTER

30

‘Good morning, Ms Johnston.’

‘Good morning.’ Bree swiped her ID card, surprised to see it still worked. Her heels made a familiar crisp click as she walked across the marble floor to the lifts that would take her where she was going. She was the only one in the lift and fidgeted with the smart black suit she had hoped never to wear again. Like the rest of her ‘old self’ clothes, it was tighter than it had been. She didn’t care, but she was pretty certain her mother would not only notice, but also comment on her weight gain.

As she walked through the glass doors with her parents’ names etched in them, she braced herself.

They were waiting for her in the conference room.

‘Brianna, dear.’

Her mother kissed her cheek. He father actually hugged her. As he did, she suddenly realised that weeks—months, actually—had passed since she had seen them.

‘Sorry I haven’t visited,’ she said, meaning it. ‘I’ve been busy. Things are going so well at the farm.’

‘I always knew you would make a success of it. I’m proud of you,’ Gary said as he waved her towards a seat.

Bree blinked. He’d said those words at her farewell from the firm, but he’d never said them directly to her like that. This time, she believed him and that made it harder for her to tell them why she had come.

They listened in silence as she told them about Matt and Vicki. She had copies of the letters to show them. When her mother read the letter referring to her relationship with Matt, she raised an eyebrow, but said nothing until they had finished reading.

Her father spoke first. ‘Tell me about Matt.’

‘He’s …’ Bree paused, trying to find the right words to describe the man and her relationship with him. She wanted to keep this professional. ‘He’s a friend. He’s still grieving for Vicki’s mother, Kim. He is a good father. Vicki is well cared for and loved and kept safe. The real threat to her comes from Sally. Matt thinks she is becoming mentally unstable, and I strongly suspect he may be right.’

‘I know this firm,’ her mother said, holding up one of the letters. ‘Their reputation isn’t good. This man is not far removed from an ambulance chaser. He’ll threaten litigation without having a decent case, then he’ll drag it out for the fees. He probably won’t want to go to court, but if he does, it’s going to be unpleasant. The man has no scruples.’

Gary nodded in agreement. ‘So, Bree, how can we help?’

‘Obviously, I can no longer represent him. Could you assign one of the associates to work on this? I took the case pro bono, but I’m happy to cover costs, if you prefer.’

He raised an eyebrow at that last comment. ‘That won’t be necessary. I can take the case, if you like.’

‘Don’t be silly, Gary,’ Margaret jumped in. ‘You have the same last name—they’ll automatically assume a relationship. I’ll take it.’ Her mother had always practised under her maiden name.

‘You don’t have to, Mother. An associate will be more than able to deal with this.’

‘Yes, they would. But I have heard stories about this solicitor. I think he needs to know we are not going to back down on this, and then maybe he’ll have second thoughts. Having a name partner on the case should give him pause. Are you sure there is nothing else here—no other claims or evidence he can produce?’

‘Matt says there isn’t.’

‘Then I think the best plan is to send another letter—from me this time, as senior partner. Make it clear to this man that his case has no merit and we are willing to put the full force of the firm behind defending Matt and the child—’

‘Vicki.’

‘Yes, Vicki. Thank you. I suspect that if we make it clear we’re willing to fight this all the way, this solicitor will step away and advise Sally to do the same. He must know he’s no match for us.’

‘Thank you. Both of you.’ Bree was unexpectedly moved by her parents’ support.

Her mother brushed the words away with a wave of her hand. ‘Now, how long are you in town? You’ll join us for dinner tonight? And you are very welcome to stay with us.’

‘That’s kind, but I have to get back to The Gums this afternoon. I have animals to take care of.’ Maggie could have taken care of them, but Bree hadn’t expected the invitation and hadn’t made plans to stay.

‘Next time.’ Her father sounded disappointed. ‘Or perhaps we can come to visit you.’

Bree decided not to mention all the many times she’d asked and they had said yes, but somehow never actually made it to the Ridge. ‘Yes. I’d love you to visit. Any time at all.’

‘Well, your grandmother seems very enamoured of the place,’ Margaret said. ‘She tells me she’s thinking of investing in your project. And helping with setting up some sort of shop.’

‘Yes. We’ve talked about it. She does seem to enjoy coming up, and she has found a lot of new friends in the knitting club.’ Bree didn’t think it would be wise to mention Mike, or Rose’s decision to move to Wagtail Ridge permanently.

‘Good. Good.’ Gary nodded enthusiastically. ‘She’s alone too much, I think.’

An hour later, Bree relayed the conversation to her grandmother as they shared a quick lunch in Rose’s apartment.

‘He’s right. That’s why …’ Rose waved an arm to indicate the cardboard boxes on the floor and the shelves almost empty of contents.

‘You’re not wasting any time,’ Bree said.

Rose winked. ‘At my age, girl, I can’t afford to.’

‘And how is Mike?’

‘He’s fine. We talk most days. He’s going to come and help me move in.’

‘And you’re sure this is the right thing for you?’

‘What? Mike or moving?’ Rose chuckled. ‘Yes to both. I feel more alive now, Bree, than I have since your grandfather died.’

‘And if things with Mike don’t—well, you know. You rushed into it fairly fast.’

‘Then I’ll be sad, but still happy to be living my life how I choose to live it. And I’ll still be pleased to be working with you—that’s assuming you still want me.’

‘Always, Nan. Always.’

‘And what about you and Matt?’

‘Nan, his grief over Kim is still so raw. I don’t know if he’ll ever get over it. In the meantime, if I can help with this lawsuit, I’ll gladly do that. Or rather, get Mother to do it.’

‘I feel sorry for Sally in a way. The thought of losing a child …’ Rose shook her head slowly. ‘I can’t imagine the pain she has suffered.’

‘I think she needs help, Nan. But until she gets it—and unless she does—I don’t think Matt has any choice but to keep her away from Vicki.’

‘Has she got a chance of winning? Getting custody or maybe even visiting rights?’

‘Not from what I’ve seen so far. Bringing me into it seems an act of desperation. Especially as it’s not true. If that is all she has, Matt and Vicki are safe.’

‘But this case is going to be awful if it goes ahead. That poor little girl.’

‘Matt will protect her as best he can. He’s a good father.’

Rose got to her feet to collect their dishes. ‘No, stay put,’ she said as Bree moved to help her. After carrying the dishes into the kitchen, Rose returned with a pot of sweet-smelling herbal tea and two cups. They settled on the sofa with their drinks, and Bree talked about the farm and the alpacas and a show she was planning to attend.

‘Good luck with that,’ Rose said. Her face was serious for a moment. ‘Coming back today and talking this through with your parents, does it make you miss it?’

‘Miss what?’

‘The cut and thrust of legal work. The challenges. The satisfaction of winning an important case.’

‘No. Not at all.’ The words came out before Bree had even thought about the question.

Later, driving home to the endless round of chores that came with farming, she wondered if she had been too quick to answer. There were aspects of her old life that she did miss. Not paperwork nor the corporate stuff. It was more the pro bono work she’d done, helping people who couldn’t afford an expensive lawyer. Seeing justice served as a landlord was forced to do the right thing by a tenant. Helping a woman escape an abusive relationship. Protecting innocent people caught up in circumstances that were not their fault. She missed that.

But her new life had pleasures she hadn’t expected. The joy of hard physical work, even if mucking out the sheds wasn’t exactly a pleasant task. The feel of an alpaca’s lips on her skin, searching for a treat. The sight of a newborn cria taking its first steps. Listening to the conversation at the knitting club and knowing she had brought new friendships to the women in the group. These gave her great joy.

As she drove into Wagtail Ridge, Bree was happy with her choices.

And it’s not as if all those years of hard work were going to waste.

She pulled up in front of Matt’s office. He was there alone, his face buried in his computer.

‘Hi.’ She sat in the seat opposite him. ‘I talked to my parents. My mother is going to take your case forward from here.’

‘I really appreciate it, Bree. But I can’t afford to pay those sort of fees.’

‘You don’t have to. She’s doing it pro bono.’

‘But she doesn’t even—’

Bree held up her hand and shook her head. ‘You’re my friend. That’s all she needs to know. My mother has a good heart. She’s probably a far better person than I ever gave her credit for.’

‘Well, thank you for everything you’ve done. I’d like to have you over for dinner, so I can say thank you properly.’

He smiled in the way that made her want to smile back. She wanted so desperately to say yes. She wanted to spend an evening wrapped in that feeling of family she got whenever she was with Matt and Vicki. She wanted to listen to Vicki laugh. And she wanted Matt to look at her in that way he had that made her feel like she was special.

‘I don’t think so.’

His face fell.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to,’ she hastened to add. ‘But at the moment, Sally has nothing that a court would see as a reason to rule against you. But if you and I were to spend too much time together … well. It would probably be all right, but I don’t want to give her even the smallest bit of ammunition to use against you.’

Matt nodded. The disappointment on his face matched her own and that gave her heart a lift.

‘When this is all over …’ She let the words hang, because she wasn’t sure. Maybe he had nothing to give her. All she could do was keep the door open.

‘Of course.’

She got to her feet and he did the same, escorting her to the door.

‘Don’t worry, Matt,’ she said. ‘You won’t lose Vicki. Sally is clearly still suffering because of losing Kim. A judge is far more likely to suggest she get some counselling than take Vicki away from you. As long as that is all there is, there’s no chance you’ll be torn apart.’

For a moment, Matt seemed to hesitate. A small frown appeared on his forehead, below that sandy hair.

‘Is there something else?’

It took a few moments for him to answer.

‘No. No. Nothing. It’s just a bit …’

‘I know.’ She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘You and Vicki will be fine, Matt. You’ll get past this.’

As she turned away, she wondered whether she meant the issues with Sally or his ongoing grief for Kim.