Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
He presses a sweet kiss to my forehead that shouldn’t make me buzz, but definitely does. I shrug humbly. “I didn’t do much. There wasn’t a lot I could legally say.”
Jesse chuckles. “You didn’t have to say much. You set it all up perfectly, like one of those domino chain-reaction deals, and then you tapped the first one and watched your masterpiece take shape. You play so fucking dirty, but in the cleanest way possible.”
The compliment warms my heart. Not just that he values what I do, but that he sees the precision it takes to do it. Because he pays that much attention. “Thank you,” I tell him softly. “And thanks for understanding what I couldn’t say and doing it for me.”
“Anytime,” he vows seriously. “I’ve always got your back.”
Chapter 26
WREN
The courtroom is packed. Normally, family court is never like this. But this divorce is affecting the whole city, and Cold Springs has turned up in force to find out who’s getting what. Some of them are worried about their own leases and want to know who’s going to be getting their monthly rent checks. Others are just nosy as hell.
And some of us are hoping that their dominos fall as intended.
I’m sitting with Jesse on a hard wooden pew. His arm is thrown over the back, allowing me to get closer to his side, so our thighs are pressed against one another. With a quick scan of the room, I can see Etta, Mom, Dad, Daisy, Maggie, Francine, Ben, Wyatt, Lucy, and several city council members who are “friends” of Jed’s.
And of course, Jed and Robert Jenkins are up front, sitting opposite Chrissy and Oliver.
“Nervous?” Jesse whispers into my ear.
Silently, I look at him, letting him see the freak-out I’m holding at bay in my eyes. When he nods and squeezes my shoulder, I let the veil fall back over my expression. Resting Bitch Face is apropos for the courtroom, especially when I’m here to represent the city’s interests if needed.
Judge Hobner bangs his gavel on the wooden desk and warns the gallery, “I know this divorce is a big deal to some of you, but I won’t have any tomfoolery in my courtroom today. The only people I want to hear from are Mr. and Mrs. Ford and their representatives. Understood?” He points with the gavel, and everyone quietly nods agreeably, not willing to get kicked out before the good stuff happens. “Good. Now, let’s hear whatcha got. Mr. Jenkins?”
“Your Honor,” he starts once he’s stood, “with the advice of counsel, Mr. and Mrs. Ford have reached an agreement on the dissolution of their marriage and dispersion of assets.”
“That true?” Judge Hobner asks Oliver.
He stands quickly. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Alright, lemme see it, then.”
Robert approaches the bench—which is just an oversize desk on a small riser—and hands over a manila folder before returning to Jed’s side. Judge Hobner opens it and starts to read, his brows climbing closer to where his hairline used to be with every line.
“This says that Mrs. Ford is to receive approximately seventy percent of the marital assets?” Judge Hobner chokes slightly, glancing up to make sure that’s not a typo. When neither Robert nor Oliver corrects him, he continues, seeming stunned at that figure. “That works out to be the family home, several bank accounts, her vehicle, and a laundry list of properties that I’m going to assume you’ve both verified. Is that correct?” he asks, dropping the paper to the desk heavily.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Robert intones flatly.
With his confirmation, the gallery gasps in surprise. People from town had no idea that was even a possibility and are whispering to one another with shocked expressions as they look at Jed’s forlorn expression, which is absolutely an act to play the victim to Chrissy’s moneygrubbing.
Judge Hobner bangs his gavel again. “Order, order. I warned you. If necessary, I’ll make this a closed proceeding.”
No, he won’t. Judge Hobner is enjoying every second of this. He’s a small-town, family-court judge whose most exciting days are adoptions, divorces, and child-support hearings. Something this salacious, with him at the helm as the big man in charge? He’s eating this shit up. But throwing around his power—and his phallic gavel—is par for the course.
But his words have the intended effect, and the gallery quiets. A little.
He picks up the decree and begins to read again. “Okay, as to Ford Construction Company—” Judge Hobner stumbles over his words and jerks his eyes up to Jed. “Is this right?”
“Afraid so, Your Honor,” Jed responds.
I can feel the audience leaning forward, eager to hear what’s so unusual in the decree.
The judge tilts his head in disbelief, but keeps going. “The Ford Construction Company will also be divided seventy-thirty, with a specific list of properties and assets to be allocated there as well.”
A murmur works its way through everyone in the room, but this time Judge Hobner doesn’t try to stop it. I think he understands that no one can be quiet after hearing that.