Hard Focus

by MariaLisa deMora

  “So, you probably know all the dish on your sister, huh?” Cole spoke into the silence and Nelly’s glare turned to him.

  “Yeah.” Her scowl returned to Connie. “I’m not promising anything. You dated a felon? Daddy’s gonna have a cow.”

  “Nelly was it? Well, Nelly, you and me, we’re going to be good friends.” His fingers gave Connie’s nape a squeeze. “I’m glad you’re okay, Connie.”

  She looked up to see his eyes on her, then his grip tightened again and released. He moved to the door. “You take care, ladies.”

  Before the door closed completely, her sister shouted, “Yes, I’m Nelly. I’m the sister.”

  “Happy to meet you, Nelly, the sister.” Those words drifted through the opening along with more of his deep laughter.

  I’m in so much trouble, Connie thought.

  “You are in so much trouble,” Nelly told her, proving they were definitely related.

  ***

  It took two days, but she finally told Nelly the entire sordid story. How she’d met Jonas at the club, but then hadn’t talked for more than a month. Picking back up at the same club, then dinner. Another meeting at the club, and phone calls. Dates that finally wound up with breakfast following. Learning about his daughter, falling in love with Addy, even as Connie kept Jonas at an emotional arm’s length. Nelly was certain that meant Connie had a feeling about him, but she didn’t buy it. It still felt like her bad-guy radar was broken.

  After the boozed-up meeting with Cole, having Nelly meet Taylor and Alden was almost anticlimactic. Connie grinned at the memory. They’d been at a local steak and seafood place that first night when Taylor texted, telling her he had something to talk about. She hadn’t warned him she had a guest, so when he and Alden had strolled up to the end of the table, his double-take was comical.

  “Oh, no. There’re two of you?” He squinted and looked between the two sisters. “Heaven help us.”

  “Oh, come on. We’re not that much alike.” Connie threw a fry at him, and he batted it away.

  “Yes, we are.” Nelly interjected herself into the conversation. “We’re totally alike.”

  Taylor frowned and shook his head. “No, you aren’t.” Connie grinned. He pointed at Nelly. “My friend Connie is the prettiest one.” He slipped in beside Nelly, threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Hey bestie, how are you doing?”

  “What?” Connie voiced her mock outrage and watched as her sister and friends laughed, Alden taking the seat next to her. “God, I’m so lucky. I love you guys.”

  She let the memory warm her as she stared at herself in the mirror. Comfortable clothes and makeup made a good armor, but for whatever reason, her stomach was awash with fluttering butterflies. Today marked back to work for her, and she was nervous as if it were her first day again.

  “You’re going to be fine.” Nelly stepped behind her, leaning her chin on Connie’s shoulder. “Want me to ride with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I don’t know why I’m tweaked over this.” She shook her head. “It’s not like the accident happened at work.”

  “No, but other than coming home from the hospital, it’s the first time you’ve been in a car since, isn’t it?” Connie shrugged. “Steakhouse was a block away, so we walked. TayTay”—Nelly smiled brilliantly in amusement at her personal nickname for Taylor—“said the doc’s office was nearby for follow-ups. So, I’m assuming you didn’t catch a ride there, am I right?”

  “You’re right. But even the police said it was a million-in-one accident. Never happen again on their watch. Just the perfect set of angles and trajectories, and I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.” She huffed out a breath. “I’m fine, really. Are you going to be okay stuck here with nothing to do all day?”

  Nelly’s reflection smiled at her. “I’m job hunting right now.”

  “Job hunting?” When Nelly nodded, Connie whirled, uncertain if her sister was joking. They’d had two brief conversations about what life might look like if Nelly moved closer, but this wasn’t expected. “Here? You’re job hunting here?”

  “Yeah. I like your friends, and—” She leaned close and laid her head against Connie’s shoulder. “—I’ve missed my sister. I was kinda a dick for a while, you know? Time to mend fences and all that shit.”

  “That would be absolutely perfect. I’m so glad.” Connie pressed her cheek against the top of Nelly’s head. “I missed you, too.”

  A buzzing came from her phone on the counter and Connie glanced down to see an alert from the ride app. “I gotta go.”

  “Knock ’em dead, killer.”

  Connie tossed a grin over her shoulder at her sister and stopped in the doorway. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Now go to work. Just in case I don’t find anything, someone’s gotta bring in the groceries.”

  Connie rolled her eyes and pulled the door closed, standing still until she heard the deadbolt engage behind her. Only then did she head for the elevator, knowing her sister was safe.

  Chapter Seven

  “Alden,” Connie cried, standing from her chair. She hurried around the desk and accepted Alden’s greeting, hugging him back and ending with a quick kiss to one bearded cheek. “What are you doing here?”

  “He’s meeting me.” She turned to see Mr. Matthews standing in the hallway that led to his office suite. “I was on my way up to let you know.”

  After two weeks back at work, Connie’s nerves had settled, mostly. She didn’t know how the partners had found out about her anxiety, but all three of them had gone out of their way to help her be more comfortable. Connie blamed Patty’s newfound friendship with Taylor, but neither of them would admit to being the culprit.

  “Should I call Patty and tell her your two o’clock is here?” Connie smiled as she teased and was rewarded with a chuckle from her boss.

  “I think I can handle this one, Connie. But I did have an ulterior motive for coming up. I want you to sit in on this meeting. You can forward the switchboard to Patty. She already knows it’s coming, so it’s not an issue.” He stepped to one side and swept his arm towards the hallway. “We’ll be in the north conference room, when you’re available to join us.”

  She looked at Alden in confusion, but he just smiled at her. “See you in there.” Walking away from her, he shoved out his hand and said, “Dalton, thanks for seeing me.”

  The two men continued exchanging genial greetings as they moved out of earshot and left Connie standing by her desk. What in the world? Unless it was something about her accident, she didn’t know of any case the firm was actively engaged on that would impact her. It didn’t make sense for Alden to be here, and she felt uneasy. Maybe Jonas? Suppressing a shudder, she gathered up her tablet for notes, called Patty quickly to verify the arrangement, and forwarded all calls to her before heading for the conference room.

  Inside, in a distinct separation of the two represented firms, she found Mr. Matthews and Mr. Barrows seated on one side, with Alden at the head of the table. They just need a scribe, she thought and sighed in relief. Connie moved to sit at the other end to remain unobtrusive as she recorded the pertinent segments of the meeting. Alden stopped her by pulling out the chair to his left. Nonplussed, Connie gingerly accepted the offered seat. Spine stiff, she looked at the three men all staring back at her. Something’s not right. Her stomach dipped as she asked, “What’s going on?”

  Alden glanced at Matthews, then back at Connie. “I’ve come to confess to something, and after you hopefully forgive me, I need to ask for your help on a project. I wanted to have the partners here, because it could reflect on their firm, but at the end of the day, whether you come on board or not is up to you.” That didn’t sound bad, but Alden’s solemn expression lent an air of seriousness to whatever was going on. Connie’s palms started to sweat and she placed her tablet on the table, resting her hands in her lap. “And before you tie yourself up into knots about what it is, I’ll tell you it has to
do with Audrey Stewart.”

  Connie felt like she’d been punched in the stomach, all the air leaving her lungs in an audible gasp. She clenched her fingers into fists, nails digging deep into her palms as she fought for composure. Of course it’s Jonas. “What do you mean?”

  “We know about your relationship with Jonas Thompson, and his history with Ms. Stewart.” Mr. Matthews was looking at her, no sign of reproach on his expression, but Connie still felt her face go blood red. How could I have been so stupid? “There’s no blame here for you, Connie. But we believe there’s an opportunity for change, and once you hear Alden’s proposal, I think you’ll see it too.”

  “You know I was dating Jonas? But why? What would it…” She trailed off, brain still working furiously through the details as she knew them. “Of course it matters. It reflects on your firm and impacts any future clients, doesn’t it?” Her nose stung at the idea of her bosses having to discuss her personal life. She envisioned the partners seated around this very table, talking and taking into account how her relationship might reflect on their public image. “Are you…?” She trailed off again as she shook her head. Bile rose in her throat as she drew the only conclusion that made sense. “Are you firing me?”

  “What? No. Of course not.” Mr. Matthews placed both palms flat on the table and leaned forwards. He held her gaze, his expression earnest. “Your personal life is your own and separate from your employment here, as long as you aren’t involved in anything illegal. Dating someone like Jonas isn’t illegal, and from what we know, you were unaware of his past actions, and also of his current legal standing. There’s no judgment from us, Connie. None at all.”

  She stared at him a moment, then shook her head in disbelief. People always judge. She turned her head to look at the other partner and saw the same supportive encouragement from him.

  Mr. Barrows rested his elbow on the table and made an elegant gesture with one hand. “You’re an exemplary employee, and one we very much like having around. We’ve every intent for you to have a long career with the firm, Connie, so set your fears to rest on that front. But when Mr. Murphy shared the bigger picture of what he’d like to see happen at a state level, all of us felt compelled to give you a chance to have a voice in the decision. We’ll back whatever you say you want to happen, Connie. You’re part of the family here, and we hope you know it.”

  Connie remembered the thousand and one ways the partners of the firm made a difference in their employee’s lives. Like me. Mr. Matthews driving her home was an example, the recovery time they’d offered after the accident was another. In an instant she decided to take their words at face value, trusting them. God, I lucked out when I applied for this job. She looked back to Alden. “Mr. Murphy”—he smiled at her formal use of his surname—“perhaps you can enlighten me further? As it sounds like you’ve got some significant talent in your corner already, I’m not sure what I can offer, but I’d be pleased to entertain the proposal.” Leaning back in the chair, she folded her hands across her stomach as she’d seen the firm’s partners do so many times, and as she’d intended, it drew a laugh from them all.

  “Jonas Thompson is a blight on humanity.” She nodded agreement at his blunt statement. “And the way he was able to get you involved with him is borderline criminal as the laws stand now.” Connie tipped her head to one side. She hadn’t considered the angle Alden was taking, but it was an interesting tactic. “He should have had a clause on his probation that said he couldn’t be in drinking establishments, but that was missed. If it had been there, he wouldn’t have had the chance to even meet someone like you. But as it was, he had every right to be there. And as the laws stand now, he had every right to hide his past from anyone.” Alden warmed to his topic and stood, pacing to the whiteboard mounted on the wall.

  “The laws are currently designed to protect the previous victims from their attacker.” He drew a line on the board and wrote Audrey’s name at one end and Jonas’ at the other. “Except where there’s a child involved.” He drew a short line and wrote “child” underneath. “But still, any contact is under constant scrutiny, and the victim has rights of privacy. Because of the way the laws are written and focused on custody, flawed as they are, the rapist parent also has rights of anonymity.” He stared at Connie. “I want to change that. Hell,”—he turned back to the board and started drawing bullet points, filling in various clauses she tried to follow as he talked—“I want to change the whole thing, because forcing someone to share custody with a person like Jonas is wrong. But we need to get the lawmakers to revisit what constitutes custodial rights, loosen the rules around termination of those rights in the case of rape, and grant the victim the ability to give the child up for adoption, if that’s the right thing for them.” He drew a line under the words on the board. “For them, not the scum who forced themselves on an innocent person, because in my mind what’s best for them isn’t fit for mixed company.”

  “Where do I come in?” She pointed at the board. She hadn’t considered how Jonas had wound up with joint custody of Addy, even after Cole’s declaration. How can a child conceived like that be subject to their criminal parent? Her outrage had been about Jonas walking the streets free after what he’d done to Audrey, but what Alden was talking about went far deeper. “That’s all about Audrey, and I understand it and applaud your passion. But what does that have to do with me?”

  “I want to make it impossible for someone to hide themselves like Thompson did. I want to make it mandatory that convicted rapists disclose their past to potential partners, giving that person an opportunity to decide if they want to continue to move forwards.” She opened her mouth and he lifted his hands to shoulder height, staving off her words. “I know there are men and women who are unjustly accused and convicted. Unfortunately, that absolutely does happen, and I know it. If they are the kind of people they claim to be, the person interested in them will listen and either trust their gut about the person, or walk away.” Would I have walked away? Even before the thought was fully formed she was dismissing it, certain in her heart she would have run, not walked away from Jonas if she’d only known his history. “But they’ll have the information they need to make a decision, either way. The criminals, the ones who have multiple convictions, they won’t be able to explain away their actions, and that means people like you will have a chance to escape.” The guilt she’d been carrying around didn’t fall away, but it lessened, bands of tightness around her chest relaxing the tiniest amount.

  Mr. Barrows cleared his throat, and Connie turned to look at him. “We”—he gestured towards Mr. Matthews—“don’t have a lot of faith that portion of the proposal will make it past the discussion phase. It’s a good debate to have.” He shook his head at Alden who nodded, his smile twisting and turning wry. “But, you already know where we think the most good can come.” Looking at Connie, he said, “Removing the chance of rapists gaining custody of children conceived during a sexual assault is important, and given the history of just this one victim, Ms. Stewart, I believe it is well worth our firm’s time. We’re behind Murphy in this proposal, and he can tender the other at his own discretion. There’s a lot of room for error behind any loss of anonymity, and we believe the best chance of success surrounds the portion around terminating parental rights and removing the barriers currently in place which can prevent that without a great deal of effort. Even then, it will absolutely be an uphill battle, but one worth fighting. Even if all it does is bring society’s attention to the problem and make it part of future discussions, it’s worth it. And if we persevere and succeed? That’s a victory to be proud of.” Every word he spoke resonated within her, building a wave of pride for these men in the room, set to tackle a significant battle because they recognized the importance. He paused, then asked, “So, what do you think, Connie? Are you in?”

  Alden looked triumphant and she smiled at him, reaching across the table to clasp his hand. Lifting her chin, she gave them her answer. “Absolutely. Whatever
I can do. I’ve seen the results of Audrey’s predicament both for her extended family and the child involved. Tell me what you need.”

  ***

  “I don’t know, Nelly. It wasn’t clear what role they’ll expect me to take, but however I can help, I want to.” Connie handed over the last of the dirty dishes from their dinner, watching as Nelly rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. Her mind was still swimming with all the ideas they’d tossed around in the conference room. Two hours had flown past as the three lawyers put their heads together to come up with a beginning strategy. “Can you imagine if things had been different for Cole’s sister? If she were allowed to just mother the child she has, instead of having to confront Jonas repeatedly, in a way that has to scrape the wounds raw.”

  “So, what? You think changing the actual law will make a difference in rape victim’s lives?” Nelly measured soap and locked the lid in place, then closed the door. Punching buttons, she started the washer and the sound of swishing water filled the kitchen. “It won’t stop the rape.”

  “No, and that’s not what this is about. It’s about giving closure where it’s needed, in stopping the continued victimization caused by following an outdated set of rules no doubt put into place by some man.” The impactful language was drawn directly from Alden, his passionate delivery already etched on her brain. “The dates on the laws here, and in surrounding states, all lead me to believe they were from the time when men didn’t believe in rape. Sex was their right, and as such, it had to be consensual. Or they thought a woman wanting to keep the baby meant it wasn’t rape. I read one court reporter’s notes that stated the woman’s apparent consent because she’d kept the child.”

  Taylor spoke up from where he stood on the other side of the island. He and Alden had joined them for dinner. “Rape laws are what they are, and that’s a fight for another day. Look at it this way, Nelly, if a man robbed a bank and got a million dollars and got caught, would he be allowed to keep that money?”