by J. P. Comeau
“Here you go,” I told the courier, signing the notice on the clipboard.
Then, I tossed the envelope onto the counter, realizing that I needed to eat before going over any paperwork. I could never work on an empty stomach.
After putting together a turkey sandwich, I sat down and started checking emails on my phone. At that point, nothing had come in about the farmland, which probably meant the paperwork was for some other purchase we were making.
I went upstairs and changed into workout shorts and a t-shirt. After seeing Gavin this morning, I remembered that I’d put on a few pounds after the wedding and should probably hit the gym after work today.
I finished eating in the kitchen while scrolling through social media. At some point, I glanced over at the envelope on the counter, and something told me to open it right away.
“That’s odd,” I whispered to myself, holding the envelope in my hands. It was from a local attorney we never used, but the law firm’s reputation proceeded it.
Since our expansion began, it was common for us to receive legal paperwork. I ransacked my brain, wondering what it was, but nothing came to mind. So, I immediately opened it and pulled out the documents inside. It was a thick packet. But at the top, instead of having the company name, my name was listed as the defendant in a lawsuit.
“What the hell is this?”
My mouth fell open as I read over the text, and suddenly I felt lightheaded and dizzy.
This paperwork had nothing to do with any expansion projects. They were legal documents from my ex-girlfriend, Heather, suing me for child custody and financial support.
Except we didn’t have any children together.
I didn’t have any kids at all.
I sank to a stool at the kitchen island, trying to interpret the legalese. But the more I read, the more confused I became. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize I needed to contact my personal attorney and get to the bottom of this, and the sooner, the better.
I quickly changed back into my suit before I ran to my car and drove downtown to Danielle Estrem’s Law Firm. She had been a family friend for years and was one of the best attorneys in the area. If anyone could make sense of these documents, it’d be her.
Danielle’s receptionist escorted me directly into her office, where she was reading a stack of documents. I swallowed hard, standing in front of her desk. Danielle glanced up with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the expression of confusion and panic on my face.
“Richard? Is everything alright?”
I sat down in front of her desk. My heart felt like it would leap out of my chest. I laid the documents in front of her and didn’t utter a word. All I could do was hold my breath.
She furrowed her brow and picked up the packet. “What’s this, Richard? I assume this is an emergency.”
“Yeah, Danielle, you could say that. Please forgive me for butting in like this.” I tried to smile, but my lips were stuck in a straight line. “You remember my ex-girlfriend, Heather?”
“Not really. But I do remember you mentioning her a long time ago when you came in about a prenup. Then you told me you two had broken it off.”
I tried to speak, but my tongue couldn’t form the words. Finally, I managed to croak, “May I have a bottle of water.”
“Of course.”
It seemed like an eternity before her legal aid appeared with a bottle of Perrier. I gulped the entire thing down as Danielle glanced over the documents before I could speak. Finally, I managed, “It appears she’s filing for custody of a child that we don’t have and wants child support. I don’t know what the hell she’s trying to do, Danielle, but there’s no way that I have a kid!”
Danielle held her hands up, indicating to me that I needed to calm down.
Except that I couldn’t.
Was Heather out to ruin me?
Was this some kind of horrible joke?
I hadn’t spoken to her in years.
“You need to relax and take a deep breath, alright? There are ways to dispute this, especially with DNA testing. Let me finish reading over these.”
As Danielle thoroughly read the documents, I couldn’t help but wonder if we did have a child together. On some level, I wouldn’t put it past Heather to keep that sort of thing a secret from me. She was a selfish, evil bitch who I should never have dated. Yet on another level, I still wasn’t sold on the fact that it was true.
It must be just a way to undermine my reputation.
Our family business was doing very well financially, and she probably got pregnant by some dirtbag who left her. I was sure that she was still in contact with friends and family here in River Valley. She probably found out that I was making a ton of money, and now she wanted to cash in.
I watched as Danielle picked up the phone, although I didn’t know who she was calling. Probably, the attorney who had me served. I wanted to grab the phone and yell, “Do you think I’m a complete sucker?”
I tried listening in, but Danielle had her back to me and was speaking low, so much so I couldn’t make out a word she was saying.
Her secretary came in with another bottle of water, which I guzzled waiting for Danielle to finish. I watched as her office chair spun back around. She put the phone down on the receiver and slowly looked up at me. My stomach dropped. The expression on her face was unmistakable.
It was true.
“Yes, it’s allegedly true.” Danielle let out a sigh before proceeding. “The plaintiff claims three weeks after you two broke up, she took a pregnancy test, and it confirmed she was pregnant with your child. But don’t worry, we’ll file a request for DNA testing. You’re a wealthy man Richard, which can leave you a bit vulnerable to these sorts of things.”
Danielle was trying to give me hope, but deep down, I had an inkling Heather wouldn’t pull this shit if it weren’t true.
“Then why didn’t she tell me?” I said it so loudly that Danielle sat back in her seat. “I’m sorry. I really am. It’s just, I’m not ready for this, Danielle! Why would she keep our child a secret from me all this time?”
“According to her attorney, she didn’t want to be stuck here in River Valley.”
I blinked and tilted my head to the side. “Well, that is true, but what does it have to do with this lawsuit.”
“If you were the father, legally, you could have made her stay in town to help raise your child. If, of course, you were aware of the pregnancy, and the child turned out to be yours. So, I can only assume, that’s the reason she kept it a secret. She wanted to get out of here… and may have been waiting for a convenient time in her life to let you know about the baby.”
I put my head in my hands and massaged my temple—what a mess.
“I know this is no reassurance, but this scenario isn’t all that uncommon. And besides, it might be just a scam, hoping you might agree. An easy check… a document made up between the two of you. You pay. She keeps quiet. And the child goes away. It’s called extortion or blackmail. You take your pick. And, of course, it is illegal.”
“Well, really, do you think Heather would hire the firm Brown and Brown if that were the case?”
Danielle looked away, then back at me, “No, Richard, I don’t. That’s why we need to file for the testing… to make sure.”
“Well, just so you know, if this scenario is true, then Heather was right. If I had known she was pregnant with my child, I would have made damn sure she never left River Valley!”
“Yes, Richard. I’m aware of your honorable reputation in business and family matters. Otherwise, I would not agree to represent you in this case.”
“So, you will take the case?” I tried to smile.
“Of course. “Look Richard, I know this is a tricky situation. We have a very long road ahead of us. This case could take months.”
I took in a deep breath and did what I do best. I calmed myself, cleared my head, and forced the rational side of me to take over for at least long enough to take in her explan
ation. “What do we do now, Danielle?”
“Well, let me go over the ins and outs with her attorney. See what she really wants. And in the meantime, set up a hearing to get the DNA testing rolling. Everything revolves around the result.”
“The hell with what she wants! How do I get in contact with her?”
Danielle held her hands up and shook her head. “No, Richard. Let me handle this. The worst thing you could do right now is call her. If she wanted to talk to you, she would have called you directly. She knows where you work, and everyone in town knows your family.”
“Exactly,” I said. “This will ruin my reputation if it gets out. Even though I’m kind of known as, shall we say, being with a lot of women, this could ruin my public image. Make me look like an absentee father, just like Caley’s dad, Cam. I don’t want to be that guy!”
Danielle reached across her desk and put her hand on top of mine.
“Richard, you’re not Cam. Everyone in town knows that. You have done absolutely nothing wrong. You were in a long-term, committed relationship that didn’t work out. Heather finds out she’s pregnant after you break-up but doesn’t tell you and is now coming after you for child support. Your family can always go to the media with this story. Use your family’s public relations agency to get out in front of this… if you have too.”
I nodded as she spoke, realizing that she was right. Once word got out about it, and I knew that it would, I’d have to do a lot of damage control. I was also worried about how my father would react, but something told me that he’d be on my side.
“So, is it a boy or a girl?”
“I thought you would never ask. Allegedly, you have a daughter, Richard.” My heart started beating again. If there was one good thing to come out of the whole thing, it was that I had a daughter.
“I want to see her,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Unfortunately, Heather doesn’t have to let you see her. Not until the test results prove you are the father. Then the laws in California provide you with certain rights.”
“Excuse me? She dares to ask for child support and for me to sign over custody for our daughter, but I don’t have the right to see her? Does she know how powerful my family is? You bet your ass I’m going to see my daughter, Danielle!”
Once again, she held up her hands.
“Settle down. It’s not just back child support that she wants, Richard. She wants an additional lump sum payment, you know.”
By that point, my face was turning every shade of red.
“Of course, she wants a lump sum payment. It’s hush money,” I said. “Heather knows damn well this will ruin our family’s business. That’s why she’s doing it, Danielle. It’s hush money that I refuse to pay!”
Danielle let out another sigh. “Well, we already discussed the idea of extortion and blackmail. And yes, you will have to pay if the child is indeed yours. The court will decide, usually, based on your income. Unless you two can agree on a figure during arbitration.”
I knew Danielle was right.
“Forget the money, Danielle. Doesn’t a father have the right to see his daughter? I have done absolutely nothing wrong here!”
“I’m not saying that you’ll never be able to see your daughter,” she said. “But I’m giving you a heads up that you’ll probably end up paying a large amount of back child support and a reasonable chunk of change monthly until the child is grown.”
“Fine,” I said. “But only if I can see my daughter. If I can’t see my daughter, then she’s not getting a penny.”
“Look, you have every reason to be upset right now. But please calm down. There’s no point in getting upset over something that you can’t control, especially since that won’t fix anything. Can you give me the afternoon to see what I can do? Let me go over some paperwork, make a few phone calls, and try to find out as much as I can.”
I nodded, once again realizing that she was right. I was just wasting energy by being so angry at Heather. Danielle was an exceptional attorney, and if there were a way to see my daughter and not bend to Danielle’s wishes, then she’d find it.
“Of course, I’m sorry, Danielle. And thank you for letting me just barge in here. And I’m sorry I kept repeating myself.”
“No need to apologize. I deal with this stuff all the time. I do have a suggestion, though, Richard.”
“What’s that?”
“We need to get the hearing set to order the DNA test before spending too much time trying to schedule visitation. I’ve seen far too many men get roped into paying child support for children that weren’t their own, and I’d hate to see that happen to you.”
I shrugged. That was the least of my worries, though. “Yeah, I guess. Given the timeline of events, honestly, I really have little doubt that I have a daughter. Although Heather was pretty desperate to get out of River Valley, she may have hooked up with someone she thought could help.”
“You never know. I’ve had over a dozen child support cases this year alone, and most of them believed they were the father, but I convinced them to take a DNA test. Nearly all of them turned out to be false.”
I thought about what she was saying, but deep down, I knew that I was the father. Heather just wasn’t that stupid. She had to know I would demand proof.
9
Annie
I sat back in my office at the yoga studio with articles about intuitive eating littering my desk. Tightening my ponytail, I tried again to concentrate on developing my brand of holistic health food but still found it hard to focus on anything other than Richard.
Suddenly, I had an idea. To ease my mind, I should do a handstand with my legs pressed up against the wall. This particular pose was supposed to help center my thoughts. That day, however, all it did was make me feel lightheaded.
“Centering yourself again, I see.” Crystal gracefully slipped around the corner, into our office and sat down at her desk, placing a brown paper bag on top.
“I’m trying to,” I said, letting myself down. “What’s in the bag?”
She reached inside and handed me a granola bar. The label said that it was organic and made from quinoa, steel-cut oats, and raw honey.
“There’s a new health food store down the street, and these looked good. Maybe they’ll carry your holistic line of food and supplements one day.” I gave her a half-smile while biting into the granola bar. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged. “Richard. I don’t know what to do, Crystal. He came down here to ask me out to lunch.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said with a giggle that quickly morphed into a frown. “But wait, I didn’t see you leave. You didn’t go?”
I could hear the disappointment in her voice and see her confused expression, and a part of me immediately regretted not going. “It’s not like I didn’t want to. I was just… and by the way, this granola bar is delicious. It doesn’t taste healthy at all.”
“What are you afraid of, Annie? The guy seems like the whole package.”
“That’s the problem, Crystal. You know guys like him. You have to wonder why a guy his age never settled down, which only confirms my fear of being treated like all the other women he’s been with.”
She let out a sigh and put her feet up on the desk. Crystal had a good head on her shoulders, especially when it came to relationships. She knew all of the characteristics of a womanizer.
“Look, no woman who’s had her heart broken wants to go through that again. But you should give it a shot. Just remember what you learned from your ex-boyfriend, keep an eye out for those warning signs, and have a good time.” Crystal bit into her granola bar and nodded, “Not to change the subject. But this is really yummy.”
“Yeah, these are amazing,” I agreed, taking another bite. “Back to the subject. You know, Julianna has been bugging me to date him for a while now,” I said. “At first, it was his age. I mean, he is significantly older than me.”
“He has sugar daddy written all over him, which is fine by me.
Actually, I wouldn’t mind a sugar daddy.”
I laughed and threw my granola bar wrapper at her. “Well, I, for one, am not looking for a sugar daddy. But now that we’ve been together, his age isn’t an issue at all. I wouldn’t say that it’s a turn on, but good God, Crystal. That night we spent together in bed was some of the hottest sex I’ve ever had!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that some of the students suddenly stopped moving and were snickering. Crystal slid her chair over and quietly shut the door the rest of the way.
“Oops, sorry about that.”
I giggled at Crystal. “Thank God, it’s a young crowd out there right now. I’m afraid the morning crew may have been appalled.”
“Well, you never know,” Crystal gave me a sideways smile. “You might be surprised.” Then she leaned forward. “Now, give me some more of the juicy details.”
“Crystal… you’re so naughty,” I giggled.
“Whatever… So, you’re saying the sexual chemistry isn’t an issue at all? That’s a good thing. Look, even if you just have a fling with this guy, what’s the worst that could happen? Both of you are single, right? You’ve already had mind-blowing sex. Stop putting up so many walls and just go for it already. I don’t see the problem here.”
I laughed a little bit and thought about what she was saying. Except I knew that I wasn’t a ‘fling’ kind of person. I wanted a relationship, a long-term commitment with someone that I could see getting married to one day. Even if Richard hadn’t come into my life, finding a fling wouldn’t be that hard to do. Not with the type of men I’d seen on the dating apps, at least, or at the local bars.
“I’m not looking for a fling, though, Crystal.” Both of us chuckled. “Richard just reminds me of some of the guys I’ve dated before.”
“Remember, Tom, that guy you met online?”
I rolled my eyes, remembering how much of a jerk he was. Just like Richard, he seemed like a great guy at first. He started and helped run an organic coffee business, loved to travel overseas, and was highly intelligent. He was also sleeping with about a dozen other women when we were dating.
