Right from the Start (6 page)

“I knew it,” she said to Geri late on Sunday during one of
their many phone conversations. “He’s personally invested. I got the sense he
was more than just someone presenting the offer. So his run for city council was
to push his private agenda?”

“I’m not psychic so I can’t tell you what prompted his run for
council,” Geri said drily. “What I can tell you is that Family Foundations is an
insightful and intelligent approach to meet the mayor’s areas of focus for
renewal that wouldn’t have gotten attention if he wasn’t on the council.”

Which sounded suspiciously as if he’d run to push his private
agenda. Kenzie sat at her desk, suddenly feeling all the long hours of
processing information that had kept her from much sleep.

“I’m not sure how I feel,” she said. More emotion. Great. Was
it any wonder she couldn’t make a rational decision?

“What’s bothering you, Kenzie?” Geri had never been one to
dance around an issue. Add the twenty-plus-year age difference, and Geri easily
fell into the role of mentor. “It’s not as if he’ll be around to bother you. So
what’s worrying you?”

Kenzie wouldn’t mention how her knees turned to jelly every
time Will had smiled. Such a ridiculously chemical reaction had been unexpected
but not the end of the world. “I’m not worried per se. It’s just I have a bad
taste in my mouth about this man. Any other representative from the council and
we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Do you know him? Everything I’ve heard from Sally has been
positive. She says the council has accomplished more in the past year with
Family Foundations than she’d hoped to accomplish in her first
term.
That’s high praise coming from someone who’s
achievement-oriented on a good day.”

As mayor, Sally Morse knew what she was talking about.

“Okay, this is between you and me, Geri. But I consulted with
his second wife during their divorce.”

“Oh. Any conflict of interest?”

Kenzie spun around in her chair to stare out her office’s only
window. The view was of the alley running behind the strip plaza to the
automotive parts store on the street behind. There was a big bay with enough
room for a tractor-trailer to back in and deliver supplies. “No. Nothing like
that.”

“Then what?”

“It’s just that I met his wife. She was a very friendly, very
professional woman who was looking for a collaborative divorce to make the
transition as easy as possible for their son.”

“Admirable. I didn’t even know he had a son.”

“My point. I don’t know about you, but I had a ton of campaign
propaganda show up in my mailbox. I got phone calls, too. And I’m not talking
automated. The man personally called his potential constituents. I’m serious,
Geri. I had voice mails on my house phone and my cell. He left his number to
call him back if I had any questions.”

“Did you?”

“No. The only question I wanted to ask was why in all that
campaigning, he never once mentioned he had a family.”

“A divorce could be perceived as a negative.”

“Two divorces.”

“Twice as negative.”

Kenzie slipped off her shoes and propped her feet on the desk.
Much better. “You don’t think it’s odd he never once mentioned his son? The son
he has primary physical custody of.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end. Finally, Geri
said, “That’s unexpected. What part of the divorce was collaborative—the ex
giving custodial rights to the father?”

“She didn’t. We consulted and came up with a very equitable
settlement that jointly split physical and legal custody. No sooner did we get
everything documented and set a date for mediation than she calls me to say her
soon-to-be ex hired Les Schlesinger because he wanted sole physical custody. The
poor woman was in pieces and so panicked she sacrificed my fee and ran off to
get herself a bulldog attorney to go to battle so she didn’t lose her son.”

“But she didn’t win? There must be more involved in the
situation than you were aware of.”

“Absolutely. I only heard one side of the story. But I do know
there wasn’t any kind of negligence happening. Nothing on record. One of the
attorneys in my network mentioned the case, which is the only reason I know of
the outcome. I’d like to say no judge would give primary physical custody to a
father without due cause, but you know as well as I do it doesn’t always work
that way. Sometimes the parent with the most money wins, which is why we need
divorce reform.”

“I hear you, Kenzie. And when you consider that Les is one of
the original good old boys around here, you may even have a point. But I still
don’t get why you’re taking this so personally. That doesn’t sound like
you.”

“I know. I don’t have all the facts, and it’s not my place to
form opinions, anyway. But I felt so bad for that mom and horrible I couldn’t
help her. When I saw how Will sidestepped the entire family issue, I got a bad
taste in my mouth. For a man who’s asking people to trust him...well, I didn’t
vote for him.”

“And now he’s asking you to become involved with his
brainchild. I get it.”

Not all of it. Not even Kenzie understood why she had
practically melted at the sight of the man. “Just want to make sure I don’t miss
anything since I do have this information.”

“Smart girl. What did your father say?”

“He said I should go for it.”

“I think you should, too, as long as you don’t have any other
hesitations except for Will’s potential character flaws. He’ll be out of your
hair after the renovations. And who knows, maybe this is his way of contributing
to society for past indiscretions. The private school that’ll be sharing the
building was affiliated with a Catholic Church. Maybe the man’s having a
conversion experience.”

Kenzie remembered what he’d said about covering every
demographic. He’d been up front about that at least.

“Kenzie, if you’re still undecided after a good night’s sleep,
stall for a few hours in the morning. We’ll be together all day tomorrow
reviewing cases. We’ll make time to talk.” Geri chuckled. “We always make time
to talk.”

“True, true.” Kenzie smiled. “You’re right. A good night’s
sleep to process this abundance of information and I’ll be able to think more
clearly in the morning. Thanks for all your help.”

“What else did I have to do with my weekend?” Geri asked.
“Aside from catch up on everything I haven’t done because I spend every waking
moment in the courtroom or my chambers.”

“You’re the best.”

“Ditto, kiddo. Whatever you decide will be the right thing to
do. Remember that.”

Kenzie crossed her fingers.

* * *

A
DECENT
NIGHT
’
S
sleep and Kenzie did indeed feel refreshed and
more confident in her ability to brush aside impressions that shouldn’t factor
into business decisions about her agency.

Will Russell’s personal life was none of her business.

Would she have been so troubled by the specifics of his custody
battle had she not reacted so unexpectedly to the man? In the dawn of a new
morning, Kenzie suspected not.

So, feeling more at peace than she had since coming
face-to-face with the man representing Family Foundations, she headed into town
at the crack of dawn. She was scheduled to be in Geri’s chambers when the
courthouse opened, so this was her last chance to be alone with her choices
before her time was up.

After parking at the courthouse, Kenzie walked down Main Street
to the bakery, where she treated herself to a piping hot latte and croissant.
Then she walked to the city park in the brisk morning air.

Hendersonville resided on a plateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains
at an elevation that produced a frigid chill on this early morning. But she
embraced every second of being outdoors, knowing what the day ahead held in
store for her. Long hours in Geri’s chambers, where they would review cases and
tailor the educational programs Positive Partings provided parents party to
custody and visitation action.

Between case reviews they would chat. Geri had laughed about
how much time they spent talking, but they simply didn’t get together often
enough, which turned every meeting into those of the marathon variety. Kenzie
normally packed enough food for lunch and dinner so they wouldn’t have to waste
time leaving the courthouse for a restaurant.

The cold air and steaming latte cleared away the traces of fog
in her brain. There were plenty of people in the park although many of the
businesses hadn’t yet opened. Main Street with its parks, squares and
flower-filled easements made for an environment where people would feel welcomed
and comfortable visiting Positive Partings.

Sipping her latte, she watched a young mother in sweats jog
while adeptly pushing a double stroller holding toddlers.

There was an elderly couple, dressed to meet the morning air
with scarves wrapped around their necks, an example of longtime love as they
strolled along hand in hand, looking so comfortable together. Kenzie knew that
look well since her own parents had been married over fifty years.

A group of women who were likely tourists with wide-brimmed
hats and cameras gathered in front of the focal point of this small park—a
memorial statue of a long-dead city patron—to take photos. Whether old friends
or friendships in the making, they chatted animatedly and appeared to be having
fun.

Then Kenzie saw
him.

Suddenly he was all she could see, as if the world vanished
from her periphery when he materialized, a manifestation of all the weekend’s
deliberation and effort and uncertainty.

He crossed the street at a steady clip, wearing a business suit
similar to the one he’d worn while touring her through Madame Estelle’s. He
carried a child’s ball under one arm, but it wasn’t until he emerged from around
a parked car that she saw the young boy whose hand he held.

His son?

A few more steps and Kenzie realized the adorable little boy
couldn’t have been anyone else. The same glossy black hair. The same dimples. He
hurried along on sturdy legs, visibly excited, clearly sharing the same brisk
energy of his dad.

The son who had been fought over by his parents. Will had won
custody. Kenzie wondered why. There was a reason. That much she knew. A
legitimate placement for this little boy’s well-being? Or simply the result of
one parent outmaneuvering the other through an adversarial, and often-flawed,
divorce process?

She set down the croissant, suddenly without appetite, and
reminded herself—yet again—that Will Russell’s personal life wasn’t any of her
business.

That didn’t seem to make a difference. Not when she couldn’t
keep her eyes off him. He didn’t appear to notice her, though, clearly not
suffering the same malady of heightened awareness and curiosity. He stopped in a
clearing, deposited his son and took off with long-legged strides.

The other day, she’d had the impression of big, but seeing him
now, both his muscular build and easy athleticism pegged him as a very physical
man. Masculine, but with a strength that was visibly contained, gentled somehow,
as he rolled the ball to his son, who caught it eagerly and rolled it back.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Their game wore on for a surprising length of time, a steady,
repetitive effort that seemed to please the boy. Maybe six, Kenzie guessed,
somewhere around kindergarten age.

She distracted herself by breaking off pieces of croissant to
feed the squirrels who ventured near, tails twitching as they looked for a
handout. The attempt at distraction was a failure, but Kenzie persisted,
thoughts trailing to her initial consultation with that little boy’s mother.

“We’ve been formally separated for over a
year but haven’t lived together for closer to two,” the woman
explained.

She was beautiful in that classic,
porcelain-complexioned way that Kenzie, with her fuzzy red hair and
freckles, had spent most of her life dreaming about. As if the woman had
stepped off the cover of a magazine stylishly dressed with her long, slim
skirt and silky blond hair. She smiled warmly, and Kenzie had no trouble
seeing why this confident woman made a successful career in public
relations.

“I want the divorce to happen as
seamlessly as possible,” she said. “There’s no conflict. My husband and I
both want what’s in the best interest of our son.”

Kenzie appreciated the sentiment and where
this woman, and supposedly her husband, placed their emphasis. “Then you’ve
come to the right place. Positive Partings specializes in the collaborative
divorce process.”

“I did my homework. Your agency comes
highly recommended.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. Today’s
consultation will let you know what the agency can do for you. Positive
Partings has the resources and network to navigate you through a smooth
divorce from start to finish.”

“Smooth sounds good.”

“I’ll send you home with information
today, so you can begin to give some thought to parenting arrangements,
division of marital property and the support you expect from your husband.
If you decide to retain my services, we’ll meet again to review your
information and prioritize. Basically we’ll determine your range, Mrs.
Russell, the things you’re willing to negotiate and the things you’re
not.”

“My son,” she said earnestly. “Not
negotiable.”

Kenzie met her gaze, recognized the sudden
glint in big blue eyes, the tension that made a porcelain expression seem
brittle enough to crack.

“Of course,” she said softly. “Your son’s
well-being is most important. You can familiarize me with the situation
before scheduling our first conference with your husband. Sound
good?”