Page 163 of Renewal After Dark

Over the next month,McKenzie’s new life fell into place in every possible way. She had more work than she could handle, with clients lining up for a meeting with her. She’d proposed group payroll and health insurance options to lower the cost many businesses were paying currently and had landed the McCarthy family and all their island businesses, which was almost a full-time job on its own. Her clients had insisted on paying her no less than fifty dollars an hour for her time, and she was amazed at how much money she was making doing something she loved.

She’d enrolled Jax in morning preschool three days a week that wasn’t really preschool quite yet, but it gave him time to be with other kids his age while she got some work done. Their days had fallen into a lovely routine that included new friends for both of them and lots of time with Duke, their new best friend.

After Kendall heard about what Eric had done, she doubled down with his attorney and threatened to file a criminal complaint if he came anywhere near McKenzie or Jax again. They’d filed the police report, and Duke had taken care of making sure her phone wasn’t trackable by anyone. He’d also installed cameras around his property so no one could take them by surprise again.

McKenzie was on her way home from delivering Jax to school on a Wednesday morning in early October when Kendall called.

“Am I getting you at a good time?”

“Yes, I’m driving.”

“Great. I heard from Eric’s attorney, and he’s prepared to offer a one-time payment with the caveat that it’s all he’s willing to pay, and if you want more, you’ll have to take him to court. Since I doubt he’s told his wife about you and Jax, you do have leverage there. If you don’t like the offer, we can tell him we’ll see him in court. I have to believe he’ll want to avoid that at all costs.”

All it took to trigger the anxiety from that day in Duke’s yard was hearing Eric’s name. Her stomach instantly hurt, and the quiver in her hands made her angry. “What’s the offer?”

“One hundred thousand.”

“Well. That’s not nothing.”

“No, it isn’t, but it’s far less than what you’d get over the next seventeen years if you went to court and demanded regular child support payments. That would also make it a lot more difficult for him to keep you and Jax hidden from his wife.”

“I’m not looking to blow up her life. I’m sure she’ll find out eventually who he really is if she doesn’t know already. That’s not my goal. I want to make sure I have what I need to raise my son without him having to do without anything and to be able to help him with college later, if that’s what he wants.”

“Which is a fair request. If you want to think about it, there’s no need to respond right away. My fee would be five thousand since this didn’t take much time at all.”

“That’s totally fine. I’d like a day or two to consider it, if that’s okay.”

“Absolutely. Give me a call when you decide.”

“Thank you for your help with this.”

“No problem at all.”

During an earlier call, Kendall had told McKenzie that she’d enrolled her sons in school and was looking for an island home to rent for the school year. After that, she wasn’t sure of their plans, but she was taking things one day at a time. In the meantime, she’d taken over much of Dan Torrington’s local practice while he and his wife, Kara, were in Maine. McKenzie had read about Dan’s legal career and his innocence project and still couldn’t believe he lived and worked on Gansett Island.

She and almost everyone else she knew on the island had attended a memorial service for Jim Sturgil, which had focused on his enduring love for his daughter. Tiffany told McKenzie later that Jim’s parents asked to have Ashleigh sit with them during the service, but Tiffany had insisted on keeping her daughter with her and Blaine.

Some things were simply nonnegotiable. Doing what was right for your child was certainly one of them. How did any mother know for sure what was right? Would a hundred thousand dollars, combined with her income, allow her to give Jax the childhood she wanted for him? How in the world did anyone put a price on such a thing?

The day after Kendall’s call, she and Jax were heading to Tiffany’s store, and she hoped to get the chance to talk to her new friend about Eric’s offer. She hadn’t yet mentioned it to Duke. Before she did, she wanted the input of a more experienced mom to help her decide whether to take the offer or fight him for more in court.

The thought of an extended battle exhausted her, but she’d do whatever was necessary to advocate for Jax.

McKenzie parked the truck behind Tiffany’s store and entered through the back door with work and diaper bags hooked over her shoulder and Jax in her arms. Her booming business was a huge relief, especially since none of her clients minded if she brought her son to in-person meetings. Not having to pay for daycare was another blessing in this new life she was creating for them. Every day, she gave thanks to her beloved grandmother for leaving her the cottage that had led to this lovely new stage for them. It was as if Rosemary had known that someday McKenzie would need a fresh start and had made sure she’d get it.

Next week, she would hold a meeting for sixteen clients to discuss the group payroll and health insurance options she’d researched. They’d been thrilled to hear that they could reduce their overall fees by banding together. The sense of accomplishment at having finally found her niche in life was profound. That, coupled with her blissful relationship with Duke, had made her happier than she’d ever been.

“Morning,” Tiffany said when she spotted McKenzie and Jax.

“Morning.”

“Addie is super excited to play with Jax this morning. Aren’t you, sweetie?”

“Jax.”

“That’s right.”

“Aw, he’s excited, too.” She plopped him into the gated play area where Addie waited for him.

---