Page 24 of The B!tch List

Pushing to his feet, Tate moved over to his chair to sit down and immediately started to type on his keyboard. “First things first. You get your own DNA test done. Where does the grandmother live?”

“Wichita.”

“Okay, we’ll get you a flight out there as soon as we can. Call me mistrusting, but you should take the baby’s DNA in person.” He paused and jotted something onto a legal pad. “Who’s less likely to be emotional about all this, your mom, or your dad? Whichever one it is, take them with you.”

I groaned and Tate looked up.

“You have to tell them sometime. Plus, we want to be sure you don’t get coerced into signing something while you’re in a sensitive state. In fact…” Tate clicked on something on his Mac screen and then picked up the office phone. “Hey Evie, could you organize two flights out to Wichita for Thursday? Also reschedule the pretrial meeting with Anna Duke for Friday or the following Monday instead… yeah, it’s a video conference call… that’ll be me and Shaw… great. Thank you.” He replaced the receiver and looked up at me. “Okay. You have the grandmother’s number?”

I nodded and flashed my mobile at Tate. “Yes, I do.”

“Call her and tell her that she and the baby need to be available Thursday. Don’t take any shit from her. Tell her you’re going there to get a DNA sample and you’ll have your lawyer with you.”

“What if she can’t make it?” I asked, glancing out of the glass office to see Evie on the phone, probably booking flights.

“Well, it’ll be a good opportunity to practice your skills as a lawyer. Pick her weakness and play on it.” He grinned.

“Basically, tell her to be there if she wants me to even consider taking the baby.”

“You got it.” Tate sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, in the meantime, take the rest of the day. Go and tell your folks and then get over to the Houston Testing Center on Maple and pick up a test—actually get two just in case.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded.

“It’s going to cost you a couple of hundred bucks. Do you have enough money?”

“I do.” I’d barely spent any of the small salary that Tate paid me, what with working and studying, it wasn’t a problem.

“As your lawyer, I’ll cover the air fare.”

“Tate, I can’t ask you to do that,” I protested.

“Shaw it’s fine.” He smiled and pushed his chair away from the desk. “It can go toward my pro bono hours and the flights will go down as expenses. Now, go. Go see your folks and then get yourself to Houston. I’ll get Evie to text you the details about the flights. Okay?”

“Thank you, Tate. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. All I wanted was your advice, so this is above and beyond.”

Tate grinned and then picked up his pen. “Like I said it’ll go against my pro bono hours.”

Leaving his office, it felt like it was now only a hundred-pound weight on my shoulders rather than a thousand. Tate Hallahan was a good man. I knew he’d more than likely already used up his pro bono hours. He was doing this as my boss and friend, and I was lucky to have him as both.

“Oh, and Shaw,” he called as I reached the door. “Your sister called and asked if it was okay for you to take on Nancy Andrews as a pro bono for her realty deal.”

Fuck, I cursed in a whisper and turned back to face him with a smile. “Yeah, she did mention it.”

“I’m more than happy with you doing that.” He started to shuffle some papers on his desk. “It’ll be great experience for you and she’s doing us a solid by testifying so I’m happy to throw her a bone right back.”

Smiling tightly, I left the office. As I left the building, vowed that representing her would most definitely be the last bone that I’d ever throw Nancy Andrews way ever again.

It had been three days since I’d looked at the bank, and I’d almost bitten my nails to the quick waiting to hear back from Belinda as to whether I was the only person who’d offered on it. I just hoped that Ruthie had changed her mind and decided Dayton Valley wasn’t the place for a topless waiter karaoke bar.

Apparently, the contractor who’d upgraded the building was away visiting family and didn’t want to talk business until he got home—which was going to be in another two days. I mean, did he want to make himself some money or not?

Apart from that stress, I was about to go on stage for my turn in the first round of Dayton Valley Idol and feelings were running high. Young Dulcie Rogers had just got through, even though Mr. Callahan had voted no. That hadn’t gone down too well with the audience crowded into the hall. The barrage of abuse he’d got had resulted in Dulcie’s dad being banned from the gas station by Mrs. Callahan.

“You set?” Carter asked, as Garner McGillicuddy, our emcee finished introducing me.

“Yes but remind me again why I agreed to this.”

He grinned and slapped my back. “’Cause it’s for a good cause and you’re a sucker for my baby blues.”

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