Page 10 of A Kiss at Midnight

My stomach sinks as I look into his eyes, which are now almost sympathetic. That is all I need — pity. I’d feel better if he simply sported a sneer, because the expression he’s wearing tells me I don’t have a chance in hell of winning this case on my own.

“You’re sure there’s nothing I can do, Mr. Sharp?”

I don’t want to hear the attorney’s next words, but I brace myself for them anyway.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Weston, but at this point you don’t have a winning cause. If your life doesn’t undergo drastic change, there’s no reason for you to even try to reopen this case. Sadly, that means that your brother could very easily be swallowed up by the system.”

Once again, I hear the depressing pity.

“What do you mean bydrastic?” There’s nothing I won’t do at this point to get my brother.

“This is strictly off the record, but the courts want to see stability. They want to see two-parent households, and they want to know that the household will remain intact and welcoming to the child. No more disruptions. You need a home, you need security, and you need a lot more than you’re showing right now.”

I’m horrified but I fully understand what he’s telling me. I’d be on solid ground if I could tell the courts I’m a happily married woman who can provide a stable home for my brother. They don’t see a newly employed twenty-four-year-old who can barely pay for a small apartment as suitable to raise her ten-year-old brother. They don’t care that I graduated from a top-notch school at the top of my class and left a great job to take care of my ailing mother. All they care about is where I am right now.

This is the twenty-first century, and yet some things are so damn outdated it would be laughable if I wasn’t so close to tears. I have to fight back maniacal laughter as I nearly reach the point of hysteria. My hope is slipping away, and it might be scratching the surface of utter misery.

I can’t comprehend a world without my brother in it. As much as it hurts, isn’t his happiness far more important than my own? Of course it is. What if I step back and he manages to find a family who will love him for the rest of his life? Wouldn’t that be better for him? Even this thought brings me to my knees. They might love him, but I’m his blood, and we need each other. We’re happier together, both of us. I’m not being selfish wanting him with me, I’m being a loving sibling.

“I can’t give him the home he needs, can I?” I ask Mr. Sharp. Even though this man doesn’t know me, sometimes it takes a stranger to tell a person the truth in a way they can actually hear.

“That’s not what I’m saying, Ms. Weston. I don’t know you. But from the look in your eyes, I can see that you love your brother very much. Love, unfortunately, isn’t always the answer, and love certainly doesn’t put food on the table or offer a roof over your head.”

“Ah, but love can turn mountains into molehills,” I reply with more than a trace of sarcasm.

“In theory,” he says with the slightest of smiles.

“What would you advise me to do next?”

The attorney pauses for so long, I figure he’s giving up on talking to me. I’m sure he wants nothing more than for me to leave his office. But at least he hasn’t led me on and taken my money. He finally leans forward and looks me in the eyes.

“If you can’t lose him, dowhateverit takes.”

And those are the words I carry with me as I walk out of his office. No, he won’t represent me, and I have no doubt that, no matter how many attorneys I visit, my situation won’t improve. I’m now left with a simple choice: give up or fight. What am I going to do? I make my way back to work. At least I can control this part of my life.

I won’t drown in my own defeat. I turn the corner and McKenzie steps out, blocking me from moving forward.

“Hello, Jewel. How did the visit go?”

“I appreciate that you helped me find him.”

“You seem upset. It must not have gone well.” McKenzie says it as if she knew all along that the meeting wouldn’t go well. Then why had she put me through that? Because she knows I’ll fight to the end, that’s why. I might have to hit rock bottom before I can dig myself back out again.

“I’m fine,” I tell Ms. Beaumont.

“I don’t believe you, Jewel, but I won’t pry. I understand. Besides, I value my privacy too much to invade someone else’s. Just know I’m here if you need to talk.”

“I’m grateful for that,” I reply.

She pats me on the shoulder then lets me pass. I go to my desk. What will I do next?Anything. That’s what I’ll do next. I’ll do anything it takes... no matter what that might be.

Chapter Review

Chapter Six

Blake

The view from myoffice is almost indescribable. My brothers and I managed to eke out a perfect piece of paradise in the middle of a city that’s certainly gone downhill through the last several years. We love it here though and aren’t willing to give up on Seattle . . . not unless we absolutely have no other choice.

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