14LindseySomewhere along the line, I got into the habit of opening the bar early on Wednesdays. That was the day I caught up on the administrative work if I hadn’t been able to finish it all in my hour periods at the beginning of each day. It was also when I did inventory and confirmed orders for food and alcohol before putting them in. That was one of the most important things my father instilled in me—control over the inventory.
There were a lot of things my father did when running the bar that I didn’t agree with. His tight hold over the money flowing out wasn’t one of them. His father taught him, and he taught me. You always had to be aware of where the money was going. Money was like a leprechaun, Daddy always said. Don’t look it right in the eye and know where it was all the time and it would run right away from you.
I spent the first couple of hours there by myself, and then a couple of the staff joined me. They had just arrived that Wednesday when my phone rang. Right in the middle of filling out an order form, I considered ignoring the call and just returning it later. But something told me to glance at my phone. When I did, I saw it was Charlie.
I immediately went into my office and answered.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Trewes?”
“Lindsey,” I said.
“Lindsey, this is Charlie. Are you busy?” he asked.
“I’m opening up my bar,” I said. “Is everything alright?”
“Would you be able to meet with me?” he asked. “There’s something important I want to discuss with you.”
My heart instantly started beating so hard in my chest I thought I would throw up. “Yes. I’ll have someone look over the bar for me, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. I will see you soon,” he said.
My head was spinning when I got off the phone. I didn’t know what this could mean. I’d never worked with a lawyer before and didn’t know if it was normal for him to call me like this. On the same token, I didn’t even know if he was really my lawyer. That wasn’t something we formally established. There was no contract or clear agreement. As far as I knew, he was just looking over the papers as a courtesy to Vince.
But Vince had said he would do anything he could to help me, including helping with the lawyer. Maybe he had already spoken to Charlie and they had an arrangement. That thought made my heart sink a little. There was no way I would be able to afford a lawyer like him.
Maybe I was going to walk into that office, and he would have pulled up a contract, expecting me to start paying. I would do absolutely anything I could to combat what Grant was trying to do. Nothing was more important than having my son in my life. If that meant begging every bank in the area for a loan or figuring out some way to get more money out of the bar, that’s what I would have to do.
As I ran out of the bar, I called the bartender who was getting everything ready and asked her to be in charge until I got back.
I got to the office, and Charlie appeared at the door, waving me in. Vince sitting inside surprised me so much I stopped at the doorway and just stared at him. When he said he had my back, he meant it. He was funding my fight for my son.
The whole thing made another harsh wave of emotion roll over me. I hated feeling indebted to anyone. But I wasn’t going to turn the help down. I couldn’t. Keeping Remy in my life and undoing the awful custody agreement was far more important than my pride. Vince rose and gave me a quick hug before pulling out the chair next to him and motioning for me to sit.
“Thank you both for coming in on such short notice,” Charlie said. “I really appreciate it. I know you were both busy, but I didn’t think this was something that should wait.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I went through the papers again and noticed a typo.”
“A typo?” I asked. “Does that matter?”
“Absolutely,” Charlie said. “An inaccuracy like that is very serious. That typo makes the entire brief invalid.”
I heard the words, but I didn’t really process them. They just kind of hovered in my head, like they were waiting for me to catch up. “I don’t think I understand.”
Vince grinned and chuckled slightly. “A typo in the lawyer’s brief from Grant’s family means the whole agreement has to be thrown out. It’s no longer admissible.”
“So, it’s over?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” Charlie said. “They will adjust their papers and resubmit them. That goes without saying. However, that gave me time to write up an agreement for our side that can be submitted as well. He will no longer be the only one with cards on the table.”