Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
I am not going to fall apart again. I can’t. It’s time I pull myself together because if I don’t, I’m going to lose Eli, and I can’t let that happen. But I can’t help but worry. I look around the other tables. It’s a slow night at the diner, but all it takes is one person. “I shouldn’t have had you meet me here. We should have met somewhere private. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking and—”
He stands up and comes to sit next to me. He has one hand on the chair behind me, and the other is on the table in front of me. “Stop. Now tell me what is going on.”
“I am listed as Eli’s guardian if anything happened to Tammy.”
He nods and encourages me to go on.
“Well, Eli’s grandparents are not happy about it, and they are doing everything they can to take him from me. I’m pretty sure they have threatened everyone I work with. Magazines and newspapers I’ve worked with for years have let me go. But today, I was served with this.” I reach for my purse, pulling the paper out and handing it to Miller.
He scans the words that I’ve read so many times I almost have them memorized.
I point at the paper. “So you can see that I need a lawyer… a good one, and I hate to ask you, but I don’t know what else to do. If you can help me with a lawyer, I can work it off. I can clean your house, your office, I can type, I’ll do anything… but I can’t lose Eli.”
I clear my throat. “But I understand if you can’t help me. No one wants to go against the Davenports, and I don’t blame you if you tell me to leave you alone.”
He looks confused. “Who are the Davenports?”
My mouth drops. I assumed everyone knew who the Davenports were. “Uh, they’re Eli’s grandparents. The Davenports? You really don’t know?”
He shakes his head.
“Old money. Old influence. And the kind of people who don’t lose.”
He’s silent as he stares at me. “I wouldn’t have asked, Miller, but I can’t lose Eli. He’s all I’ve got.”
He surprises me. “How long has it been since you slept?”
I roll my eyes. I must look like death warmed over because it seems everyone is worried about my lack of sleep. “I’m not worried about sleeping. I’m worried about losing Eli.”
He grits his teeth. “That’s not going to happen.”
There’s no hiding the hope in my voice. “So you’ll help me?”
He squeezes my hand. “Of course I’ll help you.”
Relief settles over me, but it doesn’t last long before worry hits me. “No one has to know you’re helping me, Miller. That way it won’t get back to them and—”
He pulls me into a hug, and I lean into it. His voice is a whisper. “Oh, honey, you’re so used to doing things on your own.” He kisses the top of my head and then leans back to look at me. “Everyone is going to know you have me and all the Brodys on your side, Lindsey.”
I’m not sure what that means, but it makes me feel a little better. I’ve been lost these last few days and have never felt more alone in my life. Not even after my parents died. “So do you have any suggestions? I’m going to assume that the Davenports have the best attorney and—”
I stop talking when Eli and Violet come over to us and instead ask Eli, “Did you eat?”
I hope he did. He hasn’t been eating.
He nods, and Violet answers, “He ate a burger and a milkshake.”
I force a smile to my face, trying to appear carefree and not worried. “Yum, that sounds good.”
I notice Eli looking between Miller and me. Miller holds his hand out, and Eli doesn’t hesitate in putting his little hand in Miller’s much bigger one. Miller wraps his hand around Eli’s and holds it tightly. “Hey, little man. What do you think of you and your Aunt Lindsey coming to stay with me?”
I gasp, but before I can say anything, Eli nods his head. “Yes.” He looks at me. “Aunt Lindsey, Grandmother and Grandfather won’t come looking for me at Miller’s. Can we stay there? Please?”
Shocked, I look at the little boy with so much hope on his face. I had no idea that he was also worried about his grandparents taking him. I’ve tried to shield him from everything, but obviously I haven’t. I reach for Eli’s other hand. “Eli, we can’t. I’m going to protect you. I promised you that you would stay with me and—”
I don’t finish because he looks at Miller almost pleadingly. “They’ll take me. I know they will. They were mad about me playing baseball instead of tennis. Like, really mad and they said that my mom is unfit to raise me, and now that she’s gone they’re going to hurt Lindsey too. Please, Miller, please.”