kiss. Lock’s mind spun.
“You made me think, Natalie,” he said, “when you said that if I didn’t come over, I’d be risking it all. I don’t want to risk anything. I’m finished with gambling. I want to do the right thing.”
“Coming here tonight is the right thing. We can take it slow, but we have to take it.”
Lock looked around the room to distract himself, but he couldn’t help it. He had to look back at her. “Oh boy,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “What are you going do? Things happen. That’s life.”
“Things happen when we let them happen.”
“Exactly. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Let things happen naturally. You’re trying to stifle something wonderful.” Natalie ran her fingers through her short hair. “Let me ask you this. Do you want to kiss me?”
“What I want and what’s best are two different things.”
“So that’s a yes,” Natalie said.
“That’s a yes.”
“But you’re going to resist.”
“What else can I do? You’re reckless,” he said.
Natalie started to say something, but he held up a hand. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s one of the things I like about you. I used to be reckless, too. So, yeah, I want to kiss you. But once we do that, we’re committed.” He smiled and cocked his head. “Let’s blow up that bridge when we come to it, okay?”
She laughed. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.” She got up and moved a few feet away to a high-backed chair across from him. “Better?”
“Yes,” Lock said. “No.”
“Definitely no,” she said. “Let’s talk about the kids. The case is still open, and I know that’s part of your concern about us. I appreciate it, I really do. I know you want the best for my kids, so let’s talk about them.”
Lock nodded. “That works.”
“So…if they’re raised in a loveless home, that’s bad for them, right? If they see their parents always fighting, that’s bad for them, too. Right?”
“It’s not ideal, no.”
“If they’re being carted around by a drunk driver, isn’t that dangerous?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s pretty bad.”
“Then help me, tutor me,” she said. “About things fathers do, things that matter to judges, so I can recognize it when he does it—because I can guarantee you, if it’s irresponsible, Witt will do it.”
Lock straightened up ever so slightly at this. “What, give you a few ideas about signs of abuse, excessive clinginess, kids getting moody for no reason? That kind of thing?”
“No, things for me to be on the lookout for, things that Witt is doing that he shouldn’t be.”
“Evidence for your custody case.”
“Exactly. I need to know how to build a good case. I’m not Witt. I’d never invent anything, but he will, so I have to be as prepared as I can. Don’t make me fight him with one hand tied behind my back.”
“So I give you ideas based on my experience and help you wind up with a better custody order. A better settlement. You’d take better care of Edwina and Dahlia than Witt ever could. Right?”
“That’s it. Nothing else. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just talk.” She smiled, and he laughed.
“Maybe you’ll get better than a fifty-fifty split. And this house—”
“—and the one in Avalon, and twenty-five grand a month instead of pocket change,” she said. “It’s okay, I know what you’re thinking.”
He shrugged. “Sorry. You do this job long enough, you get a little cynical. You do deserve those things, though. It’s the law, and you’d be using the money to take care of the girls. It’s not like you’re flying to Acapulco every weekend and leaving them home. I get it, I really do. The girls deserve the best life you can give them.”
“Thank you. It’s important to me that you understand the position I’m in. Witt’s going to try to leave me with nothing, not even my girls. There’s nothing wrong with me going for that as long as there’s no perjury. It’d be stupid for me to go into
“You made me think, Natalie,” he said, “when you said that if I didn’t come over, I’d be risking it all. I don’t want to risk anything. I’m finished with gambling. I want to do the right thing.”
“Coming here tonight is the right thing. We can take it slow, but we have to take it.”
Lock looked around the room to distract himself, but he couldn’t help it. He had to look back at her. “Oh boy,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “What are you going do? Things happen. That’s life.”
“Things happen when we let them happen.”
“Exactly. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Let things happen naturally. You’re trying to stifle something wonderful.” Natalie ran her fingers through her short hair. “Let me ask you this. Do you want to kiss me?”
“What I want and what’s best are two different things.”
“So that’s a yes,” Natalie said.
“That’s a yes.”
“But you’re going to resist.”
“What else can I do? You’re reckless,” he said.
Natalie started to say something, but he held up a hand. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s one of the things I like about you. I used to be reckless, too. So, yeah, I want to kiss you. But once we do that, we’re committed.” He smiled and cocked his head. “Let’s blow up that bridge when we come to it, okay?”
She laughed. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.” She got up and moved a few feet away to a high-backed chair across from him. “Better?”
“Yes,” Lock said. “No.”
“Definitely no,” she said. “Let’s talk about the kids. The case is still open, and I know that’s part of your concern about us. I appreciate it, I really do. I know you want the best for my kids, so let’s talk about them.”
Lock nodded. “That works.”
“So…if they’re raised in a loveless home, that’s bad for them, right? If they see their parents always fighting, that’s bad for them, too. Right?”
“It’s not ideal, no.”
“If they’re being carted around by a drunk driver, isn’t that dangerous?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s pretty bad.”
“Then help me, tutor me,” she said. “About things fathers do, things that matter to judges, so I can recognize it when he does it—because I can guarantee you, if it’s irresponsible, Witt will do it.”
Lock straightened up ever so slightly at this. “What, give you a few ideas about signs of abuse, excessive clinginess, kids getting moody for no reason? That kind of thing?”
“No, things for me to be on the lookout for, things that Witt is doing that he shouldn’t be.”
“Evidence for your custody case.”
“Exactly. I need to know how to build a good case. I’m not Witt. I’d never invent anything, but he will, so I have to be as prepared as I can. Don’t make me fight him with one hand tied behind my back.”
“So I give you ideas based on my experience and help you wind up with a better custody order. A better settlement. You’d take better care of Edwina and Dahlia than Witt ever could. Right?”
“That’s it. Nothing else. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just talk.” She smiled, and he laughed.
“Maybe you’ll get better than a fifty-fifty split. And this house—”
“—and the one in Avalon, and twenty-five grand a month instead of pocket change,” she said. “It’s okay, I know what you’re thinking.”
He shrugged. “Sorry. You do this job long enough, you get a little cynical. You do deserve those things, though. It’s the law, and you’d be using the money to take care of the girls. It’s not like you’re flying to Acapulco every weekend and leaving them home. I get it, I really do. The girls deserve the best life you can give them.”
“Thank you. It’s important to me that you understand the position I’m in. Witt’s going to try to leave me with nothing, not even my girls. There’s nothing wrong with me going for that as long as there’s no perjury. It’d be stupid for me to go into
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