Page 11 of Timeless Pages

Chapter eleven

Isa

I entered the law offices of Skimmer, Calvert, and Hughes with more apprehension than I would have preferred.

When I started calling lawyers and explaining what I needed, hoping we could work out a payment plan or even if they’d be willing to take the case pro bono, they all gave me the same answer.

They aren’t taking on new clients, but they know of a firm in town that is, and a pro bono case like this was just what they were looking for to round out their tax year.

I continued to call other lawyers after the first one because the best law firm in town, which seemed to be looking to take on a case like mine, seemed far too good to be true.

I suspected this was my father’s doing. Getting some lawyers on his side would be a cakewalk if he could get a judge to do his bidding.

I only called Skimmer because I had no other options in town, and calling lawyers outside of Sunflower Falls was an absolute last resort.

I knew Father didn’t have his hooks fully embedded in Sunflower Falls; I couldn’t say the same for the surrounding towns.

I fully expected to get the runaround and be told several reasons they couldn’t take my case or that it wasn’t worth fighting, but I had to at least meet with them.

The cheerful blonde behind a black marble reception desk smiled as I entered. “Good morning. How can I help you?”

“I have a meeting with Daniel Calvert,” I replied.

“Wonderful to meet you, Miss Wilcox. He’s expecting you.

I’ll let him know you’re here.” I glanced nervously at the clock behind her.

I tried to get here early, but we weren’t getting off to a good start if I was already keeping him waiting.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw I still had fifteen minutes until my appointment.

The receptionist smiled warmly at me. “Don’t worry about it. He’s one of those types who is super early for everything and, therefore, is always waiting for someone,” she said with a wink as she pressed a button on her phone.

“Yes?” A male voice said through the speaker.

“Miss Wilcox is here for your ten o’clock meeting, Sir .”

“Thank you, Brandy.”

There was a click, and the line went dead. Brandy glared at the phone briefly before shooting me another bright smile. “Mr. Calvert will be right out.”

A door opened down the hall, and a brown-haired man in an expensive suit strode toward me with purpose.

His eyes slid to Brandy briefly, and I saw a smug look flash across his face before his attention returned to me.

“Miss Wilcox, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he said as he held his hand out to shake mine.

“Won’t you come this way?” His hand hovered over my lower back, not making contact as he guided me to his office.

“Coffee, Brandy,” he snapped over his shoulder.

As the door closed, I could hear Brandy muttering under her breath.

The sparkle in Mr. Calvert’s eyes told me that was the exact reaction he was looking for.

“Please sit,” he said, indicating the chairs in front of his desk.

I sat and took the folded conservatorship papers from my purse, smoothing them out.

“Mr. Calvert, I need your help,” I started as soon as he sat in his chair on the other side of the wide black walnut desk.

“Please, call me Daniel,” he replied quickly.

I nodded. “Isa,” I replied.

“What can I do for you, Isa?” he asked with a kind smile.

“My father got conservatorship papers filed without notifying me that there was a case,” I replied, handing the court order to him. “I need help fighting it before he sells my bookstore.”

Daniel took the papers to look them over as the door swung open. Brandy marched into the office and offered me my coffee with a smile before turning and slamming Daniel’s down on his desk. “Your coffee, Sir. ”

“Thank you, Brandy. You may leave,” he replied without looking up.

A growling sound came from Brandy as she all but stormed out of the office.

“Don’t slam my door,” Daniel warned. I heard her huff as the door clicked shut softly.

Daniel looked at me over the top of the papers and winked, bringing a small smile to my face at their antics.

“The first thing I need to know is why you think your father is doing this?” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair to sip his coffee.

I took a deep breath. My lawyer needed to know everything if I wanted to fight this and win.

I couldn’t hold anything back. But I wasn’t comfortable sharing my story with him until he was officially my lawyer.

“Before we get into that, are you taking my case? I was told you were doing pro bono work, but that didn’t seem right. ”

“I will take your case, Isa, pro bono. What you say to me remains between us unless you agree to allow me to use it in your defense,” Daniel replied.

He leaned forward and slid a paper from an open folder across his desk.

I picked it up and saw that it already had my name typed on it.

“This is a short-form contract. It states that I am representing you as your lawyer, free of charge until we agree otherwise. As such, any communication between us will be covered under attorney-client privilege. Once you sign it, I will officially be your lawyer.”

I read through the contract. Everything seemed in order, and there wasn’t anything hinky that jumped out at me. I plucked a pen from the holder on his desk and signed my name at the bottom of the page.

“Wonderful,” Daniel said as he took it back and placed it in the folder. “Now tell me everything.”

I took another deep breath and started at the very beginning, much like I did with Nate, Dom, and Evan yesterday. I kept closer to the facts, but by the time I finished, there wasn’t anything Daniel didn’t know about me.

“Ok,” he said, turning to a filing cabinet behind him and pulling out papers.

“The very first thing we will do is file for a TRO. That’s a temporary restraining order.

That will keep your father from coming back to the store and hurting you again.

Next, we will file paperwork with the Sunflower Falls Courthouse.

Since this is where you reside, where your uncle resided at the time of his death, and where his assets are located, Sunflower Falls is where this case should be heard. ”

He filled out the forms while explaining what we would be doing.

I nodded and tried to keep up with him as he continued.

“This will also get your case out of the hands of that crooked judge he used. On top of the restraining order, we will hit him with a cease and desist order, telling him he can’t touch your assets or sell your store until this matter is resolved. ”

Daniel paused to meet my eyes. “We’re going to fight this, Isa, and we’re going to win,” he assured me.

I shook my head as I blinked back tears. “I wish I could have your optimism. You don’t know my father. My entire life, he’s convinced the people around him that he is a good person. The only person who ever believed me was my uncle.”

Daniel came around the desk and knelt before me, gently placing his hands over mine. “Well, now there are two people who believe you, Isa, and I won’t let him abuse you anymore. You are a grown adult, fully capable of handling your affairs. The courts will see that; I’ll make sure of that.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He returned to his seat and continued filling out the necessary forms while I sat quietly. Fifteen minutes later, I saw him chew on his bottom lip thoughtfully and glance up at me quickly before looking back at the paper.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well, for us to make sure getting the TRO is a slam dunk, it would be helpful if we had proof of the abuse,” he replied hesitantly.

Proof? Oh. “You mean pictures,” I replied. My hands started to tremble, so I clasped them together on my lap.

“Only if you’re comfortable with it,” he replied. “If it will make you more comfortable, I can have Brandy come in and take them.”

I nodded as my heart thundered in my chest. I had to do this.

And if the only way I could stop my father was by having these pictures taken and shown to the court, then so be it.

This happened to me. I didn’t mutilate my body; he did, and it was time the world knew the truth.

It was time to stop being ashamed of my scars because each one was proof of my strength.

Of my endurance. If I could survive that, I could survive this.

“Brandy can take the pictures,” I replied, my voice cracking.

“Good girl,” Daniel praised, standing. “I’ll be right back.”

He left the office, and I got up and started to pace to work through my nervousness. They were just pictures. It was no big deal. I continued to give myself a pep talk until the office door opened again, and Brandy stepped in.

“Would you like to do this here, or would you prefer to go to the restroom?” she asked gently, compassion filling her light blue eyes.

“Umm, I think I would prefer the bathroom if you don’t mind,” I replied.

“Not at all! I think the neutral walls will be better for the photos anyway. Follow me, Isa.” She led me down the hall, past her reception desk, and into the restroom. “Ok. Daniel said there were recent injuries?”

I nodded and rolled up the sleeves of my light hoodie, showing her the scabbed-over cuts. Brandy snapped pictures of each arm, then lowered the camera.

“Can you take the hoodie off?”

I nodded and pulled it over my head. Underneath, I wore a plain white T-shirt, so more of my arms were visible.

Brandy took more pictures and then paused again.

I knew what was coming next. They needed to see all of them.

So it was time for me to woman up and strip more than my clothes.

I pulled the T-shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor with my hoodie.

As I reached for the button on my jeans, Brandy said, “We can take it slow if you want to. There’s no need to push yourself too far.”

My lips turned up in a half smile. “I can do this. It’s important.”

“Ok,” Brandy replied, returning a better version of my smile. I’m not sure I’ve ever smiled as genuinely as she does. I idly wondered what it would be like to feel that happy just for no reason. I pushed my jeans off my hips and stepped out of them.

Brandy gasped quietly when she saw the full scope of my scars. “Daniel will make him pay,” she growled as she lifted the camera again to take pictures.

Needing to distract myself from the moment, I did something I don’t usually do with strangers. I asked a personal question. “Is something going on with you and Daniel?”

Brandy froze and turned about fourteen shades of red before continuing to take pictures. “Why? Did he say something to you?” She asked as she circled me slowly.

“No,” I replied. “It’s more in the way he reacts to you. He enjoys pushing your buttons.”

“Don’t I know it,” Brandy mumbled. “I got out of a pretty crappy relationship at the start of the year, so it’s complicated. There isn’t anything going on between us exactly, but there isn’t nothing going on either, if that makes sense. ”

I nodded. “I understand.”

“What about you?” Brandy asked. “Do you have any boyfriends?”

“No,” I replied, “but I have complicated… sort of.”

“Do tell!”

“Well, they’re real estate moguls trying to buy my bookstore, but they’ve also offered to help me keep it, so I don’t know what to think,” I replied.

“I think I have all of the pictures we need. You can get dressed,” Brandy said.” Wait, you aren’t talking about DEN Tower Corporation, are you?”

“You know them?”

“They’re clients! Great guys. You could do worse than one of them or all of them if you’re into that,” Brandy teased.

A wisp of suspicion rose, but I quickly waved it away. It was just a coincidence. “I doubt they’d be interested in me like that,” I replied as I promptly redressed.

Brandy placed her hand on my arm. “I didn’t see anything that wouldn’t interest them, Isa. You’re beautiful, scars and all. I hope it’s not too weird to say that, but it’s true.”

I shook my head at her. “You’re sweet for saying that, but I don’t think anyone’s dream girl is covered in scars and loaded down with emotional damage.”

“You aren’t your scars, Isa. I hope you can see that for yourself one day,” Brandy said softly.

In the next second, her tone changed back to aggressively cheerful.

“Also, in case you didn’t realize, I’ve decided you’ll be my new best friend.

I don’t know anyone here all that well yet. And no, this isn’t optional.”

She took my hand and pulled me from the bathroom and back to Daniel’s office. “Do you need anything else from Isa?” Brandy asked.

“No. That should be it. I’ll run the paperwork to the courthouse today and let you know how it goes. If all goes well, we can have your father served by tonight,” Daniel replied.

“Good. Then I’m taking an early lunch with my new friend. I’ll be back in an hour.” Brandy grabbed my purse and handed it to me before tugging me out of the office without giving Daniel a chance to respond.

When she said we were going to be friends, she meant it.