“That’s good, isn’t it?” Rosie whispered, leaning her head close to Sharon’s.
“Lockhart’s fair, if a bit unorthodox.”
That wasn’t what Rosie wanted to hear. She wanted this procedure to be quick and straightforward. After six months of haggling over every detail, she was ready for the divorce to be done. Ready to make a new life for herself and put the bitterness and ill will behind her.
Zach approached the table, his attorney at his side.
Rosie didn’t look at Zach, but she felt his gaze burn through her. She stiffened her spine and refused to acknowledge him. Her eyes stung from lack of sleep. Her head throbbed with the worst headache in ten years and she felt she might be physically ill. Zach would never know any of this, however. She’d keel over in a dead faint before she’d let him know what his affair had done to her sense of worth, her dignity and her heart. This divorce had just about destroyed her emotionally.
The judge was announced and all the people in the courtroom briefly rose and then immediately reclaimed their seats.
“Good morning, Your Honor,” Sharon Castor said, rising to her feet once more.
“Good morning.” Judge Lockhart flipped through the pages of the brief, scanning the details. “I see you’ve reached a settlement in the matter of alimony.”
“We have, Your Honor.”
“I’ve read through the parenting plan.”
Rosie caught her breath. She’d held out as long as she could on the issue of joint custody. It wasn’t what she wanted. She assumed, from the amount of time Janice and Chris spent with Zach, that he intended to make them part of his life and thus part of her children’s lives. Knowing that, she fought him with everything she could. Their fights had grown ugly and vengeful. Rosie regretted the things they’d said and done, but in the heat of her anger, the venom had flowed out of her. She hadn’t known she was capable of behaving this way. Hadn’t known Zach was capable of treating her with such contempt.
“It appears that you’ve agreed to joint custody.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Judge Lockhart gestured at the document. “It states here that the children, ages fifteen and nine, are to live with their father three days a week in the first and third week of each month and four days a week in the second and fourth week. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“They are to pack up their belongings and transfer from their house to his apartment—and back—every three or four days. Isn’t that a lot of moving about for these children?” the judge asked, frowning.
“Your Honor.” Zach’s attorney stood. “It’s important to my client that he share custody of his children.”
“I have no squabbles with his motivation or the concept of shared custody,” Judge Lockhart said, “but to my way of thinking, it isn’t the parents who need a stable home life, it’s the children.”
“My client couldn’t agree with you more,” Otto Benson said, and Zach nodded.
“Ms. Castor, is your client in agreement as well?”
Sharon looked at Rosie, who stood. She spoke directly to the judge. “I want what’s best for my children.”
Judge Lockhart studied both Zach and Rosie. “The family home is at 311 Pelican Court. How long have you lived at this address?”
“Three years, Your Honor.”
“You intend to keep the home?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Sharon answered on Rosie’s behalf.
The judge set aside the paperwork and sighed heavily. “That being the case, I’m going to put your word to the test. Both of you have stated that your main concern in this divorce is your two children. That’s what I want to hear. Both of you seem determined to stay in their lives and I commend you for that. I hope you mean it. I agree to accept all conditions and terms as submitted to this court with one exception: joint custody.”
“Your Honor!” Zach roared to his feet.
“Hear me out, Mr. Cox,” the judge ordered and Zach sat back down.
Smugly Rosie crossed her arms, pleased that this insightful judge had seen through her husband.
“As I stated earlier, it’s important for the children to have a stable home. You two—not the children—are the ones who’ve decided to end this marriage. Therefore, the children are to remain in the house and the parents are the ones who’ll be moving in and out every few days.”
“But, Your Honor—”
“These are my terms. Either accept them now or delay the divorce.”
Horrified, Rosie looked at Zach. How could they go along with this after they’d struggled over every single detail?
“Have you made a decision?” the judge asked.
Zach and his attorney were whispering. Soon afterward Otto stood. “Your Honor, my client agrees.”
Sharon glanced at Rosie and she, too, nodded. “My client agrees also.”
“Very well,” Judge Lockhart said, “the marriage is dissolved. I hope you can make this work, for the sake of your children.”
Rosie hoped so, too.
“Call him,” Charlotte urged Olivia. “He’s miserable and so are you.”
“No, Mother.” Olivia put her teacup down. “Not this time.” She was still furious with Jack, and she refused to approach him. If he could so easily give up on her, then she considered herself better off without him. But she asked, “How do you know he’s miserable?”
Her mother set aside her knitting and reached for the teapot in the middle of the kitchen table. She replenished her cup and then Olivia’s. “He asks about you every week when I drop off my column.”
That was encouraging. Still, Olivia had seen no actual evidence of his concern. If Jack cared for her as much as he said he did, then he should take her advice and fight for her.
The phone rang, and Olivia absently reached for it. “Hello.”
“It’s Seth.” Her son-in-law didn’t sound like himself. “Justine’s water just broke and her labor’s started. We’re leaving for the hospital now.”
“But it’s early,” Olivia cried. Three and a half weeks early, and that couldn’t be good for Justine or the baby.
“No one bothered to tell the baby that.”
What she heard in Seth’s voice was a sense of panic. “I’m leaving now,” she assured him. “Everything’s going to be fine. Babies are born early every day.”
“Yes, I know. This just caught me off guard. Can you call Stan for me?”
“Of course. Take a deep breath and I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
As soon as Seth was gone, Olivia punched out Stan’s work number and was put through immediately. “Stan Lockhart.”
“Hello, Grandpa,” she said, bubbling over with mingled excitement and concern. “Justine’s in labor and on her way to the hospital. Do you want to meet us there?”
Stan laughed, sounding delighted