“In other words, it’s a nice PR ploy.” Lee had loved to parade Emily before the cameras whenever he needed good press. No way would she allow him to use Emily like that ever again. “I don’t want Lee anywhere near my daughter.”
“We can’t actually deny him access.” Samantha’s voice was steady and calm. “Despite your totally justified feelings about Lee, you have to put Emily’s best interests first. Remember, we want to show the court, should he ever decide to challenge the custody agreement, that you’ve been the reasonable one.”
“Is that what this is about?” Maggie felt sick. This couldn’t be happening. “He wants custody of Emily?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s part of his plan.”
“No.” She tightened her grip on the phone. “He can’t. Never.”
“Trust me. It won’t get that far.”
The hard edge in Samantha’s voice cut through Maggie’s panic. Her solicitor was a staunch advocate for abused women. Smart, tough and dogged, her record for success was unparalleled. She wouldn’t recommend anything that would compromise Emily’s safety.
Maggie forced herself to calm down. Closing her eyes, she took in several deep breaths. “What do you think we should do?”
“First, we’ll tell him Emily can’t travel to England because she can’t be pulled out of school. However, if he flies over to New Jersey, he can see her there.”
“Lee won’t go for that. It’s football season. Even though he’s injured, he can’t afford to spend time jetting back and forth to the States.”
“That’s what we’re banking on. So when he rejects that offer, we’ll offer a compromise.”
Maggie frowned. “What kind of compromise?”
“We propose that he and Emily talk via Skype. It’s a court-approved means of communication which, conveniently, keeps Lee and Emily on opposite sides of the Atlantic. We offer to set up a schedule, saying regular face time is better than a one-off visit.”
“What if he doesn’t accept the proposal? He could go straight for a custody challenge.”
“Lee’s solicitor will agree that it’s better to take things one step at a time and see how this goes before taking up the court’s time with another custody hearing. Especially given Lee’s lack of interest in Emily to date. Under the circumstances, this is a more than reasonable offer.”
“Okay.” Maggie sighed, knowing she had no choice.
“Email me the best dates for you and Emily and I’ll take it from there.”
After she’d hung up, Maggie sat for a few minutes, rubbing her chest and willing her erratic heartbeat to settle down. Though her lawyer’s plan was solid, Maggie knew if Lee pushed hard to see Emily, she couldn’t refuse. Perhaps she’d get lucky and Patty would see through his charming facade more quickly than Maggie had, preferably before the wedding, making the whole thing moot.
In the meantime, she should get those dates to her lawyer.
Maggie threw back the covers, grabbed her dressing gown off the chair and hurried downstairs to the office. As she clicked on her calendar, her phone rang again.
Bloody hell. Had Lee turned down their offer already?
“Don’t tell me he refused,” she snapped.
The silence at the other end made her look at the caller ID.
She closed her eyes in embarrassment. Jake. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
“I wanted to catch you before you started work. Is this a bad time?” She could hear his unspoken question—who else would call her so early in the morning?
“No. It’s lovely to hear from you...” Her words faded away.
“But...?”
“It’s not you. I just had a phone call from my lawyer. About my ex.”
“Oh.” That clearly wasn’t the answer he’d expected. His tone changed, deepened. “Are you all right? What’s going on?”
His concern warmed her, chasing away the chill that had gripped her insides since hearing Samantha’s voice.
“It’s nothing, really,” she demurred.
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. But maybe I can help, or at least lend you my shoulder. It’s pretty broad.”
Her lips curved. “That’s sweet.” His muffled groan widened her smile. “I’m sorry. I know blokes hate to be called sweet.”
“I’d rather hear trash talk than...sweet or cute.”
“I reserve my trash-talking for jerk ex-husbands.”
“Are you going to tell me how he ruined your morning?”