Steel, Danielle: The House On Hope Street

After hearing the shenanigans that had been pulled by Phillip Parker and his legal team, the judge agreed to freeze his assets and monitor his companies for the next thirty days until he came up with the information his wife’s legal team needed to reach a settlement with him. His lawyer argued vehemently against it, protesting hotly to the judge, but the judge refused to hear it, ordered him to sit down, and minutes later, rapped his gavel and called a recess. And within seconds afterwards, after an ominous look at his soon to be ex-wife, Parker stormed out of the courtroom. Jack was beaming from ear to ear as he watched him, and put his files back in his briefcase with a victorious look at his wife.

“Nice work,” Liz said calmly, but as she glanced at Amanda, she could see that she was panicked. She said not a word to either of them, as she followed her attorneys from the courtroom, and Liz looked at her with compassion. “It’s going to be okay, Amanda. Jack’s right. This is the only way we could get his attention.” Technically and strategically, Liz knew and believed that, but from a human standpoint, she was worried about their client, and wanted to do everything she could to reassure her. “Can you get someone to be with you when he picks up the kids, so you don’t have to face him alone?”

“My sister is coming over with her kids in the morning.”

“He’s a bully, Amanda,” Jack said reassuringly. “He’s not going to say anything to you as long as there are other people around.”

Historically, that had been true. But this time they had really pushed him. She had never agreed to let them do that before, but she’d been in therapy for months, and was trying to get braver about not letting Phillip abuse her, verbally, physically, or now financially. This was a major step for her, and one she hoped that, once she stopped shaking, she’d be proud of. And as much as Jack scared her at times, she trusted him completely, and had followed everything he told her to the letter, even this time. She herself was surprised that the judge had been so sympathetic to her, and as Jack said as they walked back to their offices again, that alone should prove something to her. The judge wanted to help and protect her, by freezing Phillip’s assets and forcing him to give her the information they’d asked for months before.

“I know you’re right,” she said with a sigh, smiling at them both. “It just scares me to get tough with him. I know I have to, but he’s a demon when he gets angry.”

“So am I,” Jack said with a smile, and his wife laughed as they said good-bye to Amanda and wished her a merry Christmas.

“It’ll be a much better Christmas next year,” Liz promised, and hoped to deliver on it. They wanted to get her the kind of settlement that would allow her to live in peace and comfort with her children. The same kind of comfort, or better, that Phillip’s girlfriends were living in, in the condos he’d bought them. He’d even bought one of them a ski chalet in Aspen, while his wife barely had enough money to take their children to the movies. Jack hated guys like that, particularly when the kids had to pay a price for their father’s irresponsible behavior. “You still have our home number, don’t you?” Liz asked, and Amanda nodded, looking as though she were beginning to relax. At least, for now, the worst was over, and she was impressed by the court’s decision. “Call if you need us. If for any reason, he shows up tonight, or calls and threatens you, call 911, and then call me,” Liz said, sounding a little overprotec-tive, but it didn’t hurt to remind her. Amanda left them gratefully a moment later, and Jack took off his coat and tie and smiled at his wife with pleasure as he unwound.

“I love beating that bastard. He’s going to get his when we hit him with the settlement offer, and there isn’t going to be a damn thing he can do about it.”

“Except scare her to death,” Liz reminded Jack with a serious expression.

“At least she’ll be scared living on a decent income. If nothing else, her kids deserve that. And by the way, don’t you think that 911 business you were telling her is a bit excessive? Come on, Liz, the guy’s not a lunatic for chris-sake, just an asshole.”

“That’s my point. He’s enough of an asshole to call and threaten her, or show up and try to scare the wits out of her, just enough to make her back down and have us ask the court to cancel the order.”

“There’s not a chance of that, my love. I won’t let her do it. And you’re the one who was scaring her with all that nonsense about 911.”

“I just wanted to remind her that she’s not alone and she can get help. She’s an abused woman, Jack. She’s not some clearheaded, tough woman who isn’t going to take any crap from her ex-husband. She’s a walking victim, and you know it.”

“And you’re a bleeding heart, and I love you,” he said as he took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her. It was nearly one o’clock by then, and they were closing the office between Christmas and New Year’s. And with five children at home, there was no doubt in either of their minds that they would be busy. But Liz was better about leaving the office behind her, when they went home, than Jack was. When she was with her children, they were all she could think of, and Jack loved that about her.

“I love you, Jack Sutherland,” she said with a smile as he kissed her. He wasn’t usually amorous with her at work, but it was Christmas after all, and they had finished everything they could before the holiday, especially now that Amanda Parker’s hearing was behind them.

Liz put her files away, and Jack stuck half a dozen new ones into his briefcase, and half an hour later they left in separate cars, Liz to go home and get ready for Christmas Eve, and Jack to do a few last-minute errands downtown. He always finished his Christmas shopping at the last minute, unlike Liz, who did hers, and theirs for the kids, in November. She was intensely organized and detail-conscious, which was the only way she could manage both a large family and a career. That and the wonderful housekeeper they’d had for the last fourteen years, Carole, who was devoted to their children. Liz knew without a moment’s doubt that she would have been lost without her. She was a young Mormon woman who had come to them at twenty-three, and loved the Sutherland children almost as much as Jack and Liz did, particularly Jamie, who was nine.

As he left, Jack promised to be home at five or five-thirty. He still had Jamie’s new bike to put together that night, and Liz knew he’d be frantically wrapping gifts for her in the office he kept at home, at midnight. But Christmas Eve at their house was everything it should be. They had come to each other with years of Christmas traditions they cherished, and over the years had managed to blend them into one big warm cozy celebration, which their children loved.

Liz drove the short distance to their home in Tiburon, and smiled to herself as she pulled into the driveway on Hope Street. All three of her daughters had just returned from shopping with Carole, and they were getting out of the car with all their packages. Megan was a willowy fourteen, at thirteen Annie was stockier but looked just like her mother, and Rachel was eleven, and looked just like Jack, despite her mother’s red hair. The three got on surprisingly well, and were in high spirits as they argued good-humoredly about something with Carole. And all three smiled when they saw their mother walk toward them.

“What have you been up to?” Liz put an arm around Annie and Rachel, and then narrowed her eyes as she looked at Megan. “Is that my favorite black sweater you’re wearing again, Meg? Or do I even need to ask? You’re bigger than I am and you’re going to stretch it.”