patience, and it wouldn’t surprise her if this was Pete’s way—even subconsciously—of washing his hands of Miguel.
Judge Evans took a long time to respond and when he did, he sounded flummoxed. “You’re right, Mr. Simpkins. In the absence of corroborating evidence it would seem only fair to dismiss these allegations. Yet when I look at the whole picture I see a man who has been convicted twice of abusing his wife, proof positive that he is capable of such behavior. While I would like to give Mr. Esperanza the benefit of the doubt that he has been sufficiently rehabilitated by his incarceration, I can also understand why Mrs. Esperanza fears for her safety. As they have no further business with one another that would require direct contact, I see no harm in granting her petition for a permanent restraining order.”
Lily patted Maria’s hand underneath the table, though she feared from the judge’s frustrated tone that their hope for revocation of visitation request was on thin ice.
“I am hesitant, however, to arbitrarily end the relationship between a father and his children. While I am pleased to see that Sofia and Roberto have progressed under their mother’s exclusive care, I would like to give Mr. Esperanza an opportunity to prove he can now be a positive influence in their lives.” Judge Evans removed his glasses and shook them at Miguel. “You cannot do that, sir, if you are making threats and possessing weapons in violation of your probation.”
Miguel nodded meekly without looking up, a sign that Pete hadn’t prepped his client any more than he had prepped his case. The lack of eye contact wouldn’t sit well with a judge like Rusty Evans.
“You will have supervised visitation only for the next six months, at which time I’ll review the recommendations of social services. Miss two sessions or violate this restraining order and I’ll terminate visitation altogether.” He slapped his gavel. “We’re done here.”
Anna was met at the door by Chester’s deep bark and the lingering smell of a dinner she had probably missed. Following her nose to the kitchen, she found Lily and Andy still seated at the small breakfast nook in the bay window. The family ate most meals here, since Anna had commandeered the dining room table three months ago for her spreadsheets and ledgers.
“We tried to wait, but you know how this guy is about his macaroni and cheese,” Lily said, tipping her head in the direction of their son, who was happily wolfing down his favorite dish.
“That’s okay. Sorry I’m late.” Had she known about the macaroni, she would have lingered at the office for another hour or so. It was possibly her least favorite food, but she had to eat some or lose the moral high ground in convincing Andy to eat vegetables. “Yum, asparagus.”
Right on cue he made a face, though he plucked the stalk on his plate with his fingers and gamely took another bite.
“There’s glazed salmon in the oven,” Lily said. “I’ll get it.”
She sat patiently as Lily prepared her plate, which included a spoonful of the dreaded macaroni. “Thank you so much,” she said drolly.
“What was going on at work? You sounded cranky when you called.”
“Carmen’s leaving. And if that’s not bad enough, Brad Stanley came into my office just when I was walking out the door at a quarter till six to say he was taking the early retirement offer too. Now I have to find a new operations manager for the BMW dealership and I don’t have a candidate with enough experience.” Anna downed the macaroni in two bites and followed it with a large gulp of sparkling water. “And to think I almost got through this without losing anyone critical.”
“I thought you always meant for Holly to move up,” Lily said, a reference to the BMW sales manager, a close friend of Anna’s who kept Chester for them whenever they went out of town.
“I did, but not for another two or three years. She’s only thirty-two years
Judge Evans took a long time to respond and when he did, he sounded flummoxed. “You’re right, Mr. Simpkins. In the absence of corroborating evidence it would seem only fair to dismiss these allegations. Yet when I look at the whole picture I see a man who has been convicted twice of abusing his wife, proof positive that he is capable of such behavior. While I would like to give Mr. Esperanza the benefit of the doubt that he has been sufficiently rehabilitated by his incarceration, I can also understand why Mrs. Esperanza fears for her safety. As they have no further business with one another that would require direct contact, I see no harm in granting her petition for a permanent restraining order.”
Lily patted Maria’s hand underneath the table, though she feared from the judge’s frustrated tone that their hope for revocation of visitation request was on thin ice.
“I am hesitant, however, to arbitrarily end the relationship between a father and his children. While I am pleased to see that Sofia and Roberto have progressed under their mother’s exclusive care, I would like to give Mr. Esperanza an opportunity to prove he can now be a positive influence in their lives.” Judge Evans removed his glasses and shook them at Miguel. “You cannot do that, sir, if you are making threats and possessing weapons in violation of your probation.”
Miguel nodded meekly without looking up, a sign that Pete hadn’t prepped his client any more than he had prepped his case. The lack of eye contact wouldn’t sit well with a judge like Rusty Evans.
“You will have supervised visitation only for the next six months, at which time I’ll review the recommendations of social services. Miss two sessions or violate this restraining order and I’ll terminate visitation altogether.” He slapped his gavel. “We’re done here.”
Anna was met at the door by Chester’s deep bark and the lingering smell of a dinner she had probably missed. Following her nose to the kitchen, she found Lily and Andy still seated at the small breakfast nook in the bay window. The family ate most meals here, since Anna had commandeered the dining room table three months ago for her spreadsheets and ledgers.
“We tried to wait, but you know how this guy is about his macaroni and cheese,” Lily said, tipping her head in the direction of their son, who was happily wolfing down his favorite dish.
“That’s okay. Sorry I’m late.” Had she known about the macaroni, she would have lingered at the office for another hour or so. It was possibly her least favorite food, but she had to eat some or lose the moral high ground in convincing Andy to eat vegetables. “Yum, asparagus.”
Right on cue he made a face, though he plucked the stalk on his plate with his fingers and gamely took another bite.
“There’s glazed salmon in the oven,” Lily said. “I’ll get it.”
She sat patiently as Lily prepared her plate, which included a spoonful of the dreaded macaroni. “Thank you so much,” she said drolly.
“What was going on at work? You sounded cranky when you called.”
“Carmen’s leaving. And if that’s not bad enough, Brad Stanley came into my office just when I was walking out the door at a quarter till six to say he was taking the early retirement offer too. Now I have to find a new operations manager for the BMW dealership and I don’t have a candidate with enough experience.” Anna downed the macaroni in two bites and followed it with a large gulp of sparkling water. “And to think I almost got through this without losing anyone critical.”
“I thought you always meant for Holly to move up,” Lily said, a reference to the BMW sales manager, a close friend of Anna’s who kept Chester for them whenever they went out of town.
“I did, but not for another two or three years. She’s only thirty-two years
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