Page 176 of This Woman

Jeremy checked his watch. “I have my first client in ten minutes,” he said and then glanced toward Adam’s closed door. “If you need me, though, let me know.”

“I forwarded a bunch of messages to your inbox,” I informed Lena, both of us watching Adam’s door like hawks.

“Right, I guess I should get to it. Let me know if ... well, I hope everything is okay. Guess, I’ll find out later if it’s not.” Lena nodded and headed toward her office.

Finally, an hour later, Adam and Kyle emerged, both looking as if they had gone into battle and come out a little scarred, a little traumatized. They were speaking quietly to each other, Kyle looking as close to tears as I had ever seen him. I tried not to take it personally when he walked past my desk without so much as an acknowledgment.

Adam watched his friend walk back across the street to rejoin his crew. Kyle’s back was hunched as if he had taken on the weight of the world.

“Is everything okay?” I had to ask when the answer was very obvious. No. Everything was most certainly not okay.

“Web got some shitty news,” Adam said, his kind eyes turning to me. “Some really shitty news.”

“Can I ask what it was?” Of course, I could ask, it didn’t mean Adam would answer. Though I was the receptionist, so I’d be privy to the goings-on of the office. It wasn’t out of order that I asked. But this wasn’t a client. This was Kyle.

Adam obviously agreed. “This is Webber’s business. Maybe talk to him. He could use friends right now.” He patted me on the shoulder and went back to his office.

Adam had to know how impossible that was for me. For us. I wasn’t Kyle’s friend. I couldn’t just go up to him and ask what had happened to make him look like his universe was ending. Even though I wanted to. I wanted to tell him I was there if he needed me. That I’d do whatever I could—

The door swung open, and Kyle was standing there, his face flushed, his dark hair wild. He looked at me, his eyes burning. “You want to get a cup of coffee?”

I glanced behind me, wondering if Adam or Lena were there, and that was who he was speaking to. We were alone.

“Me?” I asked stupidly.

He didn’t smirk or laugh. He simply nodded. “Yes, Whit. You.”

I grabbed my purse and followed him out to the sidewalk.

***

“Wait, what?” I asked, not understanding.

“Adam received an email this morning from some lawyer in Gaitherstown, Pennsylvania, called Jacob Jasper. His specialty is family law. It seems Josie has decided to file for primary physical custody of Katie.” He drank his coffee in one big gulp, all but slamming the mug onto the table.

“How can she do that? Has she said she was thinking of doing this?” I asked in disbelief.

Kyle shook his head. “Not a peep. Though she did say the last time we spoke that she wanted to talk to me about something. But I thought she was just going to tell me she had no plans of seeing Katie because she’s staying in Florida full time. Jesus Christ, this is crazy.” He cradled his head with his hands as he had done in Adam’s office.

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t quite figure out why he was telling me all this. It’s not as if our history loaned itself to confidences. Sure, there had been some thawing in the ice Kyle had erected between us, but still ...

None of that was the point. This had nothing to do with me and my relationship with Kyle. But if he wanted my support, he’d get it. End of story.

“You said she got a job and a new place?” I confirmed. He nodded. “Sounds like maybe she’s finally wanting to be a mom.” Playing devil’s advocate didn’t sit well with me, but I had to try and see things rationally for his sake.

“Well, she can’t just have her! She can’t think I’m going to roll over and take this! I won’t sit back and let her take my baby all the way to Florida!” His hands turned into fists. Then he took a long, deliberate breath as if trying to calm himself down. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be unloading on you like this. This isn’t your problem.”

This time I didn’t stop myself. I reached across the table and took his hand. He let me. It wasn’t the most intimate touch in the world, but I hoped it communicated everything I couldn’t otherwise say. “I care about you and Katie, Kyle. Unload away. And if there’s anything I can do to help, you know I'm there.”