Page 64 of The Deadbeat DILF
We drove to Emily and Noel’s house that night. It was a long trip. The tall skyscrapers and city lights faded behind us, replaced by streetlights, leafy trees, and expensive mansions. Some were old-fashioned, reminding me of French chateaus. Others were modern and geometrical, with manicured lawns and huge garages.
Robert pulled up to a house, and even in the darkness, I recognized it as Mike’s home. When I’d visited it during college, I’d been intimidated by it. It was three stories high, and each bedroom had its own private balcony. There was even a water fountain in the front garden, as well as security cameras tucked around the residence.
Afterward, I’d been too embarrassed to invite Mike to my family home. He’d never met my family either, come to think of it. In fact, none of my boyfriends had ever met my parents or my brother. The men I’d dated since graduating law school were all white-collar professionals who went skiing during the winter. I was sure they’d look down their noses at my family.
Robert was the only one who’d met them, and he hadn’t run away from me in disgust. Instead, he’d pulled me closer. He’d accepted me, in spite of them. Now, I curled my fists, my determination growing. It was time to stand up to his family.
“Sometimes I forget how nice it is,” Robert murmured, looking up at the house. The lights were on, filling the windows with a warm yellow light.
I thought of that cramped apartment Robert had shared with those three young men. He’d been living there, while his ex-wife lived in a place like this? Ot wasn’t fair.
I opened the door, ready to talk to them, but before I could step out of the vehicle, he grabbed my hand.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
I nodded. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“I do,” he said, then took a deep breath, as if to prepare himself. He squeezed my hand once before letting go. Together, we got out of the car and walked up to the front door. A bright porch light beamed down on us as I tapped the doorbell.
An obnoxious, sing-songy chime echoed throughout the house. While we waited, I fought the urge to tap my foot impatiently. I didn’t care what people did with their hard-earned money. They could buy whatever they wanted for all I cared, but what didn’t sit well with me was when people took advantage of others.
Finally, the door unlocked and opened, revealing a thin woman with black hair. Mike’s mother. Emily. Standing beside her was a light-haired man with a clean-shaven face and a bit of a beer belly. He must’ve been Noel.
“Robert,” Emily said, in an icy voice. She must’ve seen him through the window, which was why she wasn’t surprised. “What are you doing here?”
There was a tense pause, and that’s when I jumped in. “Good evening, Ms. James —”
“Drucker,” she corrected. “I remarried.” She shot Robert an ugly expression.
“Apologies. Mr. and Mrs. Drucker.” I smiled at Noel and Emily. “My name is Brooke Collins, and I’m a lawyer at Ashcroft.” I dug out two business cards from my jacket and handed them to the husband and wife. “We need to talk, urgently. Would you mind letting us inside?”
Noel screwed up his face. “Talk about what?” he asked. “It’s late at night. Surely, this can wait until the morning.” He glanced at Emily, but I saw her shake her head ever so slightly.
I pulled on one of my professional smiles. “I understand that it’s late, but this is quite an urgent matter. It would be in your best interests to let us in. Now.”
That hung in the air. Emily and Noel glanced at each other, then read my business card again.
“Ashcroft…” Emily murmured.
“I’ve heard of it before,” Noel said. “It’s one of the big firms in the city.” For the first time, the man looked a little worried, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening.
Emily looked at me, then sighed dramatically. “Fine,” she said, swinging the door open. “However, I’ll let you know that this hour is highly unprofessional.”
“Thank you,” I said, leading Robert inside. “The law doesn’t care about the time of day, unfortunately.” I used an upbeat tone of voice. Really, I wanted to snap, but letting my temper get the better of me would achieve nothing.
We walked through the foyer, which was expansive. It split three different ways, including two doors on either side and a staircase in the middle that led to the second floor.
“This way,” Noel told us as they headed to the left, taking us into a large dining room with multiple cabinets of fine china. They took a seat on one side of the table, while we sat on the other side. “So, what exactly is this about?” He eyed Robert. “Why are you here, after all these years?”
Robert looked calm, his hands resting on the table, but I could sense a thrum of nervousness running through him. Thankfully, when he spoke, his voice was level. “Ms. Collins is my lawyer,” he said.
Their eyes swiveled to me.
“Excuse me?” Emily asked. “You’re his lawyer? For what?”
I folded my hands in front of me and sat up straight. “Mr. James came to me regarding a different matter,” I said. “However, when looking through his divorce papers, I realized something was extremely wrong.”
There was an immediate shift in the air. Noel and Emily quietly glanced at each other, their bodies stiffening.
