Chapter Forty-Eight

**

“You gonna stick by me?”

“Maybe…”

**

“Okay, so that’s all I need to do until after the kid’s born?” I asked, pushing my chair back from the desk.

“Right,” Thomas answered as he stood up. “I’ll keep in touch, let you know if anything else comes up.”

“Thanks,” I said, shaking his hand before I walked out of the office.

I still couldn’t believe this was all really happening, couldn’t believe I was actually in this situation. Also couldn’t help but compare Thomas to the last lawyer I’d had…

His name’d been Larry… Forty-something year old white guy who looked like he was pushing sixty, one of those guys who starts out thinking he’s gonna save the world and ends up dying of a heart-attack the day after retirement ‘cause he’s spent so many years stressing about how to make enough money to feed the kids and keep the wife from bitching at him.

Larry told me that he didn’t care if I was guilty, innocent, whatever. All he wanted was to get done with my case as soon as possible. And he did. Simple guilty plea, and just like that I was sentenced to five years, without really knowing what was happening.

Thomas was different. He was young, just a few years out of law school. Taught a couple classes at Mia’s college. She was in one of them…ethics or something like that. Mia got to talking to him about the situation, asking if he knew any good lawyers who wouldn’t be too expensive, and he volunteered to take the case for free. Still not really sure why…prolly just ‘cause he had the hots for Mia and wanted to get on her good side. But he was a pretty decent lawyer.

I was practically on auto-pilot the whole drive home, thinking over what Thomas had told me about the whole process. I tried not to get frustrated about how long it was all taking, tried to just relax and wait for things to happen, but I couldn’t help being nervous. Imagine, me willingly talking to a judge. Never thought that would happen…

The garage was dark when I drove up, and I wondered where the hell everyone was, since it was just barely seven. Heard a car driving up as I walked in the door, but I didn’t stop to see who it was. Figured it’d be Leon, coming back from some errand or another.

“Hey Dom,” Letty sighed, her voice barely louder than the bells on the door.

“Hey,” I answered, surprised to see her instead of Leon. “You just getting home?”

“Yeah,” she grumbled, scowling a little. “I have had a long ass day…”

“What are you wearing?” I asked, walking up to her. Letty was dressed like it was the middle of winter or something… Well, like she was sixty years old and it was the middle of winter…

“Come on, Dom,” she laughed. “These are respectable clothes…”

“And since when are you respectable? I didn’t think you even owned any sweaters…”

“I don’t,” she sighed. “This is Jamie’s.”

“Jamie?” I asked, trying to place the name.

“You know, Jamie! The girl who was here yesterday?”

“Oh, yeah…okay. So how come you’re wearing her sweater?”

Letty reached up, pulled the sweater off over her head before answering. A piece of hair came loose from her braid, and I noticed how perfect her hair looked - like she’d spent hours on it or something.

“Apparently Jamie’s parents don’t think girls should wear tank tops, or something…” she sighed.

“And…why do you care what Jamie’s parents think girls should wear?” I asked, confused.

“Because they have to like me, if they’re gonna let her stay over after the race Friday. Oh yeah, by the way, Jamie’s staying over after the race. So, you know…have your guest room ready or something.”

“Jamie’s staying over after the race?” I echoed, still trying to figure out what was going on and why Letty was falling all over herself to be nice to this new chick.

“Yeah, she is. Well, assuming that Mia and me can convince her parents we aren’t a bunch of criminals and that someone in the house is actually an adult…”

“Okay…” I said slowly. “Now…why is Jamie staying over?”

“She likes Vince.”

“So you’re what…Dr. Ruth, all of a sudden? Thought that was Mia’s job…”

“Dom…” Letty growled, “don’t you get it yet? She likes Vince. Likes him. Like, wants to be his girlfriend… God knows why, but she does. So…”

“So if she and Vince hook up, then maybe I’ll get some actual time to spend with my girlfriend?”

“That would be the plan…”

“Hey, you know we’re alone again…” I said, raising my eyebrows at Letty as I pulled her closer to me.