Beautifully Knight (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #5)

Gray Skies and Greater Good

-LIA-

"Going once, going twice, we're heading out the door. You're sure you don't want to come?" I called over my shoulder as I grabbed my phone and pushed my plush swivel chair back under my desk.

The rhythmic clicks and whirs of my father's typewriter were the only replies and I turned to watch as he steadily typed away at the vintage machine while scanning his eyes over the large stack of notes we'd spent the morning compiling. A pencil rested between his perfect white teeth that I'd always wished I'd inherited. Behind him, the grandfather clock on the wall taunted me with each tick of its hands and reminded me that I was running terribly late.

I scooped up my purse and tossed it on my shoulder, "Dad?" I nudged him lightly.

"Hmm?" He asked, almost startled as he reluctantly paused and looked up at me with distracted gray eyes.

"I said Hailey and I are heading out to J's restaurant to meet up with Beth. Do you want to come and get out of the house for a bit? Mom's doing a Zoom scrapbooking class and wants us to bring her something back, but do you want to go?"

"You're wedding planning, aren't you?"

"Engagement party planning. Kinda. It's mainly Simon's thing. He just wants some last-minute advice while Danielle's downtown with a client today. I told Beth I'd be happy to help her at the game on Friday but with everything that's happened, I almost forgot. I think it'll be good to go, though. We've been working all morning and a break would do us some good. Especially Hailey. Plus Beth is there for everything. I can't miss helping her with this."

"Of course not," Dad shook his head. "It sounds like a nice outing for you girls. Go. I'll be here."

"It's not just for girls, Dad. I think Jordan and Logan are going to try to swing by. It's Simon's thing." I pulled my raincoat off the rack in the corner.

"For his girl. He wants girl opinions, Natalia, trust me. I have my work cut out for me here, anyway," he gestured to the stack of papers next to him. "After I type them, I have to scan them into the computer."

"Or you could just let me type them directly into the computer and save us a lot of time."

"My favorite law professor always drafted his notes on a typewriter and he taught me to do the same thing—"

"I know, I know, but would it be so bad to at least try it another way?

"Yes because every case I've ever won I've typed the notes on this exact machine. Every time I've lost, I've typed my notes on a computer. This typewriter is my lucky charm and believe me, we need all the luck we can get right now. I'm not entirely convinced that we aren't going to walk away from this thing with nothing. All of Hailey's assets are in the ex's name and no matter how justified we can argue that it is, the fact remains that she was unfaithful to their marriage. He's got the financial upper hand by far. I think we've got a criminal angle to try, but that's just that—a try. There's no guarantee that we can get her any of her trust fund money back."

I made a face, "Well regardless she gets her freedom and happiness back, that's not nothing."

"No it's not nothing, but I don't go to court to walk away empty-handed with "freedom and happiness". I go to court to win."

"Divorce cases aren't supposed to be about winning, Dad."

"They aren't supposed to be, but they are. If you don't win, you lose. Sometimes both people lose, but they never both win." He deadpanned and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

After hours spent buried in legal research, I'd just about reached mental overload. As much as I admired my father's determination and exceptional legal skills, his rather harsh approach to our profession was starting to wear on my already weary nerves. The stress of anticipating all of the different scenarios that could play out during our time in court was becoming a bit too much for me to keep dwelling on.