healing-hearts (36 page)

“There’s no need for you to. It’s not like he was some stranger you picked up at a club. Jason’s your husband and he’s supposed to be there for you.”

“In a way I’m glad he wasn’t there when I woke up. I know I’m not ready to deal with it right now. I think in a way he knew that.”

“So, what
are
you going to do?” Leigh asked.

“Nothing. I’m going to raise the kids and deal with seeing him every Wednesday and Saturday.”

“Can you handle that?”

“Tenho a,
” she began in Portuguese. “There’s no other choice for me at this moment.”

~ML~

On Saturday, they had a family picnic at Mount Trashmore Park, they took bread out and the kids fed the ducks and played at the playground located on the other side of the huge mound of dirt. While they sat on a blanket underneath a tree where they had a good view of the twins, Yasmine told Jason about her visit with the lawyer on Friday.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Jason asked, looking over at her and playing with a blade of grass between his fingers.

“I know you’re working on some major project and I didn’t want to disturb you if it was something I could handle on my own. Especially since it’s possible I’ll be doing it all by myself soon.”

“I don’t want to be left out of their lives, Yasmine. No matter what happens between us.”

Yasmine noticed the hurt sound in his voice as he spoke. She began to pluck grass out of the soil and threw it to the side for no reason at all except that she felt guilty about not discussing things with Jason. He was right, he did have a right to know, even if he was only going to be around until the case was over and he found out whether he got the position or not.

“I’m sorry.”

“No sweat.” He blew out the air forcefully from his mouth. “With all of the excitement, I forgot to tell you that Mr. Coleman met with us.”

“You mean you and Raquel?” Yasmine could stop the instant tension that came upon her with the mention of the other woman’s name.

“Yeah, we’re the two up for it.” His voice held a slight defensive edge to it.

“What did he say?”

“There’s a company dinner party in a little over a month and he’s going to announce it then.”

“Wow, so you have a date now?”

“Yep, and I don’t know if I’m more nervous now or when he told me to get a life.” He winked in her direction.

She smiled in return and confirmed, “Well you got one.”

“As long as it appears that way from the outside—but that doesn’t guarantee me the job.”

“You’re a hard worker, so let’s pray it’s enough to take you over the top.”

“I’ll take all the prayer’s I can get.” He leaned back on his elbows, bending one leg at the knee.

“So, can I tell Pastor Hiles to expect you at church tomorrow?” Yasmine asked jokingly.

“It wouldn’t hurt, I guess.” He looked away from the park. “Do you mind if I ride with you and the kids?”

“Not at all. If you get there early enough, you can have breakfast with us.”

“Make it those wheat blueberry tofu ones and you got yourself a deal.”

Yasmine laughed. One day she was going to cook him something with tofu, just for being such a smart-aleck about it.

~ML~

Yasmine had taken the day off. She and Leigh had been working so hard lately they had each taken a day this week to get a little rest. Yasmine had still taken the children to daycare so they could expend some energy, and she had been around the house most of the day.

She was trying her hand at creating a garden. Even though she didn’t usually do very well with plants, except allow them to grow wild. If it weren’t for the fact Jason cut the grass for her on Saturdays, it would grow taller than she was—by the time she got around to doing it she would need a machete and combat boots. Leigh had joked with her about losing small dogs from the neighborhood in it.

It didn’t help that this time last year; the lady that lived three houses down had lost her dog Pebbles, who was a Silky Terrier.
Leigh swears the dog had been lost in the jungle of her backyard and she had sucked the little canine up in the lawnmower.

Yasmine went inside to grab herself a drink of water and heard the phone ringing. By the time she got to it the message light was flashing. Yasmine debated whether to listen to it later or now. Deciding that it maybe someone calling for the children, she pushed the play button.

The machine announced there were two messages. The first one that came in was Jason. He had done the thing that she loved most, dropped his voice to a low pitch and spoke slowly and softly, emphasizing every word.

“Hello, Yasmine, I was just calling to tell you to enjoy your day off. Hopefully you’re taking some much-needed time for yourself. You were on my mind so I called.”

His message ended and Yasmine realized her cheeks were pulled back in a giddy schoolgirl smile. She couldn’t resist hitting the repeat button twice, before she moved on to the next one.

A woman’s voice was on the next message.

“Hello, I’m calling for Ms. Allison Henry, the family lawyer, and trying to reach Mr. and Mrs. Richardson. Ms. Henry would like you all to call her as soon as possible.”

Then the message ended.

Yasmine quickly picked up the phone and called the lawyer.

“Hello, Mrs. Richardson, I’m glad you could return my call so promptly,” Mrs. Henry voice came through the line.

“I was just doing some work around the house and missed your original call.” Her hand immediately shot to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

“That’s fine.” Not wasting time with small talk Ms. Henry began, “What are you and your husband doing Friday at ten?” Allison asked.

“I don’t have anything, but I’d need to check with Jason’s schedule. What’s going on?”

“The judge is ready to make her ruling and would like to meet with you and your husband in her chambers. She also would like to speak with the children.”

Yasmine’s heart leaped. “So soon? I was expecting it to be months before she got around to it. Ms. Henry, you work fast.” She was impressed by the short amount of time in which the lawyer had accomplished the task.

“I’d love to take credit for it, but it’s not me. It just so happens that the judge is going away for a while on vacation. She wanted to clear her desk of a few cases before she left. Therefore, someone was watching over you and because your file was put on her desk and not the other family court judge. Otherwise, we would still be waiting.”

“Thank you, God,” Yasmine offered up a small prayer. To Ms. Henry she said, “We’ll be there. Do you need us to come by your office first?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll already be at the courthouse for another matter and will meet you outside of Judge Roth’s chambers.”

“Then we will see you Friday morning.” Yasmine confirmed.

Yasmine considered picking up the phone and calling Jason. Instead, she laid her gardening gloves down, then grabbed her purse and keys and left the house. News like this shouldn’t be shared over the phone; it needed to be delivered in person.

~ML~

“Stop biting your nails,” Yasmine told him when she arrived at his office.

It was lunchtime, Jeannie wasn’t at her desk, and Jason was sitting behind his computer staring at the screen using his nails for lunch while in deep concentration.

Jason looked up shocked, but quickly smiled as he got up and came around his desk.

“Yasmine, this is a pleasant surprise. I just called you not to long ago.”

“I got the message, thanks.” She felt the same goofy smile on her face from earlier.

“So what brings you by?”

“How about lunch?” Yasmine blurted out.

Yasmine could see the shock that registered on his face.

“Lunch with a beautiful lady?” he pretended to consider the offer, his finger tapping his dimpled chin. “I think I can squeeze that into my schedule.”

“Good, because it’s my treat,” her lips pulled back in a grin. She didn’t know why she had decided to ask him out to lunch, her original plan had been to come tell him about the meeting with the judge, then go back home. But, when she had come in and seen him working too hard through lunch, she felt the urge to take care of him.

Jason placed a note on Jeannie desk and then they left.

~ML~

“So, tell me the real reason you came by my office, Yasmine?” Jason asked after they had arrived at a local Chinese restaurant and had ordered and received their food.

“What makes you think I had something else on my mind?” Yasmine asked coyly.

“Well, we’re not at some salad bar restaurant in the first place
and
you allowed me to order a fried egg roll, plus deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce, without even lifting an eyebrow. Which tells me that it must be something really good.” Jason answered intuitively.

“You’re so clever.” Yasmine tasted her steamed garlic vegetables over sticky rice. “The judge wants to see us late Friday morning.”

“So soon?” Jason asked.

Yasmine could plainly read the anxious look on his face as the one she had held a little over an hour ago.

She explained to him what the lawyer had told her.

“So, Friday we find out, huh?”

Yasmine nodded affirmatively.

Changing the subject Jason asked, “So, what’s been going on with your job and the kids?”

“Well, the kids are fine, they’ve been watching the new Disney movie you got them, non-stop it seems.”

They both laughed about the children’s repetitious behavior.

“And work?”

“We got a new contract with a gym and we’re teaching two more healthy lifestyles courses at the hospital. One for people who’ve had strokes and the other is a volunteer class for parents. It’s called Starting Them Out Right. It assists parents in feeding their children the right way and making it fun.”

“You mean like on some Saturday mornings when you dye the pancakes the children’s favorite color?”

“That’s exactly how. We give a lot of tips and ideas, because most parents find themselves hiding vegetables, especially, under things; which can take away its nutritional value.”

“So you give them handouts and cookbooks to help?” Jason asked interestedly.

“No, it’s hands on. The hospital actually has a small kitchen in one of their boardrooms, and we use it once a week.”

“It sounds great.” Jason paused. “I hope you know that if you ever need a break in the evening or have to work late, you can call me.”

“Of course I do, but I won’t intrude if I don’t have to.” She appeared nervous, unsure.

Reaching across the table, he placed his hand on top of hers. “You’re a good intrusion and worth the time.”

Yasmine’s heart fluttered when he gave her one of his sexy smiles.

“I’ve been thinking that I might come by and visit with the children more often, if you don’t mind?”

“I think that would be a great idea, especially with the court date coming up.”

When Jason withdrew his hand, Yasmine sensed that she had said something wrong. She could feel a distance develop between them. She was sure of it when he continued.

“Well, I’ve truly enjoyed this time with you but I need to get back to the office.”

“Sure, I understand.” Yasmine wore a smile and left the issue alone. She felt that if he wanted to talk to her about it he would bring it up.

“I’ve had a chance to speak with the children and what they had to say was very impressive,” Judge Cara Roth was saying when Yasmine, Jason and their lawyer were seated once again in the office and the children waited under supervision in the hallway.

After they had been called in, the judge had excused them and brought Joshua and Jessica in to speak with them.

“I would like to tell you that they think very highly of the two of you. They told me that you work a lot, Mr. Richardson,” the judge commented, face staid.

Jason didn’t know how to take her expression. “On occasion when I have a big project to work on, Ma’am, I do.”

Flipping through the paperwork, Judge Roth asked, “So, you work in advertising?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The judge nodded. “That’s understandable.” Judge Roth continued, “I’ve also had a chance to review your petition for adoption of Joshua and Jessica Riley.”

Jason reached over and grabbed Yasmine’s hand, not knowing if he did it to keep her calm or himself.

“After reviewing all of your paperwork, the report from the social worker and speaking to the children...” Judge Roth took a moment and looked at them. “I’m going to grant you full custody of the children.”

When the judge finished, neither he nor Yasmine moved, they sat as if frozen in time.

Yasmine was the first one to speak, turning to Allison Henry for confirmation. “They’re ours?”