Page 10 of Resisting the Fall

“Thanks.” I gave the only smile I could muster. Friendly but focused. “While you’re signing, I’m going to speak with the clerk.”

Without waiting for his response, I headed to the counter.

When a woman returned to her seat, I filled her spot at the window before the clerk could call the next number. “My number was called a few minutes ago.” I showed her the ticket. “But my…” Ex-husband? Husband? “Well, I was waiting for someone.”

The clerk wore her dark hair in a high ponytail that pulled at the corners of her eyebrows in a way that looked slightly painful. More so when she gave an obligatory smile. “How can I help you?”

I leaned toward the glass that separated the court clerk from me. I hadn’t realized they’d take such precautions outside of big cities, but I supposed there were crazies in smaller cities too. “I actually called yesterday on my way here from New York about meeting with a judge.”

Recognition dawned on her features. “Yes, I remember. I was the one speaking with you.”

Shoot, I’d picked the wrong line. “Oh, hey. What are the odds?”

She glanced at her coworkers. “One in three.”

I gave a laugh that sounded as fake as it felt. “Yeah, well… since you probably recall the whole situation, I’ll spare you the sob story. I know you said there was no way to get on the judge’s schedule today, but I’d hoped that had changed. Maybe there was a cancellation or something?”

To my surprise, she didn’t just say no. Instead, she glanced at her screen and clicked the mouse a few times. “I’m sorry, she is booked solid all day.”

“What about tomorrow?”

More clicking before she shook her head. “Unfortunately, the soonest I can get you an appointment is… September twenty-first.”

Two days before I was supposed to fly to Europe? That would definitely not work. “I don’t need an appointment. I just want to speak with the judge for a minute. Five max. It seems silly to wait until the twenty-first for such a brief chat.”

The woman released a slow breath, like her patience for me was running thin. “I’m so sorry. Even brief chats need appointments.”

I strummed my fingers on the counter. There had to be another way. “What if I explain the whole situation in a letter? Could you give it to her? Today? With our file?”

Her long, black ponytail swayed behind her as she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I understand you’re in an… unusual situation, but there are loads of active case files on the docket. I can, however, put you down for a hearing on the twenty-first of September.”

I glanced at her name tag. “Renee, have you ever had something you were looking forward to? Something you’d worked hard for? And when it was almost within your reach, things started to go wrong—like, literally everything—making it unreachable?”

Renee’s gaze softened.

I lowered my voice, making sure Ben wouldn’t overhear me. “I’m so close to an opportunity I’ve worked toward for years, but it likely won’t happen if I can’t speak with the judge. Today.”

Her eyes were full of sympathy, but she gave a slow shake of her head. “Honestly, I wish I could help, but I don’t have the ability to add anything to the judge’s schedule once it’s full.”

I dropped my head into the palms of my hands.

“What’s the matter?” Ben asked, stepping to my side. He set the stack of papers on the counter next to where my elbow was currently propped.

I blew out a breath and faced him. “The judge can’t see us without an appointment, and the next one isn’t for another three and a half weeks.”

“There’s no way to get on the calendar sooner?” Ben asked Renee, whose eyes seemed to have glued themselves to him.

She shook her head, looking even more regretful that she couldn’t magically add in an appointment. “I could put you on a waiting list in case there’s a cancellation.”

“Is there a way to send her a note? I know she’d be disappointed to find out Maven came all this way and she didn’t get to speak with her.”

Renee’s brows lifted. “You two know the judge?”

Ben’s elbow to my arm had me nodding my head along with him.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” She grabbed a blank piece of paper and slid it beneath the glass, looking relieved she’d been able to help him. “Go ahead and write a note, and I’ll see it’s delivered.”

Ben took the paper and jotted down something I couldn’t make out before he folded it and slid it back to Renee.