My Mom & My Dad

Chapter 12: At the Queen Castle

A/N: I'm finally able to update after a week.  Been busy.  So far, this chapter is the longest one, making up for the shorter chapter before this.  I hope you like how the events unfold and keep reading until the book is done.  Just a few more chapters to go.  Comments and feedback are welcome.

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Emily:

More than a month had passed. Negotiations between Queen Consolidated and Palmer Technologies were underway. Thankfully, my mom hadn't heard from Mr. Palmer about the custody matter. Mom had been hoping that my biological father had changed his mind and just dropped the blackmail and the threats. She knew it wasn't like him at all to retreat from a challenge, so she and Oliver had been on their toes, exploring options to be better prepared for when any dreadful news would come up.

The Sunday morning before Thanksgiving Day, we were getting ready for church after a quick breakfast when Oliver called. Mom and I were in the bathroom, hurrying, so that we won't be late for the special Thanksgiving Day service. I had just come out from the shower and my mom was drying my hair and my body, so she put him on speaker phone.

"Hey, what's up? I'm in a bit of a hurry," my mom said as she pressed the button on the screen of her phone.

"Hey. It's a beautiful Sunday morning, and it is almost Thanksgiving. But you're sounding a bit cranky. Are you okay?" Oliver replied.

"Well, I'd be lying if I tell you I'm okay, so I won't tell you I'm okay. Stayed up late working on some ridiculously complicated encrypted files sent over by Palmer Tech to QC, so both my eyes are a bit sore, and I've got an ugly pair of dark bags. But it's nothing a touch of Mary Kay magic can't hide. They have this terrific all-natural concealer that's really perfect for my skin tone, so that should do the trick. Oh, and did you know that Mary Kay came out with mascaras that are water-based but water proof? Crazy huh! I don't know how that's possible, but--" Mom said we were in a hurry, but in stressful situations such as that one, she still can't help but babble.

"Fe-li-ci-ty..." Oliver spoke slowly and tenderly.

"Sorry. Shutting up now," she said with a bit of embarrassment.

"I'm not asking about your cosmetic arsenal. I asked you how you're doing," he said.

"Oh, right. Well... let's just say I feel a bit better this morning. Sleep always does me some good. Even if it's just a couple of hours. Is that why you called? To ask me how I am?"

"That's the first of three reasons I called. The second reason is that I have some news. Good news. I promised you I'd think of a way to help solve your problem with Palmer, remember? I asked you to trust me, and even today I believe things are going to get better," Oliver said reassuringly.

"Hmm... You sound so calm and confident now. A month ago you were so upset, I remember you slamming your fists against your office desk," Mom teased him. She was done drying me up. She picked up my clothes scattered on the bathroom floor, stood up, and hung the wet towel in the rack above the toilet. "Keep talking," my mom said.

"You haven't forgotten about my mother's dinner invitation tonight at our place, right?"

"Mm-hmm... If you meant to ask whether or not I've changed my mind over the last month or so, I haven't. In fact, I've been kind of... looking forward to it. Why do you ask?"

"That's good. You see, I've asked my good friend, Tommy Merlyn, to meet with us at our place before dinner. He's a lawyer. He's back from vacation in South America. He can help with the custody matter. Are you up to it?"