The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(41)

“On just what the hell grounds does she contest it?” Sharon asked.

“She’s Noah’s only family,” Hannah said. “Oh God, she can’t take him away from me, can she?”

“What does the lawyer say?”

“He says there’s nothing irregular about Erin’s wishes. He’s well aware of the family situation. I don’t know where Erin’s half brother is but Erin said that he often went home to his mother and despite his issues, she’d take him in. This isn’t good.”

“Hannah, there’s a trust, isn’t there?” Kate asked.

She nodded. “Her insurance money, her vested retirement fund and eventually the proceeds from the sale of her house. It’s a tidy sum, but stretched out over his lifetime, college and other expenses, it’s not a fortune. Just the other day I was asking myself, what if he wants to go to medical school or law school? Of course I don’t care about any of that. I don’t plan to touch a cent until we know where we stand with school and our future. And I’m not the only person named in the will, as you know. Should anything happen to me, Sharon is next in line, then you. Probably that order because you already have five kids with your stepchildren.”

“Since the Addisons had no relationship with Erin or Noah, I have to believe that’s some of the incentive,” Kate said. “Her stories of her home life were so sad. That brother of hers is the devil.”

“What should I do?” Hannah asked.

“Stay calm,” Kate said. “Get the facts. For God’s sake, don’t take any calls from the Addisons...”

“I don’t know that they have my number. Erin’s been gone a few months. Have any of you heard from Victoria Addison?”

“Not me,” Sharon said.

“Not me,” Kate said. “It was Linda, the babysitter, who called Victoria. She showed no interest. It was Linda who told Victoria that Erin had chosen a guardian for Noah and Linda was keeping Noah until we three got to Madison.”

“I didn’t think she cared,” Hannah said.

“I smell a rat,” Kate said.







Great works are performed not by
strength but by perseverance.

—Samuel Johnson



8


After a long talk with Owen and another conversation with Judd, Hannah made an appointment to see Cal Jones. She brought her leather folder with all the legal paperwork she’d acquired from Judd. Right after Erin was laid to rest, Judd had expedited the process of Hannah’s legal guardianship through family court in Madison so there would be no interruption in Noah’s care and he wouldn’t suffer through any kind of fostering environment.

“Can you tell me how this guardianship came about?” Cal asked. “When did you and your friend decide you would be Noah’s legal guardian?”

“We talked about it back in college when we were only girls. But then it was only girlfriend talk, fantasy talk—we promised that if we had children, we’d take care of each other’s in such an emergency. We vowed to be better mothers than our mothers were. It was amazing how alike our upbringings were—we both had mothers who clearly preferred their younger children and often treated us like we didn’t matter, didn’t belong. They didn’t beat us or anything, they were just emotionally unavailable to us. My half sisters got braces and tuition while I had to work my way through school. Erin’s mother was constantly standing up for her son, Erin’s half brother, even when he was at his worst. It’s no wonder that Erin decided to have a child alone. When she asked me in earnest, of course I didn’t hesitate. But who ever thinks something like this will come to pass? Erin was very specific in her will and even wrote a letter to the court to accompany her legal documents, explaining in detail why she wanted Noah taken care of by me and not her mother or half brother. I have copies of everything. I believe it’s there, in that folder,” she said, pointing to the letter. “She also specified alternative options if I predeceased her or if for some other reason I couldn’t take him, like if I was sick. We have two other best friends listed as cosponsors and alternate guardians. We’ve been very close for seventeen years.”

“And her family was abusive?”

She nodded. “Her father left them. Her mother remarried and had a son. She separated from that husband years and years ago, and he died before Erin and I met in college. Roger, her stepbrother, has been in trouble since he could walk. He used to beat up on Erin. He’s been in prison. Erin said her mother could have paid for a Harvard education on the amount of money she’s spent funding his drug treatment and bail. Victoria didn’t even come to Erin’s funeral. And Victoria is contesting my guardianship, though she has yet to ask about Noah.”

“She’s not exactly contesting,” Cal said. “I guess it could be interpreted that way—she’s asserting grandparents’ rights. She would like custody. She’s asking for regular visitation at the least. She has an uphill battle on both—the court documents are filed in Madison, where Erin and Noah lived. Mrs. Addison filed her legal paperwork in Minneapolis and at the moment you and the child named are in Colorado. An interesting triad.”

Hannah scooted forward in her chair. “Do I have to take him back to Minneapolis?”