All The Little Moments (39 page)

Anna nodded.

With a quick kiss, Lane’s fingers grazed from Anna’s chin to along her cheek, which she cupped gently for a second before letting her
hand drop.

“This is exactly what is wrong
with you.”

Anna whipped her head around at the
familiar voice.

Cathy stood, eyes blazing and cheeks flushed, looking down at the two of them. Next to Anna, Lane tensed. There was a man just behind Cathy; the two of them had clearly been on their way out when Cathy had caught sight of them. He looked at them in surprise before turning his face away and hurrying out. Anna barely caught a glimpse of him—but something struck her
as familiar.

“Showing
 
that
, in public.” Cathy’s voice wavered with disgust, her tone low, stony. Eyes flaming fury, she didn’t even notice her friend leave. “Flaunting this, where
 
anyone
 
can see you. This is why those innocent children have been taken away
from you.”

Anger licked up inside Anna. She
sat straighter.

“They’ve been taken from me because of false accusations from you, Cathy. Not for any other reason.” Anna kept her
voice calm.

Lane’s hand squeezed her knee under the table where Cathy couldn’t see it, a reminder of sorts. Scott had told Anna to steer clear of Cathy and, if she saw her, to avoid confrontation. Anything could damage their case, and Anna needed to calm down, which was incredibly difficult to do when the woman was standing over them, looking at them like
 
that,
when she was the cause of Ella and Toby being in
foster care.

Cathy gave a snort of
a laugh.

Anna could barely look at the twisted expression of hate on features that reminded her so much of her sister-in-law, who had been one of the most accepting people Anna had known, who had not wanted her mother in her own life, let alone
her children’s.

“They were taken because I was right. Soon they will be away from your, your,” Cathy looked them up and down and Lane’s hand tightened on Anna’s leg,
“depravity, forever.”

Breath coming short and fast, Anna stood up, taking Lane’s hand and pulling her up too. As calmly as she could, she walked past Cathy without looking
at her.

“Really, Anna, if you love those children
, if
 
your kind are capable of normal, healthy love, you will let
them go.”

She kept her eyes forward, Lane’s hand still in hers as she led
them out.

Cathy, whose voice had thus far been low, called after them, “Who will you answer to, Anna, when your
time comes?”

Anna called out her answer without even looking over her shoulder.
“My conscience.”

They exited the cafe, walking quickly, Anna’s breathing no more controlled than before, their hands clasped between them. The cool air was stinging her
burning cheeks.

Lane pulled them up short next to her car, and Anna leant back heavily against the door, the metal cool even through her clothing. When she finally managed to look at Lane, she saw the anger she knew was on her own face reflected back at her. They looked at each other, speechless, until Lane finally spoke, her
voice terse.

“She’s a
crazy bitch.”

Anna actually managed to crack a smile. “She
really is.”

“You did really well, to just leave
like that.”

“What gives her the
 
right
 
to feel she can judge people
like that?”

“I have
no idea.”

“Your hand
is shaking.”

“I’m pretty mad. She was looking at us like we were filth. And what she said—” Lane cut herself off, too angry
to continue.

Anna squeezed the hand still clasped in her own. “Thank you, for keeping
your cool.”

“Saying anything to that woman wouldn’t
have helped.”

“Thank you, too,
for just…”

When Anna paused, unable to put what she needed to say into words, Lane stared at
her, questioning.

“I was just glad you
were there.”

“I’m glad you weren’t doing
that alone.”

“I’m sorry she looked at you
like that.”

“Don’t you dare apologise
for her.”

Taking a deep breath, Anna leant her head back against the car. “God, the kids just
 
cannot
 
go
to her.”

Lane’s arms wrapped around her, comforting and warm. “There is no way in hell that’s going
to happen.”

“Let’s get to the lawyer’s and get this day over with. I want it to be tomorrow already.”

“Can I shoot spitballs at the back of Cathy’s neck from where
I’m sitting?”

Chuckling, Anna nodded. “That? That you
can do.”

The night air was refreshing, and the wine on her tongue even more so. The wooden step under Anna was hard, and she twirled a cigarette in her hand as she stared out into the backyard, watching a plane go over head, too far away to hear, lights flickering. Her fingers never stopped twirling the cigarette as she took another sip
of wine.

Lane had gone home to get clothing for tomorrow, promising to come back as soon as she’d grabbed a shower and something
court appropriate.

The meeting with Scott had gone quickly; he ran over his questions and posed the questions to her that he believed the State’s attorney would ask. He reassured them, reiterated how it would be run, and answered their questions. He assured them again that being gay couldn’t keep the kids from Anna. The case was based on neglect, on allegations, and also on something that their case manager had said. That was news to Anna, because Lorna had appeared to be on their side. So, how had this happened? If the caseworker was on their side, how had the kids been
taken away?

Anna was wracked with nerves. No one could promise a sure thing. It could drag out for weeks if the judge wasn’t satisfied that there was no neglect. Someone else could get temporary guardianship until the formal trial. They could stay in foster care or go to Cathy. Anna could go to trial for
genuine neglect.

The cigarette in her hand was incredibly tempting; she kept twirling it to stop herself from
lighting it.

The house was too quiet,
too settled.

Before, this was where she would come to miss her brother and miss her old life. To wonder what the hell he had been thinking. To dread the sound of Toby crying or Ella waking up with sad eyes and
hard questions.

Now it was where she
missed them.

The plane finally disappeared, and she was left with nothing to focus on. Eyes sweeping the small backyard, she took in the dimensions. It wasn’t huge, no room for a swing set or a trampoline. Jake and Sally had liked that they had a park a five-minute walk away. While the yard wasn’t a huge space, a dog would be happy there. She bet the kids would love
a puppy.

She sipped her
wine again.

Or
a kitten.

Were you supposed to start small? Maybe a hamster. Or
a fish.

Anna liked the idea of a puppy or a kitten. She and Jake had never had pets. She put the wine glass down and flicked her lighter again. What if she didn’t get
them back?

“God damn you, Cathy,”
she muttered.

“I second that.” Lane’s voice was quiet behind her, and, though Anna hadn’t heard her let herself in, she
didn’t startle.

“Did you find a power
court outfit?”

Lane sat down next to her. “Yup, and it’s awesome, if I do say so my—you smoke?”

The cigarette stilled in Anna’s hand, and she looked down at it. She had meant to either smoke it before Lane got back, or play with it and then
hide it.

“Uh,
only rarely.”

Lane raised
her eyebrows.

“Like now, apparently.” Anna put it down next to her and grabbed her wine glass, swiftly handing a second glass to Lane. “Don’t be mad?” She tried to look charming. “I had wine ready
for you.”

“Hmm.” After taking a sip, Lane turned back to Anna, seemingly ready to carry the cigarette
conversation on.

“It’s disgusting, I know.” Anna bit
her lip.

Soft lips brushed against her own, and Anna felt some of the tension leave her body. She pulled
back slowly.

“I’m glad you didn’t. You smell a lot better without
the smoke.”

Comfortably, they settled next to each other, Lane’s arm wrapped around Anna.

“Big day tomorrow,” Lane
said softly.

Anna nodded.

“It’s been a
big week.”

Anna nodded again and took in a
deep breath.

“Next week will
be good.”

Lifting her head up, Anna looked at
Lane. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Nothing, now, would change anything. Anna couldn’t think about it anymore. Tomorrow they’d know. Her head dropped back to Lane’s shoulder and another plane flew overhead. The arm around her
shoulders tightened.

“Want to go upstairs?” Lane’s voice was soft, gentle. “I know a stress reliever that doesn’t give
you cancer.”

Normally she would jump at that offer. Yet, Anna burrowed in more and draped her arm over Lane’s legs. Here, in the cool of evening with Lane next to her, she felt the most calm she had since Lorna knocked at the door. There was no way she wanted to move anywhere
right then.

“In
a minute?”

Lane turned her head, kissing the top of Anna’s. “In
a minute.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

An
na’s heart was racing, and
she couldn’t
slow it.

“You need
to breathe.”

She dragged her eyes from her coffee cup and looked straight into Kym’s across
the table.

“I know.”

“Really,
you do.”

“I’m okay.”

“You’re not. And that’s okay. But seriously, breathe.”

Anna sipped from her mug, both hands wrapped around it as if it could warm her completely. The more she focussed on her breathing, the harder it was to do
it normally.

“Look, you have Lane back, which, I think, we can all thank me for.” Kym gave her a cocky grin, and Anna even managed to roll her eyes. “And soon, you’ll have those kids back. By this weekend, all going well, they’ll be in this house and we’ll all be planning our next
movie night.”

“This could
go terribly.”

“It could. But it won’t. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on. All the allegations are crap, and you deserve
those kids.”

It would be much easier if Anna could just
believe her.

Kym watched her for a second, then sighed. “Look, worst case scenario? You never get the kids back and you act out like an idiot by breaking up with Lane again, dooming yourself to a life of loneliness. I’ll buy you ten cats, you can be
 
that 
crazy person and be alone forever, and, when you die, they can eat you from the
toes up.”

Horrified, Anna could only stare
at her.

Kym shrugged, smirking. “Just trying to show you that things can always
be worse.”

When Lane walked in, fresh from her shower, Anna’s shocked gaze was still locked
on Kym.

“Kym! What did
you do?”

Kym whipped her head around to look at Lane, feigning innocence.
“What? Nothing.”

“I’d just calmed her down, and I waited for you to get here to go shower so she wouldn’t hype herself up again when left alone, and now, she looks
absolutely terrified.”

“I am terrified! And I don’t need babysitting.” The indignation in Anna’s tone was strong and
slightly embarrassing.

“I know you don’t. Sorry. Just concerned.” Lane pinched Anna’s coffee, taking a sip. “Why do you look
so terrified?”

“No reason.” Anna ignored Kym’s snicker. “You
smell good.”

With a quick kiss, Lane headed to the fridge. “Eggs? Bacon? Mushrooms?
Whole lot?”

“Yes!”
Kym exclaimed.

Both Anna and Lane looked at
her, confused.

Kym managed to look sheepish. “I mean, whatever you want,
is fine.”

“You still living off vending
machine food?”

Giving a shrug, Kym changed the topic. “When’s your mum
getting here?”

Anna let it slide as Lane went about making them breakfast, relieved that at least Kym was enthusiastic
about eating.

“Any minute now.” She glanced toward Lane, but a mountain of food on the counter top made her almost impossible to see her from the table. “Want
a hand?”

Lane held out a packet of mushrooms. “You
can chop.”

Anna obligingly started to clean them. “What sucks about being me is I always get stuck with the
chopping duties.”

“I’d let you cook the eggs, but last time you got distracted and, rather than poached, we
got rocks.”

Continuing to chop, Anna poked her
tongue out.

Kym smirked. “Or that morning she was going to make us pancakes and put salt in the mix instead
of sugar.”

“Or when she cooked us spaghetti and somehow burnt
the pasta.”

“Guys! I am
 
right
 
here. And it’s not
that bad.”

Neither replied, both of them only staring
at Anna.

“You
guys suck.”

“No, that would be
your lasagne.”

“Hey!”

On her way to the sink, Lane kissed the back of Anna’s neck. “It’s okay, you’re good at
other things.”

Slightly placated, Anna finished up with the mushrooms. As she was washing her hands, the front
door opened.

“I’m here!” Her mother’s voice floated down
the hall.

“In the kitchen, Mum!” Anna sat back down at
the table.

“Oh my God, something smells delicious—wait, Anna, you’re not c—” Sandra appeared in the kitchen doorway, a look of relief on her face as she took in the scene in front of her. “Oh, good,
never mind.”

“What?”

“Just—glad to see Lane in the kitchen.” She turned her attention to Lane, who had looked up with a smirk. “Morning,
Lane, dear.”

“Morning, Sandra.”

“Hello, Kym. You
look lovely.”

“Thanks, Sandra. You too,
as always.”

“Excuse me!”

They all looked
at Anna.

“What is this? I am not that bad in
the kitchen.”

“Honey, you couldn’t make cookies in your Easy Bake Oven.
Admit defeat.”

Anna frowned.
“Where’s Dad?”

Her mother avoided her eyes, bustling into the kitchen to get herself a coffee. “Oh, he’s going to meet
us there.”

“Or he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me for five minutes.” Anna was more emotional, more exhausted, and more highly strung than she had realised.

The cup in her mother’s hand clattered as she half dropped it onto the bench. They eyed each other, Anna trying to ignore her guilt and her mother looking
immeasurably sad.

Truth swirled around them,
normally unspoken.

Then Sandra went back to making her coffee. Anna felt her cheeks flush in shame. Kym was steadfastly looking at the table, while Lane stared from Anna to
her mother.

After a calming sip of her coffee, Sandra put her cup down and finally looked at Anna. “He’ll meet us at
the courthouse.”

“Okay.”

Lane cleared her throat. “Uh…breakfast
is ready.”

Sandra gave Anna’s arm a reassuring squeeze when she sat down, stopping her
from dwelling.

“Excellent. Dish it up, then, Lane. I need my energy to put this woman in the ground!” At the surrounding looks, Sandra shrugged. “What? I like a full stomach before I kick some
bigoted ass.”

Everyone ate in silence, Anna trying to ignore the tight feeling in her gut as she forced food into her mouth. Kym’s leg bounced agitatedly under the table, and Sandra’s eyes flicked over them all as she kept a strained smile on
her lips.

When Lane squeezed her knee under the table, Anna felt a rush of gratitude for these people who were all about to get up and defend a situation none felt they should have to. Get it right, and Toby and Ella would be back where they belonged. Get it wrong, and who knew where they’d
end up?

They took one car; Sandra drove. All Anna could do was stare out the window, her cold hand
in Lane’s.

Inside the frigid courthouse, Scott met them with a roguish grin. Anna was grateful for his easy charm, his comfort in a building none of them knew. Take doctors out of the hospital and they became lost
and unsure.

“Ladies, you all
look delightful.”

All four were wearing some form of suit, Anna in a pencil skirt that made her miss her scrubs. Her mother had selected pants:
“I’m not the gay, dear. I’m not out trying to prove my femininity. On that: you shouldn’t have
to, either.”

Surefooted, Scott led them all through to a heavy wood door. Chairs were lined up outside, and a court bailiff stood next to
the door.

“Okay, ladies, this is where Anna and I head inside. You all just need to be seated out here until you’re called.” Scott nodded to them. “Stay calm, big breaths. And don’t talk to
each other.”

Sandra gave him a bewildered look. “But we could talk
until now?”

“Crazy court rules.” The wink Scott gave was utterly enchanting, and Anna could swear her
mother swooned.

Sandra, Kym and Lane all smiled at Anna. She wanted to drag every one of them in there with her for moral support. She caught Lane’s eye, and her words soothed Anna’s nerves a little. “We’re just on the other side of
the door—okay?”

Anna nodded and tried to return
their smiles.

Scott took her arm and started to lead her through
the door.

“Oh, Anna!”

Anna turned
her head.

Sandra was grinning. “My stomach is extra full.” She winked.
“It’s on.”

The sound that left Anna’s throat was more like a strangled laugh than anything, but some of the tension in her stomach eased as she followed
Scott in.

Even though Scott had told her what to expect, Anna had still pictured a huge courtroom, complete with gallery, jury section, and witness box. Instead, she walked into a room that was almost empty and lacking all the intimidating fixtures, as promised. There was a table on both the left and the right for the prosecution and defence. One long table stretched out at the front of the room, but at the same height as the two smaller tables in front of it. There was a large chair behind the table for the judge; a bailiff stood on one end and a record keeper was seated near the other. To the right, the table made a slight “L” shape where a witness could sit and
give testimony.

Overall, it was a
welcome anticlimax.

However, Anna was still not looking forward to this. Her sweaty hands brushed the coarse fabric of
her skirt.

“I told you it
was fine.”

With a weak nod at Scott, she followed him up to the smaller table on the right, walking through the gate as he held it open
for her.

“So Lorna will come in with the State lawyer, then the judge, and then it
will start?”

“You got it.” He poured her a glass of water from the jug on the table. “Here, drink this.” After pouring himself one, he pulled out various papers from his briefcase and settled them down in front
of her.

The door opened, and Anna turned to see Lorna walk through with a greying man in a suit and George Coleman, the caseworker who had come when Lorna had been away. Lorna smiled at her, pausing as they walked through the gate, while George walked
straight past.

“Hi, Anna.”

“Hi.”

Her mouth opened to ask about the kids, but Anna closed it at Scott’s soft touch to
her arm.

Then she did it anyway. “How
are they?”

Her eyes must have read as completely desperate for news, because even as the lawyer took Lorna’s elbow to lead her to their table, she gave a quick answer. “Spoke to the foster family this morning;
they’re fine.”

Anna nodded her thanks, turning back and purposefully avoiding Scott’s glare. “What?” she tried to
ask nonchalantly.

“Nothing.”

But she could still feeling him glaring
at her.

“Scott.” She all but
whispered it.

He looked at her
sideways. “Hm?”

“We have to get them back,” she said, looking him dead in
the eye.

“I know.”

“Good.”

Suddenly, one of the bailiffs near the door straightened. “All rise for the Honourable
Judge Gordon.”

Fists clenched, nails biting into her palm,
Anna stood.

It was
finally happening.

The judge that walked in was a tall, thin man, probably in his late fifties to early sixties, with a thick head of silver hair and an air of forbearance
about him.

Once he sat and nodded to the courtroom, everyone else sat down, so Anna
followed suit.

The bailiff closest to the judge read out from a ledger: “Case of State versus Foster in relation to accusations of neglect against two wards in her care, pending guardianship approval, presided over by
Judge Gordon.”

The judge nodded, then spoke to the State’s attorney, “And today, if charges are proven to be true, we are also to look at temporary guardianship of,” he looked down at the papers in front of him, and Anna instantly liked him a little better for it, “Ella and Toby until the final guardianship hearing in approximately a month. Is
this correct?”

“Correct,
your Honour.”

Shrewd eyes looked from Lorna to Anna. “Now, this isn’t a trial. We don’t do big opening and closing speeches. We are a family court, and we are here to do what is best for these two children, whatever that may be.” He turned to the State’s
attorney. “Begin.”

The attorney stood. “Your Honour, we are here to investigate several neglect claims that, coupled with a case manager’s report expressing concern, led to the temporary removal of the children from Anna Foster’s custody, and to placing the children in foster care, on a temporary basis until the
custody hearing.”

“And why did we need a custody hearing in the
first place?”

Scott stood.

Finally realising that this wasn’t a courtroom drama with gavels and yelling,
Anna relaxed.

“Your Honour, originally none was needed. As you can see in the copy of the will submitted, the deceased Jake and Sally Foster named my client Anna Foster as guardian. As she accepted it, the paperwork was awaiting signing off by a judge. However, the maternal grandmother has since petitioned the court for guardianship, challenging the will, hence the need for
the trial.”