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the part where I said I was good at my job?”
    Her eyes shifted away from his. “Then let’s get this done.”
    With a finger to her chin he drew her look back to him. “But you have to know that child in there is my first priority. Along with the truth. If I find out she’s lying, or in any way incapable…”
    “I know.” Her deep breath matched his own.
    But he’d keep an open mind, reserve judgment until he heard her story. He didn’t shy away from hard decisions. Neither did he make them lightly. No matter the cost. Not when a child’s welfare was at stake.
    ****
    Kellie sniffed into a tissue. Caleb was no stranger to tears. His mother shed her share, both honest and calculating. Clients shed them in his office. He’d shed a few when the Canucks had lost the Stanley Cup. He didn’t let her tears influence him.
    But some admiration crept in when she set her narrow shoulders back. At her awkward attempts with her baby. When she found her groove and smiled down at the squirming bundle in her arms.
    Damn it, he didn’t want to like her.
    “You wanted to talk to me?” He pulled over the only chair in the room and motioned to Sophie. “You’re exhausted. Sit.”
    Sophie proved he was right by sitting down without argument. But she shifted the chair closer to Kellie. When she looked up at him her eyes were full of warning.
    “I’ll stand, thanks for asking.” Marnie crossed her arms over her skinny chest obscuring the big red Nike swoosh.
    “I wasn’t, but good to know.” He caught the tail end of Sophie’s eye roll. He stifled a smirk and turned to Kellie. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We can always do this in a couple of days, when you’re rested, had a chance to organize your thoughts.”
    “I’ve done nothing but think for two months.” She shifted on the bed. “No, I’ll feel better once I tell you.”
    “Don’t worry. We’re not here to pass judgment.” Sophie reached over and smoothed a hand over the baby’s head. “Take all the time you need.”
    “I need…legal advice.” Her words faded in and out. Caleb shifted closer to catch them. “You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to, but…ah…I wanted you to hear my side of the story so you could decide.”
    Caleb didn’t need to hear it to know Kellie Andrews was in over her head. The Drummonds were generous when inspired by tax breaks. If it garnered the right kind of press. They wouldn’t gift the steam off their piss to a homeless teenage mother from the Downtown Eastside. It wasn’t a secret. They’d rode the hard love, up by your boot straps angle all the way to the top of the Fortune 500 pile.
    “Anything you need.” Sophie rubbed a hand up and down Kellie’s arm.
    Not so fast. “How about we strike a deal? You be honest with us, we’ll be honest with you.”
    Sophie shot him a look fuelled by exasperation. Too bad.
    “Thank you,” whispered Kellie. She laid a cheek against her baby’s head. Whether the move was choreographed or not, it pulled at him.
    Marnie cleared her throat. Without turning her head Kellie’s eyes sought her out, her look questioning. Marnie nodded once.
    Caleb didn’t like it. Something was off. Instinct warned him to take care. To proceed with caution. As young and innocent as Kellie seemed, she wasn’t in this alone. She checked in with Marnie every few seconds. She waited for her signals. No doubt about it. Marnie was in charge of this show. But what did she have to gain?
    Kellie glanced at Caleb, caught him studying her. Her head dipped and she froze. Marnie rescued her. “She doesn’t have any money to pay for a lawyer.”
    “I do pro bono work for an organization called Legal Tree. They have an office a few blocks from here.” His time amounted to a few hours every couple of weeks. It wasn’t something he broadcasted to the public. He focused all his attention on Kellie even though Sophie turned to stare at him. He pulled out a smile guaranteed to charm. “If we