Page 26 of Proof

“In what way?”

“Just like I said. He has to do his homework, get good grades, and play nice in the sandbox.” Chris gave a nervous chuckle, but there was a serious expression on his face.

“Is Lucinda lax as far as discipline?”

“I have no idea. Carter is pretty tight-lipped about the goings-on at Lucinda’s. My take is that he looks at it as an obligation to stay with her a few nights and every other weekend. I think he views it as a temporary situation. Honestly, sometimes I think I’m the only one who does any parenting, but Lucinda has never discussed any bad or moody behavior from Carter. Everything is always ‘fine’ until she needs money for something.”

“What does he do for fun when he’s there?”

“Fortunately, his friends are nearby. I purposely bought my house so he could visit his friends, regardless of whose house he was staying at. We’re less than two miles from each other. He could ride his bike, but I’m still uneasy about traffic. There are too many distracted drivers on the road, and kids don’t always pay close enough attention.” Chris paused. “He and his buddies often meet up at Wembley Park, a midway point.”

“At least the town is starting to put bike lanes on the roads,” Evan said.

“Do you really think anyone texting while driving is going to notice? I doubt it,” Chris replied. “They’re not even observing the signs that say, ‘Don’t text and drive.’” He let out a huge sigh of annoyance.

Evan nodded in agreement. “So, let me ask you this: If the judge gives him the choice, do you think he’d decide to stay with you full time?”

“It would appear that way. I sure hope so.” Chris furrowed his brow. “When we’re together, he talks about school and his activities, and his friends. Oh, and apparently, he’s discovered that not all girls have cooties, but he’s still on the fence about most of them.”

“What about Lucinda? What does he have to say about her?”

“The only time he mentions his mother is when it comes to transportation or switching days. As for Bruce, Carter will make a few jokes, like what a doofus he thinks Bruce is. But nothing malicious.” Chris paused. “More like Bruce is a part of the furniture. Carter can be pretty funny at times.” Chris smiled as thoughts of his son went through his head. “The other day he asked me if it was polite for someone to use dental floss in front of you, but before I could answer, he shrugged and said, ‘Must be an occupational hazard. ’” Both men laughed.

“Carter is at that age when kids are discovering their sense of humor.” Evan continued his questioning. “What about Luna?”

“What about her?” Chris cocked his head. “We’ve been seeing each other for about three years. Well, the first year really didn’t count. We were pretending we were ‘just friends.’” He used air quotes.

“I’ve only met her a couple of times, but she seems right for you. I mean, in a yin and yang kind of way.”

“Yin and yang?” Chris sounded confused. “You’re starting to sound like her.” He smiled.

“On purpose. I like her. She’s a free spirit, but also grounded at the same time.”

“True. Kind of an enigma,” Chris said thoughtfully.

“They get along okay? Luna and Carter?”

“Yes. She’s really good with kids. She worked in children’s services for a while,” Chris continued, as Evan took notes. “Carter’s never stayed over when she’s at my place, although I’m pretty sure he knows what’s going on.”

“So when you get together with Luna, and Carter is around, what do you normally do?”

“We’ll take hikes. Canoeing. Movies. She’s fixed early dinners for us a couple of times before I had to bring him back to his mother’s. And he helps her with food prep. For some reason, he enjoys peeling potatoes.”

“Maybe he simply enjoys her company.”

“Luna has a knack for relating to kids. She says it’s part of her sixth sense.”

“Oh, don’t let Lucinda hear you say anything that sounds woo-woo. She’ll have her lawyers twist it into something weird or sinister.”

“Good point.” Chris pursed his lips.

“I assume Lucinda knows or is aware of Luna?”

“Yes, and thankfully, they’ve never met, but Lucinda knows about her. If Lucinda’s said anything to Carter, he hasn’t shared it.”

“Anything else that comes to mind?” Evan looked up from his papers. “If the judge allows Carter to make his own decision, and you get full custody, Lucinda will no longer be entitled to child support.”

“Boy, is she gonna hate that,” Chris chortled. “Well, I think we have our work cut out for both of us. When I speak with Carter, I’ll start by discussing Chicago, presuming Lucinda has told him about it.” He hesitated for a moment. “Gee, I hope he doesn’t say he’s excited about moving to Chicago.”