Friction Read Free Page A

son-in-law’s petition to regain custody?”
    Grace wet her lips. “Well, ours is the only home Georgia has known. We’ve dedicated ourselves to making it a loving and nurturing environment for her.” She expanded on the healthy home life they had created.
    Judge Spencer finally interrupted. “Mrs. Gilroy, no one in this courtroom, not even Mr. Hunt, disputes that you’ve made an excellent home for Georgia. My decision won’t be determined by whether or not you’ve provided well for the child, but whether or not Mr. Hunt is willing and able to provide an equally good home for her.”
    “I know he loves her,” Grace said, sending an uneasy glance his way. “But love alone isn’t enough. In order to feel secure, children need constancy, routine. Since Georgia doesn’t have a mother, she needs the next best thing.”
    “Her daddy.” Crawford’s mutter drew disapproving glances from everyone, including the judge.
    Bill Moore nudged his arm and whispered, “You’ll have your turn.”
    The judge asked Grace a few more questions, but the upshot of what his mother-in-law believed was that to remove Georgia from their home now would create a detrimental upheaval in her young life. She finished with, “My husband and I feel that a severance from us would have a damaging impact on Georgia’s emotional and psychological development.”
    To Crawford the statement sounded scripted and rehearsed, something their lawyer had coached Grace to say, not something that she had come up with on her own.
    Judge Spencer asked Crawford’s attorney if he had any questions for Mrs. Gilroy. “Yes, Your Honor, I do.” He strode toward the witness box and didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Georgia often spends weekends with Mr. Hunt, isn’t that right?”
    “Well, yes. Once we felt she was old enough to spend a night away from us, and that Crawford was…was trustworthy enough, we began allowing him to keep her overnight. Sometimes two nights.”
    “When she’s returned to you after these sleepovers with her father, what is Georgia like?”
    “Like?”
    “What’s her state of mind, her general being? Does she run to you crying, arms outstretched, grateful to be back? Does she act intimidated, fearful, or traumatized? Is she ever in a state of emotional distress? Is she withdrawn and uncommunicative?”
    “No. She’s…fine.”
    “Crying only when her father returns her to you. Isn’t that right?”
    Grace hesitated. “She sometimes cries when he drops her off. But only on occasion. Not every time.”
    “More often crying after a lengthier visit with him,” the attorney said. “In other words, the longer she’s with him, the greater her separation anxiety when she’s returned to you.” He saw that the Gilroys’ lawyer was about to object and waved him back into his seat. “Conclusion on my part.”
    He apologized to the judge, but Crawford knew he wasn’t sorry for having gotten his point across and on the record.
    He addressed another question to Grace. “When was the last time you saw Mr. Hunt intoxicated?”
    “It was a while ago. I don’t remember exactly.”
    “A week ago? A month? A year?”
    “Longer than that.”
    “Longer than that,” Moore repeated. “Four years ago? During the worst of his bereavement over the loss of his wife?”
    “Yes. But—”
    “To your knowledge, has Mr. Hunt ever been drunk while with Georgia?”
    “No.”
    “Lost his temper and struck her?”
    “No.”
    “Yelled at her, used abusive or vulgar language in front of her?”
    “No.”
    “Failed to feed her when she was hungry?”
    “No.”
    “Failed to secure her in her car seat? Not shown up when she was expecting him? Has he ever neglected to see to his daughter’s physical or emotional needs?”
    Grace dipped her head and spoke softly. “No.”
    Moore turned to the judge and spread his arms at his sides. “Your Honor, this proceeding is an imposition on the court’s time. Mr. Hunt made some mistakes,