Spirited Ride

by Rebecca Avery

  Did he think that since it had worked so well on her the first time, that now that he was back in town and low on options for a bed partner, he’d just repeat the past and she’d come running? Wrong.

  He might be good to look at and even better in bed but a second chance at the heartache of a lifetime wasn’t on her list of good times. This time he’d be slinking back under the rock he crawled out of… alone.

  Every song he sang seemed to either have sexual connotations to it, were love songs he used to sing to her, or were just ones he knew she liked.

  Each one made her angrier than the last since taking off to another state with another woman with no word from him for a decade wasn’t just something she was going to forgive because he sang a couple of songs.

  No matter how good he looked doing it… with his long hair whipping around and a look on his face as though he was making love to the music. He was delusional if that’s all he thought it would take.

  When it became obvious that he was about done being the center of attention for one evening, she laid his bill on top of his wallet after having written herself a fifteen percent gratuity. It was a childish effort to let him know what she thought of his proposed ‘tip.’

  Only after he finally left did she realize that though she hadn’t ended up in his bed this time, he still had the upper hand because she’d dignified him with a response and attention. She’d do better at just ignoring him the next time.

  Unfortunately she had many chances over the next couple of weeks to ignore him and failed miserably each and every time. Just like the first time he’d blown into her life, he was developing a local following… mostly women who bought him beers or even dinner.

  It was disgusting, really, how they giggled at him. A few of them she was tempted to ask if they realized he was about ten years older than he looked but knew that would sound petty or really jealous so she refrained.

  The bad part was that he had started performing nearly every night and showed no signs of going away anytime soon. The extra business he brought in for the bar allowed her to comfortably afford Lindsey’s help so she couldn’t really ask him to stop. She couldn’t seem to get away from him no matter where she went.

  When she went to the shop to pick Lilly up for lunch, he was there with his good looks and blatantly sexual stares. Last weekend she’d went to Gretchen’s twelfth birthday party and surprise, surprise… he was there too. It was as though she couldn’t turn around without running into him.

  Her whole group of friends seemed to have just accepted TJ back into the fold and he was doing all he could to ensure his place amongst them between the favors, errands and small gifts he was constantly bestowing upon them. She’d never been one to trash talk about other people but she really wanted to where he was concerned.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t feel like she could bash him to the group and Gina had something or other going on every time she called to try and unload on her. So the only person on her side that she could dump her frustrations on regarding TJ… was Chris.

  In an effort to either judge the situation for himself or to try and scare TJ away, Chris had even come to the bar a couple of times. This merely seemed to spur TJ on.

  Well, enough was enough. Today she was going to take matters into her own hands.

  It was past time to let him know that whatever he hoped to achieve by hanging out at the bar or being a step behind her no matter where she went had done nothing more than piss her off.

  Becca Waters-Long was a force to be reckoned with in court and just so happened to be someone TJ didn’t know before he left town ten years ago… before he left her. Sherri had a song for him… D-I-V-O-R-C-E!

  Upon entering Becca’s little office in the middle of town, she was greeted by another one of Chuck’s interns who sat behind an old style metal desk that appeared to have seen its better days.

  If Becca’s name wasn’t so widely recognized as one of the top defense attorneys in the country, one would think she was either fresh out of law school or not very good at what she did based on the furniture in her office. Those who knew her knew it was because she’d essentially given up her high-class lifestyle and practice to follow her heart.

  “Hey, what brings you in here?” Becca asked stepping out of her office.

  “Do you have a few minutes?” she asked in return.

  “Absolutely, come on in,” Becca replied with a smile, holding her inner office door open.

  Once they were both settled she said, “I need your help. I want to divorce TJ. I should have done it years ago but… out of sight… out of mind I guess.”

  Becca eyed her in that curious way of hers that seem to indicate that she needed more information, so Sherri continued, “I figure he left me… moved out of state and I hadn’t heard from him in ten years until just recently so I should be able to keep the house and the bar straight up. I shouldn’t have to share my assets just because he’s apparently fallen on hard times.”

  Pulling out a piece of paper, Becca slid it across the top of her desk and said, “Stop there… before we go any further I have to tell you that I advised TJ in the past on another issue that could inadvertently create a conflict of interest for me where your case is concerned.”

  “What issue?” she asked.

  Frowning at her, Becca said, “You know I can’t tell you that. However, since I can’t divulge that information and it could potentially be an area of conflict should this become a contested divorce rather than just a disillusion of the marriage, I’m afraid I can’t take your case.”

  What the holy hell? She was banking on Becca to be her ace in the hole… her winning hand against TJ and all that he symbolized… heartache being at the top of that list. It was like a parent telling you that you were not the favorite child.

  Somehow it felt like the smug son of a bitch had known that… hence his recent visits to the bar. Stumped, angry and hurt she sat for several minutes trying to wrap her head around this latest revelation and figure out what to do now.

  “Okay, so you can’t represent me but if I were to ask you generic questions regarding the law… can you answer those? As my friend?” she finally asked.

  Using her fingers, Becca shoved the piece of paper a little closer to her. Picking it up Sherri read it and though it was in legalese, she caught the gist of the document. Essentially by signing it, she acknowledged that Becca had made her aware that a conflict of interest existed and therefore she wouldn’t be able to represent either party involved.

  It went on to advise that any information that Sherri was to glean from Becca by way of casual conversation outside of a professional setting and then use, Becca could not and would not be responsible for.

  Looking up from the paper she held, Sherri couldn’t help but appreciate the older woman’s cunning. Reaching nearly all the way across Becca’s desk, she grabbed a pen, signed the document and then set both items back down.

  Then before Sherri could say anything more, Becca stood up and went to the door to her office and asked the intern out front to come and notarize the document. Once that had been done, she pulled a small hand held recorder out of her desk drawer and turned it on.

  “So you want to file for a divorce from TJ because he abandoned you and your marriage?” Becca asked with a wink. “I’m sorry I can’t help you but you know that I’m here for you as your friend… always.”

  Then Becca waved her hand as though to indicate that Sherri should say something. So Sherri said, “It’s okay… I understand. I’m the one who finished paying the mortgage on that house while he was gone and the loan for the bar too. So I’m praying that the judge will take that into consideration and let me keep both. We could have the house appraised and then I could buy him out if it’s worth more than I’ve dumped into it. I mean, I shouldn’t have to share the rewards of my hard work with someone who I haven’t even heard from in a decade… until he fell on hard times.”

  Becca smiled at her and then sat forward and sa
id, “Sherri… you’re family to me so I only say this out of love for you. Give it a month before you do anything. Take some time to make sure that this is really what you want. Don’t act out of anger and malice or you may come out on the losing end of more than just the divorce. After all, as you mentioned, the property is in his name only… left to him by his grandmother. So just because you and I may feel that you receiving both the property and the bar are the fair and just outcome in this instance… a judge may not see it that way.”

  Sitting back, Becca then winked at her. Becca was telling her, without saying it outright, that this wasn’t going to be as easy as it should be. The look on Becca’s face told her that there was more to this that she wanted to say… but couldn’t.

  Not wanting to make things harder on Becca than they already were by truly putting her in the middle of her and TJ’s bullshit she said, “Another month isn’t going to matter… I want this divorce… it’s been a long time coming.”

  “I mean, he left town with another woman when singing in some Podunk bar just wasn’t exciting enough for him! Then when his plans of making it big didn’t pan out, he wants to come crawling home. I hate that fame and fortune passed him by, but that is so not my problem,” she finished with a sigh.

  A look of surprise passed Becca’s face before she quickly shuddered it. Having seen the expression, Sherri just had to know what the woman was thinking… or at least needed a clue as to what it was that she wasn’t privy to. Trying to appear nonchalant, she relaxed back into the chair she sat in and looked at her friend for a moment before looking away.

  “What are you thinking? Do you thinking I’m being unreasonable?” Sherri finally asked. A moment of silence passed while Becca contemplated what she wanted to say against what she could legally say.

  “Look, I wasn’t around back when you two got together. However, seeing the two of you together at Gretchen’s party was kind of strange. On the one hand you two are like fire and gasoline… hot, explosive and out of control when in each other’s presence. On the other hand you’re like cake and ice cream in that you seem to belong together,” Becca said.

  Then looking thoughtful she added, “Have you contemplated the idea that along with how much you’ve changed in the past decade… that maybe he has too? A divorce won’t give you the closure you think it will… trust this old woman on that. You loved him once… you married the man. There is no evidence that the relationship was abusive in any way.”

  “From where I sit… I see two people whose dreams just took them in different directions. Now… for whatever reason… time, circumstances, dumb luck or maybe even fate has put you both back in the same box once again. I’m just saying that before you get back out of the box, close the lid and put him away in the closet, that you make sure that it’s what you really want. That you have a clear understanding of why you want it as well as what part you played in spilling the contents of the box to begin with. Otherwise, all other relationships you have, going forward, will start with pieces and parts that belong in the TJ Simons box,” Becca finished.

  Sherri knew that she really needed to deal with TJ Simons. However, unlike the advice that Becca was giving, dealing with TJ in her eyes, meant divorcing him and moving on with her life.

  She could respect Becca’s thoughts on not making rash decisions out of spite and anger but even if she did wait a month before doing anything with regards to the divorce… it wouldn’t matter… the end result would be the same. Her marriage was over… had been for ten fricken’ years.

  “You sounded like Edna just now,” Sherri laughed lightly as memories of Bobby’s grandmother came to mind. “I get what you are saying but I’m not the one who left. I’m not the one who gave up on us. I’m sure I did play a part in him making the decision to leave. However, he didn’t bother to stick around long enough to tell me what part I played in ‘spilling the box’ so I’m not sure what rehashing the spilled box would really do for either one of us at this point.”

  “I’m not sure either but supposedly only time can heal an old wound. So what’s the harm in waiting until the shock, disappointment, anger and hurt over seeing him again after all these years have stabilized before making a move?” Becca asked. “You might learn a few things about each other in the meantime that perhaps help make the divorce process go a little smoother and allow you both to tolerate each other afterward.”

  That odd look was back on Becca’s face that indicated there was something more here that Sherri didn’t know about. Although Becca couldn’t tell her what it was whirling around in that brain of hers…

  Becca also wasn’t Sherri’s only option for discovering what exactly TJ could have possibly needed the advice of a renowned criminal defense attorney for. Carla’s husband, Greg, was a former police detective and might be able to dig up whatever it was from TJ’s past that made Becca unable to take the man to court.

  “Thanks for the pep talk and the referral but if you can’t take my case, I may see if I can muddle my way through this on my own over the next month while I’m waiting,” she replied.

  Becca turned off the recorder and, standing up, came around her desk and hugged Sherri. The woman had earned Sherri’s respect years ago and not being able to help her get divorced now wouldn’t change that. So she laughed and said, “You’re the best, Becca. Any chance I can at least get a set of blank divorce papers that I can use to type up my own…”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. The only way I can help you is if you and TJ were to decide on a disillusion of marriage. That would mean that you’ve essentially done all the work and agree on who will get what. Then you would both be hiring me just to draw up the papers, make sure you both sign where you are supposed to and then file them with the court,” Becca replied. “If you guys can’t do that then you’ll need to hire someone to file for divorce. But if it’s any consolation to you, I won’t be taking TJ’s case either for the same reasons.”

  The conversation she’d had with Becca and the advice she’d been given kept playing over and over in her head as she drove home to change for work and pick up Lindsey.

  By the time she pulled up in front of the bar she wondered if she would ever get this divorce over with. As she walked through doors, the bar phone was ringing and Lindsey ran over and scooped it up. Then indicated the phone was for her.

  “It’s me, Lilly,” her sister’s voice filtered through the line. “Two things… one is that Chris stopped by here earlier looking for you, said he needed to talk to you. I think one or more of the guys may have run him off and I’m sorry for that.”

  “Second is that I got two emails from Tessa, the intern that Chuck has working for Becca. The first one was a blank template document file for a divorce. The second email said that she sent it by mistake and that she meant to send me the latest patent file and to just delete the first email. Then I remembered you saying you were going to see Becca today about TJ and I thought maybe this was yours… and it got sent to me by mistake,” Lilly finished.

  God she loved that woman. Becca was smart as a whip, underhanded if she needed to be, a world class liar when necessary and absolutely brilliant.

  Those qualities where exactly why there were so many jokes about lawyers but they were also all the things that made Becca invaluable to the group both as a friend and an attorney. She couldn’t give Sherri the file outright but she’d found a way to help a friend.

  “Actually, Becca can’t take my case because she did some work or something for TJ a few years ago and that would create a conflict of interest for her. So I’m on my own. I know she said to delete it but I don’t suppose you could email it to me instead…” she said. “Pretty please?”

  “I suppose… but you didn’t get it from me. It says right at the bottom that if it wasn’t for me I am supposed to delete it and I sure as hell don’t want Becca coming after me in a court of law,” Lilly laughed.

  After hanging up with Lilly, her day suddenly appeared much brighter. She hadn’t even
seen the template file but somehow knew it would be exactly what she needed.

  Out of respect she would take the month as Becca had suggested but at the end of that month she’d be ready to wipe her slate clean and start over. While she was at it she might just dump Chris’ dumb ass as well… then she could find some hot, young guy to fulfill her needs. A vision of TJ immediately jumped into her head but she shoved it aside angrily and got to work.

  Halfway through her shift Chris came in. Since the place was dead and TJ hadn’t come in yet to make her life miserable by playing his guitar and singing to her while drumming up business for her all at the same time, she joined Chris in a booth at the back of the room. He looked nervous… or angry.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that TJ is still coming around here?” he asked once she slid into the bench seat of the booth across the table from him.

  “You told me the last time that you were sick of hearing about him. I can’t seem to avoid the drama he causes everywhere he goes because, unfortunately, I’m still married to him, but since you asked me not too, I’ve left you out of it as much as possible,” she replied.

  Sighing heavily and getting more frustrated by the minute, he rubbed his hand over his beard and said, “How much money do you need to divorce his ass?”

  “I don’t need any money, Chris. I’m going to file the paperwork myself but I promised Becca Long that I’d wait a month before doing anything. She’s trying to play peacemaker between TJ and I for whatever reason and I figure I’ve waited ten years… what’s one more month?” she asked.

  “You are still in love with him!” Chris exclaimed, as though she had just proven it by something she’d said.

  “I am not still in love with him… it’s just complicated. The house was his grandmother’s and I’ll be damned if I will lose it or my business,” she ground out.

  “Really, Sherri? I’d think after waiting ten years, you’d cut off your right arm to be free of the man… at least that’s the way you’ve always made it sound. You talked a good talk right up until he came back to town,” Chris said. “You know the guys at the shop all think you’re sleeping with him again? In fact they were so sure they felt like I should know.”