Richard shook his head. “This is the one thing that I can’t bring myself to discuss with her. I’m afraid she’ll bail on me if I ask her to sign.”
“So what’s your plan? You can’t just spring something like this on your little firecracker,” I advised him. “Allie Lee fell in love with you – and the way you are Richard. You’re always up front with people. Why not Allie Lee?”
Richard rubbed his palms together. “I’m not sure how she will react. My plan was to take Allie Lee to dinner, give her a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet I’ve seen her eyeing in the jeweler’s window, and then bring up the pre-nup.”
I grabbed the legal pad and pen off the coffee table. “Are you planning on giving her the pre-nup at dinner?”
“I want to feel her out and see how it goes. I’d like her input before we go forward.”
“Okay, then let’s get down to specifics. What kind of terms are we looking at?”
“For each year we’re married, Allie Lee gets one million dollars.”
I wrote that down. “Generous.”
“After ten years of marriage, the pre-nup is null and void,” Richard continued.
I put down my pen. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yup.”
“Okay, what else?”
“If she cheats, she gets nothing.”
“And you?”
“I don’t cheat.”
“Right. She’ll probably want a revision in there stating she gets something if you cheat.” I put down my notepad. “But we’ll leave that for now. I assume she has her own attorney who will look over this?”
“She uses Dalton Balzer’s firm for other legal matters so I’m sure that’s who she would retain in this matter.”
I smiled. “Perfect. We’re working a few cases together now.” I thought back to Blaine and her lovely dog Ginger.
“Anything else you want to add before I have Meghan draw this up?”
“I think we’re good.” Richard leaned over and patted me on the knee. “Thanks Ava.”
“Sure thing. Let me know how dinner and the diamond tennis bracelet go?”
After Richard left, I gave the notes to Meghan so she could get started on the pre-nup draft. Just as I was retreating back to my office, a delivery man walked in with a bouquet of flowers. Pink and taupe roses. A simple but very elegant display.
“Wow, your boyfriend is stepping up his efforts,” I remarked to Meghan. She had been dating the same guy for ten years. The rest of the office staff had always given her a hard time about her boyfriend, Gavin, who was pretty set in his ways and had yet to mention getting married. Clyde liked to use the saying, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”
Meghan signed the delivery slip with a smirk on her face. “Ummm, Ava, these flowers aren’t for me. They are for you,” she called out.
I did a turnabout and headed over to her desk. She handed over the exquisite vase.
“I know it’s not your birthday or wedding anniversary,” Meghan feigned a look at her calendar. “So Mark must be in the dog house?”
“Hmmm…” I replied, before closing my office door to open the card in private.
I had a strong suspicion that Mark didn’t send these beautiful roses. I sat down and opened the simple beige linen card that was attached to the bouquet.
I glanced at the recognizable scrawl.
Gorgeous, just like you.
They were from Craig.
Chapter 9
“Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it.” -Marshall McLuhan
Hope’s baby shower was finally here. The weeks just whizzed by and before I knew it, we were slap in the middle of a scorching summer. Thankfully the shower was being held at Venus’s house which wasn’t a far drive from my place. Nevertheless, I decided to use a limo service since I knew Venus would be serving some powerful cocktail concoctions and I wanted to partake in all the festivities. After one of her tropical martinis, I’d be ready to dance on the tables.
Venus lived in a gorgeous, medieval inspired fifteen-thousand square foot mansion in West Hollywood Hills. The chauffeur parked on the circular driveway and helped me out of the limo before handing the large baby blue and silver gift bag to me.
I took a moment to take in the scenery. The entrance way was adorned with beautiful potted roses – not unlike the ones that Craig sent me – and two tuxedoed gentlemen were stationed just outside the grand front door. One of them handed me a glass of bubbling champagne with a sweet raspberry at the bottom. Just Venus’s style.
Taking a small sip, I entered the foyer and put Hope’s gift down on the side table. I had arrived a little early so I could help Venus with any last minute details, but after looking around inside, it looked like everything was handled.
“Well, hello Ava.”
I turned to find Candace Lane, party planner extraordinaire, standing before me.
“Hi Candace. You did a marvelous job.” I did a three-sixty turn around the foyer, eyeing the buffet tables already set up in the adjoining dining room. Candles were lit, rows and rows of delicate baby blue flowers adorned the tables, and festive silver balloons were tastefully placed in the corner. “Everything looks fabulous.”
“Of course it does. When you hire Candace Lane, you hire the best of the best.”
Venus walked into the foyer and we did the air kiss thing. She handed me a shrimp puff. “You look hungry. Try these. They are divine.”
I tentatively took a bite of the pastry. It was nice, hot and crisp on the outside with a creamy texture on the inside – shrimp, herbed cheese, and spices.
“Yummy.” I finished the rest of the puff and washed it down with champagne.
“We can go wait for Hope in the lanai. She should be here any minute now.”
I followed Venus through the house admiring her furnishings and décor. Even though I had been to her house many times, I was always in awe of her flair for decorating. About every six months or so, Venus would do a major overhaul of her house. Looking around, it was apparent she was going through a purple haze phase. The walls were painted a silvery-grey color and the color of the furniture was in hues of lavender, plum, and dark purple with beige accents. Somehow it all worked.
Enormous sliding glass doors were opened to the pool area. We walked into the lanai where several glittering votive candles were floating in the black bottom infinity swimming pool. I covered my mouth when I saw the geese waddling around the edge of the pool. There was another huge buffet stuffed with Hope’s favorite foods. Marinated crab claws, stuffed mushrooms, fried chicken drummettes, cherry tomatoes filled with herbed cream cheese, and curried meatballs. A tiki bar was set up behind the pool and was manned with a bartender mixing up fruity drinks. Festive lights were strung up around the tiki bar and also hung around potted tropical palm trees.
“Wow, Venus. I think you’ve outdone yourself.” I handed my empty champagne glass to the bartender and exchanged it for a peach Bellini. I was already feeling a nice, warm buzz and didn’t want it to go away just yet.
“Well, Candace helped some.”
“I think Hope will be very happy.”
“I’m just glad she finally found someone to make her happy. Brad is the best thing that has happened to her,” Venus said.
“My ears are burning. Are you talking about me?” Hope said as she waddled into the room.
Hope was wearing a teal sundress that accented her olive skin and green eyes. She looked radiant and blissful. I gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“We were just saying how lucky you are to have such a gorgeous man and a bouncing baby boy on the way,” I told her.
“And I’m also lucky to have such great friends.” Hope twirled around. “Look at this place. You guys did an amazing job.” The bartender handed her a virgin peach Bellini made with sparkling cider instead of champagne.
Venus left us alone to talk as she went to greet the guests that were arriving.
“So what’s be
en going on with you?” Hope asked as we sat by the pool.
I fiddled with the hem on my dress. “Not much. Busy with work. You know, the usual stuff.”
Hope reached over and grabbed my hand. “What’s really going on? I can tell when something is troubling you.”
I may be a tough negotiator in the court room and usually kept my cards close to my chest, but Hope always knew when something was up.
Lowering my voice, I started to tell her about my affair with Craig.
“You remember that guy I told you about that I reconnected with during a fundraiser a couple months ago?”
Hope nodded. “I remember.”
“Well, we’ve been seeing each other the last few weeks.”
“Seeing each other meaning…?”
“Hope! Darling, so good to see you!” Our conversation was interrupted by a group of women walking in with Venus.
For the rest of the shower, Hope’s attention was focused on conversing with other guests and enjoying her party so we never got a chance to finish our conversation. It was a shame, because I really needed her advice. I was falling in love with Craig and was thinking about ending my marriage to Mark. I need to make a decision, soon.
Chapter 10
“The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.” - German Proverb
The last few weeks had been stressful with the amount of new divorce cases coming in and I’d been trying to juggle work, my family and seeing Craig during my lunch hour and sometimes in the evening. It was time to take care of myself so I made an appointment with my favorite masseuse.
I felt immediate relief as soon as I walked into the lobby of La Prairie. The spa host led me to a changing room where I donned a plush white robe and slipped into comfy slippers. After making sure no one was watching, I slipped my cell phone into the pocket of my robe. The spa frowned upon the use of electronic devices during treatments. But a day without my cell phone was like Joan Rivers going a day without plastic surgery.
Colleen, my regular masseuse, led me back to a private dark room and got me settled in. I peeled off the robe, discreetly tucked the cell phone under the covers, and let Colleen do her magic. My body melted under her expert hands.
My phone emitted a buzz and I discreetly looked under the covers to see who it was. Missy Chambord. We’d been playing phone tag for the last couple of days. I tucked my head under the cover and answered her call as quietly as I could.
“Please give me some good news.” Missy didn’t even bother with a hello.
“Well, it is good news, bad news kind of day,” I whispered. “I spoke to your husband’s attorney this morning and they are not willing to settle for less than $20,000 a month spousal support. However, your husband has agreed to letting you keep the house and any future earnings from your business ventures.”
After a brief silence I heard Missy sigh on the other end. “Is this the best you can do?”
“We were at $35,000 a month and he wanted you to sell the house and split the profits. So I think that the deal on the table is worth considering.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I just want this over with so I can move on. My agent wants a decision fairly quickly on this new deal with a tanning salon company and I’d rather sign it after the divorce,” Missy replied.
“Okay then, it’s settled. I’ll draw up the papers.” I winced as the masseuse worked out a knot in my calf. She used more pressure than necessary and I took it as a hint to get off the phone. “I’ll have Meghan call you in the next day or two when the papers are ready for you to sign.”
I hung up the call just as the phone buzzed again. The masseuse sighed heavily and held out her hand. I turned off the phone before dropping it in her hand and then forced myself to relax and enjoy the rest of the massage. I’m glad I did because later tonight, all hell was going to break loose.
Chapter 11
“A man can sleep around no questions asked, but if a woman makes 19 or 20 mistakes, she’s a tramp.” – Joan Rivers
The crowded bar was tucked away in a corner of ROCKET LANES, a busy bowling alley located on the outskirts of West Hollywood. I watched as middle-aged men and women guzzled down pitchers of draft beer, ate greasy bar food, and lined up their song requests with the karaoke DJ.
“It’s all about the experience,” Craig said as he watched my reaction to the bar crowd.
“I bet. How did you even know about this place?” I asked.
“Some buddies brought me here for a night of bowling and drinking beer. Now I come here from time to time just to get away, have a beer, and watch a game on the big screen.”
He must have caught the worried look on my face.
“I don’t think anyone you know would visit a place like this,” Craig added, somehow reading my mind.
I took a sip of my barely tolerable white wine before setting it down on the sticky table. “You’re probably right.”
Craig put his hand on my knee. “Relax Ava. Tell me how your day was.”
“It was the usual hustle and bustle of the divorce world. Pre-nups, divorce filings, settlement discussions…” I needed to unwind and the last thing on my mind was work. “Let’s talk about something else.” Remembering the lovely massage I had earlier, and how nice it was to unplug from reality for a bit, I reached into my purse and turned down my cell phone ringer. It was about time I kicked back and enjoyed some “me” time.
Craig leaned over and kissed me on the lips. “Let’s talk about us.”
I kissed him back, running my hands through his thick, wavy hair. How can something so wrong feel so right? His kiss sent shockwaves through my body. I hadn’t felt this good in so long. It was like I’d been living in black and white and then all the sudden I could see the world in color.
“You are so beautiful.” Craig cupped my chin with his hand. His green eyes bored right into mine.
“And you’re not half bad yourself.”
Craig laughed. “I do okay.”
“I would say better than okay.” I glanced around in time to catch a few jealous stares from the women at the next table. “Those women would probably like to kick my ass.”
“Those women couldn’t hold a candle to you.”
The karaoke started up and a Dolly Parton look-a-like started singing Shania Twain’s biggest hit, “Any Man of Mine”.
“She’s pretty good,” I said.
Craig glanced at the stage. “Yeah, she’s a regular. By the end of the night, she’ll have worked her way up the country music chart.”
I drained my glass of wine and started to feel myself loosen up some more. “If I remember correctly, you aren’t that bad of a singer yourself.”
Craig had a garage band when we were in high school. I would always sneak over to his house on Saturday nights and listen to his band mimic KISS songs.
“It’s been awhile but I can hold my own.” Craig finished his beer. “And if I remember correctly, you can belt out some tunes as well.”
“The only singing I do these days is in the shower.”
While I was in my teens, my mother enrolled me in several beauty pageants in hopes that I would grow out of my awkward geekiness and become more cultured and refined like her. All those piano and voice lessons went toward trying to win the beauty pageants. While I could carry a decent tune, I’d never placed higher than third place. After five disappointing pageant losses I quit, much to the dismay of my mother.
“Let’s do a duet.” Craig motioned to the DJ taking requests.
“Let’s not.” The last thing I wanted to do was go on stage in front of a bunch of strangers and muddle my way through some country song.
“Come on, Ava. It’ll be fun. When’s the last time you had fun?”
I smiled provocatively.
“Not that kind of fun. Let your hair down and throw your troubles to the wind kind of fun?”
“I have fun all the time,” I protested.
Craig shook his head. “I don’t think so. One
song, then we’ll leave.”
I thought about it for a minute. Deep down inside, I was dying to get on stage and let loose.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Craig smiled and jumped up to go put in our request. I took that time to order us another round. I need some liquid courage if I was going to sing in front of this tough crowd.
“We’re up after these next couple of songs.” Craig settled back into his chair.
The cocktail waitress brought us another round along with a platter of nachos. I picked up a chip loaded with gooey cheese and jalapenos.
“I’m probably going to regret this in the morning,” I said shoving the calorie laden chip in my mouth.
Craig looked me up and down. “I don’t think a few chips are going to ruin your beautiful figure.”
“I wasn’t talking about the food. I meant singing karaoke. This could do real damage to my reputation.” I laughed.
He looked around the bar area. “Seeing how this is not your typical clientele, I think you’re pretty safe.”
We listened to another bar patron sing “Friends in Low Places”, by Garth Brooks, which was a crowd favorite, and then another young woman sang “The Black Horse and Cherry Tree”, one of my personal favorites.
“Next up, Bruce and Sandra.”
Craig tugged at my arm. “That’s us.”
“Bruce and Sandra?”
“Our alias for the night.”
I laughed. “What song did you choose?”
“You’ll see.”
Craig led me to the stage and my heart fluttered while my stomach did this little funny flip flop, threatening to regurgitate the bad wine and greasy nachos.
Craig squeezed my hand for reassurance then handed the microphone to me.
Looking out over the crowd, it seemed everyone was staring at us. I felt suddenly out of place in a room full of blue jeans and cowboy boots. Gripping the microphone tight, I concentrated on the teleprompter which would roll with our lyrics, and tried to forget we had an audience.
Split Decision Page 4