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"I thought I couldn't agree to the terms, and she completely refused to negotiate."
"Your girlfriend?"
"I'm sorry," I say. "This is completely unprofessional."
"But now you've got me intrigued. What were the terms?"
"I really shouldn't," I say. "Mr. Knight is out for reasons to lecture me."
"I won't tell if you don't." Another smile.
Maybe Penny is flirting with me. No, it's friendly. She did study psychology. Maybe, once upon a time, she wanted to help people.
"She thinks my ex is in love with me," I say.
"Is she?"
I nod. "But it has nothing to do with me. It's only because she has no one else."
"I'm sure it has something to do with you."
"She wasn't very interested when she had me."
Penny smiles. "Well, you know women. We always want what we can't have."
"Maybe."
"I'm sure women fall in love with you all the time. I mean, look at you. I've only known you five minutes and I'm already enamored." She laughs. "Though your girlfriend doesn't have to worry. I'm still mixed up about my husband."
"I'll let her know."
She smiles. "I guess I shouldn't be giving you advice, since I'm here looking for a divorce. Who could be less prepared to give relationship advice than a twenty-five-year-old divorcée-to-be?"
"You learn a lot about relationships from watching them end."
"Then you should be the one giving me advice." She laughs. It's casual, like we're friends.
I already have her hooked. She's going to sign a retainer at the end of this meeting.
This is almost too easy.
Penny leans a little closer. "But I did study psychology and I would so like to feel useful, so here goes. If you really love her, then you can probably find a way to agree to those terms."
"Probably."
"You sure you don't want to tell me a little more?" she asks. "It would be nice to think about someone else's problems for a minute."
"You've been very helpful."
"Yeah? Maybe I'll end up a counselor." She sighs, relaxing. "You know, my soon-to-be ex-husband always thought psychology was bullshit. Just a marketing tool. He thinks people that go to therapy are weak."
"He's too busy working to think."
"Yeah. He used to tell me what he was feeling, to talk to me." She looks out the window. "He's probably telling someone else now. It's probably something that obvious. Probably an eighteen-year-old intern."
"Penny, if he needs to trade in his gorgeous twenty-five-year-old wife for a younger model, that's his issue."
She laughs. "No wonder Maribel recommended you. You're an incorrigible flirt, aren't you?"
