“Whitney, it’s so good to see you. How are you?” Kally Shore always looked great.
“I’m good.” Whitney put a little space between them, trying to resist asking her if the rumor was true. But she didn’t have to, because the icy rock shimmering on Kally’s right hand was permission enough to inquire. She reached out for Kally’s hand. “Wow. That’s beautiful.”
Kally’s fingers wiggled and twitched. “Isn’t it? It’s new.”
“That last book must’ve been a bestseller,” Carina said. “Well done.”
The novelist tightened up, all that yoga relaxation rushing out the door. Her lips pulled to one side in a grimace. “Actually, it was a gift.” She clenched her hand. “And before you say don’t rush into anything, it was a surprise; but he’s really great. He treats me so well, and he understands my crazy schedule and deadlines, and?—”
“You do not owe me an explanation,” Whitney said. “You’re divorced. Free to do whatever you like.”
“It’s moving along quicker than I’d planned,” the novelist admitted.
Carina’s face registered a warning, but Whitney flashed her a look, and thankfully, Carina paused, then offered, “No hurry, though. True love can weather the wait.”
“Oh, I am being careful,” Kally said. “We’re going to Niagara Falls later this year. That’s been on my bucket list for so long. I’m going to really get to know him before we make it official.”
“Please tell me you’ve had a prenup drafted so that if it comes to it, you’re prepared.” Whitney wished she could’ve resisted, but there it was—all out there.
“I’ll do it soon,” Kally insisted. “It’ll be fine. I won’t make the mistakes I made last time.”
“I don’t care who you get to help you with the prenup, but please put some thought into this before you spend any money on him.” That had been a big problem in her last two marriages. She’d spend, spend, spend on these guys. “We spent a lot of time unraveling those other marriages. You need to protect the assets you have left.” Whitney had a hunch Kally was subsidizing the bucket list trip.
Kally nodded in agreement, but Whitney could tell the ship had already sailed.
“He’s amazing. Not like you-know-who. He’dneverpull something like that. He was appalled when I told him about that big hot mess. Actually, Carina, you know him.”
“Me? Who? Your new guy?” Carina looked surprised. “How’s that?”
“You handled his divorce. In fact, now that I think of it, if I hadn’t hired Whitney, and he hadn’t had you handle his divorce, we wouldn’t even be together. I have you two to thank for my dream come true.”
“Oh my,” Carina mumbled. “Who is this guy?”
“Jim Roundtree,” Kally announced. “Tall, dark hair, super handsome. Texas accent that absolutely tilts my whirl.” She let out a cowgirl, “Woot!”
Carina turned to Whitney. “Yes, I remember him well.”
“See. He’s great, right?” The look on Kally’s face was clear that she wouldn’t believe otherwise. She leaned in. “Any scoop I need to know?”
“I couldn’t tell you if there was,” Carina said. “But we all know the beginning of every relationship feels perfect, so you need to protect the assets you have left from the divorce. Get that prenup drafted now before your romantic heart clouds good decisions.”
“Itisperfect. I’m not worried, but I hear you. I promise I do.”
Carina and Whitney exchanged a doubtful glance.
“Oh my gosh, this could be an adorable romcom.” She raised her hands and gazed at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. This couple will have this fun meet-cute in their attorney’s lobby! I swear I saw sparkles that day when he caught my eye.” She raised a finger, her eyes darting toward the ceiling. “Oh my gosh. This story idea is so good.” Her fists tightened in excitement. “Like six degrees of separation from Happily Ever After because we both got divorces handled by the same firm. Like Kevin Bacon. My editor will adore this idea.”
“Or would that then make us,” Whitney waved her finger between herself and Carina, “the seventh degree? Seven is my lucky number, you know.”
“Degrees oflegalseparation,” Carina chimed in. “See what I did there?”
“Yes,” Kally was practically bubbling over. “Jim saw me in your lobby a couple of times. I only noticed him once. We crossed paths again after our divorces were final, which coincided with the release ofRunning on Empty, which had been loosely based on you-know-who. Ugh, good riddance to him.”
Whitney thought it was funny that Kally still wouldn’t use her ex-husband’s name in conversation.
“I could see this new book having an awesome title likeEat, Pray, Divorce—no, that’s too close to the other one.” She tapped her finger to her lips. “Divorced HEArtswith the HEA capitalized for Happily Ever After? No, that’s too complicated.Split Happens? Oh wait,Exes and Ohs!”
They all laughed, enjoying the animated energy that was Kally’s personality. A wonderful storyteller and funny in her writing and in person, she probably could’ve been a stand-up comedian.
