“Not Dad’s floating head?”
“Oh, heck no. That’s terrifying. No, I’m talking about the guy painting the mural on the side of that building up the block?”
“I am not a fan of those. Why can’t people leave well enough alone? There’s beauty in these old buildings.”
“It’s going to look nice,” Carina insisted. “The colors really brighten up the area, and the picture is pretty. It’s way better than that chipped-up, ancient paint you could barely read anymore.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Carina did the flirty wiggle that no one else could imitate. “Well, you need to check it out. Besides, the guy doing the painting is fine.”
Whitney glanced up. Carina wasn’t the type to usually make that kind of comment. “You could tell that by driving by?”
“Yes. We got caught there at the light. I swear, I could barely take my eyes off him, and you know I’m not looking.”
Whitney knew that to be true. “Why couldn’t Mr. Fine have been cleaning the brick or painting them white? I’ve just never been a fan of graffiti.”
“It’s not graffiti. It’s art!” Carina pursed her lips. “You’re grumpy. It must run in your family this morning. Do your call. We’ll catch up later when you’re in a better mood.” Carina breezed out of the office.
Whitney dropped into her chair. “I’m not grumpy,” she said to herself, then pressed line three. “Jen? Hey, thanks for returning my call.”
The voice on the other end of the line was shaky. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. This is good news.” The uncertainty in Jen Proctor’s simple response tugged at Whitney’s heart.It had been a complex divorce with an emotional property division and way too much unnecessary bickering. Jen and her husband just couldn’t quit sniping at each other long enough to let the lawyers handle the details. “I’ve got your papers with the judge’s signature right here in my hand. Your divorce is final.”
A whoosh of relief came across the line. “Are you serious? I was thinking this day might never come.”
“It’s here.” Whitney heard the gulp of a sob across the phone. Not a sad one, definitely the sound of relief. “I didn’t want to leave a message. I wanted to tell you personally.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll try to get by there tomorrow to pick them up. Do I need to sign off on anything else?”
“Not a thing. No need to drive across town either. I can overnight the papers to you.”
“That would be great.” Jen’s voice was lighter. “I don’t know whether to celebrate or cry.”
Whitney knew a little of both would happen. Even with ugly divorces, there was still a certain amount of grief that had to be processed when a marriage ended. “Press reset and don’t look back. I’m here if you need anything.” She’d already talked to Jen about drafting a prenup. It was so much easier to draft when someone wasn’t already emotionally invested in a new relationship. Most of her clients took her up on it, and she hoped Jen would too.
“I will never get into that situation again. I don’t even plan to date!”
Whitney ended the call politely, but there was a singsong, “famous last words,”playing in the back of her mind.
Even though she saw marriages dissolve every week, she still believed in happily ever afters. Not for herself at the moment, but maybe one day when she had time to give a relationship the attention and priority it deserved. A joyful marriage required work and equal input from each partner. She witnessed that on a daily basis.
Whitney pressed the button to call her paralegal’s phone. “Olivia, can you overnight these papers to Jen Proctor, please?”
“Got it, and Roger is standing here at my desk. Do you have a minute to chat with him?”
“Of course.” Whitney set the phone back on the receiver and tidied her desk, waiting for him. Olivia had been the best hire Whitney had ever made. She managed all the administrative and paralegal support for the family law part of the firm. Sheworked creative magic, fitting her and Carina’s work and family obligations into the week, and that was no simple task.
Roger stepped into her office. “Hey, Whitney. You’ve been hard to catch up with lately.”
“Sorry. You know how it is.” She faked a grimace. Not really sorry at all. She loved being busy and watching the family law part of the practice grow by leaps and bounds. It had been terribly neglected before they took it over, and she couldn’t wait to prove to her father that she could make it a financial success in the portfolio. She motioned to the stack of files on the corner of her desk.
“You got a minute?” he asked.
“For you? Absolutely.” They’d become each other’s plus-ones to work functions for a couple of years now. He was such a good guy, and with both of them laser-focused on their careers, boundaries were clear. Friendship and nothing more.“What’s up?” Probably a client dinner. It’s what usually prompted this kind of visit. They had that Casino Night fundraiser coming up soon too.
“May I?” He motioned to the door, wanting to close it.
