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The impatient Judge Halloran made a face and motioned with his hand for Chet to approach the bench.
I leaned to Nancy and whispered, “What’s going on?”
She shook her head. “No idea. First I’m hearing about it.”
Chet handed some papers to the judge and then walked to our table and handed a similar packet to Nancy. “Sorry about the last-minute service,” he said. Then the bastard had the balls to wink at me. He winked at me!
My attorney and the judge flipped through the pages while I waited for someone to tell me what the hell was going on now.
Judge Halloran took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Mr. Adams, please stand.”
My almost ex-husband stood at the table across from us.
“Your attorney has filed a Motion to Withdraw, stating that you’ve terminated his services. Is this correct?”
What? My eyes widened, and my head whipped to Nancy, who shushed me and shook her head.
“Yes, that’s correct, Your Honor.”
Halloran sighed. “I hate delays. While this is your right, I’m telling you right now that this will be the last continuance granted for the remainder of this case. As long as opposing counsel doesn’t object, I’m scheduling this hearing for the first week in January. Have you hired a new attorney?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Then where is he today?”
“He’s in the Bahamas for vacation. But he’s back the day after New Year’s.”
The judge mumbled. “Of course he is.” He looked over at our table. “Ms. Davis, do you object to counsel’s withdrawal and a very short continuance to allow new counsel to get caught up to speed?”
Nancy shook her head. “No, Your Honor. That’s fine with me.”
The judge slipped his glasses back onto his face. “Motion to Withdraw granted. Today’s hearing is rescheduled for January 5th.” He slammed his gavel, and everyone started to pack up their stuff.
“Uh. What just happened?” I said to Nancy.
She smiled. “Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy my gift.”
“I don’t understand. You just allowed my divorce to be delayed again and you think that’s a gift?”
She leaned closer. “It is. Because now that Chet isn’t Rex’s attorney, you can bang his brains out. Just make sure you wrap that gift up. You’re welcome.”
* * *
I never did hear from Chet after he left the courthouse that day.
After a quiet holiday spent with my family in Queens, I felt rejuvenated. It was unlike me to take a short break from work, but it was long overdue.
I hadn’t planned on working until after the New Year, but when I received a call a few days after Christmas requesting me to plan a private dinner that would pay triple my normal rate, I decided to accept it. It was a lot of money for a small event for two, and I knew I could throw it together in no time. It was particularly a no-brainer because the client’s assistant told me I could literally do whatever I wanted. Those were the types of assignments I really had a hard time turning down. When I was given free rein, I was like a kid in a candy store. The best part was: even though the party was on New Year’s Eve, all of the setup would be completed fairly early. I would only have to show up at the beginning of the dinner to make sure preparations had gone off without a hitch, and I would still be able to salvage most of the evening.
Not that I had any plans aside from watching Ryan Seacrest while inhaling a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. There would be no hot New Year’s Eve date. There would be no kissing anyone at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately, as much as I hated to admit it, I still found myself too hung up on fantasies of Chet Saint to even want to put myself out there.
I still couldn’t believe he was no longer Rex’s lawyer, though. A part of my wild imagination had hoped that maybe he’d take advantage of the fact that he was now free from our conflict of interest in order to pursue me. But if that were the case, he would’ve called or texted. So, the fact that I hadn’t heard from him proved that we weren’t on the same page.
Despite the volatile start, our chemistry had been palpable at that holiday costume party. It was clear that if Rex weren’t in the way, we would’ve continued what we’d started at the café. I did wonder what had caused Rex to fire him. I liked to believe that maybe Chet truly got fed up with the type of person Rex is and stood up to him, refusing to play my ex’s games. Now Chet was free of Rex. If only I could say the same.
I’d just arrived at the venue I’d booked for my New Year’s Eve event to make sure all of the right accommodations were in place. I’d called all of my contacts at the best hotels overlooking Times Square and was finally able to find a private suite that would allow my client a view of the ball dropping tonight without having to endure the cold and crowds below. It was the best of both worlds. My go-to caterer agreed to put together a last-minute spread of Moroccan cuisine. Why Moroccan? Because I could choose whatever the heck I wanted, and it had been a while since I’d thrown a Moroccan-themed party.
The room looked exactly how I’d asked my assistants to set it up. A traditional Moroccan table runner was draped across a table. Colorful lamps were placed strategically throughout the space. We brought in jewel-toned drapes and satin pillows in various colors. It truly looked mystical with a royal flair. Moroccan Gnawa music would be played from a speaker in a continuous loop, since the client wanted privacy, specifically requesting that they be alone, so that meant no live violinist or any other musician.
