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“Yeah, other than that.” I find my lips turning up in a smile.
“Max is…” She stops, for which I’m thankful. I don’t want to hear about her ex-husband as if I’m her friend. I haven’t been just her friend since we were teens. Her soft sigh rings through the phone. “Anyway. Wouldn’t you prefer to get the marriage annulled?”
“What did Max do?” I ask. What can I say? Old habits are hard to break.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Val,” I sigh. “You can always come to me to talk regardless of anything.”
“Just forget it. I found an attorney who will help with the annulment. I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t be a two-time divorcee.”
“I thought I was handling that?”
“No you declared that you were handling it. I’m just as capable.”
I inhale a calming breath. “Okay then, I’m good with an annulment. Then I’m not the divorced guy either.”
I leave the Max thing off the table. He’s like the kitchen sink in our fights. We fight about everything except him when he’s the underlying reason for most of our issues.
She laughs. “You’d think we wouldn’t care about the stigma in this day and age.”
“It’s not just the stigma. Our mas would implode if they got wind of this.”
“True. Okay, I’ll make an appointment. Is there a certain day better than another for you this week or next?”
“I’ll make it work.” I type my password back into my computer to bring up the charts and graphs. The market will open soon, and I need to be prepared. I realize after a moment Val didn’t say anything back. “You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” she snipes.
“What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing. It’s just… you can clear your schedule for our annulment but not for a dinner date.”
My head falls back on my leather chair and I stare at the ceiling. “I’m sorry I constantly disappoint you.”
She blows out a breath. “I’ll text you the info.”
Click.
I go back over our conversation in my head, trying to figure out where it took a turn for the worse, and realize it was from the moment I answered.
I push a hand through my hair and remember the first time I saw her after the divorce five years ago. She was far from the woman she is now.
It was winter, and her cheeks were rosy. She had on a long coat and furry boots. I’d stopped in for a coffee on my way back to the office to work late, and she was two people in front of me in line. I recognized her immediately. Val has an aura to her, although she’s ignorant to her draw.
She’d ordered her coffee and was lost in her phone, waiting for her name to be called. After I ordered my own, I contemplated ignoring her. I knew she’d gotten divorced and was now a single mom.
I’ve dissected the situation millions of times, wondering if I made the right decision when I approached her.
“Val?” I’d asked, dipping my head to her level.
Her head rose slowly—I knew she’d recognized my voice. A smile pulled at her lips. “Dom.”
The way my name came off her lips made me feel like Superman. As though she needed me more than any time I’d saved her before.
My arms opened on instinct. She fell into my chest, and I held her close. She still smelled the same way—fresh laundry with a hint of berries. It’s the most unique scent I’ve ever encountered.
The barista called her name, and I held up my finger to say we’d be right there.
