AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Shakespeare once wrote, “The course of true love ne’er did run smooth.” Steven McAllister shook his head with a smirk. No offense to the old bard, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Maybe wedding planning hadn’t been going as well as Steven had hoped, but things were coming along, although slower than Rose might prefer. What’s that other saying? Slow and steady something or other? Whatever it was, it worked for him.
He leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his eyes. A divorce petition glowed on his screen as if mocking him for working late. When had it gotten so dark? Early June usually meant daylight lasted well into the evening, but the sun seemed to have disappeared. He glanced at the clock and groaned. Rose was going to kill him.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed. Stifling another groan, he clicked the message.
Where are you?
To his surprise, it was from his sister. He smiled as he settled deeper into the seat cushion. Lanie was helping Rose with final alterations on her dress before the meeting with the caterer, which put her in the perfect position to stall. He would have to tread carefully, or else he’d press his luck.
Finishing up at work. Be there in 15.
More like a half hour, but Lanie wouldn’t mind. The three of them were meeting with the caterer to make final selections on what would be served at the wedding. He could hardly believe that in just over three months, he would be a married man.
But he was ready. He’d never had one doubt about Rose. She’d come into his life just when he needed her the most, stayed through his mother’s awful illness, and even helped Lanie through the turbulence of settling the estate. After the past year, they deserved some happiness.
With a sigh, he reread the last stipulation his client had insisted be added. Opposing counsel would never agree to it, with good reason. His client wanted to sell the house, but it was the soon-to-be-ex-wife’s childhood home, which she had inherited long before they were married. Steven had tried explaining that, but it had fallen on deaf ears, much like the other legal advice he had given that particular client.
Oh well. He’d promised the client he would try, though it was a waste of everyone’s time. As soon as that divorce was over, he hoped to never hear the name Willoughby again. But he knew better. A small-town attorney didn’t have a lot of say in who hired him, and Cedar Haven definitely qualified as a small town.
Situated in southern Maryland and about an hour outside of DC, it was barely a pinprick on the state map. But it was Steven’s hometown, where he’d been born and raised. And he was proud to have opened his law practice there, despite the lack of choice when it came to his clientele.
Steven raised his arms over his head and stretched, working the kinks out of his back. After saving the latest draft and forwarding it to his client for approval, he closed his laptop and stood. Work had kept him from his beloved long enough.
Just as he reached the office door, his desk phone rang. He stood in the doorway, debating whether to let it go to voicemail or answer it. His staff was long gone, as he should have been. The shrill ring called to him, and he hurried over to answer it.
“It’s not enough,” a gruff voice said in lieu of a greeting.
Steven stared at the ceiling as he sank into his chair. “What’s not enough, Mr. Willoughby?”
“The house. Why should she get to keep part of my retirement while I have to split the cost of a building that’s falling apart and not worth much?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Steven took a calming breath. As much as he wanted to point out that Mr. Willoughby had specifically insisted on selling the house and splitting the profit, it wouldn’t help. He was by far the most difficult client Steven had ever had. Still, Mr. Willoughby’s bill would pay Steven’s mortgage for the next two months.
“All right,” Steven said as he texted his sister that something had come up. “Let’s talk numbers.”
Better hurry. Rose is on the warpath.
If only it were that easy. But Rose would understand. She wouldn’t be happy, but she knew how much pressure he was under to make his law practice a success. He’d spent the last six months building it from the ground up.
Mr. Willoughby droned on in Steven’s ear, and though he took notes, his mind was elsewhere. He made the usual sympathetic sounds to ensure his client felt heard, but sometimes, he struggled not to feel like an overpaid therapist. Divorce clients were the worst. If he hadn’t found Rose, he might have decided never to get married. The petty things people fought over made the whole institution of marriage sound like a lot of wasted effort.
Rose and I will be different. They’d had a nice long engagement, and he was anxious to have the wedding part over and done with. Who knew that planning what essentially amounted to an extravagant party would take up so much time and cost so much money? Rose and Lanie had done their best to find deals or do whatever they could themselves, but it was still an expensive endeavor.
“Mr. Willoughby.” Steven interrupted his client midrant. “We’ve been over this. I’ve requested the sale of the house in the paperwork I’m sending opposing counsel, but we’ve had to offer something in exchange.”
“She’s going after my retirement, though! I earned that.”
As did she. Rubbing his temples, Steven fought the urge to tell his client to shove off. Mrs. Willoughby actually hadn’t requested the retirement, despite it being her legal right to do so. She’d been a stay-at-home mom for most of their marriage, which impacted her earning power and ability to save for her future. Steven had suggested offering the retirement as an enticement to sell her childhood home, even though by law, it wasn’t marital property. Good luck getting any of that through to Mr. Willoughby, however.
“And as I’ve said, we are offering it in an attempt to entice your wife to sell the house. You’ll more than make up for the loss of retirement in the sale of the home.”
His client harrumphed. “I doubt that, and I don’t see why I have to give up anything.”
Steven had had enough of the circular argument. “Sir, with all due respect, you’re lucky she didn’t go after your retirement to begin with, and you’ll be even luckier if she accepts this offer. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go.”
Without waiting for a response, Steven hung up. He would likely pay for that later, but hopefully, Sandra, his paralegal, could smooth things over for him in the morning. She had a knack for knowing exactly how to deal with their more uncooperative clients.
