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“They were never really apart,” Layla threw in.
“Because she never filed the papers,” Jenna nodded.
“But Gate thought they were divorced,” Gabby whispered.
“And they were definitelynot,” Jenna said.
“We just don’t know why,” Gabby sighed.
“No wonder your daughter high tailed it,” Holly laughed. Then she glanced over toward the women who were left milling around empty tables. “And now you’ve got the vultures to deal with.”
I sipped my own drink. “Looks like,” I said. “I’m just not sure how.”
“All depends,” Holly said on a shrug.
“On what?” I asked.
“Why you left him.”
“I didn’t want to,” I admitted.
“Then why?” Jenna asked, her eyes full of compassion.
And then an idea took root. I finally had the chance to have something I’d only watched from a distance. And then that idea blossomed and spread. I’d have women at my back, to trust, to confide in, who’d accept me for the real me and not some poser trying to console herself with a career.
These women actuallywantedto understand.
I took a breath and let it out. “My father blackmailed me with photos and information that would have sent Gate to prison.”
“You didn’t tell Gate?” Jenna asked.
“No,” I shook my head. “The information was true, and the pictures were real.”
“Gate was stuck,” Layla mused aloud.
“And so were you,” Jenna said.
“That’s what it felt like at the time,” I agreed. “Looking back, there are a thousand things I should have done differently.”
“That’s true for all of us,” Holly offered. Then she went on, “So where’d you end up? I mean, those clothes scream corporate, but they’ve got edge, and they look pricey as fuck.”
I looked down. Camel elephant leg pants, pink cashmere sweater, and Louboutins.
“Those shoes are to die for,” Jenna said, glancing under the table.
“And who knew pink with red hair would look so fly?” Layla added.
And this wasit.
Acceptance. Understanding. Friendship.
“I am an attorney, but I contract with the FBI,” I answered. “Specifically, sex trafficking and the human slave trade.”
Holly’s eyes did the up and down thing again.
“And inheritance,” I admitted. “My father left me everything my mother couldn’t drink.”
“So, party at your house is what I’m hearing,” Holly grinned.
