Olivia

“I don’t know why you’re picking on her. She’s a good kid and a good worker. She just wants to learn, and I know she looks up to you. That’s a good thing, Liv, but trust you and your mom to make it something bad!”

The slam of the door marked his exit.

I couldn’t speak. I stared as though the door could give me answers. What had gotten into Royce? He’d stopped by to talk to me about plans for the evening. I was in the process of filling out paperwork to end the internship, and when he’d asked me what I was doing - we’d ended up fighting.

I didn’t understand why. We had interns every summer. If they sucked, which didn’t happen often, we got rid of them. Politely, and completely legally. Why was he all up in arms about this one? For that matter, how did he know her?

A thought snaked through my head, one that I stomped on and shoved into the trash. I had work to do, and I needed to call the university and let them know this intern would not be returning after Friday.

I forgot about the girl, Suzan, and everything else after calling the school. I had a mountain of paperwork to get through for our next proposal.

When I got home later that night, Royce was making dinner.

“Hey, are we all right?” I asked as I came in, setting down my purse.

“Why do you ask?”

He didn’t sound angry.

“Well, you were pretty mad about the decision to let Suzan go.” I kept it light, and vague.

Royce shrugged. “I think you’re a tough employer, but you’re right, if people can’t do what we need them to, they need to go.”

He turned his back to me to stir something on the stove, so I felt free to raise my eyebrows and just watch him. He never agreed with me anymore. Everything became a fight. This felt…weird.

I didn’t want to ruin what seemed like a moment of olive branches from both sides.

Xavier

I raised a glass. “To Seth and Tib!”

Bryant and Seth raised up glasses, and we all drank. The waitress, who’d been hovering, scooted over.

“Another round, guys?” She gave me a little toss of her hair.

“Yep.” I ignored the hair.

I caught the eye of the other two. “Hey, we’re not driving. We have someone to do that for the rest of the night.”

“Some of us have to work in the morning,” Bryant muttered.

“You’re not going to work. Don’t even kid yourself,” Seth patted him on the arm. “You’ll be the only one in the office, so give it up. The world won’t collapse if you and Tibby aren’t in for a couple of days.”

Bryant sighed, looking down into his empty glass. “What the hell? You will have to explain to your bride why we’re all hungover as hell tomorrow.”

Seth laughed. “I’ll tell her the truth. It’s all X’s fault!”

“Hey! So much for fraternity and all that!”

That made the two of them burst into laughter. Honestly, she’d be pissed at all of us, but not really. Other than Tibby, I didn’t have close friends. Because of her, I’d met first Bryant, and then later, when she told us she was getting married, Seth. I liked both of them.

It had been hard for me at first. With Tibby being my oldest, closest, and as previously mentioned, only friend, I’d been jealous of sharing her. But Bryant was awesome, and in spite of my initial reserve, Seth, the guy that Tibby was marrying in two days, was pretty amazing, too.

She deserved it.

“It’s all right. She’ll yell at me most, figuring that I was the ringleader.”

“She’d be right,” Seth and Bryant said together.

That made me laugh. “Can’t let my reputation go to shit, then, can I?”

We got another round.

* * *

“Where are we?” I leaned into Bryant, trying not to lean too far. It felt like I might fall on my ass, and that would not be good.

“Cobalt. Best. Club. Ever.” He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

I could feel the thump of the base against the wall, even though we were outside. “Dance club?”

Bryant nodded, eyes still closed. “My favorite.” Then he opened his eyes and pushed off from the wall. He went right for the bouncer. I couldn’t tell what he said, but he pointed at Seth and me. As he walked back, the bouncer called someone from inside the door to take his place. He followed Bryant to our place in line.

“You XTC?” The guy asked.

I nodded. “Every day.”

He shone a flashlight into my face. “Holy shit, you are! C’mon man, I’m sorry, get out of the line!”

* * *

I looked up, brushing at my head. It still kind of hurt to look into the sun, even though the bachelor celebration had been two nights ago. But I was used to working with a hangover, although this one seemed to be lingering. Old age, my mind whispered. Can’t hang anymore. I ignored it.

It wouldn’t do to take pictures with my best friend on her wedding day with bird shit in my hair. I couldn’t see a bird anywhere, but I’d felt something hit my head. What the hell? I brushed my head again, definitely not looking up at the sun this time.

“X!” Tibby’s voice broke into my thoughts. “Cake!”

“Coming, coming, Ms. All-that-and-the-bag-of-chips,” I muttered.

As I approached her, she tucked her arm into mine. “I heard that, jackass.”

“It’s Mrs. All-that now,” Seth leaned around to grin at me. “No more of this Ms.”

I matched his grin. I liked the guy. He’d appeared almost out of nowhere, at least to me, anyway, and he and Tibby had gotten married so fast I had to ask her if she was knocked up. She laughed, not offended in the least, and told me that they knew it was right. After hanging out with him, I knew she was telling me—and more importantly, herself—the truth.

I’ll admit, I’d been skeptical. Sure. You just knew it was right. I had any number of ex-girlfriends and one bitter ex-wife that said otherwise.

However, nothing I’d seen from either of them showed me that my skepticism had merit. In fact, I felt like the grumpy asshole uncle, glaring over a cheap beer, waiting for something bad to happen. Every time they met one another’s eyes, they both glowed.

I was happy for Tib. She deserved it. She’d worked hard to get away from her past, and I admired and supported hard work more than anything. That was what got me away from my past. As bad as Tibby’s past had been, mine was worse.

I shook my head. No need to dive into that crap right now, or ever. I watched as the two of them cut the cake together, and carefully, tenderly fed it to one another. No face smashing here. While some of the guests catcalled their disappointment, I didn’t mind.

Tibby had found her happily ever after. I had nothing but happiness for her.

Why, then, did I feel a pang of…something, I didn’t know what—every time I saw how they looked at each other?

I shook my head again. Time to see if any of the guests were single and in the mood for bad decisions.

Two hours later I stood with a drink in hand and not one bad decision in sight. Tibby and Seth were getting ready to leave on their honeymoon. Since they’d held the wedding at the club of the marina where Tibby kept her boat, she and Seth went back to the boat to change so they could leave. I’d laughed to myself about the fact that it seemed to take them a long time. But now, they were ready to go.

Tibby stood with Seth, Bryant, her law partner and other best friend, and me. It struck me that this was more than a simple good-bye.

“Thanks, guys, for being here for me.” Tibby had an expression that almost looked soft on her face. I don’t know when I’d last seen that kind of happiness and peace on her.

“Of course,” Bryant said before I could answer. “Where else would we be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” a scowl made her eyebrows furrow. “Maybe at a bar?”

Seth, Bryant and I looked at one another, all three silent for a moment, and burst out laughing.

“It’s not my fault!” I said, trying to control my laughter. “All I did was take us out to Barrel.”

“Where they serve very good whiskey,” Seth added.

“That was both good and bad,” Bryant said, which caused all three of us to laugh again. The rest of the guests were looking at us; Tibby was glaring and the three of us laughing like fools.

“It really isn’t his fault,” Seth started and stopped when Tib turned the glare on him.

“Yeah, he can’t help getting phone numbers, and hook-up offers wherever we go,” Bryant snickered.

“I also got the bill!” I protested. “I don’t think we really drank seventy-two shots of tequila, but you never know.”

All of us except Tibby laughed harder.

“Which bar?” She hissed.

“Um, Barrel was nothing major. The rest is Bryant’s fault.” I threw him under the bus without a second’s hesitation. “What?” I spread my hands as Bryant gave me a mock glare. “I wasn’t the one who chose Cobalt.”

“Didn’t stop everyone there from getting a drink on you and giving you their number,” Seth put in.

“Not helpful, dude.”

Bryant tried to keep up the glare but lost the battle. He bent over with laughter. “Tib, you should have seen it. X had enough to drink that he didn’t even blink when guys were stuffing numbers in his pockets. Even when I tried to whisper—”

“There was no whispering,” Seth said.

“That X was just there, and not looking for anyone.”

“Well, my manager’s already pissed,” I said cheerfully because I had to admit, I liked pissing him off. “Apparently, there are pictures, which there always are, and some rag contacted Marcia—”

“Classy name for a total bitch,” Tibby muttered.

I ignored her. Not that she was wrong. I liked that she disliked my recent ex-girlfriend as much as I did. Solidarity was a good thing. “And she was quick to tell them that XTC, hard ass and mean-to-women rapper is like that because he’s in the closet, and so sad that he won’t come out.”

I made a face at Tibby, and she finally laughed. “As if anyone who knows you would think you’re gay!”

I shrugged. “I don’t care. Press is press.”

“Next time, you keep your damn driver,” The laughter faded from Tibby. “I don’t need to pick your drunk asses up at three in the morning, whining about food.”

I grinned at her. “Maybe. You’ll live. Besides, that’s not really why you’re mad. Admit it. It’s because we made fun of your car.”

She made a noise that sounded a hell of a lot like a snort. “At least no one puked in my baby.”

How Seth responded without laughing, I’ll never know. “Yeah, it would be a shame for the flying lime to be out of commission.”

That set the three of us into laughter again. Tibby had this ancient Volkswagen Thing, painted lime green that she wouldn’t part with for love or money. I’d told her I’d buy her whatever she wanted if she’d just retire the ugly ass thing.

No joy. When she loved something, she loved one hundred fifty percent. I realized that this now included Seth, and a part of me felt sad that my best friend had someone. Not that I felt sad for her. No, it was more selfish and asshattish—I felt bad for me. I couldn’t believe I struggled with envy at her wedding. But I did.

Seth leaned in and kissed her, and the glow I’d seen on her all day came back in a flash. Then both of them looked up, brushing at their heads. I saw them meet one another’s eyes, and then almost as one, turn and look at Bryant and me.

Seth’s eyebrows went up, and Tibby shrugged. It all happened very quickly. What, exactly, had happened?

Something had. I could tell.

“Shall we, Mrs. McKay?” Seth held out a hand, which Tibby took.

“Yes. I leave you with these two jokers, who knows where they’ll drag you off to this time.” Her words held no real heat, and Tibby gave the pair of us a fond look.

They moved away as one, and I felt the pang again. I glanced over to see Bryant watching them as well.

“I’m happy for her.”

He nodded. “Me, too. She deserves it.” He didn’t speak for a moment and then turned to me. “So, you up for going out again tonight?”

* * *

Tibby and Seth had finally said their goodbyes to everyone else and were standing with Bryant and I once more. I’d arranged for a limo to take them to the airport. One last thing I could do before she officially became someone else’s charge. I could see it heading towards us from the marina entrance.

Tibby put her arms around us both and hugged tightly. “I am going to miss you guys.”

“No you’re not,” Bryant laughed at her. “You’re going to be preoccupied. Or at least, you’d better be.”

Seth kissed the side of her head with such tenderness that the pang watching them on and off all afternoon increased to almost painful.

“I’ll take care of her,” he said to Bryant and me.

“We know it,” I answered.

Tibby glanced at Seth, and I was surprised to see that there was a shit ton of communication in their look. When had that happened? It was the same thing I’d seen before—that look where a lot happened in a very short amount of time.

“Listen, I need to tell you guys something,” Tibby said.

The tone of her voice made both of us pull back a little to get a better look at her. She glanced at Seth again, and while I didn’t see anything, he must have given her encouragement, because she went on.

“If anything weird happens, you know, while I’m gone…just go with it, okay?” She looked first at me, and then Bryant.

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

The Tibby I knew came back instantly. “It means that if something out of the ordinary happens, just go with it. Stop being an ass and take some well-meant advice for once in your life!”

Bryant cut the moment short. Thank God. “Get in the car, Tib, and shut up. We’re gonna be fine, even without you here to boss us around.” He gave her a one-armed hug as the driver held open the car door for them.

Tibby pursed her lips and shared another one of those looks with Seth. “I love you guys. Always.” She stepped close and kissed Bryant and then me.

With a few more steps, she and Seth disappeared into the car and were gone. I wished I had someone to whisk off into a limo with to somewhere fab. But I didn’t.

So it looked like hanging with Bryant, maybe some bad decisions if I got lucky, and the inevitable confrontation with my manager it would be.

Could be worse.

Why didn’t that cheer me up?

Olivia

I stared at the papers in my hand. “What is this, Royce?” Maybe if I didn’t look, it would go away.

“Don’t make this worse than it needs to be, Liv. You know what it is.”

I struggled to keep the tears from spilling over. Crying wouldn’t make this any better. “I thought we were going to talk about it.” God, did I sound whiny?

He sighed. “What is there to talk about? We’re not happy—”

“You mean you’re not happy. What’s her name, Royce?” I threw it out to see what he’d say.

He sighed again that put upon ‘I’m such a victim’ heavy sigh that made me want to brain him with the nearest heavy object.

“It doesn’t matter, Liv. Look, just take them to your attorney.”

“And what happens in the meantime?” We had a house, a life. It pissed me off that he didn’t even deny that there was a her.

“Well…” For the first time, he looked unsure of himself. “I think…I think you should get a hotel room.”

“What? You hand me divorce papers, and want me to leave?” My voice rose. How had I married such an insensitive jerk?

“I think it would be best, don’t you?”

I couldn’t hear anything for the roaring that began in my head, getting louder with each breath. “I think you need to leave. Right this minute, Royce.” I did my best to keep the roaring under some control.

Royce seemed to have managed whatever hesitation he’d had. “No, Olivia, I am not—”

I rose and slammed my hand on the table in front of me in one swift motion. “Yes, Royce. You. Are. Leaving.”

He opened his mouth, and then closed it. Whatever he saw in my face convinced him that he needed to stop arguing. Without another word, he turned, and I heard him mount the stairs, and then a lot of steps above my head, and he thudded down the stairs again.

“I’m leaving, but…”

I slowly turned to look at him. I still stood where he’d left me when he went up to pack some of his shit.

He shut his mouth and disappeared from the doorway of the kitchen. A moment later, I heard the click of the door as it shut behind him. Only then did I sit down, head in hands, and let the tears come.

* * *

I don’t know how long I sat there, hunched over the table, tears falling on my hands and the Goddamned papers. The tears slowed and then stopped. Finally, I sat up. The cup of coffee I’d gotten right before Royce handed me his good news still held some warmth. I wrapped my hands around it for a moment, needing warmth from something.

None of this would help me. Only one thing would, now.

I pulled out my cell and called my momma.

She answered on the second ring. “Sugar! How are you?”

“Like shit, Momma.”

Her voice changed. “What’s wrong?” I could hear the steel in it.

“Royce…” Damn it. I couldn’t get the words out because tears choked me.

“That bastard.” She grasped the situation immediately. “I’ll be there in a flash, sugar. You kick his ass out and lock the door.” She hung up.

How had she known instantly? The thought made me cry harder.

I hadn’t moved from the kitchen table when I heard her let herself in. The cup of coffee had gone completely cold although I still had my hands wrapped around it. I watched Momma pocket her keys. Royce had hated that my mother had a key. One of the arguments that never got solved.

“Where is he?”

“I told him to leave.”

“Good.”

“He wanted me to leave, Momma.”

“He was never anything more than trash.”

“Momma! Not helping.”

She came and put her arms around me, and I had the sense of being enveloped. She always had that superpower—making me feel supported no matter what.

“We’re gonna get through this, honey. Now, what has he done?”

I reached a handout and pushed the papers at her. She took one arm from around me and inspected them.

Momma, in addition to being kick-ass awesome, is also an attorney. Together, she and I ran a talent agency. I work with our clients, and she makes sure they don’t do anything stupid legally. I felt her inhale deeply as she read.

“That sonuvabitch.”

“That bad?”

“He wants alimony.”

“What?” I sat up, leaning back to look at her. “How can he ask for that?”

“Apparently, sugar, you are the breadwinner in the family.”

“With a business that he complained about constantly.” The irony felt like a hot knife cutting me to the bone.

“Well, he’s not complaining now.” Her lips tightened.

“He’s got someone else.”

She looked over the paperwork at me. “He told you that?”

“All but.”

“That man always did have one foot in the gutter. I’m sorry, Olivia, but he did. At least now you can shake the shit from your shoes.”

Momma doesn’t mince words. It’s why I work directly with our clients.

“I thought we were going to work on things, Momma.”

She set down the papers and hugged me again. “You are a good girl, Livvie, of course, you wanted to make things better. Can’t get blood from a turnip, honey. It takes two, and you’ve been one for a long time.”

“How is it you haven’t said anything about this?”

“I don’t hold with interfering where I’m not invited. Now you invited me.” She patted my shoulder. “We’ll take care of this. I’ll get Lloyd on it.”

Lloyd was her “work colleague.” He was also my de-facto stepfather. He and my mother had been dating for a number of years, but she wouldn’t admit it, and she wouldn’t marry him. She had loved my father dearly, and when he’d died in a car crash, she stated she was done with marriage. Lloyd made her rethink a relationship, but she wasn’t budging on the marriage thing.

Like Momma, Lloyd was an attorney, although he practiced family law.

“How could he do this, Momma?”

“Because he’s a dumb ass, sugar. Can’t see what he had. Dry those tears now.” She moved away to the counter and brought back a box of tissue.

“It would be nice to have some sympathy,” I glared, but it’s hard to be imposing blowing your nose.

“That’s all well and good, but he’s got a head start on you. You don’t have the time for tea and sympathy. He’s after your business, the house, everything.”

“Why would he do this?” I knew we had problems. They didn’t seem worthy of a divorce and the taking everything from me, though. I reached across and looked, really looked at the filing papers.

Momma kept silent as I read. She wasn’t exaggerating. He really did want it all.

“She must be poor as dirt.” I looked up to see her with crossed arms, fingers tapping out an impatient tattoo as she waited for me to finish. “He needs to feather his new tacky nest.” Funny how her accent got stronger when she got mad.

“Why do you think that?” I couldn’t keep up with her at the moment.

“Because what real man would make these kinds of demands? He’s no gentleman.”

“I don’t know, Momma.”

“Who’s pluckin’ this chicken, sugar? You or me? I’m the lawyer. Let me handle this.” She stepped away, pulling out her cell.

“Lloyd, honey, what are you doing? I need you over at Olivia’s.” She stopped. “This is an emergency. I need some papers filed today.” Another pause. “Yes, indeed. Maybe put in a call to Judge Martine, while you’re at it. Let him know you’re filing a response today.” She turned to look at me.

Then she smiled at whatever he said. “You, too.” She ended the call.

“Momma, it’s okay to tell him you love him in front of me. It’s not a secret.”

“That is my business, missy. Now, what are we gonna do with you?”

“What do you mean, Momma?” I felt very tired. Her energy sapped whatever I had left.

“You are going to leave this to me—well, to Lloyd and me. We’ll have Royce trussed and bagged before he knows what happened. But you, you need to get out of town.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Momma.” I started to put my head back on the table.

She yanked me up before I was able to. “Oh, yes you are. I shall stay right here, and make sure that Royce doesn’t try anything, and you will go somewhere and get yourself together. What’s on the schedule at work?”

“I don’t know, Momma! I can’t even think straight right now!” Her pushiness stirred me to anger. Couldn’t she be a normal mother and be nice and get me a Cosmo, or something? Let me cry in peace? It had been all of five minutes since I found out that I’d be a divorced woman soon.

“I know, sugar, that’s why you called me. Let’s see,” Momma walked away to open my laptop, one finger tapping her lip. “Where can I send you? It’s important that Royce have to deal with only Lloyd right now.”

“Whatever,” I finally got a chance to put my head down.

“I have it! You’re going to see Liz!!”

Oh, God. My mother, a southern woman, was obsessed with The Red Door spa in New York. Why she couldn’t have an obsession with something here, in Nashville, I didn’t know. But I also knew I wouldn’t win an argument once she dragged Elizabeth into it. That would be Elizabeth Arden, by the way. Whom my mother calls ‘Liz’. Like she knew the woman or something.

“Whatever, Momma.” I had no energy to argue.

I ignored her as she muttered to herself, making reservations.

The doorbell rang.

Momma looked up happiness all over her. “That’ll be Lloyd. You go and shower, and pack. We’ll take you to the airport.”

I didn’t speak as I made my way upstairs. What in the world was there to say? My marriage was over before I’d even had a chance to fight for it, and now I would need to essentially put on a suit of armor to get through this. I supposed it made sense to go to a spa first since I knew the dismantling of my life wasn’t going to be easy.

Maybe going to Elizabeth, as Momma would say, and letting her sort it out would be the best thing. Since I felt like I swam in thick water that didn’t allow me to move, and couldn’t seem to think straight. Since she hated Royce and would be happy to scalp him for me. I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake, but as it took everything I had to put one foot in front of the other, maybe I’d best let Momma handle this. I hoped I wouldn’t regret it later.