Page 33 of Falling for the Unexpected

While I had been expecting this question, I still didn’t know what to say. I took a sip of my beer, giving myself a couple seconds before I answered him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m her attorney and helping her with her divorce.”

“Oh, so you hug all your clients like that?” he asked. His stupid, cheeky grin was pissing me off.

“At the time, she wasn’t my client, and if you had heard the way Brad was talking to her, you would have done the same thing,” I said, gritting my teeth. But as soon as I said it, the visual of Erik holding Simone entered my mind, and suddenly, I wanted to punch my friend in his face. He must have seen my balled fists resting on my thighs and decided not to push any further.

“Hmm, you’re probably right,” he said, although the look he gave me told me he wasn’t buying my story. He then changed the subject to some race he had coming up.

The rest of the evening was spent talking shit and watching the game. The guys left my place around seven and I headed to the kitchen to clean up. I saw my phone lying on the counter and decided to text Simone before it got too late.

Me:Hi there. Just checking in and hoping you’re not too stressed about tomorrow.

I continued to tidy up around the house, waiting for a response. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check my phone a couple times to make sure I hadn’t missed her response.

Around nine, I headed upstairs to my room, grabbing my laptop from my bag that I kept next to the staircase. I usually checked my emails each night before I went to bed and I wanted to review the MSA I had prepared to ensure I had covered everything. I wasn’t going to give Brad any room to get out of his responsibilities.

I was just about to close my laptop and turn off my bedside lamp when I heard my phone chime. I grabbed it off my nightstand, feeling relieved that she had finally texted me back.

Simone:Sorry for texting so late. I just got home from picking up Stella. I worked until nine.

Me:How was work?

Simone:It was fine but slow.

Me:Are you feeling okay about tomorrow? I don’t want you to worry. I have everything under control.

Simone:I’m nervous about sitting in the same room with Brad, but I have this awesome lawyer that I know will take care of everything. : )

Her confidence in me was definitely an ego boost, and was there a flirtatious tone in her text? Or was that just Simone being Simone and I was finally seeing that side of her? Or… Shit, I never got all worked up over a damn text.

Me:He sounds pretty great. LOL

Simone:He is…

Great, now I was trying to text-flirt but I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. I’m sure I looked like an idiot staring at my phone but I didn’t care. Alone in my house, and no one to judge me, I could indulge in a little fantasy—I just had to be careful, and not get caught up in something that would likely never be…

*****

The next morning in the office was tense. Jim and Brad were already seated and it was just Simone and me standing outside the conference room. I looked at Simone. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the closed door, and I could see her hands trembling.

“Hey, look at me?” I instructed softly while lifting her chin with my finger. “The worst thing that can happen today is we walk out of that room without an agreement. He’s in no position to fight you on anything.” I started to open the door. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she repeated softly, and followed me into the conference room.

When we walked in, we saw Brad sitting on the far side of the long oak table, while Jim was seated at the head of the table. I pulled out a chair for Simone to sit to Jim’s right and then I sat down on the other side of her.

“Hello, Brad,” I greeted as professionally as possible. I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me in this situation. But frankly, I was disgusted by the fact that he hadn’t even tried to look presentable and I could see the anger and disappointment on Jim’s face. Brad looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and was on his phone, not acknowledging anyone. “Thank you for meeting with us. We’re hoping we can sign this agreement today to help avoid any court battles—”

“Whatever,” he interrupted, leaning back in his chair. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked bored and annoyed, like this meeting was beneath him and a complete waste of his time. “Can we just sign it and be done already?”

Needless to say, from his sneering and contemptuous expression and snarky commentary throughout the meeting, I could feel Simone’s stress like it was a SOS beacon. Brad signed the papers without even looking at them and barely allowed me to go over some of the more important details, constantly telling me to hurry up. At the end, when Simone asked Brad about seeing Stella, things really blew up.

“I have plans this weekend,” he stated emphatically, getting up from his seat and taking a step toward the door.

“Unbelievable!” she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. Her outburst surprised both Jim and me, but I couldn’t blame Simone for her reaction. “What could possibly be more important than seeing your daughter? How can you just abandon her?” I could hear her voice breaking. She had come to terms with Brad never fulfilling the role of husband, but she desperately wanted him to be a father to his little girl.

“Fuck you, Simone! The great thing about getting divorced is I don’t have to answer to you.” And with that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Excuse me, I just need a moment,” she said and I could see the tears falling down her face. She left the room and turned down the hall toward the restroom.

I glanced at Jim. He had his hands clasped on the table in front of him and was staring down at his shoes. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. As Brad’s father, he probably wanted to believe his youngest son was a better person than that, but as Stella’s grandfather, he must have been extremely disappointed.

Knowing there wasn’t much to say, I exited the room quietly, gently clasping his shoulder as I passed by. I was approaching my office when I heard quiet voices and soft sobs coming from the break room. Curiosity getting the better of me, I walked over to the doorway. Inside, I saw Simone and Addie sitting close together trying to keep their voices low.

“My marriage was complete bullshit, but I tried to stick it out for Stella. Now he can’t even make time for her. He’s a total asshole,” Simone said, between deep breaths.

“You won’t get an argument from me on that one,” Addie quipped. “You know, if you need anyone to talk to you can come to me…”

I decided to give the two of them some privacy and went back to my office before either noticed me. It pleased me to see Addie continually reaching out to Simone. I knew she had a close work friend, but Simone could definitely use a friend who understood the whole history of the situation, Addie was great at being there when you needed her.

And while their budding friendship was a good thing, I couldn’t help but want Simone to confide in me. For me to be the one she turned to.