CHAPTER FOUR
“Thanks for taking the time to come in to see me, Addison,” Franklin Swinney said as he indicated for Addy to take a seat across from his desk. “I’ll get right down to it. We heard back from Lincoln’s lawyer.”
Addy frowned. It’d only been three days since he’d been served. “And?”
“I won’t lie to you, it doesn’t look good.” He picked up some papers and studied her to gauge her reaction. Before him was a strong, stoic woman.
“Does he want my business, because I’ll fight him on that.”
“No, everything you requested he agreed with.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He agreed with what you requested, he even said that you could have the house, his truck, even his bike, but he won’t sign. However, he countered with counseling.”
“Huh?”
“He’s refusing to sign. He says you can have anything you want, but he won’t sign any divorce papers. His lawyer called me and we discussed it. He talked it over with Mr. Murphy for a long time and he won’t budge. He flat out refuses to sign.”
“Can he do that?”
“He can. I’ve known cases that have drawn out for years because one party won’t sign. And I hate to admit this, but we can’t go to a judge until we’ve reached some sort of agreement. We might have to even do mediation.”
“Which is?”
“A third party comes in and listens to the two of you.”
“Isn’t that what a counselor does?”
“Not really, I believe the counseling Mr. Murphy is requesting is marriage counseling. We lawyers do all we can do, but in layman’s terms, if we reach a stalemate we call in a mediator to see if they can get the clients closer to a resolution. Don’t hold your breath, but again, if one party absolutely refuses to sign, not even a mediator can go to the judge with a request for a divorce between the two parties.”
“How can he do this to me when he’s still seeing that woman?” Addy stood and paced. She felt like crap, she had a head cold, a stomach ache, and severe cramps which she‘d had for the last three days. But she hadn’t started her period yet, and this was all leading up to one. She just knew when it arrived, she’d be knocked out for the count for a few days. And on top of it all, she wasn’t sleeping. Unless her falling asleep at her desk at odd hours of the day counted for sleep.
“How do you know that?” Franklin sat forward and began taking notes.
“The day you called me and told me he was served, I happened to be in his shop. For seven years I’ve taken my vehicles there for their yearly inspection. It was that time of year. I arrived and stayed in the reception area. I was told it’d take thirty to forty-five minutes. Ninety minutes later, I went out and asked if the truck was done. She was there in his arms.” She pulled her phone and showed him the picture she’d snapped.
“It’ll cost you, but how would you feel about me getting a private investigator to follow him or her or both?”
“Can you do that?”
“Do it all the time.”
“Do you think it’ll help?”
“It might, as of right now, we’re basically at a standstill. Would you be willing to go to counseling?”
“I’d have to think about it. Can I get information without committing?”
“Yes, I’ll send you an e-mail with the information, and get back to Lincoln’s lawyer.”
“Thanks, Franklin,” Addy said, and stopped in the ladies’ room on her way out. She refreshed her makeup, but still looked and felt like crap. She left her lawyer’s office and headed back to hers. As she walked in the door she looked around, and called out, “Brian! My office in five!” Not stopping on her way through.
Exactly five minutes later there was a knock on her door. “Close it behind you, please,” Addy said without looking up. “Have a seat, I’ll be right with you.” Two minutes later she looked up, tossed her pen down on her work, sat back in her chair and sighed. “I’m going to make some changes around here.”
“Excuse me?” Brian asked in confusion. He’d been working for Addy for the last four years, and this was the first time, outside his yearly reviews, that he’d had a closed-door meeting with the boss.
“What are you working on now?”
“The Adams wedding.”
“Any problems? Can you assign stuff to other people?”
“No, and yes I can.” He’d learn to be direct and precise with Addy when she fired her questions at him. It had taken him several weeks to get to that degree of directness, but he found since then, his professional life was rock solid. It was his personal life that was a mess, but the workplace wasn’t the location to air his dirty laundry.
“I’m about to tell you something that’s going to shock the pants off you, and you’re the only one here I’m going to tell. It’s not like I don’t trust the others, but you’ve been with me the longest, and for what I have in mind, you’ll need to know.”
“Okay.” He flipped his notebook open, but when she shook her head, he closed it.
“I’m getting a divorce.” She didn’t mince her words. “I caught him with another woman. He’s blaming me for meeting men at the hotel and sleeping with them.”
“What? Didn’t you tell them they’re our clients? That most of our parties are held at that hotel, and we’re meeting with the hotel personnel to go over the rooms as to what’s available?” Brian was shocked at what she’d just told him.
“Until I was blue in the face. I got the impression that this woman convinced him that every time I say I’m meeting with a client, she turned it around so that he was my John and I am a prostitute.” Addy had to stop and wait for Brian to get himself under control from his shock. “I just came from my lawyer’s office. He’s countering. But it’s weird.” She picked up her coffee, frowned at it, then got up and retrieved them both a bottle of water. “I was the one that filed, after I found him with her. I only asked for my business and SUV. I don’t want any part of his business, his house, or his vehicles.”
“So what did he counter with? Does he want this?” Brian asked as he waved his hand around the office.
“No, he wants to go to counseling to try to get back together.” She snorted. “As if.”
“God, Addy, I’m so sorry. But what do you want me to do?”
“As of right now, you are to accompany me to every meeting I have at the hotel. But I have to warn you right now. Franklin, my lawyer, suggested he hire a private investigator to follow Link around. I don’t know this for sure, but I am about ninety-five percent positive he and his lawyer might also.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Have me followed. I thought if I had an employee with me on these meetings, then he won’t or can’t accuse me of sleeping with the clients. And Link knows you. Besides, I’m working on something that I’m not ready to divulge yet, and if you working side by side with me works, then I’ll tell you about it.”
“Oh, Sweetie, you don’t drop a bombshell like that on a gay guy that’s the gossip queen for a ten-block radius.” Brian tried to scowl at her, but lost the look with his grin.
Addy laughed. She couldn’t help it. Ever since she’d hired Brian, he’d brought her tidbits of gossip that had actually helped her business in the last four years. “I’ll tell you, but it’ll take a few weeks, you’ll just have to keep your curiosity at bay.”
“As if. Now, if I understand what you want, when you meet the clients at the hotel, or at any other venue we use, I’m to accompany you? What do you want me to do? Sit and take notes?”
“No, I’ll introduce you as my business partner. If you have questions or ideas, give them. I’m not going to restrict you in any way. But no hitting on the clients.” She grinned. “Some of the upcoming grooms and best men are pretty hot. I myself only look because I’m married and like what I have at home.” She grinned and held up her wedding rings and felt her eyes fill with tears when she didn’t see them there. “I was. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’ll get through this together. Now, what’s on your schedule? If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll go get mine and we can move people and coordinate. If you think it’d work, we can call a meeting afterward or early tomorrow morning and let the others know.”
“Why don’t we call it for the morning? Are you available if we have to work late?”
“I am. I’ll be right back. Want a coffee?”
“No, this water’s fine,” Addy said, and began to gather her schedule in her planner and her laptop. By the time Brian came back in, she was set up in the sitting area. They spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening coordinating their upcoming events and schedules. Assigning different events with different people. It was great that they each knew of the other employees’ strengths and weaknesses and could pair them with the right people to get the job done. Before Brian left for the night, Addy told him one more thing she thought he ought to know.
“Because of the upcoming lawyers visits and possible counseling visits, I’m giving you a raise and you’re now promoted to second in command.”
“Oh my god. Addy!” Brian stared at her in shock and then lunged at her and hugged her tightly. “I never expected something like this. Thank you.”
“Not a problem. You’ve been like a godsend to me since your first day here. Figured it was time to reward you. Now go home, get a good night’s sleep and we’ll hit the floor running tomorrow.” She stood and walked him out of her office and waited until he gathered his things, then locked up after him. Back in her office, she cleaned up her own papers, sat at her desk, put her head down on her papers, and burst into tears.
It took her a long time to get herself together. She finally made her way into the bathroom attached to her office, she grabbed clothes from her suitcase and took a long hot shower. She stood under the spray until the water turned cold. Finally, she settled on the small couch, and after hooking up a heating pad, she was able to fall asleep. It seemed like she’d just closed her eyes when her alarm went off.
“Thank god,” she said as she used the facilities and found her period had started. She was dressed ready for the day and making coffee in the front office when Brian arrived.
“You look a little better this morning. Not much, but a little better.”
“Thanks a lot.” Addy smiled for the first time in what felt like weeks. “I got some good sleep last night. What are you doing here so early?”
“Going to set up the conference room. You didn’t respond, but I sent an e-mail when I got home to let everyone know about the staff meeting at seven.”
“Thanks for that, Brian,” she said, and fixed her coffee. Back in her office she started gathering her items and had to run to the bathroom. She was surprised that her period was flowing so heavily, she’d never had that many cramps or a heavy flow ever. When she finally entered the conference room, everyone was there. Because she was the boss and she’d worked with everyone for three years or more, she looked at Brian, and said, “Cover your ears.”
He frowned, but did, and Addy looked at the seven women around the table. “Forgive me, but it’s that time of the month and I’m having terrible cramps. Does anyone have something for them?” Beth stood and hurried out and was back in less than a minute. “My doctor recommends this. As you know, I get terrible cramps every month.” She handed her the bottle and after reading the directions she took two. Thanking they should be okay because they were over-the-counter and not prescriptions.
They had their meeting that lasted almost six hours, and Addy was getting frustrated about how many times she had to run to the bathroom. As the meeting broke up, she stood and had to grab the table.
“Addy, you okay?”
“I don’t...” That was all she got out before she passed out and hit her head on the conference table on the way down. Everyone was so shocked, they couldn’t get to her before she toppled over.
Addy woke and looked around in confusion. The first person she saw was Brian. “Where am I?”
“At the hospital. You passed out at the office. Hit your head and we called 9-1-1.” He sat on the side of the bed and took her hand in his. “The doctor will be in soon. How do you feel?”
“Like crap.” She leaned back on the pillows and frowned. “Ouch.”
“You hit pretty hard. You have a bruise and a couple of stitches.” When she reached up, he held her hand. “Sorry, ten stitches.”
“That’s a hell of a lot more than a couple.” Addy laughed and placed her hands over her stomach. “God, can you get the nurse or doctor and have them give me something for these damn cramps?” As she said that the door opened and a doctor and nurse walked in.
“Mrs. Murphy? I’m Dr. Baker. How are you feeling?”
“Like crap,” Addy said, and held still while the nurse took her vitals.
The doctor chuckled, and said, “At least you’re honest. I heard you tell your husband as we walked in that you have cramps.”
“Sorry, I’m not her husband. She’s not my type.” He grinned when Addy barked out a laugh. “I’m her business partner.”
“Do you want us to call your husband?”
“No, we’re going through a divorce,” Addy said quietly.
“Oh, um. Then, what I have to tell you might make this harder. Do you want anyone else here with you?”
“No, Brian’s been with me for four years. We talk about everything, you can talk in front of him.”
“Okay, there’s no way to sugarcoat this, but you’ve had a miscarriage. Or rather, you’re in the middle of having one. If you don’t pass the fetus naturally, we’ll have to take it, but it would be with a D & C.”
“Oh, Addy,” Brian said, and actually began crying.
“How far along was I?”
“When was your last period? Based on the last time you had intercourse?”
“The last time I had sex with my husband was May thirteenth. It was the morning of the Anderson wedding.” She looked at Brian for confirmation.
“That was May fifteenth.” He agreed as he wiped away his tears, and straightened his spine. Right then and there he made a vow to be strong for his boss, friend, and business partner. He wouldn’t fall apart because he knew she was going to need someone to lean on as she went through this mess, and he wanted to be that person for her. He might be gay, but that didn’t mean Addy couldn’t rely on him.
“Oh, so May fifteenth. My last period was only eight days before that. I’ve been with my husband and only my husband sexually for the last seven years.”
“So, that would have been fourteen weeks ago, maybe fifteen. You’re three almost four months pregnant.”
“Can you stop the miscarriage?”
“Unfortunately, no. I take it you wanted a child?”
“We weren’t actively trying to get pregnant, if it happened, it happened. But, yeah, we decided that it was time. But now...” She let her words trail off and lay back and let the tears silently run down her face. She looked away from everyone and was glad no one tried to talk to her and hold her hand. She finally ended up rolling over and curling into the fetal position and cried. She cried for the loss of her child, the loss of her marriage, and the loss of the only man she had ever loved.