Chapter 9
Chapter nine
“Watch out,” Keely called out, right before a ball hit Addy smack in the face.
She went down with a loud screech.
The ball thrower, Sven, rushed up to my daughter, his lanky arms propelling him forward. “I’m sorry, Ads. Are you okay?”
He was Keely’s youngest and by far the calmest out of her three boys. His messy, curly red hair stood up in all directions, his mouth turned down in a frown.
Addy sat up, rubbing her cheek. “You hit me in the moneymaker.”
Keely’s head snapped around, her eyes coming out of her head, her cheeks blown. She resembled a frog who was about to burst.
Her look imitated how I felt, stuck between laughter and surprise at my daughter’s words.
Getting on my haunches next to Addy, I tilted her head to the side. “Do you want ice, ladybug?”
Her temple and cheekbone were red, but otherwise she seemed fine.
Addy sat up. “Naw, it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“No, thank you,” I responded with a raised brow. “So, tell me, my little star, since when do you call your face the moneymaker?”
“Tammy said we should always protect our moneymaker.”
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I helped her stand up. “Let’s keep calling it a face. Since that’s what it is, okay, baby girl?”
Shrugging, she stood up. “Okay.”
Sven and Addy ran off, and Keely burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, but that’s gold.”
Looking up at the sky, I wished for a medium-ish rock to fall on the walking accessory. Just to knock some sense into her. Not to kill her or anything.
“The worst thing is, I can’t even bring it up because all communication has to go through our lawyers. Could you imagine Vance telling Hank’s lawyer to tell his client’s fiancée not to call her face the moneymaker in front of the kids?”
Keely’s chuckles died down. “I bet he’d do it. From what Malena’s saying, he’s a great lawyer. I’m sure he’s had stranger requests.”
He might. But there was no way I’d ask him to.
Things had been weird ever since the phone call.
Vance had been different. Nice even. And I didn’t know how to take it.
Especially because I didn’t think I’d hear from him again after our last conversation.
But he’d called me twice since then. Once to check a few details in the settlement, and once to confirm my address.
Both things I would have thought his assistant would do, considering how busy he was.
His calls always put me in a daze. Last time, I put Elana’s shoes in the microwave after I talked to him. The time before that, I gave Winston’s food to Orange. A mistake I’d never make again, since Winston went crazy and bit Orange. Who I then had to take to the vet since he had a hole in his ear.
Thankfully, they had a payment plan.
“You think this divorce is going to screw them up?”
The question was something that had been on my mind a lot. I wondered what effect it would have on the girls, even with the quick way things seemed to be proceeding.
Keely blew out a breath, sounding like a deflating balloon. “Probably. But it’ll also teach them resilience. And what it means to love someone. You’re giving up everything to keep them.”
“But—”
She squeezed my mouth shut by pinching my lips between her fingers, keeping them closed for a few seconds before I batted her hand away.
“Anyway, where was I?” Keely stopped for a dramatic pause, then took a hefty gulp of her wine.
“Right. You. Badass bitch. Who chose a rocky path filled with potholes instead of a nicely paved one. You showed your girls that you’ll always choose them.
It doesn’t matter that they’re too young to understand that you saved them from becoming Tammy 2.
0 and 3.0. One day, they’ll realize how hard you fought for them and how much you love them. And that’s all that matters.”
I waved her off. “I should have sucked it up and let him do his thing. At least then—” A punch landed on my boob. Rubbing it, I blinked at my now ex-friend. “Did you just punch me in the boob?”
“And I’ll do it again if you don’t stop with this crap.”
Malena joined our huddle, her eyes homing in on my hand that was still consoling my poor boob. “Did someone just punch you in the boob?”
Taking a sip of her drink, Keely grinned. “She won’t see reason, so I resorted to violence. It worked, didn’t it? Not sure why everyone’s looking at me as if I farted in church.”
Malena shot Keely a wide-eyed look and turned to the side, revealing none other than Vance. I hadn’t noticed him standing there, too busy rubbing my boob. My hand dropped to my side and my cheeks heated to volcanic levels.
“I hope you don’t mind, Keely, but I invited Vance. He’s in town for a bit and doesn’t know anyone but me.”
He’s in Butler for a while? What in the world kind of business would he have in our small town?
Keely held out her hand, looking Vance over like he was a juicy steak. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for our girl.”
He gave her hand a perfunctory shake. “Only doing my job.” His gaze met mine, and a jolt went through my traitorous body almost as if he’d been touching me. “Mrs. Porter. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah. You as well. You too. I mean, it’s great you’re here.”
Is there a rock anywhere I can hide behind?
Keely stifled her laughter behind her glass, and Malena looked at me like I had three heads.
“I want to eat a sausage dog,” Elana called out before she barreled into me, headbutting my stomach. I curled around her, a puff of air escaping my pursed lips. Luckily, I’d managed to avoid the full brunt of her tackle-hug.
Thank the heavens for small children, who were the best distraction, since now I had a reason to direct my attention elsewhere and avoid the stream of nonsense words that were waiting to come out of my mouth.
Putting my hand on her head that was still hidden in my belly, I slightly leaned down. “How are you still hungry?”
She’d already had two plates of pasta salad and about five pounds of cookies. But if she wanted a hot dog, I wasn’t going to stop her.
“Hat is making them. And he doesn’t burn them. Because I don’t like the black stuff.”
It was unlikely Thad would ever be called by his real name by any of the kids again, much to everyone’s amusement.
Smoothing out her hair, I waited for her to look at me. “Of course you can have one. Just remind him that you don’t want any ketchup or mustard on it.”
She grinned at me, then raced to where I guessed Thad was manning the grill.
Her hair was flying everywhere, having mostly come out of the braid I’d put it in this morning, her little arms pumping hard to propel her forward.
I was able to make out a faint “okay” before she disappeared around the corner.
“Do you have an idea yet on when the divorce will go through?” I asked Vance, ignoring the lifted eyebrows my two friends shot me. They must be impressed by my skills to form full sentences.
He turned to face me, and I couldn’t help but take in how his T-shirt hugged his wide shoulders and biceps. “No date yet, but the signed documents have been submitted. As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“So, Vance, how long are you planning on staying in Butler?” Malena asked, looking back and forth between us as if we were a puzzle she needed to solve.
“A few weeks.”
A small line appeared between Malena’s brows. “A few weeks?”
“I don’t have to be in court for at least two weeks.
All my other work I can do from anywhere.
And I was thinking if you need help, I can give you a hand while I’m here.
I remember how much work it was starting my own firm.
And you’re one person short, since Nelson can’t start for another two months, right? ”
“So, you decided to stay in bumfudge nowhere because you think I need help?”
The slight shifting of his legs and tense posture was the only sign that he might have been uncomfortable with her inquisition.
My eyes greedily tracked his hand as it ran over his slightly stubbly chin. “I needed a change of scenery, and this is as good as anywhere. If it means I get an opportunity to help out an old friend, then even better.”
Keely laughed, looking at Vance as if he’d declared he didn’t like ice cream. “Then go to the Hamptons. Or Florida. Nobody comes to Butler for a change of scenery.”
Unless they had a reason to or couldn’t leave. Or, in our case, had friends here who tied them to the area. But I’d been born here, and I’d honestly never wanted to move. I’d gone to Northwestern before I’d dropped out, but I’d been happy to come back here.
Especially since it gave me two precious years with my mom, my only family after my dad passed away from cancer when I was thirteen. And now I had no family left except an aunt who lived in Florida who I’d only met once when I was little and could barely remember.
“I’ve been to both, and neither is where I want to be right now. Butler is where I think I might find what I’ve been looking for.”
Malena nodded, satisfied with the cryptic explanation, unlike Keely, who was studying him with a frown.
“You’re welcome to work from the office.
There’s an extra room we’ve been using for storage, but it would be easy to clean it out, and there’s a desk in it already.
Since we have Mae, we’re okay without Nelson, but if we can pick your brain on a few things, that would be amazing. ”
“Sounds great. The chairs in my bed-and-breakfast are a death sentence for my back.”
If I had to see him more often, I could only hope I’d shake my awkwardness. And relearn the English language, since it seemed to evade me whenever he was around.
Keely linked her arm with mine. “Come in on Monday.” She turned to me. “Are you working?”
“I’m doing Monday to Thursday this week.”
It was in the joint calendar, but Keely never checked anything except when she had to be in court. She was late for everything else. Or forgot about it altogether.
“Excellent. You can help Vance.”