Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
The knock on the door came early, but since Lucy had been determined to make it to the diner on time to help Danny open, she was already awake and dressed. Excitement propelled her downstairs because she figured Noah was the only person likely to be at her door before seven in the morning.
She opened the door without even glancing out the window to see who it was, startling the young woman on the front porch. She grabbed her chest and gasped. “Oh, geez!” she said. “Where’s the fire?”
“Sorry!” Lucy winced. “I thought you were someone else.” She frowned. “Uh, can I help you?”
The woman took a second to compose herself, then reached into the canvas messenger bag slung across her chest. “Are you Lucy Malby?”
“Yes… Who’s asking?”
“Just me.” She handed Lucy a sealed manila envelope.
“I’m here on behalf of Brendan Malby’s lawyer.
These are new copies of your divorce papers.
If you’d like to sign them now, I can take them back with me right away.
Otherwise, if you want some time to review them, you can set up a different pickup with your lawyer. ”
Lucy took the envelope and stared at it for a second. “Did they make any changes?”
The courier shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m not authorized to look at them or make any statements about the contents of the envelope.”
“Okay then…” Although she was eager to get the papers signed and filed properly, she knew it was probably best to double-check that they looked exactly as they had when she last signed them. “I’ll let you go and call my lawyer.”
“Sounds good. Have a nice day.” She waved and went back to the dented sedan parked at the end of the driveway. Lucy took the envelope inside and opened it on the couch. Along with the legal papers, there was a note folded and tucked inside. She put the documents aside and read the note first.
Luc,
I’m sorry this process has been difficult and prolonged. I’m even more sorry I never told my mom we were getting divorced. She knows the truth now and wants me to tell you that she holds no hard feelings and wishes you all the best.
I was released from the hospital early. They decided I wasn’t a threat to anyone or myself, though some might disagree about the latter.
Honestly, I’m one of them. If getting hit by a taxi and being hospitalized isn’t a strong enough wake-up call, then being rejected by your ex-wife while lying in a hospital bed will definitely do the trick.
I’m an idiot. I’ve been one for most of our relationship, and you deserve better.
I hope you find everything you’re looking for and more in your new life.
In the meantime, I would love it if we could stay in touch.
Maybe that’s too much to ask, but I’m working on getting sober, and I know it won’t be easy.
I would love to have you by my side in whatever capacity you’re willing to offer.
If not, I understand. Just know that I love you and I will always be here for you.
Take care,
B
Lucy was crying by the time she finished the note.
She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to be in Brendan’s life, but she was glad to see that he wanted to make a change.
She planned to reach out to him soon to let him know she was there for him, within reason.
She didn’t want any more middle-of-the-night phone calls unless there was a real emergency, but if he wanted to grab a cup of coffee now and then, that would make her very happy.
For now, though, she couldn’t think any more about the note or the divorce papers.
She planned to review them that night after she got home from work and had the mental space to examine everything carefully.
She didn’t have any reason to believe Brendan was trying to trick her by changing details of the agreement at the last minute, but her lawyer would be furious if she didn’t do her due diligence.
She put everything back in the envelope and left it on the coffee table, then finished getting ready for the day and headed out into the brisk morning. Cecilia was off that day, but she’d clearly called Danny with the cover story she had devised for Noah.
A cover story, Danny didn’t buy in the slightest. Lucy knew he didn’t buy it because he brought her into his office within seconds of her arrival at the diner, and told her as much.
“Noah’s not on a fishing trip,” he said plainly, before Lucy even had a chance to sit down.
“Or if he is, it means he’s had some kind of mental breakdown, because I’ve never known him to go fishing or take all this time off from work in the first place.
So please, I want to know what’s actually going on. ”
“Honestly? I don’t really know what’s going on,” she admitted.
“I mean, I know more than you do, but not by much. Noah took off without telling me this time, and when he called Cecilia yesterday, it’s my understanding that he didn’t give her much information beyond saying he would be gone for a few days and needed her to cover for him. ”
“Okay, well, what do you know that I don’t?”
A lot.
She paused.
He sighed as he sat down heavily in his desk chair.
“All right, look, I’ve never been one to pry into my employees’ private lives.
I try to hire good people who do their work without complaint, but outside this diner, I don’t care what they do with their lives.
Growing up in the City, I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from—I’m the boss, not a babysitter. ”
She nodded. “That’s always a good rule of thumb to have.”
“Which is why it bothers me a little to even bring you in here and ask these questions. At the end of the day, I don’t care what Noah’s doing, and I’m glad he took some time off.
He should’ve taken a vacation ages ago. That said, because it happened so suddenly and no one can tell me exactly what’s going on, I can’t help but worry. ”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m worried about him as well.”
Danny laughed. “That makes me feel worse, actually.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
He rubbed his chin, his hand moving over his patchy, graying beard. “I’m not going to demand that you tell me anything. That’s not my style. But I would like to ask if there’s any reason I should be more concerned about Noah, or if you think there’s any way I can help him.”
She drew in a deep breath. “I will absolutely do that…”
“Why do you sound hesitant?”
“I just don’t know if I’m still the point of contact for Noah. He’s not answering my calls, and he contacted Cecilia instead of me, so you might want to ask her about this. She might know what’s going on with Noah before I do this time.”
Danny eyed her for a few seconds, and it was clear he had something on his mind. In the end, however, he shrugged it off and said, “All right. I’ll talk to her as well, just in case.”
She pushed herself out of her chair. “I’ll finish opening up. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.” There was a look of disappointment in his expression as he waved her off, and she could relate. Danny had known Noah for a long time, and it probably stung to see his friend of so many years just take off with nothing more than a flimsy lie thrown his way.
Lucy might not have known Noah for as long, but she felt the bite of betrayal, too. Perhaps, given that Noah had originally entrusted her with some of his secrets, her pain was even a little worse than Danny’s.
Or a lot worse.