“I don’t know a woman more deserving. And the fact that you told Matt about your ex-husband tells me you’re really invested.”
Erin sipped her wine. “Not quite.”
“Not quite what? Invested?”
“No. I’m in when it comes to Matt. My ex . . . he’s not quite an ex.”
Parker lost her smile.
“The divorce isn’t final,” Erin admitted.
“Excuse me?”
“He refuses to sign the papers. My ex is an ass, Parker. He thinks he can prolong the inevitable forever. But he can’t. Eventually he has to let go.”
“My God, how long has it been?”
“I filed about three months before I moved in here.”
“That’s almost a year.”
“I know. My attorney assures me it won’t be long now.”
The phone inside the house rang twice. A signal from the gate that someone was there.
“You expecting anyone?” Erin asked.
Parker shook her head and went inside to answer the call. When she returned, she tossed the phone on the table. “It’s Grace.”
“Oh, good.”
“Maybe she can give us some dirt on her brothers.”
Erin laughed. “No comments about the ex, okay? The less people that know . . .”
“I get it. Don’t worry.”
They watched Grace’s car make it up the drive and park. She got out and waved a bottle of wine in the air. “I brought provisions.”
They greeted her at the top of the stairs. Scout slapped his tail on the deck and licked Grace as she walked by.
“I’m here . . . the party can start. But please, I really don’t want a picture painted of how my brothers have sex. I really can’t go there.”
God, she loved Grace. The woman was spitfire and energy.
“Who says I’m having sex with your brother?” Erin asked, half joking.
The three of them walked into the house, and Parker removed a wineglass from the cupboard.
Grace leaned on the edge of the kitchen island while she rolled her eyes. “He missed the game with my dad. The man lives for baseball. There is only one thing that would keep him away from a game and that’s sex. And since your lipstick was smeared all over his face at the engagement party, I put two and two together.”
“You sure you don’t want to hear about it?” Parker asked.
Grace frantically waved her hands in the air before taking the glass of wine Parker offered. “No! Please. It’s going to make the Game of Life difficult at Christmas.”
“How so?” Erin asked.
“Because I’ll know just how he managed to have a car full of pink and blue pegs.”
“Well, if you don’t want to hear about our sex lives, tell us about yours,” Parker said.
They moved back out on the porch and got comfortable. “I don’t have a sex life. I swear my vagina is going to shrivel up and fall out if I don’t meet someone soon.”
Erin laughed. “Where are you looking?”
Grace kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her bottom. “I’m back to online dating.”
Parker groaned. “That’s the worst.”
“Well, I’m not going to date anyone I work with, and I really don’t do the bar scene. So unless you know someone you wanna set me up with . . .”
Erin certainly didn’t. She glanced at Parker.
They both shrugged.
“What about Matt or Colin? They both work with men, certainly someone on their list is single and worthy.”
“I dated one of Colin’s work buddies early on and realized that when it doesn’t work out, it makes things uncomfortable for everyone. So I forced that train to leave the station a long time ago.”
“I’ve met some of Matt’s friends, and they’re a pretty good-looking group,” Erin said.
“And married, or recently divorced and looking for a replacement. Or already have kids . . . Yeah, I’ve met his friends, too. But no thanks. It’s okay. I actually have a couple guys I’ve been chatting with online. I’m meeting one for coffee next week.”
Parker set her wine down and scooted out of the chair she was sitting on. “Well, if it gets past the coffee stage, let us know.”
“I will.”
Parker stood and started for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To grab my bridal magazines. Since you’re here and we’re done talking about sex, it’s time to look at flowers and stuff.”
Grace jumped up, too. “I have some in my car.”
“Wait.” Erin stopped them midstep.
Grace and Parker both turned around.
“What?” Grace asked.
“Are Colin and Matt perfect?”
Grace’s expression twisted several different ways as she contemplated her answer. “You mean outside of childhood pranks and blaming me for their parties and porn?”
That had Erin smiling. “Yeah.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Yeah. And it’s annoying as hell.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“We need to talk.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Erin had picked up the phone knowing it was Renee. They went through their normal code and then she was hit with . . . We need to talk. “Let me guess. Desmond figured out another way to delay the divorce.”
“In a manner . . . yes.”
Erin pushed her laptop aside and put her phone on speaker. “What’s he doing now?”
“First of all, he left the country.”
“He does that all the time. He’s never gone long.”
“This time he told his attorney he had a family emergency in Greece or someplace like that.”
“He doesn’t have family in Greece.”
Renee sighed. “I never thought he did. I told his counsel this tactic wasn’t going to work. That if I could represent you and you never show up in court, his counsel needed to do the same.”
“What happened?”
“The judge delayed based on personal hardship. The next day Desmond’s attorney called to tell me that your discovery was missing several components.”
“I thought we finalized this months ago,” Erin said. “There’s nothing to discover. I left with my clothes. I didn’t touch the bank account.”
“According to Desmond, he took your jewelry in for appraisal and found several pieces had been replaced with fakes.”
Erin’s jaw dropped. “I did not . . .”
“Maci, I need you to be honest with me. If you did this, I can work around it—”
“I wish I had thought of it, Renee. Then maybe I could buy a decent car. But I didn’t.”
Renee sighed, almost like she wasn’t convinced. “You did sell your shoes.”
“And I told you about those.”
“And Desmond finally clued in to that and is now looking for anything else you may have ‘taken’ from your marriage.”
Erin stared down into her phone. “Taken? I sold my shoes. Not his!”
“And he realized, or was advised, that he wouldn’t get anywhere with the shoe debate. But jewelry obtained during your marriage is another subject.”
“They were blood gifts, Renee. Every earring, every necklace. I didn’t want them then, and I don’t want them now. I left everything in his home . . . our home.” The entire thing was ludicrous.
“They filed a motion and we have to respond. They’re prepared to bring in experts on this.”
“To serve what purpose? I’m asking for nothing. I want nothing from him. I just want him to go away. This isn’t about any money he thinks I’ve taken. You know that.” So she could get on with her life.
“No, Maci. This is about money he wants from you.”
Her head was starting to pound. “I don’t have any money.”
“No. You have something more powerful.”
Now Erin was completely confused. “Really? Because I’m feeling rather powerless right now.”
“Shares in the company, Maci.”
“What are you talking about? That was a gift from my father to Desmond on our wedding day. Like selling your daughter with a flock of sheep.” The whole thing was disgusting.
“I told you I had a colleague of mine look into Desmond to see if we could find another trail of abuse or coercion with your doctors. She stumbled upon some financials that you and Desmond jointly share, and the company came up.”
“The stock belongs to him.”
“It doesn’t. It belongs to both of you . . . I think. It’s actually murky. I’m leaning toward it belonging to you.”
“That’s not what Desmond told me.”
“This is the man who beat you, Maci. Do you think he wanted you to know that you owned a part of his company? He wanted you isolated and broke so you needed him. It’s classic. I’ve seen this a hundred times.”
Erin closed her eyes. “I don’t want the company. I want nothing from that man.”
“I understand. I do. But as your attorney, I’m going to advise you to learn exactly what you’re giving away. And here’s the deal. Desmond hasn’t asked for this from you as of yet. He hasn’t even hinted that you own any part of the company. Which leads me to believe that this jewelry bullshit is his way of setting you up to be forced to sign over your interest in the shares before the divorce is over.”
“I didn’t fence my own jewelry. I wouldn’t even know how.”
“I believe you. I have my investigator digging so he can testify in your defense when the time comes. For now, just do nothing.”
“Do I have a choice?”
Renee didn’t answer her.
“You might have your friend look up my father and ask how he gifted the shares. I remember handshakes and pats on the back and being told that I was going to be fine now that my husband owned controlling interest of the company. Daddy came out looking like a saint in the financial news world.”
“I’ll do that. And if you remember anything, call me.”
“I will.”
“How are you otherwise?”
Erin’s mind shifted to the good things in her life. “I met someone.”
“A man someone?”
She found her smile. “Yes. He’s nothing like Desmond.”
“I can’t imagine you’d make the same mistake twice.”
Erin had to laugh. “Most battered women fall into a pattern of abusive relationships. But that’s not something I have to consider when it comes to Matt. He’s kind and caring and a firefighter.”
Renee sighed. “I’m having a hot flash just hearing about him.”
If you only knew. “He reminds me that there are good men out there.”
“You deserve one. I have a call on the other line so I’ve gotta let you go. But call me with anything.”
“I will. And let me know when the asshole is back in town.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Be angry with the man, it’s more productive than giving him the power to make you cower and hide. I’ll be in touch.”
Renee hung up, and Erin sat there staring at the phone.
Cower and hide. Exactly what she was doing and had to do. But she didn’t have to hide from life or cower from the people in it now.
“It’s time to say yes to a dress!” Parker was pumped up on adrenaline and caffeine. Erin could see it in her eyes.
Grace leaned forward between the seats. “Take a right at the next block.”
Erin was driving. For the first time in years, her car was full. Parker took shotgun, and Grace and Mallory were in the back seat.
“You think we’re here for you, but really . . . we wanna make sure you don’t pick out bridesmaid dresses that look like Tinkerbell threw up,” Mallory said.
“Ha ha!” Parker’s fake laugh was aimed at her sister.
“She’s half right,” Grace added.
In the rearview mirror, Erin noticed Grace and Mallory fist-bump. The two of them were a lot alike. They said what they were thinking even if it wasn’t completely politically correct.
“You’re with me, right, Erin?” Parker asked.
Erin stopped for the pedestrians jaywalking in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. “You bet I am. Our dresses should complement yours. And if you want to float down the aisle with fairy wings and taffeta, we will, too.”
“Suck-up,” Mallory chided.
They all laughed.
“Take the next left and start looking for a parking garage.” Grace was their navigator. At first she suggested she drive since she knew the fashion district in LA and Erin didn’t. But then there was talk of toasting with champagne and a designated driver, so Erin volunteered to stay sober and drive.
Erin didn’t know the streets and found herself hyperaware of everything going on around them. The homeless sat at corners of buildings, while everyone else scurried around them doing their best to avoid their path.
Mallory tossed her hand between the seats. “Parking on the right.”
Erin hit the brakes a little hard to avoid missing the turn. “Sorry.”
“Better than going around the block again,” Grace said.
It was midweek and the lot was packed. They found a spot in the lowest level in a corner.
They jumped out of the car and started toward the elevators. Grace patted her oversized purse. Inside was the champagne. “Let’s get this party started.”
Parker was all smiles. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Me either,” Mallory agreed and dropped an arm over her sister’s shoulders.
It wasn’t even ten in the morning, and Grace popped open the bottle as soon as Parker headed into a dressing room with a dozen dresses.
They were on a budget, and it was tight, which was one of the reasons they were in the fashion district instead of some boutique shop being waited on hand and foot.
Erin recalled her experience and couldn’t help but compare the two.
She’d been excited to get married. The act of tying the knot was full of days like this. Girlfriends, champagne, and giggling. Silk, lace, and satin. And since Erin’s mother wasn’t involved and her father didn’t care, it was up to her and her sister to plan everything. She’d had the help of a consultant and a rather unlimited budget.
What she wouldn’t do to have the money they spent on flowers alone. That would probably pay for Parker and Colin’s wedding in its entirety . . . or come close. Her one-time dress had cost fifteen thousand dollars and then another five hundred to have it cleaned and preserved in a box.
Damn shame.
It all felt so superficial now.
Parker was trying on three-, five-, and eight-hundred-dollar dresses, and looking like a million bucks simply because of the beaming smile on her face.
The first three dresses Parker tried on warmed them up and had each of them running to the racks to follow a direction. “I really think you can pull off something long and sleek,” Erin told her.
Parker was wearing a sleeved princess dress with entirely too much lace. Not quite Tinkerbell, but close.
“I never imagined something formfitting.”
“Well, you’ll never get a chance to try them on again so you might as well while we’re here,” Mallory encouraged her sister.
Back to the racks they went.
When they returned, Parker had come out in something less lacy but covered in beading.
Mallory shook her head with a frown.
“Yeah, I don’t think so either,” Parker said.
Grace unzipped her, and they both disappeared into the dressing room.
“Ohhh,” Grace said a few minutes later.
“What?” Mallory asked between sips of champagne.
Around them other bridal parties were doing exactly the same thing. The people-watching was fascinating. It was fun to pick out the spoiled brides, the reluctant brides, and the mothers that wished they were the brides. Of everyone in the room, the four of them were having the best time with the whole ordeal.
Parker emerged in silk . . .
or at least something that resembled silk. It was sleek and hugged Parker’s figure without being an hourglass. It was the first dress that made them all sit back and wistfully sigh.
And Parker was smiling. Full-on ear-to-ear happiness. “This is definitely a contender,” she announced.
“It’s beautiful,” Mallory said.
“It flatters everything. Turn around,” Erin instructed.
The back was low cut and a little daring.
“I’m not sure about the back,” Parker said the minute she looked at herself from the side.
“Tape keeps it from gaping,” Erin told her.
“Oh.”
And so it went.
Three hours later, the shiny moment of truth came when Parker found a beautiful combination of sleek silk that didn’t drop so low in the back but that capped right at her shoulders and flattered her bust. There was beading and lace but only a small amount along the sleeves and the back where it buttoned up.
It wasn’t overdone or understated. It was perfect.
Erin, Grace, and Mallory spent quite a bit of time searching for similar themed dresses for them while Parker stood through the painstaking task of having her measurements taken for the alterations.
Mallory took several pictures of Parker in the chosen dress and did the same with the handful of gowns the three of them had put on. Sadly, there wasn’t a hit when it came to the bridesmaids’ dresses, but they all agreed to continue their search in a couple of weeks.
They had a late lunch and worked their way back to the parking garage. The place had cleared out quite a bit, making it easier to drive around.
Grace was chattering from the back seat, occasionally shouting directions to get them out of the city and onto the freeway.
Parker sat turned in her seat to give her attention to those in the back. “I think we should look in the mall. There are so many formal gowns that could work just as well as anything we saw for you guys today.”
“Probably cheaper, too,” Grace said. “If not, there are several other places in the fashion district we didn’t get to.”
Erin followed the line of traffic getting on the freeway. She’d hoped they would have gotten out of the city before it backed up too bad, but that never seemed to work in LA.
“We need to pick a day.”
“Wednesday is my only day with no classes during the week,” Mallory said and went on to keep talking about her schedule.
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