Split Decision

by Traci Hohenstein

  “Marital property?”

  “We own five houses together. Malibu, Glendale, Maui, Aspen and a penthouse in New York City. Joint investments in two restaurants. Chive in Vegas and the Trojan Steakhouse in New York City.”

  I scribbled his answers on my legal pad. “Other business ventures?”

  He stretched out his long arms then cracked his knuckles. Mark did the same thing and it annoyed the hell out of me, but when Sawyer did it, I found it oddly sexy.

  “Let’s see. We have a production company, Little Big Dog. And money invested in several other potential projects. I can have my business manager send over a list.”

  “I have a financial worksheet and some other paperwork that you can take with you that will help us get a clear picture of your finances. First, let me give you an overview of California divorce laws so you know what your options are.”

  “Okay,” Sawyer said as he rolled his sleeves down and buttoned the cuffs. I couldn’t help but admire his strong, well-defined biceps. Being an action adventure movie star sure had its benefits. I tried to get my mind back to the topic at hand.

  “You have two options. Dissolution of marriage or a legal separation. Both are based on the following grounds. First is the most popular which is irreconcilable differences or two, incurable insanity which is granted upon proof. Now the grounds for legal separation are the same as the grounds for a divorce. From the information you have given me, sounds like the residency requirements have been met.”

  I went on to explain about California’s property law, spousal support, and issues with child custody and support.

  “I know that is a lot of information to digest. When there are children involved, I think it is wise to take your time and think everything through before making any major decisions.”

  Handing Sawyer a brochure titled “California Divorce Law and You,” I told him that it explained in detail everything that I just went over. I watched as he nervously folded it four times over and then slid it in the front pocket of his jeans.

  “Well, it seems that I have a lot to think about.”

  “If you make a decision to go through with filing for a divorce,” I nodded to the financial worksheet that sat in front of him, “I’ll need to get that back as soon as possible. My fee schedule is attached as well.”

  I watched as Sawyer glanced over the fees. A thousand dollars an hour for my services. Several hundred dollars an hour for my paralegal’s services and other miscellaneous charges. Celebrity divorces tend to get very nasty and complicated and legal fees can run a million dollars or more.

  Sawyer didn’t even blink.

  “Do you know if Portia has an attorney?” I asked.

  It was sometimes customary for the wife to visit several top attorneys in the area before making a decision. It was a nasty move, but it forced the husband to choose a sometimes less than stellar attorney since any attorney the wife sees, whether or not she retained them, the husband can’t use them. Fortunately for Sawyer, Portia had not contacted anyone in my firm.

  Sawyer shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. This will hit her pretty hard.”

  “Element of surprise sometimes works in our favor.”

  Sawyer stood up and shook my hand. “Thanks for your time.”

  I walked him out into the lobby where Meghan was working on her computer and my paralegal, Serena, was dropping off this morning’s mail. Thankfully, the lobby was empty of any waiting clients.

  “I’ll call you once I’ve made a decision.”

  We watched as he stepped into the elevator and gave us a small wave before the doors closed. Three women swooning over a gorgeous movie star.

  Meghan and Serena waited until they were sure Sawyer was gone.

  “Wow. Was that what I think that was about?” Meghan whispered.

  “Don’t you girls have anything else to do beside lurk around in the lobby?”

  Serena laughed. “I hear that Sawyer Winston is coming in today and you want me to do some actual work? Sorry, boss. I had to get a look for myself.”

  “And I’m the receptionist. Remember? This is where my desk is.” Meghan defended herself.

  The girls were used to seeing big celebrities in my office, day in and day out. However, having one of Hollywood’s most prominent movie stars, who had been so publicly outspoken about the sanctity of marriage, in my office inquiring about a divorce, was quite shocking. Even to me.

  “I can’t believe Sawyer Winston would be considering divorce. You know, especially since he is so outspoken against it.” Meghan handed me a stack of mail.

  “Well, we’ll see if he comes back to officially sign and file.” There have been a few instances of celebrities coming in to file – or actually even filing – then changing their minds at the last minute. It definitely wasn’t unheard of. When you start talking about splitting up millions of dollars of property and assets, some people have second thoughts. Especially if they have children.

  Meghan reached under her desk and pulled out the latest issues of gossip rags in her hands that featured Sawyer and Portia on the front cover. “Can I put these back now?”

  “Sure.” I gave her the go-ahead. “I have a lunch date with Venus and Hope,” I said while walking back to my office. “Then I have to run a personal errand. So see you in about two hours or so.”

  “Oh, I have Venus’s final copy of her divorce papers. I was going to put them in the mail. Would you like to hand-deliver them?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter 4

  “Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe.” - Jackie Mason

  The Ivy, our lunch spot, was crowded with Hollywood power types along with a sprinkling of ladies-who-lunch and tourists. I quickly made my way up the brick lined steps onto the outdoor terrace where I immediately spotted Venus and Hope at our usual table.

  The tables were covered in crisp white linen topped with potted colorful geraniums. Menus were encased in antique pictures frames, but being regulars, we didn’t need to peruse the menu.

  “Hey Ava!” Hope, with her huge swollen belly, stood up to greet me. She was seven months pregnant and about to pop. Her beautiful long dark hair was pulled back in a fashionable side ponytail and she wore a darling Michael Star maternity dress.

  I gave Hope a kiss on the cheek. “You make being pregnant so fashionable. I swear the maternity clothes just get better and better.”

  “Hi Venus. I have a surprise for you.” I pulled out a creamy white envelope with “Peacock and Spivey, Attorney-at-Law” embossed in emerald green and handed it to her.

  “Is this what I think it is?” she asked.

  “Your copy of the divorce papers. Signed, sealed, and personally delivered. With a kiss.” I took my seat at the table.

  The waiter came by and filled my water glass, which I raised in a mock toast. “Here’s to Venus being single and happy again.”

  Hope smiled but I could tell she was a little sad for Venus. She was the one who broke it to Venus that her husband, Vince Vanderbilt, was cheating on her. Actually Hope was the one who saw Vince in a Palm Springs restaurant with another man. Vince was having a romantic moment with some young Palm Springs playboy and Hope caught him in the act. I think Hope still felt awful for having to be the one to tell her best friend.

  “I couldn’t be happier.” Venus smiled.

  “Yeah, did you hear? Venus has a new man in her life,” Hope said as she scanned the menu.

  I looked at her for confirmation. “That’s right. Henry McManus.”

  “Isn’t he the new producer for your movie?” I asked.

  Venus wrote steamy romance novels under the pen name, Venus Goddings. She started writing when she was a teenager living in Britain. After meeting her former husband, Vince, on a trip to France, she married him and moved to Hollywood.

  Looking as stunningly beautiful as the models on her book covers, Venus was petite with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looked sweet
and charming until she opened her mouth. Her tell-it-like-it-is attitude turned off some people. But to get to know Venus is to love her. She was actually one of the truest, best friends that I had.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, he is. I just got back from Toronto last night. They’re taking a three day break from shooting and Henry flew back to LA with me. He has meetings until tomorrow and then we head up north again for the final weeks of shooting.”

  The movie rights of one of her latest novels were recently bought by the Lifetime Movie Channel and were being filmed in Toronto. Venus got a nice payday for that movie option and was also an acting consultant for the movie. It was nice to see her finally happy and in love again.

  The waiter came back to take our order. Caprese salad for me, oysters on the half shell for Venus, and fried chicken and french fries for Hope.

  I raised my eyebrow at Hope. “Fried chicken? Are you still having pregnancy cravings?” Hope always ordered the Caesar salad when we had lunch here.

  “Yup. And I just might top that off with a hot fudge sundae.”

  Laughing, I asked her how the pregnancy was going.

  She instinctively rubbed her belly. “Real good. Brad and I are arguing over boy names.”

  Hope was an OB/GYN at Hollywood Healthcare for Women and her husband Brad, also a doctor, ran their fertility clinic. They fell in love after her dad, who is also a partner in the clinic, hired Brad as an additional physician to the practice.

  “What are the potential names?” Venus asked.

  “I want a traditional Greek family name like Andrew or Christophe. Brad likes southern, biblical names like John and Matthew.” Hope sighed. “You know what my mom is pushing for.”

  Hope’s parents were of Italian and Greek heritage. Her mom, being the Greek, was very strong and opinionated.

  “How about a compromise? Greek first name and biblical middle name? Like Andrew John and call him AJ?”

  Hope laughed. “Always thinking like an attorney.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Can’t help it. It’s in my blood.” My father was a retired judge and my mother was a patent lawyer. They still lived in San Francisco and were very active in their community running a free legal clinic.

  “Do you think your little one will be a doctor?” Venus asked Hope.

  “The little guy can be whatever he wants. I just can’t wait for him to get here.”

  Just as our food arrived, a familiar face walked by the table.

  “Hello, Ava.”

  I looked up and Sawyer Winston was standing next to my chair. My heart did a weird little flip-flop just like it did when I saw him earlier this morning.

  “Sawyer! Nice to see you again.” I introduced him to my friends.

  “Have a good lunch ladies.” He walked off and my eyes followed him to his table. He sat down with another gentleman that I suspected was his business manager. I watched discreetly as he pulled out a sheet of paper and handed to his manager.

  Hope leaned over and said in a whisper, “You know Sawyer Winston?”

  I gave a small nod.

  “Is that a good or bad thing?” Venus asked.

  “You know I can’t talk about work.”

  “I take that as a bad thing.” Venus waved her tiny fork around before stabbing the oyster meat in its shell. I watched in fascination as she dosed the meat generously with Tabasco sauce before popping it in her mouth.

  “Is it true what the tabloids are saying?” Hope asked.

  I gave her one of my stares usually reserved for my teenaged girls.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. You can’t talk about it.” Hope sighed. “I heard his wife is real B.”

  She didn’t have to tell me what B meant. I had seen the deep, angry red scratch marks on his arms. No telling where else that poor man was bruised and scratched.

  “I heard Cammy Brown was pregnant,” I said changing the subject. “Isn’t she your patient?”

  Cammy Brown was a huge hip hop star and had been rumored to be sporting a baby bump. Hope had just as many celebrity clients as I did. We always joked that we should run a referral service between the two of us. Eventually, her clients became mine anyway.

  Hope laughed. “You know I can’t talk about my patients.”

  Venus huffed. “I’m not going to lunch with either of you again. What’s the use in being friends with the top gyno and the top divorce attorney in LA when I can’t get the scoop from either of you?” Venus took a generous sip of her drink before continuing. “Confidential this, can’t talk about that. Bloody hell. I can hear it in the tabloids before you guys can tell me.”

  Hope and I just looked at one another and laughed.

  “Come on girls. I need some fresh ideas for my next book,” Venus pleaded.

  I thought about that for second. “How about this? Boy meets girl. Falls in love. Girl meets boy’s father and falls in love. Boy goes crazy and off the deep end…”

  Venus cuts me off. “Already been done. Book number twenty-two.”

  “Well, keep reading the tabloids. I’m sure something will pop out at you,” Hope said.

  “Hope, the reason Venus and I wanted to do lunch, other than see your smiling face, is to ask if we could host a baby shower for you.”

  Hope cleaned up the last french fry with a bit of ketchup and wiped her face. “Really? That is awfully sweet of you guys.”

  Venus chimed in. “I would like to have it at my house. How’s July fifteenth? Say around noon? We can have a nice luncheon, a full bar and chit chat?”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Hope got up and gave us each a hug. “Thanks. You guys are the best.”

  “Just email me a guest list in the next couple of weeks. Ava and I will sort it out,” Venus said.

  It was my turn to pay the check, so I flagged down our waiter and gave him my credit card. As we got up to leave, I took another sneak peek at Sawyer. He was engrossed in conversation with his lunch date. His shoulders were slumped and his head hung low. He had a tough decision to make and I hoped he would make the right one.

  “I have to get back to the office.” I gathered my purse and car keys. “See you guys later.”

  I felt a little bad for lying to my friends. I really wasn’t going back to the office. In fact, what I was about to do had the potential of ruining my marriage.

  Chapter 5

  “Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.” - Joan Crawford

  Instead of heading back to work, I parked my car outside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I sat in the car trying to get my nerve up. Watching people go in and out of the lobby, I practiced deep breathing. I waited for him to show up and hoped I wasn’t too late. After ten minutes, panic seeped in and I thought he wasn’t going to show. I put my key back in the ignition and started to crank up the car. Then I saw him.

  Brown wavy hair, tall, muscular and handsome. He had the walk of a confident man. A man who knows what he wants and how to get it. A shudder of both excitement and fear coursed through my body.

  I pulled the rear view mirror down and glanced at my reflection. Doing my usual routine, I fluffed my short blonde bob and applied a swipe of lip gloss. A lot of people compared my looks to January Jones from the TV series, Mad Men, although I was a bit older than her and had a smattering of freckles across my nose. I think it was the hair style and blue eyes that were similar to her. Satisfied that I looked okay, I put the car keys in my purse and headed toward the hotel entrance. Guiltily, I took a quick look around and didn’t see anyone that I knew.

  The bellman greeted me as I walked to the elevator with confidence that I didn’t have. My legs started to shake and I thought many times about turning around. I eased my way into the elevator, thankful I was alone, and pushed the button for the fourth floor.

  He would be waiting for me. Probably have a drink already poured, anticipating my arrival. Another shudder of excitement went through my body. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
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  The elevator dinged, announcing my arrival. I walked out onto a red and gold carpeted hallway. Getting my bearings straight, I made a right and walked to room number 421.

  I stood outside the door for a second. What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t do this. Just as I was about to leave, the door swung open.

  Standing there was one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen. He had a glass of champagne in his hand and a smile on his face.

  “Ava.” He took a quick look down the hallway and grabbed my arm, pulling me inside the room. “Come in sweetheart.”

  Chapter 6

  “A man loses his sense of direction after four drinks; a woman loses hers after four kisses.” - Henry Louis Mencken

  I breathed a sigh of relief when we passed the king size bed and headed for the outdoor balcony. Craig pulled out a chair for me and I sat down and took a nice long sip of the champagne. Immediately, I felt more relaxed.

  “Beautiful Ava. How’ve you been?” Craig asked, sitting across from me.

  Craig Neven was a former Stanford quarterback and…my former high school sweetheart. We dated all through high school before breaking up a week before college. I had my sights on UCLA and he on Stanford. We decided it was best to “take a break” and not put any pressure on either us while at different schools.

  Well during my freshman year, I met and fell in love with Mark. Meanwhile, Craig met and fell in love with several girls during his college years. After being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he eventually settled down and got married. He played three years of professional football before he blew out his knee – twice. Career ending injury the press called it. Within months, his wife left him – adding insult to injury – for one of his former team mates.

  Craig moved back to L.A. and joined the family publishing business. He ran a successful celebrity gossip magazine called The Hollywood Buzz. A couple weeks ago, we’d run into each other at a fundraising gala. Mark quit going to these events with me two years ago, so I often took one of the girls or went solo.