girls and find out what they have going on and then plot my day. You?”
“I’m working on a couple of cases. Both involve surveillance. A couple of us are tag teaming. One young woman’s wealthy parents are trying to determine if their daughter is involved in some nefarious behavior with bad people and drugs. Another we’re investigating is a businessman who no longer trusts his partner. The first is almost a wrap. Nefarious behavior never takes a holiday. She is in a mess. The second will take longer but is more interesting.”
“Wow,” she said. “Every day must be a fun day!”
He laughed. “Depends on your idea of fun. I admit, I like solving puzzles. And we’re busy all the time.”
“As I will be, if I am fortunate enough to begin to build a new practice.”
“I know this isn’t exactly what you planned,” he said. “But this must be an exciting time.”
“It’s more terrifying than exciting. I have to admit, I’m struggling with the added responsibility. I’ve taken on the bills, my own savings and retirement, the girls’ expenses...”
“Aren’t you getting child support?”
“Sort of. I’m deducting a small support payment for the girls from what I’ve agreed to pay Scott. And I’m keeping careful track of the bills—if he wants alimony and half the house, he has to pay half the household bills.”
“He’s getting support?”
She nodded. “For five years. But it’s not a fixed amount. Child support is a fixed amount, but the support I have to pay Scott is half of what I earn. I left my job last week. There will probably be nothing for a while.”
Logan sat forward in his chair. “Will that come as a surprise?”
“To him? Undoubtedly. Though I did tell him I meant to make a change and that I didn’t want to work for a large company anymore.” She stared at the ocean. “I’ve been with the same company since I passed the bar. I’ve always had a decent paycheck. I think Scott just assumes it will always be that way. This is the first time I’ve been out of work since college.”
The waitress brought them drinks and a plate of artichoke dip and bread. Logan lifted his glass to her. “Here’s to your new life.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Talking to you has helped, Logan. Thank you for making yourself available.”
“I’ve enjoyed it, too. Tell me more about your girls and what they’ll be doing this summer.”
“Well, they both have part-time jobs. Amber will go to cheerleading camp in August—fortunately it was half paid for before school was out. I’ve suggested she look for a part-time job she can manage during the school year, and she said she’ll look around. I told her I won’t have as much spending money for her during her senior year, so she’d better. Olivia has some steady babysitting lined up and is going with the family of her young wards for their vacation in July. She’s a miser. She’ll be okay. Amber thinks she wants to be a fashion designer or an actress or a home decor designer—we’ll see. Olivia wants to be a librarian. That goal hasn’t changed since she was a little tot and sat on the librarian’s lap during story time.”
They talked through a second glass of wine and some stuffed mushrooms. The sun was just starting to descend over the ocean, and Justine realized her phone hadn’t chimed with an incoming call or text the entire afternoon. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at it just to be sure.
“Someone looking for you?” Logan asked.
“Nah. I have no curfew tonight. I’ll check in with the girls on my way to my friend’s house.”
“This has to be getting old,” he said. “Staying at someone else’s house on Scott’s nights.”
“It won’t last forever,” she said. “For now, I’m making sure Scott has every chance to be an involved—” She went silent before finishing her sentence and was looking down the hill toward the beach. Then she flat-out stared.
Scott was right there with his mistress, strolling across the beach. She was small of stature, much shorter than Justine. She