knowingly. “Then she’s taking the rest of the day off to get ready for her big date.”
“Oh, you’ve heard about that, too, have you? The grapevine must be in really top form these days.”
“No need to worry about that. She just discussed it with me to arrange for the time off.”
“And you haven’t been burning up the phone lines out to White Pines?”
“Not a peep,” she swore.
“I would be eternally grateful if that remained true,” he said.
She feigned disappointment. “For how long?”
“How about the next year?” He grinned at her shock. “Okay, at least until tomorrow.”
Sharon Lynn nodded. “I can do that.”
Justin slid onto a stool. “Now what does a guy have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”
“Begging would be a good start.”
“How about if I ask nicely and leave a big tip?”
“That would work, too.”
* * *
Patsy was a nervous wreck. In a few minutes she was going to walk into Janet’s office and the details of her divorce agreement with Will were going to be finalized. It would be over. Oh, there would be a wait for the final decree, but with Will not contesting, she would be free to move on with her life. Once the wheels had been set into motion, it had all happened so quickly her head was spinning. She could thank Justin and Janet Adams for that.
Janet claimed that dueling wits with Will Longhorn had been sheer pleasure and that no thanks were necessary, but Patsy intended to offer a more personal sort of thanks to Justin that night. She was going to show him how very grateful she was for everything he had done for her, from giving her a break on her first day in town, to arranging for Janet to intercede with Will.
In the meantime, though, there was one more thing she had to do. She had to talk to Will and try one last time to understand where everything in their marriage had gone so wrong. How much of it had been her fault? For too long she’d been willing to shoulder most of the blame, but she knew better now. Will was the one who’d changed and made their lives into a hell.
On the sidewalk outside of Janet’s office, she drew in a deep breath, then turned the doorknob and walked in. She crossed the empty reception area and rapped on the office door even though it was wide-open. Janet and Will looked up at her knock.
“Good, there you are,” Janet said, giving her a reassuring smile and beckoning her inside. “We were just going over the last little details.”
“Everything’s okay, isn’t it?” she asked, the question directed at Janet but her gaze on Will.
He gave her a rueful smile. “I suppose that depends on your point of view, but in general everything is just fine. I’m not fighting you on anything. You’ve been generous with the visitation schedule, probably more generous than I deserve.”
“Thank you for not fighting me.”
“Don’t thank me. I figure I owe you, and your lawyer has seen to it that I remember that.”
“I don’t want your money, Will.” She turned to Janet. “I thought I made that clear.”
“We’ve only asked for child support,” Janet reassured her. “Billy deserves that.”
“And I insist on it,” Will said, his expression defiant.
“Yes, you’re right,” she said, backing down. “Of course there should be money for Billy. I can put it into a college fund.”
Janet slid the papers across her desk. “Then let’s get the last of these signed and everything will be official. I can file it with the court this afternoon.”
Will cast one last look at Patsy, then turned back and signed the papers. Patsy followed with her own signature wherever Janet indicated.
“That’s that, then,” Janet said. She glanced at Patsy. “Would you two like a little time alone?”
Patsy nodded. “Please.”
“I’ll be in the next room, if you need me for anything.”
After she’d gone, Will said, “An amazing woman, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is.”
“I’d heard about her, of course, but the stories didn’t do her justice. Seeing her in action reminded me of what being a good lawyer is all about.” He met Patsy’s gaze. “She’s very protective of you, too. Is that because of Justin?”
“It’s because she’s a good lawyer, just as you said.”
He shrugged. “I suppose.”
“Can I ask you something, Will?”
“Why not?”
“What went wrong?”
He sighed heavily. “I wish I could begin to understand that. I certainly never meant to hurt you or Billy. I guess I didn’t even realize how deeply