“Dad,” I admonished. “I’m in the wrong here. Because I was unfaithful, he wants me to pay.”
“It’s an empty threat,” David said. “Illinois is a ‘no fault’ state, meaning that infidelity will have hardly any impact on the division of assets. I talked to my lawyer.”
“You did?” I asked.
“Of course.”
David was in the driver’s seat now, and I wondered if Bill had any idea what he’d be going up against. I twisted my lips. “Do you think Bill knows that ‘no-fault’ thing?”
“Olivia,of coursehe does,” David said. “He’s a lawyer, for Christ’s sake. He was just trying to scare you. What sorts of assets do you two have?”
“Not much, I guess.” I shifted in the cushioned, rattan chair. “I mean, he’s been making more since he started his new job, so there’s a little money there. But we rent the apartment. We own a car, furniture, and share a bank account. The car’s in his name.”
“Do you have any debt?” David asked.
I shook my head. “Dad paid for all my school, and Bill’s student loans are minimal. He was—is very frugal. We were pre-approved for a loan to make an offer on the Oak Park house, but that’s it.”
“I didn’t know you’d made an offer,” Dad said. “Thank God they didn’t accept it.”
My fork stopped midway to my mouth.
David also froze, then turned to look at my dad.
“What?” Dad asked.
“They didn’t accept Bill’s offer because I bought the house,” David told him.
My dad’s face scrunched. “I’m sorry—what? Why?”
“I bought the house out from under Bill,” David said. “For Olivia.”
Dad drew back. “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. But I always trust my gut, in business and otherwise.” David squeezed my leg under the table. “And my gut told me Olivia would eventually come around.”
No amount of struggling could suppress the smile that broke out over my face. I really hadn’t allowed myself to think too much about the Oak Park house. At first, it’d been upsetting that he’d bought it behind my back. Then, it’d represented a life I wanted but might not let myself have. Now, I knew. David and I belonged there, just like I’d envisioned.
“Well, well. There’s that smile,” my dad said. “I haven’t seen that in too long.”
“Dad,” I said, embarrassed.
“Bill never made you smile like that. Not that I ever saw. Honestly, it . . .” To my horror, my dad stopped and sniffled. “It brings a tear to my eye.”
My chin quivered, an automatic response to seeing my dad cry for only the second time in my life. The first had been the night I’d spent in the hospital.
“No, no,” he said, wiping his face with his napkin. “No more tears. Let David finish his thought.”
David hesitated, clearly at a loss for how to proceed. I couldn’t help but laugh through the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry, honey,” I said to him. “What were you saying?”
“Um, well . . . how attached are you to the car and the furniture?”
“God, I hate that piece of shit car,” I said.
“I offered Bill the Shelby for your thirtieth birthday this year,” Dad said. “He wouldn’t accept it. Said it was impractical and too expensive to park and maintain.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you kidding? Bill knows I would’ve loved that, but he’s stingy. And proud.”
“So then your share of the bank account is the only real problem,” David continued. “Right?”
