“I will think about it. I promise.”
“Call me tomorrow, and we can burn whatever Marc left behind!”
Nine
Samantha
Throwing Marc outand avoiding Lucas somehow gave me a crap load of energy. My curtains were now washed and ironed for the first time since I gave birth, the floors were spotless, and there wasn’t a patch of dust anywhere. Starting a new life for my daughter and me was scary, even though I was sure I was making the right decision; mindless housework was a fantastic escape.
As Bella watchedSuper Why, I plopped on the couch, looking around for something else to scrub. My cell phone rang, and I recognized my friend Robyn’s number.
“Hey, Robyn, thanks for getting back to me so fast!”
“Not a problem! Is everything all right?
Robyn had to be the nicest person I knew, and the most soft-spoken—it was why we were all shocked when she told us she wanted to become a lawyer. The only time I ever saw Robyn angry was when her academic ranking in our high school class went from number one to number three. Even though she overachieved her way all through law school, Robyn never lost her sweetness unless you were a deadbeat dad or an abusive husband. Then, may God have mercy on your soul.
Robyn’s father left when she was very young, and her mom worked two jobs because he didn’t give her a dime of child support for her or her brothers. I’m sure that had a lot to do with why she was so passionate about family law. I was very thankful I didn’t have to explain everything that had happened over the last forty-eight hours to a complete stranger.
“Marc took a job in Chicago and left a couple of days ago. I threw him out for good.” I took a deep breath. “I want a divorce.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Are you okay? What happened?”
“We had an argument before he left, and I finally had enough of being abused all these years.”
“Has he hurt you or threatened you in any way? Do you need to file a restraining order?” I smiled to myself at how she morphed from Robyn the friend to Robyn, the kick-ass attorney.
“No, nothing like that. I’m ready to move on. It’s not good for me or Bella to live in this type of situation, and I don’t want her to grow up thinking this is how a man is supposed to treat his family. I want full custody, but I doubt he’ll fight me. I’m really clueless, so tell me what I need to do.”
“First thing I want you to do is change the locks. I’ve seen this happen before, the husband and wife separate, and then he feels like coming back home, so he walks in like he still lives there. Get his name off everything you can. Do you share a checking account? I would either close it or open a new one and transfer all the money you need for expenses. The faster you take care of all of that, the faster the divorce can go through when the time comes. In the state of New York, we have to prove you’ve been separated for at least a year before you can file for divorce. So before we do this, are you sure?”
Whatever happened with Lucas and me from this point on, I was done being married to Marc. I felt good about this decision, even if it meant I was alone.
“I’m sure. What else do I need to do?”
“Get me his address so we can serve him separation papers. I’ll have them drawn up ASAP when I get to the office. And Samantha, I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Rob—I needed that.”
The restless energy still continued, and I decided to tackle the boxes at the bottom of my closet. I found old yearbooks, photo albums, and my accounting textbook from college. I had fond memories of this book since I used all my accounting and finance classes back then as an excuse to get tutored by the hottest advisor in school.
“Hey, Baby Girl. C’mon in.”
Lucas promised me he’d help me with some accounting homework. I hated math, but accounting and finance were core classes I had to pass to get a business degree. He said to come by the advisor’s office after my last class since he’d be filing the new freshman paperwork.
“Baby Girl? I feel like I’m four when you call me that. It’s getting a little old.”
“Oh, loosen up. Let’s see what we have here …” He looked over my shoulder at my notebook, brushing his body against mine, causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end, as usual. “You do know which side is credit and which side is debit, right?”
“Um, yes, I’m not that far gone.” Truthfully, I could never remember. Plus, Lucas was looking extra hot today with a tight, long sleeve gray Henley shirt and faded jeans. He still kept his sandy brown hair a little long—just enough to grab during a hot, passionate …ah, enough, Samantha. Focus! You’re here for a reason.I didn’t want to look dumb; I figured he’d show me without having to ask.
He went through the whole assignment with me. It was adorable how he got excited explaining it. Leave it to Lucas to make the most boring subject in the entire world interesting. I had a good handle on it once we were done.
“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver! The professor is too old and scary for me to ask for any help.” The professor was, in fact, very nice and reminded us at the end of each class that his door was always open if we needed extra help. Did I look as pathetic as I really was? I almost enjoyed accounting and finance because it gave me an excuse to spend more time with Lucas. He was always happy to help and so patient and articulate and sexy and . . .ugh. Maybe this incurable crush would help my GPA somehow.
“Anytime. You’re like family, you know that.” Family. Ick. Family was worse than being called “kid” or…“Baby Girl.”
I noticed a flyer for a Halloween party on the bulletin board in front of Lucas’s desk. Advisors were in charge of all the school events. Lucas was, of course, the most popular, especially with the girls. He wasn’t supposed to date any of them, but I always overheard stories from girls claiming to have hooked up with him after one of the on-campus parties.
