“Mrs. Atley!” Thom nearly shouted. This time, he caught her attention. “Before we continue any sort of discussion, youwillsit down.” He paused, giving her time to realize he was serious. “Now, if you have any proof of Mr. Atley’s alleged infidelity, I would urge you to share that with your attorney, but please remember that the proof must be frombeforethe petition for divorce was filed.”
“Mr. Barrino, would it be possible to have a few moments alone with my client?” her lawyer asked, his face red with what I assumed was either embarrassment or anger that she was being such a child. Thom motioned for Maria and me to follow him into the hall.
I watched through the plate glass as Teresa ranted about the same shit she’d done over the course of our marriage. Every few sentences, she’d turn and point at me, glaring the entire time. After a few minutes, her lawyer grew tired of her antics and motioned for her to sit. She did, and seemed to shrink as he lectured her before opening the door to inform us they were ready to continue.
“Thank you. I think the rest of the meeting will go much more smoothly,” he told us as we returned to our seats. “Now, since you were so keen to point out the need for evidence to my client, I’m assuming you have something you need to share with me?”
Thom nodded, pulling the stack of pictures out of the folder. Teresa leaned over as her attorney flipped through them, her face blanching with every image she looked at. When he was through, her lawyer pursed his lips and turned the pictures face down on the table. Everyone looked to Teresa when she spoke.
“Is this even legal? He can’t take pictures of me in my own home, can he?” she demanded, not once denying what we all knew to be true.
“As you can see, the majority of those images were taken while you were outside your home, which invalidates your argument,” Thom informed her. “If you would prefer, we could certainly spend the next month or two fighting over the terms of the proposed settlement, but keep in mind that it is my client’s prerogative to rescind this offer at any time. He is making this gesture to you out of the kindness of his heart.”
The noises coming out of my almost-ex were amusing and far from ladylike. She was snorting and huffing and seemed ready to go postal at any moment. “Yeah, more like a desire to save his own ass.”
“Teresa,” her attorney warned before turning to Thom. “We’ll need a few days to discuss the terms of your proposal, but I believe we’ll be able to take care of this in a timely manner.”
“I assumed as much,” Thom responded with that cocky tone of his. “Now, before we leave, there is one other matter to be discussed. Mr. Atley feels, and I agree with him, that it is in the best interest of everyone involved if the details of this proceeding remain confidential. As such, the offer he has made is contingent upon Mrs. Atley’s signature on this non-disclosure agreement. If, at any time, the details are made public, Mrs. Atley agrees not only that the settlement will be null and void, but that she will also be subject to the penalties mentioned within.”
The flicker of mischief in Teresa’s gaze dimmed, confirming my assumption that she wasn’t above selling her story to the highest bidder. As she listened to her attorney explain everything in terms she’d understand, I pitied her.
I wanted to be hurt or angry for what she’d done to me, but I truly felt sorry that her life was so empty that she thought she had nothing of value without drama in her life.
Luckily, she wasn’t so out of her mind that she couldn’t listen to reason. It seemed her attorney made her understand that it was likely this offer or walk away empty handed. It sounded so cold when put that way, but it was the truth. Had she not cheated on me, so fully and blatantly in the home I paid for, I probably would have handed her whatever she wanted just to be rid of her.
An hour after stepping into the conference room, I was walking out, one step closer to freedom.
16
Sean
I was onlyabout a block from the park when my cellphone rang. I didn’t bother looking at the caller ID before answering, which wound up being a colossal mistake.
“Sean, it’s your mother.” I loved when she greeted me that way, as if I wouldn’t know the clipped cadence of her voice if she didn’t announce herself.
“Hi Mom, how are you?” She never called without a purpose, so I turned off the car and got comfortable in my seat, gearing up for whatever it was she wanted this time.
“I’d be better if it didn’t seem that two of my children have been avoiding me. How am I supposed to plan for Fourth of July if I have no clue who will be in attendance?” Lovely, she was on a fishing expedition. I wanted to ask her why she bothered badgering me about this every year since I hadn’t been to her annual party at the cabin since college.
“Sorry, I’ll be out of town,” I informed her. Mason beeped in on the other line and while I would have loved to cut the call short so I could talk to him, I figured it’d be for the best if I didn’t do anything to upset her. Just knowing that he’d called to let me know the meeting was over was enough for me to stop worrying for a while.
“What about your sister?” she pressed.
“Have you called her?”
My mother let out a dramatic sigh. “Of course I’ve called her, but she can’t be bothered to answer her phone. You need to talk to her, because her behavior lately makes you look respectful, and that’s saying something. I’m starting to worry that she may have herself mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
Abi and I weren’t quite the black sheep in our family, but we were definitely a dark shade of gray. The two of us broke free from the idyllic dream our parents had for their children, and I’d learned there was no accomplishment great enough to overcome their disappointment. I’d grown so used to her jabs over the years that they no longer bothered me.
“Mom, I’ve got to go,” I said, cutting off her rant about how she’d somehow gone wrong raising the two of us and how we needed to be more like our siblings. I knew I’d pay for my disrespect later, but I didn’t care. Right now, I had to get inside to get ready for the game.
I turned on my music as I walked across the parking lot to the players’ entrance. I was running late, so I kept my head bowed to avoid any possible distractions. Once inside, I sat down in the lounge to eat a quick sandwich before heading to the training room. It was still quiet, since most of the guys wouldn’t show up for another hour or so, but Jason walked in and sat down across the table from me.
“Man, you look like shit,” he observed as he helped himself to a carrot stick. He stared at it in disgust before biting off the end. “I have no clue how you eat that shit.”
“Boy, you’re full of encouraging words today, aren’t you?” I quipped. He held up his hands in surrender as he stood and started backing away. “Get back here. You did this to me, so you can deal with my bitchy, whiny hangover. Fuck, how am I supposed to get through this game?”
“Don’t sweat it, you’re going to do fine,” he assured me. “Nashville’s tough, but you’ve been getting better over the past few weeks.”
