Thanks a Million by Dee Dawning Page B

you are my friend and I want you to know that serving you with a divorce petition was the worse thing I could think of. Unfortunately, Lamar is my client. I had to give you that petition. It was my job.”
    “Don’t remind me,” I snarled as I felt my face gnarl, “Where is the snake.”
    “He went to see his girlfriend.”
    I jerked upright. “Girlfriend? Is that what this is about? He torpedoes my life, I faint and he marches off to see a girlfriend.”
    I recognized empathy in his eyes. “Apparently.”
    My nostrils flared in reaction to my emotive state. “I busted ass for five years to put that snake through medical school and this is how he repays me.” I shook my head. “I guess I really never knew him.”
    “He’s changed. Success has made his head swell. I know this is tough, but you’re better off without him. The three of us go clear back to college, but I always knew you were the nicer person.”
    “Thanks Dan.” I hugged him, but felt dizzy, so I lay back against the armrest. “I’ll bet you’d never do anything as seedy as that?”
    Dan’s baby blue eyes looked conflicted, he opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but didn’t.
    I pursed my lips. “Humph, I should have married you.”
    Dan’s eyes widened. He fidgeted and once again acted as if he would speak, but he remained silent.
    My voice sounded whiny as I bemoaned my situation, “What am I going to do? I have no money, no job, no place to live.”
    Dan’s hand softly stroked my forehead. “You have your old condo.”
    “It’s rented, out.”
    “Not anymore. Lamar wouldn’t renew the lease and kicked the tenants out. That’s where your things are being delivered.”
    I raised my hands and flared my fingers to emphasize what I was about to impart, “That’s fine, but I still have no job, or money.”
    “You’ll get money too. Don’t worry.”
    “When? How much?”
    “I’ll explain it all to you. Tell me. Not that you could have kept working at the medical office now, but how come you stopped working there?”
    I rolled my eyes. “That was Lamar’s idea. He decided, about six months ago, since the practice was doing so well, I should stay at home and join charities. That it looked bad to have the wife working there as if we were barely maki…” I paused while an epiphany took shape in my mind. “Hey! You don’t suppose he wanted me out of there so his philandering ass could fool around with impunity, do you?”
    Dan shrugged. “I wouldn’t doubt it. He met his girlfriend three months ago.
    “What an asshole. And since I stay home now I was planning on trying to have a baby.”
    “Thank your stars, you didn’t.”
    I shook my head. “Getting pregnant would have been a project. We were down to having sex once every two or three weeks. How come you’re here, anyway? Won’t your asshole client get mad at you for comforting the enemy?”
    “He asked me to make sure you were all right. Besides I wanted to. You always have been one of my favorite people.”
    “Aw, that’s sweet.” I sat up and embraced him and when I did, my pulse sped up. I always liked Dan’s looks—dreamy light blue eyes, long handsome face and long sandy brown hair with sun bleached highlights. He even asked me out when we first met. I wanted to do it, but it seemed so risqué back then, going out with a white man, and in the end, I chickened out. Not that there’s anything wrong with dating people of other races. It’s more of a matter of expectations. An overweight, guy might ogle a hot looking slender chick, but he knows it’s not likely they would ever get together, so he doesn’t bother. Besides, nine years ago when I first met Dan, mixed couples weren’t nearly as prevalent as today.
    What are you talking about? He just handed you a divorce petition. He’s your future ex-husband’s smarmy lawyer. He’s the friggen enemy.
    No, he’s not. He’s Daniel, my friend. True he introduced me to asshole, but I asked him