Chapter 8

Every head in the building turned.

Rachel had her phone up while she talked, filming Charlotte and Edward.

Rachel said, "I kept wondering why my best friend, who can put up with anything, wanted out of her marriage.

"Now it makes sense. She ran into a manipulative bitch, and her name is Charlotte Evans. Don't think your reputation hasn't traveled. Without your husband, you'd never have passed the bar, let alone become an attorney.

"We're both attorneys, so spare me the act. You went after my friend because she spent six years at home with a kid and his parents, no job, no friends, nobody in her corner.

"And she's got me." Rachel swung around and leveled a finger at Edward. "You're going to stand there while another woman kicks around the wife who nearly died for you and gave you a son?"

I'd always known Rachel could fight. I hadn't known she'd gotten better at it.

Charlotte got both hands up over her face against the phone.

"Rachel, stop. Nothing has ever happened between Edward and me."

Edward stepped forward. "Rachel, don't push it."

I pulled Charlie up into my arms and put myself between Rachel and Edward. "What's the plan? Are you going to put hands on us?"

Charlie's face crumpled. "Dad, I don't like Charlotte."

Edward's brow drew together. "Charlotte and I came by the house for files this afternoon. Charlie was sitting there alone with the nanny, so we took him out for dinner."

Then he turned to me. "Charlotte shouldn't have said those things. I apologize."

"And who are you to apologize for her?" I asked.

That stopped him.

I kept Charlie against my hip, reached for Rachel's hand, and turned to her.

"Let's go," I said.

Rachel finally put her phone away. "Sure."

Edward started after us and Charlotte caught his hand.

Charlotte held on. "Ed, what do we do? She filmed me. She'll twist every second of it."

Edward pulled his hand free. "I'll handle it. Rachel's an attorney. She knows where the line is."

"I'm still shaking. Walk me back to the office," Charlotte said.

Edward looked once more in the direction we'd gone. "All right. Come on."

*****

Rachel drove Charlie and me home and walked us in. "Nobody ever died from being left, Susie. You'll be fine."

I nodded. "Yeah."

The nanny had dinner on the table when we came through the door.

Over dinner I couldn't keep the question down. "Sweetheart, if your dad and I stopped living in the same house, would that make you sad?"

Charlie was little, but nothing got past him.

He knew exactly what I meant. "No, Mom. If I'm with you, I'm happy."

I'd raised Charlie almost single-handed. Edward worked late every night of the week, and the two of them had never logged enough hours together to build anything.

I held him. "Okay."

That one sentence settled everything for me.

Susan: [Take tomorrow morning off. Let's go down to the courthouse and file.]