Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
“Please, wait here,” I ask her, begging with my eyes. “Or go back to the cabin and wait for me. Just don’t–please don’t leave. I’ll explain everything. I just have to get rid of her.”
I take her hand and raise it to my lips and kiss her delicately. Then I quickly spin and run away, back toward Gracie, leaving Penny alone and away from the confrontation that is about to occur.
God, what a nightmare.
“Think you can just run off?!” Gracie is already shouting at me as I come up the slope and approach her. “Leave me with nothing?”
“I honestly cannot believe you’re doing this, Gracie,” I reply. “You can’t be here. It’s not legal for you to be here. You understand that, right?”
“It’s not legal for you to stop paying me, Tyson.”
“Have you spoken to your lawyers?” I ask, genuinely mystified. “Because I’m pretty sure you haven’t.”
“I don’t need to, Tyson,” she sneers defiantly. I throw my hands up in the air. This is starting to make sense now. “We had an agreement.”
“A divorce agreement, Gracie. Lump sum alimony that was to be paid off in three payments, the last of which was paid five weeks ago.”
“Don’t try and weasel out of–”
“I also have a restraining order against you,” I growl, fighting against the anger which is growing and growing inside me. “In the state of California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York, where we currently are.”
Gracie shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other and rolls her eyes like I’m making things up or something. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Tyson. We both know those days are long gone. There’s no need for that.”
“You’re right, there isn’t.” I nod. “You can just hike back down the mountain and get out of here.”
“Tyson–”
“Or I can call the police, who happen to be really good guys up here, and have them come put you in handcuffs and drag you off to jail for the night. Would you like that?”
My heart is beating really heavily now. Penny hasn’t passed us on her way up to the cabin, which means she’s either waiting for me back where I left her, or she’s started hiking back down the mountain. I need to finish this conversation with Gracie now so I can go find Penny and fix things with her.
“You know I wouldn’t, Tyson,” Gracie replies, a snippy tone to her voice.
“Well then you need to leave,” I say. She stares defiantly back at me as though waiting for me to break. “We’re not a couple anymore, Gracie. And we never will be. And the longer you stay here, the worse you make things for yourself.”
Gracie’s eyes roll in her head once more, and she crosses her arms over her chest. She shakes her head as though somehow, I’m being unreasonable, despite the fact that everything she’s done thus far has been unreasonable. Then she scoffs.
“Fine. I’ll leave. But don’t forget about the check you owe me.”
I say nothing as she walks passed me. I know she’s just doing her best to get in the last word. Whether or not she still believes I owe her money doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is getting her out of here. She won’t get another dime out of me, and I believe she knows that.
I watch her go, and once I’m satisfied that she’s not going to double back and try something again, I race back to where I left Penny. My heart leaps when I see her sitting on a rock, her arms curled around her shins, her chin leaning on her knee. She looks up when she sees me.
“Wife, huh?”
“Ex-wife,” I reply. “We’ve been divorced for about a year now. Just about as long as I’ve been missing.”
“But she still calls herself your wife?”
I sigh as I go over to her. “She’s got more than a few screws loose,” I tell her, offering her my hand. “Which is one of the reasons we got divorced in the first place.”
Penny takes my hand, and I lift her to her feet. “And the other reasons?”
“Where to begin?” I chuckle. “Remember when I told you it was hard to determine who actually liked you and who only liked you for your money when you’re a guy like me?”
Penny nods. “I’m guessing she was one of those girls?”
“As it turns out, yes.” I run my hand through my hair and take a deep breath. “I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn’t. And I paid for it.”
Penny gently rubs the back of my hand with her thumb. It’s exactly what I need right now. “Literally or figuratively?” She jokes. I laugh and nod.
“Both. But I can afford it. That’s why she was up here, though. Trying to get me to pay even more than I already paid out during our divorce.”