“What we wanted.”
“Ohmigod!” Pandy shrieked.
“I knew I’d make you happy,” Hiram purred. “Remember the first day I met you? Remember what I told you? ‘My wife and daughters ju
st love Monica.’ I promised I’d do right by you.”
“And you have. And I’m so grateful.” And then a second thought: “Did he actually sign? On the dotted line?”
“You mean, with the actual John Hancock? No, he did not. Nevertheless, he verbally agreed. And when you verbally agree in front of four of New York City’s top thousand-dollar-an-hour litigators, you do not go back on your word. Let’s just say we gave him a little talking-to, and he’s agreed to see things our way.”
Pandy laughed nervously. “You mean, my way.”
“Your way, our way, it’s all the same way, isn’t it?”
“Well, golly,” Pandy said. “I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon.”
“I know. After all the hell he’s put you through. Put us through. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve seen everything. One of my guys canceled his vacation to get the paperwork finished. His daughters love Monica, too.”
“Thank God for Monica.” Pandy paused and inhaled deeply as reality began to set in. “In that case, I suppose Jonny will be wanting his check.”
Hiram laughed. “I suppose he will. But don’t think about the money. Go out and celebrate. You are now officially free from that asshole.”
Hiram hung up.
For a moment Pandy could only stand there, dazed.
Divorced.
Free.
Suddenly the world came rushing back to her in all its Technicolor glory.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
PJ WALLIS! Is that really you? And what the hell are you wearing?” screamed Suzette as she came barreling into the loft, followed by a posse of Pandy’s twelve closest girlfriends.
“I’m back!” Pandy shrieked, removing the silver-sequined cardboard top hat from her head and giving a little bow. Suzette grabbed her around the shoulders, and they jumped up and down like ten-year-olds.
“I need a drink,” Meghan announced. “These divorce parties make me nervous. What if it happens to me?”
“It will inevitably happen to you, and then you will get one of these.” Suzette thrust her left hand under Meghan’s nose so she could get a closer look at the large yellow stone. “Ten carats. Unfortunately the guy who comes with it is eighty and has liver spots, but if he wants to pretend he’s younger than he is, who am I to object?”
“But you’re not young, either,” Meghan pointed out. “You’re nearly—”
“Shhhh.” Suzette glared at Meghan as Pandy—right on cue—cooed at the ring in wonder.
“You’re engaged?”
“Not all of us have been under a rock for the past two years,” Suzette quipped as the elevator doors opened and six more women spilled out.
“Champagne in the bathtub, cupcakes in the kitchen, cigarettes in the living room,” Pandy said by way of greeting.
“What about cock? Do we get cock in the bedroom?” one of the women screamed, sending the others into peals of nervous laughter.
“Do you think Jonny thought you spent too much time working?” asked Angie. Pandy laughed and put her arm around Angie’s slight shoulders. “Of course I spent too much time working,” she said loudly, as much for herself as for the benefit of the crowd. “What woman isn’t forced to spend ‘too much time working’ these days? And if men don’t like it, too bad. If you’re in a relationship with me, I come with a career. Just like Jonny came with his career.”