I change my mind. I’m going to tell Mom exactly how to run Geneva over, then be her alibi. Actually, I’ll do the running over. Mom can be my alibi. “Hard to be good in bed when you’re trying to fuck an iceberg. Maybe I should start calling my dick the Titanic!”
I hang up, breathing hard. Dammit. That was not what I should’ve said. Being juvenile and immature is not how to stop my ex-wife, even if she’s the one who brought down our exchange to that level.
“Wow,” comes Kim’s voice from behind me. Her hair’s slightly damp from a shower, and she’s in a pink robe she brought over earlier this week. “I wasn’t planning to eavesdrop, but that was… Who was that?”
I breathe in deep a few times to calm myself. It helps, but only a little. “Sorry. That was Geneva.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
She comes over and rubs the tension between my shoulders. I close my eyes at how well she seems to know what I need. Okay, there’s no reason to stay worked up. Vi is safe with my parents, and Mandee’s mom will never just let Geneva take her. And Geneva can’t get in touch with Vi directly because I got her a new number after we moved to L.A. As usual, Geneva never bothered to ask for it.
I turn my head a little and see the food on the counter. My appetite’s gone, but that’s no reason to not feed Kim. And starving won’t help me, either.
My jaw tight, I start cooking. As I do, I tell Kim what happened.
She listens quietly, letting me pour everything out, including how much I hate Geneva. “I can’t stand her either,” Kim says. “But can she do that? Didn’t everything get settled in the divorce?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know. Maybe she’ll try to sue.” Geneva will do whatever is in her power to get what she wants, no matter how unreasonable that is. But she doesn’t realize I’m going to fight her with everything I’ve got. I’ll call in favors if I have to.
I put two plates on the table, along with some coffee.
“In the process, she’ll probably hurt Vi again,” Kim says.
“Yeah. She will.” And my hatred of her burns even hotter. Then it hits me. Kim isn’t worried about my money or a potential lawsuit. They aren’t that important to her. What she’s most concerned about is Vi’s welfare.
We eat. The food tastes like cardboard to me, but I’m going to need calories to fight the upcoming battle. Still, I hand over a strip of bacon to Champ, who’s been watching me with pleading eyes. He’ll enjoy it more anyway.
“Who did your divorce?” Kim asks suddenly.
“Robert Mann. He’s retired, though. I think I was his last case.”
“So you need a new lawyer.”
“Basically.” It hurts my head, trying to think about who to get to crush Geneva. Maybe Dane knows…but then again, maybe not. He’s too besotted with his wife to even think about divorce. And David isn’t even married.
“I have just the person for you. Samantha Jones.”
“Who?”
“She’s a family law attorney. You’re going to need a nuke, and Samantha is it. She might not kill the roach, but she’ll scare it to death. Her hobby is making her opponents cry in public.”
How does Kim know this? Is it part of being an assistant to somebody like Salazar Pryce?
“She handled Salazar’s divorce. Actually, she worked for Ceinlys, but… Basically amounts to the same thing. Anyway, she’s excellent, and she’ll find a way to make Geneva go away. Permanently.”
“Well, that’s the solution I want.” If Kim thinks so highly of this lawyer, maybe Samantha is the one to hire. “I’ll call her office first thing Monday.”
“You don’t have to bother.” Kim reaches into her bag, which she left on one of the chairs last night, and takes out her phone. “I have her private number right here.”
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I fold my arms and watch her tap away on her phone. The sunlight is behind her, making her look like some kind of angel of knowledge and competence. Is there anything she doesn’t know how to handle?
I’m a lucky man to have her on my side.
She lifts her head. “Done.”