Page 33 of Ashes of Us

Danica was finishing up a phone conversation with the hotel's social media manager when she got another call. Glancing at the ID, she saw it was an international call and recognized the number of Alex's ex-wife. Internally groaning, she quickly finished her call and then answered the other line.

“Alex West's office, Danica speaking.” She put on her best, most polite customer service voice, knowing Heidi West was about to go off yet again. She called at least once a week at this point; she refused to say what she wanted and would demand to speak to Alex, who refused to talk to her.

“Put Alex on the phone.” The posh, British-accented voice was icy cold and very clipped, as usual. ”Immediately.”

“Mr. West is busy at the moment,” Danica replied smoothly, knowing it irritated Heidi to no end that she pretended not to know who she was every time she called. “Can I take a message?”

“Put my husband on the phone right now!” The voice rose several octaves, and Danica smirked to herself. She had so few outlets for her frustrations that siphoning them off on Alex's snobby soon-to-be-ex-wife amused her to no end.

“Ah, Mrs. West. How lovely to hear from you again.” Danica made her voice chipper and bright.

“Unfortunately, Mr. West is in the middle of something and is unable to speak with you.

He did tell me, again, that you know that you're supposed to go through his attorney and to tell you to stop attempting to harass him.” Danica paused as Heidi let out a strangled sound, then continued, still using her syrupy sweet customer service voice.

“Of course, his version was much less polite than mine, but I'd be happy to give it to you verbatim if it helps you understand that he does not wish to speak with you.”

“Listen here you little bitch...” Heidi immediately started in on her litany of complaints and insults about Danica and her attitude, the curses and names sounding absurd coming in her posh, patrician accent.

Danica quietly laid down the receiver and began searching for funeral homes to find one that could pick up Jasper that afternoon.

When the squawking on the phone finally stopped, Danica picked it up again.

“While I'm glad you were able to get out some of your frustration, I'm afraid I must insist you contact Mr. West's lawyer, as that's how he prefers to communicate with you,” Danica said brightly.

“I sincerely hope you have the day you deserve.” She hung up just as Heidi started going off again, pleased she was able to have a moment of fun before she started calling funeral homes.

Alex poked his head in just as she was gathering her things to go to the hospital. “Ready?” His voice was soft and gentle, making Danica stop in her tracks. She wasn't sure she liked him being so nice and sweet to her.

“Yeah,” She narrowed her eyes at him as she slowly walked forward, not sure what to make of this. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Like what?” He stepped back so she could come out and lock her door behind her.

“All...” She trailed off, waving her hand in a circle as she tried to find the right words. “All tender and compassionate.” She knew she sounded ridiculous, she knew he was trying to be considerate of her feelings, but she wanted him to continue being a bit of an ass, it helped keep her grounded.

Alex let out a snort and shook his head as they walked to the elevator. “Excuse me for trying to be sensitive to what you could potentially be feeling.”

Danica let out a low groan, rubbing her forehead as they reached the elevator and he pressed the call button.

“I'm sorry. I'm not trying to diminish what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I need you to be yourself right now. Your usual, slightly assholeish, no sugarcoating or bullshit self. It makes me feel like less of a terrible person for looking forward to having this over and done with.”

“Ah.” He nodded, understanding blooming on his face. “You shouldn't feel like a terrible person for wanting this done with. You've been held in limbo for over a week, unable to properly process or grieve your husband's death because you haven't gotten the closure from his funeral and burial.”

They stepped on the elevator, and Danica smiled as she pressed the button for the parking garage.

“Thank you. That's what I need. Someone to tell me when I'm justified or when I'm being a bitch.” She paused, realizing he had been validating her nonstop since the police showed up in Austin.

“You will tell me when I'm being a bitch, right?

I don't want to be placated and told not to worry when I should be.”

“Yes, Dani.” He rolled his eyes. “I will tell you when I think you're being a bitch or if you're being too much.”

“Good.” Danica nodded. “Cause I'm honestly not sure what to feel or do anymore.”

“I can't tell you what to feel or do.” The elevator came to a stop, and they stepped out, heading toward Alex's Jeep.

He offered to drive her when they got back from the courthouse that morning, something Danica had jumped on because she had no idea how she was going to react to Jasper being taken off life support.

“I can validate what you're feeling and tell you if I think you're making the right move, but keep in mind I'm a petty bastard who holds onto grudges, so I'm probably the last person you should be going to for reassurance.”

They reached his Jeep, and he unlocked the door and opened it for her.

“Speaking of being petty and holding grudges,” Danica began as she climbed in, made herself comfortable and buckled her seatbelt.

“Your soon-to-be ex-wife called again.” She was very curious about what ended their marriage.

She hoped it was because he realized what a snobby brat she was and ended it, but she had a feeling that wasn't it.

“Did she?” Alex murmured as he started the Jeep and backed out of his space. “Did you document it?”

“I did.” He had asked her to document every call, not long after Danica dealt with Heidi the first time.

“It was the same as always, she demands to speak to you, I tell her no and to go through your lawyer, she swears at me for ten minutes, I tell her to have a good day and hang up.” She gave him the crib notes of the call and then hesitated for a moment as he nodded.

“Can I ask why she needs to talk to you so badly?”

He glanced at her and then focused on making the left hand turn across traffic out of the parking garage before he answered.

“She and her family made some very bad investment choices, lost all their money and a chunk of mine before I caught on.

She's been dragging the divorce out, contesting everything, the prenup, the sale of our house in Kensington, and, since she found out Dad died, she's saying she's entitled to partial ownership of the hotels.”

“Oh.” Danica didn't know what to say, but felt a little knot of anxiety form at the thought of Heidi having anything to do with the hotels. “Is she?”

Alex shook his head. “No, she's not. That was covered in the prenup, but since dad was alive when we separated, it never came up when I filed for divorce; however, since we aren't officially divorced yet, she's trying to push it.” He ran his hand through his black curls, looking like he wanted to punch something.

“You can't list financial infidelity as a reason for divorce in the UK, so I looked into filing in Massachusetts since we were married here, which is why I know so much about the divorce process. I had to file in the UK since that’s where we lived for the duration, but even though I can't list the financial issues as the reason for the divorce, it can impact the division of property and since I have proof she illegally accessed my accounts and used my money without my knowledge, the judge is taking it into consideration, which is extremely rare.

It's looking like she's going to have to give up what she's entitled to so she can pay back the money she stole from me.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Want to know the best part about all of it?” Danica nodded, wondering what he found so funny about his situation.

If she were in his place, she would have killed Jasper and buried him in the backyard.

“All the points she's trying to argue in the prenup are there because she insisted on them. Separate finances, inheritances not being considered marital property, and no alimony unless there was infidelity, were all added in because that was what she and her father wanted. I agreed because it was protecting me, too.”

Danica blinked in surprise, then let out a giggle. “Wow, talk about things biting you in the ass. But why is she trying to get in touch with you so badly? It has to be outside your control now.”

“Oh yeah.” He grinned. “It bit her in the ass hard. As for why she's trying to get in touch, she wants me to forgive her and take her back. So far, she's offered to go to marriage counselling, open our marriage on my side only, and look for a surrogate so we can have kids.”

“She can't have kids?” Danica said softly, feeling a pang of sympathy for her, despite how much she disliked the woman.

“Oh, no, she can, she just doesn't want to ruin her body,” Alex explained, a hint of disdain in his expression as he turned into the hospital parking lot and began looking for an empty parking space.

“I'm not trying to come down on her about that, her body, her choice, and I was the one that suggested a surrogate when she told me why she didn't want kids, but the woman only has two loves, herself, in particular, how she looks, and money.”

Danica had to bite her lip so she wouldn't say something snarky.

She had been able to tell that about his wife from one meeting, but apparently it took Alex eight years to figure that out.

Or maybe it was what he was into; he had certainly indulged her every whim and complaint while they were here.

“You didn't notice her taking money from your account?” she asked, deciding it was best to stay away from that conversation.

She was starting to warm up to him and didn't want to know if he was actually that shallow when it came to the women he dated.

“No, she kept the amounts small at first, a couple of hundred here, a thousand there,” he shrugged as he parked.

“And she made the withdrawals maybe once a month.

I don't know if she was emboldened by the fact that I never seemed to notice or if she became desperate, but one day I noticed a withdrawal of $5,000.

I was in Berlin, dealing with a small crisis and didn't do anything until the next morning when I saw another withdrawal for five thousand.

I tried calling her, but she sent me to voicemail.

Then, my bank called and said there was a woman claiming to be my wife, demanding that they let her withdraw $20,000.

I asked them to send me a picture, and they sent me a still from their security feed.

It was my wife, but I told them it wasn't and to call the cops, then mentioned the two previous five-thousand-dollar withdrawals so they would check the security footage at the ATMs.”

“You said she wasn't your wife and had her arrested?” Danica felt her mouth drop open in shock.

Even if she caught Jasper stealing from her red-handed, she didn't think she would have him arrested.

Then again, until she got her inheritance from Alexander, she'd never had more than ten grand in her account at any one time, so maybe she would have called the cops if it was that much money.

“She was stealing from me.” He said simply as he shut off the Jeep and opened his door, then climbed out and stretched.

“She didn't have my permission to access my accounts, she didn't ask if she could have the money, she took my bank card out of my wallet and waited for me to leave the country.

I couldn't get there to confront her in person, so I had her arrested.

I honestly figured her father would bail her out, but he didn't have the money either, so she sat in jail until I got home two days later. She was livid until I gave her the divorce papers I had my lawyer draw up and picked up on my way to get her. Then it was suddenly a mistake, and she was so, so, so very sorry.”

“Remind me not to mess around with you,” Danica mumbled as they crossed the parking lot, not that she needed the reminder; she knew Alex well enough to know he didn't tolerate disrespect and had no problem reporting people or confronting them if he needed to.

Alex laughed, that big booming laugh that he only occasionally let out. “Like I'd have to worry about you stealing from me. You're too goddamn honest for your own good.”