Page 113 of Happy Wife

“You wouldn’t believe how small the legal community is, Nora. Especially for someone like myself.”

“I’m sure.” I slapped on a placid expression.

Where is he going with this?

“And we all like to help each other as much as we can. Even outside of the plaintiff’s field. We all stay pretty tight.”

Fun story.

I wanted to roll my eyes and tell him to get to the fucking point. “What is it that you need from me, Fritz?”

“A friend of mine over at Fisher-Grant Family Law said you were calling to get some advice.” The expression on his face darkened a shade. “Now, why would that be?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

I’d kept meaning to follow up with the family law firm after our fight. But Will had been so sweet since then that the phone call kept slipping farther and farther down on my to-do list. Had Fritz told Will? I doubted it. Will would have said something. Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if he did. After the way Will had behaved, could anyone really blame me?

Still, my skin prickled—grossed out by the idea of Fritz and some attorney speculating about the state of my marriage and why I’d called. But I straightened up in my seat. I wasn’t about to let him see me flustered. “Marriage is complicated, Fritz.”

“That’s fair enough, Nora. Thankfully, Mark Fisher is a close friend of mine. He’s assured me he’ll keep this information confidential. But I need assurances from you, too.”

“You seriously think you’ve got one over on me because your colleagues would rather gossip than keep their clients’ confidence?” I didn’t even bother hiding my contempt. “What do you want, Fritz? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the postnuptial agreement that you were supposed to sign in case you and Will ever decide to go your separate ways.”

I scanned the pool deck, hoping Will would turn up.

“Listen.” He gave a jovial chuckle. “You two do whatever you want. Lord knows Gigi keeps a divorce lawyer on speed dial, butif you’re leaving Will, we need to get it in writing that you’re leaving with no part of the firm.”

He was trying to good-cop me.

No, thanks.

“I don’t know what to say.” I smiled sweetly, playing up my role as the young, dumb wife. “Will never gave me a postnup to sign.”

After the wedding party, I’d half expected him to. But then, he stopped talking to me about almost everything for a while because he was so busy.

“Nora.” Fritz leaned in and his voice got quiet and tight. “If you leave him and you try to take even one dime from that law firm, I will end you. Do you understand?”

I rolled my eyes. “Take this up with your partner, Fritz. I told you. I’ll sign anything he puts in front of me. I don’t want your firm.”

“I’d love to take this up with Will, but he won’t hear of it. So I’m bringing it to you.” His eyes were blazing with a quiet fury. “Make this right. Do what you’ve already said you’re happy to do. I can have something drawn up and couriered to your place tonight.”

The rage in his eyes was unmistakable, but there was something I almost missed. Fear.

Fritz Hall is afraid of me? Oh, I’m going to savor this.

“No deal.”

“What thefuck,Nora?” He was speaking low, trying not to cause a scene, but he punctuated the word “fuck” with a firm rap of his fist on the table, causing a few people to look over at us.

If Will didn’t want me to sign something—whatever his reasons—I wasn’t going to.

Fritz tried again. “You said—”

“I said”—I raised a hand to stop him—“I would sign whatever Will asked me to. So—and evidently I can’t stress this enough—take it up with him.”

Fritz stood so quickly and impulsively that he almost knocked his chair over behind him. I kept my seat, staring up at him with an unbothered expression on my face.