Page 58 of Happy Wife

“He took on a case without telling anyone. Some favor to a friend. And then he missed a hearing. The judge was about to dismiss the whole thing. A big case. And I’ve been making phone calls since yesterday to the defense attorney and the judge, pulling favors and even lying to save his ass.”

I felt protective of Will, especially when he sounded bone weary. “Why is that your job?”

“It reflects badly on the firm. And Fritz’s equity with the courts isn’t exactly stellar these days.”

It wasn’t unusual for Will to take a swipe at Fritz’s lack of professionalism. But this was the first I was hearing that Fritz’s reputation was on the decline.

“So where is Fritz in all of this? Did they reschedule the hearing?”

Will breathed a heavy sigh. “He’s probably halfway to Italy by now. He dumped this mess on my desk and told me he and Gianna were headed out of the country for some trip.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah,” Will said, and I could hear the sound of a drink being poured. “Come home. We’ll take the boat out and blow off some steam.”

“Oh.” I looked over at Este. “Este, Beau, and I are cooking dinner tonight to break in their new outdoor kitchen. Do you want to come?”

“I’m not in the mood for people.”

“I’m people.”

“You know what I mean. Just come home.”

It was my turn to sigh. I didn’t want to tell Will I had plans. He hardly ever asked for anything. And it had been weeks—at least—since we had spent any time together. But I felt guilty bailing on Este after we had just bought a mountain of food for three.

“Okay,” I said quietly. “See you soon.”

Este would be disappointed, but she would understand. And I would see her again tomorrow. And the day after that.

“I’ve gotta go check on Will,” I announced.

“Is he sick?” Este looked confused.

“No. Bad day at work, I guess.”

“Okay.” She shrugged. It wasn’t like Este to let her disappointment show. But I could see she was irked. Still, when she dropped me off in the driveway, she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you,” she said. “Let me know if you want us to bring over dinner plates.”

Chapter25

Tailoring my plans to Will’s work and moods started to become a more regular occurrence after that. One night, when Este and I were in line to see a new independent movie at the Enzian Theater, he called to say that he had just settled a major case, and he wanted to go out to celebrate.

“I’m with Este,” I had said.

“Bring her along,” he offered. “Drinks are on me.”

Other nights—after tougher days in the office—he would come to find me on Este’s back porch and walk me home so that he could take me to bed.

He was developing a habit of seeking me out when his mood was right, but the rest of the time, he was too busy to have a cup of coffee with me in the morning. I could tell he was under pressure at work—more than usual, anyway. He and Fritz seemed to be disagreeing more and more, and I felt like a distraction, a way for him to avoid dealing with his problems. I wanted to be flattered that he could count on me and my company for relief from the chaos of his day, but with as often as he was calling all the shots, it felt more transactional than being someone’s source of comfort.

I spent more and more time with Este and Beau. Several nights a week, I would stay at their house talking or drinking—occasionally getting high—usually until well after midnight, andthen I would walk barefoot across the yard and climb into bed, my heels still sticky from the early morning dew on the grass.

I kept telling myself it was just a season. A tough time. Not a reason for concern.

The stress will pass, and then we’ll get back to what made us good.

Will was so wound up that even wandering into his office to flirt with him was a nonstarter. If I went into the office uninvited, he would give me a pained smile and send me away with a few tired lines about how much more work he had to do. It had to be on his terms. I had become a satellite orbiting him, circling him. Waiting on him.