Page 22 of The Backup Groom

“Thank you very much. And, I’ll tell you something else, I know exactly what happened with Amber over there.”

“Do tell.”

This oughta be good.

Dean glanced back over at her. “Greed happened, my friend. I’m guessing Amber cut that other woman out of the deal because she wanted all the money for herself. Greed is a wicked little beast that can tear lives apart. At first, the plan is all hunky-dory-okey-dokey-artichoky, but then things go south in a hurry when someone wants a bigger piece of the pie. Suddenly, they’re killing themselves instead of who they’re contracted to snuff out.”

“You seem to have it all figured out. Thanks for sharing.” I snorted, shaking my head.

“Anything for the greater good of mankind. Besides, since you’re crushing on Amber, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into before you make your move.”

I wasn’t going to make a move, so that was a moot point.

My hands were tied.

Until my circumstances changed, Amber was off limits.

“Speaking of that—have you heard from Iggy?” Dean asked.

Iggy was short for Ignatius. He was a longtime friend of my parents, who also happened to be my divorce lawyer. Even though it was a sore subject, he was one of the nicest guys I knew.

“Not yet,” I said, wiping my hands on the towel. “I should call him again.”

“Good idea,” Dean said. “Think positively. Everything is going to work out. You just need to be patient.”

“Thanks, but I lost my patience two years ago.” I made my way toward my office in the back and plopped down in the chair, taking a couple of deep breaths until the moment passed. I picked up the phone and hit speed dial number 1.

Just the thought of my ex and my divorce drained the energy from my body. What Tiffany did to me was inexcusable, and I just wanted—needed—it to be over. Divorce happened all the time, but being completely abandoned and hung out to dry did not.

“Iggy Sampino,” he answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Iggy—it’s Scotty,” I said. “How are you?”

“Scotty! I’m doing great—up to my eyeballs in cases, which is a very good thing. Are you calling for an update, or did you just want to tell me how wonderful I am?”

I chuckled, which was surprising, considering the reason for my call. “Both.”

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Iggy said. “Still no news, but you know it’s only a matter of time. Trust the process—it’ll all work out in the end.”

“That’s what Dean said.”

“And you need to believe it! I’m sure it’s only a matter of days until you can say that you’re officially divorced. I know you’ve been waiting a long time, but you’re almost there.”

I initially had thought the process would be a breeze. We had legally separated after Tiffany moved out, and both agreed to an uncontested divorce, since we knew there was absolutely no chance of reconciliation. We were young and dumb when we had gotten married, then had grown apart. End of story. All we had to do was sign the papers and submit them.

Then, out of nowhere, Tiffany had anEat, Pray, Lovemoment and decided she needed to go find herself in Bali. She had called me from the airport to let me know she would be gone for three weeks, and that she would sign the divorce papers the moment she returned.

That was two years ago.

Tiffany had completely disappeared off the grid.

No one had seen or heard from her since then.

I had been more than patient to let her have the space she needed, but the more time that went by, the more hopeless I felt. So helpless that I even spent an entire week calling over three hundred resorts in Bali, trying to track her down.

It had all been for nothing.

Luckily, Iggy had mentioned there was a way to file for divorce if the spouse could not be found. All I had to do was show the court that I had made a good-faith effort to prove I had tried to search for her and then publish the divorce summons in the local newspaper where she was likely to be. I had done both. Now, I was just waiting for it to be signed by the judge and processed by the court.