Chapter Twelve
At lunch Liz ate her peanut butter bagel in the car on the way downtown. She met up with her attorney, Aaron in the hallway of the courthouse. She was giddy with excitement. “Excuse me a moment,” she excused herself to the ladies room.
Rushing to the sink, she splashed cold water on her face. “Stay calm.”
What if Bill shows up? What if he brings Oscar? What if Chris sees him? No that’s not going to happen. He’s not here. Go in there. Sign the papers. Walk away.
She checked the ring in her purse once again.
I’m ready. This is his once the judge pronounces us officially unwed.
Chris had never asked for the ring back, but at this point she wanted nothing from him. He represented everything she hated in life. His opulent lifestyle of focusing on self gratification made her skin crawl.
If I ever cross paths with another rich guy I’ll turn and run. I’m not doing this again.
She prepared herself, pushing back the butterflies, and stepped out to her attorney. Aaron was waiting in the same spot, taking a moment to answer a text on his phone. He was a mid-level attorney and the best one of Chris’s approved list that she could afford. His first choice would’ve been at his firm. That was out of the question.
Aaron wasn’t too shady to look at either. But love was not on her mind for him. Along with wealthy dudes, lawyers were off the books too.
“It’s not good,” Aaron said, shaking his head after reading the text on his phone.
“No. . . no, no, no, no. He can’t do this.” Aaron showed her the screen. It was a heads-up from his colleague at Chris’s firm. He was sending in a first year instead of himself to the courthouse to ask for a continuance.
“Can he do that?” She tried to read all of the text, but it was mostly legal mumbo jumbo reasonings and excuses.
Aaron shrugged and opened the door to their assigned court room. When Liz’s name was called they took their places in front of the judge. It wasn’t long before the representative came in, without Chris.
Liz plead her case to the judge, who had taken the time to read her file to prepare. He assured her that he was ready to rule in her favor. But since Chris was a no show, the judge held off his final ruling. He granted the continuance that Chris had requested.
“This is bullshit!” Liz raged outside in the hallway after the final gavel slammed down on the desk. Having to wait even longer to be free from Chris was not good news. It’d been months since she moved out. And they’d grown apart a year before that.
Why won’t he just let me go?
“Don’t be discouraged.” Aaron gave Liz a sideways hug. “He did say that if Chris didn’t show up at the next date, he’d forfeit his chance at a rebuttal. Then the judge would go ahead with a ruling in his absence.”
His words offered no comfort to her and discouragement didn’t describe what she was feeling. She was irate. Chris was only stalling so he could get the judge he wanted, dot every I, and have the perfect divorce.
There’s no such thing. I have to make him see that.
She was already downtown and her day was already shot. She veered off course. She wasn’t thinking like herself and made one more stop. The lobby decor of Chris’s law firm made her want to barf. He had a life sized stand-up of himself smiling and pointing to a thought bubble that said, “The trust when you need it.”
He really did love himself too much.
The time had come. She twisted her hair up in a top knot, and clipped it. Bypassing the outer receptionist with a wave, she marched back to his personal assistant, Judy.
“Good morning,” Judy said, blankly before recognizing her. “Liz? Do you have an appointment with Chris?”
“This will only take a minute.” She pushed past her desk to the closed door of his office.
“He’s with a client,” Judy said as an attempt to stop her.
She didn’t slow down and barged right into his office, throwing open the door.
Chris shot up from his position on the sofa next to his well-endowed client. “Liz!”
“Sign!” She slammed a packet of papers down on his desk. They weren’t official papers, just notes from Aaron, but she wanted to make a statement.
“Can this wait?” he asked, calmly motioning to his client who was holding her hand to her chest and making a fake outraged face.
“It has waited.” Liz dug out the small box from her purse. “And here’s this.” She shoved the box into Chris’s hand and picked up her papers. “Face it. We’re done.”
“Should I step out?” his client asked. She stood to leave, but Chris took her by the wrist.
“Please stay. My ex-wife is finished here.”
“Of course I am,” Liz laughed. “Listen sweetie. Let me give you some advice. Aaron Hartley at Jameson and Midler will take care of you.”
“That’s enough.” Chris held his hand up to block Liz from moving closer to his client.
She spoke around his hand. “I can tell you like to buy the best.” Liz scanned the woman, who looked like she could easily appear on a “Housewife” show. “But you’re not getting your full money’s worth.” Liz held up her index finger and thumb, then pushed them closer together.
The woman’s mouth gaped open and Judy snickered from the door. Chris jerked Liz by the elbow. “Enough!”
“Not enough,” Liz said behind a chuckle as Chris escorted her out the door. “Trust me! Call Aaron! He’s got a full package!”
Chapter Thirteen
After leaving Chris’s office all Liz could think about was returning to the Buckeye. Her whole world had collapsed. She was a prisoner for almost another week, but she didn’t have to act like it.
Maybe I’ll just teach him a lesson with a sexy bartender. Send him some pics. Show him the arms he pushed me into. The strong, muscular, oh so hard arms.
Liz shook off her thoughts by slapping her cheeks.
He’s a man. A real man. Oscar Wallace exists. He’s not just a fantasy.
Over the last few, stretched out months visions of a life with Oscar, the mysterious stranger gave her hope. He was a cliched dream come true. She may not fall hard for the bartender, but the sexual tension was there and she was primed for a release.
A quick stop at home, change into a sexier outfit, and she was ready to shake off Chris’s antics by giving herself to Oscar for the evening.
With plenty of spaces out front she chose instead to park in the small lot at the back of the building. She didn’t want to make a scene with her arrival, so she assumed entering through the exit might do the trick. It didn’t. With one foot in the door, she heard Mitch yell, “Liz!”
Her eyes adjusted to the dark bar and she saw Mitch turned on his barstool with open arms and a cheshire grin ready to greet her.
“You missed me.” She practically skipped over to him. Giving him a huge hug, she allowed his hands to linger on her lower back.
“Sure glad to see you, sugar.” Mitch spun her around by the waist and waved across to the trio of men by the pool table. “Pay up boys.” He rubbed his thumb and fingers together for payment. The three, shrugged and pantomimed as if they didn’t understand.
“What’s this all about?”
“They bet you wouldn’t be back, but I had my suspicions about you.”
“Suspicions?” Liz looked around, but didn’t see the man she’d come to see. In fact the trio and Mitch were the only patrons in the bar. Mitch patted the seat next to him, so she made herself comfy.
“I’m never wrong. I saw chemistry between you and a certain zombie. Reminded me of a couple of dairy farmers I once wrote about.”
“I remind you of an erotica heroine?”
“Not yet, but the night’s early.” Mitch patted her knee, his cheshire grin returned although this time it accompanied a leering look. “Kisses sugar. I know who you came to see.” He winked.
“Then where is he?” she asked, looking around. The back door swung open with her answer.
There he is.
“About time you showed up,” Oscar said with a case of beer in his arms.
The closer he got, the more real he became. Without makeup he had a rugged look with a short scruffy beard. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. His hazel eyes and fair complexion were complemented by his dark unruly curls. So many details she hadn’t noticed on her first visit. So many she’d forgotten since her first glance of Oscar.
He plunked the case of beer on the counter providing Liz a good look at his biceps in motion, while stretching out his black t-shirt. “The boys bet against you. Thanks for proving them wrong,” he said with the same smile from Halloween that was even more mesmerizing without the fake blood and zombie makeup.
“My pleasure.” She bumped her shoulder into Mitch’s. “Not a big crowd tonight.”
“This is it.” Oscar tossed a towel over his shoulder and slipped behind the bar. “What can I get you?”
“Anything other than that weird ass raw egg drink.”
“Angela’s Eye Opener?” Oscar snickered. “I don’t serve them.” He bent around to pick up a dropped coaster from the floor. Liz stretched up off her barstool to catch a glimpse of his ass squeezed into his tight black jeans.
That’s more like it. Yeah, I’m going to have fun tonight.
She was still leering when he stood up. “What’s your speciality?” she asked, snapping back to reality.
“I give customers what they want. Beer. Maybe a little rum, whiskey.”
“How about a Rum & Coke?”
“Too simple for a woman as complex as you.”
Liz blushed at his compliment. Flirting with him was easy. Turning her head, she caught Mitch looking at her in awe. She pursed her lips his direction, then returned her attention to her bartender.
“Let’s try this.” Oscar took a bottle off the shelf behind him. It was labeled Bacardi Torched Cherry. “A cherry coke. Bacardi style.” He finished off the drink with dark cola, a fresh cherry, and a skinny red straw.
She sipped the cocktail, bypassing the straw, even though Mitch’s stare indicated he was dying to see her drink from it again. “Very nice.”
“Great. Your whistle’s wet. Now go get my money,” Mitch said.
“You want me to ask for it?” She peered around to the chatting trio and then back to Mitch. He begged quietly with big wide eyes. “Fine. Be right back.” She hopped up, adjusted the girls and over played the sexy walk across the bar.
Their conversation stopped when she draped an arm over Dale’s shoulders. “Mitch says you bet against me.” Their speechless, mouths gaped open. Beers froze mid-drink in their hands. She’d caught the three inexperienced men off guard. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”
Dale, was the first to find his voice. “I really do apologize.” He turned his head. His gaze was eye level with her chest. He half sighed. “I thought it was a fluke that you even came in here.” He cleared his throat and turned to the other two. “You both thought so too. Right?”
With a raised eyebrow, she dared Jim to speak next.
“Well . . . Um.” He peeked out over the top of the square-rimmed frames of his glasses, which confirmed tonight that they were not originally part of his Halloween costume. “Forgive me,” he said with a small bow.
“Please accept my apologies.” Lee, wiped his palm on his pants several times before extended it out for her to take.
“What’s a girl to do?” She overly exaggerated batting her eyelashes and locked her hands behind her back. A stance she took because she was not shaking any sweaty palms. “Let’s see.” She rocked back and forth on her heels, teasing and drawing out her forgiveness. “I—could—forgive—you. But—you have to pay up first.”
Amidst more apologies, the men dug in their pockets and each produced a five.
“You only bet five dollars on me?” she yelled to Mitch across the bar.
“I believed in you, sugar,” he answered with a raised glass.
“Believe this.” She gathered up the bills and shoved them deep into her bra. “Scooch.” She then sat down with the men.
“Is this a typical night for you guys? Drinking and waiting around for a woman to either walk through the door or not?”
“No, not normally,” Dale answered.
“We would’ve been sitting here though,” Lee added.
“It’s been several days. Don’t you have lives?” They all hung their heads like puppies in trouble. “Of course you do. But you bet against me.”
“No we bet to prove Mitch wrong,” Jim said.
“You men. All you care about are games. Guess I’m going back to Oscar. At least he didn’t bet on me.” Liz left, shaking her ass, leaving behind the three to blame each other for upsetting her.
When she sat, she held her finger to her lips to quiet Mitch and took a long drink of her cherry coke from the straw.
“Thank you,” he mouthed.
“You’re adorable, but you guys all need to learn how to act around women. Don’t any come in here?” Liz asked both men, but Mitch answered.
“Sure, Dina, Gayle, and Helen, none of them are as striking as you.”
“I bet you say that to all of them.”
“No, honest.” His eyes widened and he crossed his heart.
Liz knew Dina and could understand this reaction from Mitch. The other two names she didn’t recognize, but assumed they might be on the same level as Dina. She was getting a clearer picture of the Buckeye. Unlike Halloween when it was full of sexy college patrons, most of the week it was like this night. Open for the regulars. It was a decent place to have a drink, but no pick up joint.
“Hey. Are you hungry?” Oscar asked, changing the subject.
“I’d like chimichangas,” Mitch said.
“We could stick around for tacos,” Jim boomed across the bar speaking for the trio.
“I don’t see a kitchen. Where’s the food?”
“It’s a short walk to Berto’s next door.” Oscar untied the black apron from his waist and set it on the counter. “Come on.”
“We’re just going to leave? Who’s going to serve drinks?”
“Mitch’s in charge.” Around the front side of the counter now, Oscar offered his arm to help Liz off the barstool.
“Righty then. Tacos it is.” She slid off her seat and the two exited out the back door into the alley.
Chapter Fourteen
Following the gravel alleyway in the opposite direction of Mitch’s house, the couple headed out on the short walk for food. Oscar took Liz’s hand and swung it back and forth. “So I see you got the ring off,” he said, twisting her wrist to expose her bare ring finger. “When is the final hearing?”