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Chapter Forty Five – July 5

The goodbye at the airport was agonizing. We clung to each other until the last boarding call was announced. I had vowed not to cry, but as I pulled away I couldn’t help it.

“I’ll see you soon,” I blubbered. Nick brushed his fingers down my cheeks.

“I love you,” he whispered. “Have a safe trip.”

With one final embrace, one last kiss, I boarded the plane. Bitsy was tucked away in her cage; my heart panged knowing how scared she probably was.

I spent the flight the best way I knew how; I reviewed footage from the tour, photos taken over the last few days, and allowed Nick’s voice to invade my eardrums through the songs on my IPod. By the time the plane touched down in Wisconsin, I felt only slightly better.

My mom was front and center as I walked off the plane. She ran over, her slender frame crushing me from a tight embrace.

“Oh, pumpkin! Look at you!”

She held me at arms length, looking at me from head to toes.

“You look great!” Her fingers touched my necklace.

“Nick gave it to me for my birthday,” I explained.

“Oh, he is a keeper,” she said happily.

We grabbed my bags and Bitsy and headed to the car. My mom’s face was glued to the cage.

“Oh she’s beautiful. She looks just like the Boston we had when you were first born,” she said. “Look at that white little forehead.”

Bitsy whined; I knew she couldn’t wait to escape from the cage. The moment I was in the car I let her out. She ran around the backseat like a wild beast.

“Oh, she’s going to be fun,” my mom said. I smiled. “How’s Atari?”

“Atari’s fine. He’s never going to know what hit him once he meets Wild Thing back there,” she teased.

“It’s going to be fun watching her walk in the grass; she’s so used to sand.”

The mention of sand led into a long conversation about Nick’s condo, the beach, and LA. My mom looked over at me, smiling.

“What an adventure.”

“You can say that again.”

When we arrived home, the first thing I did was put Bitsy in the backyard. As her paws touched the bright green Midwestern grass, she leaned down, inhaling deeply. She took a large bite. It must have tasted better than the sand did; she sat chewing thoughtfully, then reached for more.

“No, you little cow!” I said, scooping her up. She licked my face. I wrinkled my nose, but laughed. My phone rang as I put her back down on the ground.

“Hello?”

“Are you home, Livvy?”

I smiled. “I just got home, Nick,” I said.

“Did you have a safe flight?”

“I did,” I said, sitting down on the back stoop. “What are you up to?”

“Well, I’m sitting in front of the TV watching a fishing show,” Nick said. “It’s way too quiet here.”

“That’s because you don’t have a crazy dog running around.”

“True, but it’s also because you’re not here.”

I closed my eyes and sighed gently.

“What time do you meet with the lawyer?” Nick asked, changing the subject.

My eyes widened; I looked at my watch. It was 2:45.

“Oh shit, Nick I’ve got to go!” I hung up and with Bitsy at my heels, I flew into the house, yelling for car keys.

----------------------------------------

“I am so sorry I’m late,” I said as I walked into Daniel Share’s office. The whole place was wall to wall shiny oak.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Have a seat.”

I sat into a plush leather seat across from his desk. We began by discussing the specifics; reason for divorce, assets to fight for, documents to gather. Finally, he flipped towards the back of the folder.

“I’ve looked into the emptying of the bank account and the credit card charges. Did you file a fraud alert with your company?”

I nodded.

“Good. I actually worked with one of the stores to get video of one of the transactions you highlighted as fraudulent. You’re assumption was right; Mr. Ryans had another woman sign the receipt with your name.”

My hand folded into a fist. “I thought so.”

“Now, the bank account is going to be harder to fix. Since Hunter’s name is on the account, I think the most we’ll be able to get back is half.”

I frowned. “That’s not fair. I just completed a job that paid me $10,000 and I earned that. All of that money came solely from me.”

Mr. Share looked at me sympathetically. “Divorces are never easy and unfortunately sometimes it’s easier to cut your losses and move on.”

I puffed out my cheeks in frustration.

“When can I get the half back?”

“I’ve put in a deposition. We have a court date in two weeks.”

“How am I supposed to pay my bills for two weeks? He completely wiped me out!”

I got another apologetic look. “I will work my hardest to speed things up, but honestly I can’t make any promises.”

After a few more minutes of cursory information, I left feeling no more assured than when I went in. I drove home feeling extremely depressed. A light muggy rain splattered against the windshield.

“How’d it go?” Mom asked as I walked through the door. She was picking spurs out of Bitsy’s back.

Atari came running up to me. Scooping him up, I covered him with kisses. Sitting down on the couch, I filled mom in on the meeting. She frowned.

“Well, as far as I’m concerned you will have food, shelter, and clothing. You can borrow my car. You’ll be fine.”

I nodded, but deep down I hated it. I didn’t want to be dependant. I was a twenty-seven year old living back home. It didn’t feel good.

“Are you excited about going back to work?”

I smiled. “Actually, I am. I miss the kids. I miss the stories. I miss the other employees.”

I helped my mom fix dinner; as I cut cucumbers for the salad, my mom continued to ask me questions about Nick.

“So when will I get to meet him?” she asked. I paused.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Maybe after we finish the Canadian leg he can come here and visit.”

Mom smiled. “I’d like that. From what I remember he’s hot stuff.”

I burst out laughing. She didn’t know how right she was.

That night as I got ready for bed, my phone rang. It was Nick. I sat down on the pullout bed in the computer room, a smile dancing across my face.

“Hello, Nickolas,” I said.

“You don’t know how good it is to hear your voice.”

I laughed. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to see how your day went.”

I remembered our conversation on the beach. I didn’t want him to know how depressing the visit to the lawyer was.

“It didn’t go too bad,” I said. “I’m actually just getting ready for bed.”

“What are you wearing?”

I laughed. Atari jumped up beside me, circling several times before plopping down. Bitsy, unable to jump, barked angrily. After a couple hours with Atari, Bitsy was in love. I scooped down at picked her up. Atari grunted in annoyance as she nipped at his ear.

“I’m wearing footie pajamas,” I teased. I scratched a mosquito bite on my bare leg. Truth was, I was lounging in a t-shirt and underwear.

“You’re lying,” Nick complained. “You’re in Wisconsin not in Antarctica; I know it’s warm there. I watch the Weather Channel, you know.”

I rolled my eyes as I stretched out along the bed. I turned off the light; the soft glow of the phone threw shadows against the wall.

“Good luck at work tomorrow,” Nick said sweetly.

“Thanks babe,” I said, stifling a yawn.

“Can we Skype tomorrow?” he asked hopefully.

“You miss me that bad?” I teased. He got quiet.

“I miss you like hell,” he said seriously.

“I’ll Skype around 5:00 your time,” I said. My eyes fluttered closed.

“Alright. I love you, Livvy.”

“Love you.”

I set my phone on the nightstand. Bringing my pillow close to my chest, I inhaled deeply. A sharp pang of sadness hit me. The smell of Nick was nowhere to be found.

Sleep did not come easily; after two hours of tossing and turning and the dogs fighting for the best spot, my tired brain finally admitted defeat. Morning would bring yet another change in direction for me; it was back to the real world.