Laney waits until Hugh leaves for work on Monday morning before placing a call to Candice Wright, Ella’s friend’s mom, who is a divorce attorney. If necessary, she’ll take out a bank loan to pay her fees.
The receptionist says, “I realize it’s last minute, but our nine o’clock just canceled. If you can’t make that, Mrs. Wright’s next appointment is not until next week.”
Laney glances at the clock on the stove. Eight thirty. Candice’s office is only five minutes away. If she hurries, she can shower and still make it in time. “I’ll take it. See you soon.”
Thirty minutes later, the receptionist shows Laney to the divorce attorney’s plush office. Candice is professional in a charcoal suit with black-framed glasses and her salt-and-pepper hair smoothed back in a low ponytail. If Candice is surprised to see Laney, she doesn’t let it show. These office walls could undoubtedly weave a juicy tale of their small town’s most troubled marriages.
Laney sits ramrod straight in the chair across the desk from Candice. “I guess I don’t need to tell you why I’m here.”
“Relax, Laney. You’re in a safe place. You can trust me,” Candice says with a kind smile that sets Laney at ease.
Exhaling slowly, Laney sits back in her chair and looks around the office. “I can’t believe I’m actually here.”
“I’m sure it took a lot of courage for you to come. And I’m eager to help you. Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Candice says with a pen poised over a legal pad.
In detail, Laney tells her about her deteriorating marriage, including Hugh’s erratic behavior of late.
“Has he physically hurt you?”
Hugh dragging her down the stairs seems like a small thing now. “Nothing major. I didn’t call the police or anything.”
“If it happens again, call them immediately, no matter how minor the infraction. Have you asked Hugh for a separation?”
“Many times. He threatened to kick me out of the house, get custody of the girls, and cut me off without a cent of alimony.”
“He can’t do any of that, anymore than you can. Virginia divorce laws are complicated. Unless you have evidence of adultery or physical abuse, you have no grounds to divorce him.”
Laney’s throat thickens. “I read that online. I was hoping you would know of a loophole.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have better news for you. Your best option is to get him to agree to an uncontested divorce.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
Candice leaves her chair and comes around to Laney’s side of the desk. “Hang in there, Laney. In my experience, these things have a way of working themselves out.”
Laney stands to go, and Candice walks her to the door. “We may not be close, but I consider you a friend. I’m here for you. You have my cell phone number. Do not hesitate to call, anytime day or night.”
Laney leaves Candice’s office with a heavy heart. When she arrives at the flower shop, the sight of her overturned metal shelving unit causes the damn to break, and she bursts into tears. Lowering herself to a nearby stool, she plants her elbows on the worktable, buries her face in her hands, and sobs until her well is dry.
Pulling herself together, she sets about cleaning up the mess. Fortunately, most of her containers are still in the back of her Suburban from the wedding on Saturday, and only two glass cubes were destroyed. She’s sweeping up the broken glass when Bruce calls.
“How’d it go with the attorney?”
“As expected. Either I get Hugh to agree to the divorce or I’m stuck with him for the rest of my life.”
Bruce sighs. “I don’t understand it.”
“Neither do I, but it’s Virginia law.”
“How are things at Laney’s Bouquets today?” he asks with a failed attempt at sounding cheerful.
Laney eyes the shelving on the floor. “Fine, except my metal shelves toppled over. Either the floor is uneven, or the unit is top heavy.”
“I can fix that with a pair of L brackets. I’m stuck at work until around four. On my way over, I will stop by the hardware store.
“That’d be great. Thanks so much, Bruce.” She drops the phone onto the worktable with a thunk. Normally, the possibility of seeing him would excite her. But there is zero chance they’ll ever be together unless she commits adultery. She considers the possibility for a split second before forcing it from her mind. Her daughters and her integrity are all she has left. She’ll have to figure out a way to make the most of a difficult situation.
After unloading her car, Laney settles in at the table to finalize plans for future weddings. She’s only been working a few minutes when there’s a knock at the front door. She’s surprised to see Ada standing beneath the awning.”
“Congratulations on your new store! This is fabulous, Laney. I’m so happy for you.”
Laney’s lips part in a genuine smile. “Thank you. It’s a dream come true.”
“Is this a good time to talk about flowers for my wedding? If not, I can come back later.”
“This is a great time. Come on in. I’m not officially open for business yet. I won’t have regular hours until I can afford to hire an assistant.” Laney locks the door behind Ada and shows her to the back room. They sit down together at the table, and Laney flips her legal pad to a clean page. “Do you know what style of flowers and color scheme you want?” Laney palms her forehead. “What am I thinking? You’re Ada Love. I’m sure you know exactly what you want.”
Ada smiles. “I have an idea, but I trust your impeccable taste, and I want your honest feedback.”
“I appreciate your vote of confidence. As you’re aware, this time of year offers many choices.”
“I love the yellows and purples and oranges of autumn flowers. But Casey’s dress is a soft sage color, and I think all white might be best.”
Laney looks up from her legal pad. “Casey is in your wedding?”
“She’s my only attendant, my maid of honor,” Ada says.
Laney stares at her in disbelief. “But I thought you and Casey were arch enemies.”
Ada dismisses Laney’s comment with a flick of the wrist. “We’ve decided to put all that unpleasantness behind us. Tell me the truth. Do You think white flowers are boring?”
Laney returns to making notes. “Not if you use the right white flowers. There’s nothing more elegant than white flowers with pretty greenery. You could incorporate your mama’s five-prong Tiffany candelabra on the main table.” She taps her pen on the table as her creative wheels spin. “Actually, if Daniel will let us use them, there are several handsome accents at The Nest, like those large antique blue-and-white porcelain vases in the center hallway.”
Ada stabs a red lacquered fingernail at her. “I like the way you’re thinking.”
“If you get Daniel’s permission, we can walk through the house to see what else we can find.” Laney opens her computer, and they spend a few minutes looking at photographs on Pinterest, adding the ones they like best to a board designated for Ada’s wedding.
“Now that I know what you want, I’ll talk to my wholesaler and come up with a plan. I’ll get a proposal to you in a few days.”
“Perfect!” Ada jumps up. “I’m actually getting excited about the wedding.”
“After all you’ve been through these past few months, you deserve some happiness,” Laney says, following Ada through the swinging door into the showroom.
When she reaches the door, Ada turns to face her. “So do you, Laney. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you happy. My brother is not an easy man. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be married to him. If you ever need to talk, I’m right across the street. Now that we’re shop neighbors, we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
Laney’s throat swells, and she asks in a tight voice, “When’s your grand opening?”
“This Wednesday, from three to six. I hope you’ll stop by.”
“I can hardly wait,” Laney says, making a mental note to take Ada a celebratory arrangement for her event.
After Ada is gone, Laney returns to her notes. For the next two hours, she makes sketches of arrangements and writes up proposals. When Bruce doesn't show up at five o'clock, she gets worried. She texts him, but he doesn’t respond. She’s about to give up on him when she hears his truck in the back alley around five thirty. Seconds later, he comes through the back door with his toolbox and a little brown bag from the hardware store.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he says, setting his toolbox on the ground beside the overturned shelving unit. “Country Craftsman is not your normal hardware store. They sell some seriously cool stuff. I got hung up in the outdoor grill section. I’m ready to buy a house just to have a place for my grill.”
Laney giggles. “You missed your calling. Instead of being a winemaker, you should own a hardware store.”
“Ironic that you say that. Country Craftsman is for sale. If I didn’t love what I do, I’d consider buying it.”
Bruce rights the shelf and sets about fastening it to the wall. Once the shelf is secure, he helps Laney load it up with supplies and containers.
He puts away his tools and closes his toolbox. “You wanna tell me more about your meeting with the divorce attorney?”
“As I told you earlier, it’s not good news,” Laney says, and gives him a brief recount of her meeting with Candice. “Short of moving to a state with more lenient divorce laws, I’m stuck with Hugh for the time being.”
Bruce squeezes her arm. “I’m sorry, Laney. But don’t give up. We’ll find another way.”
“I can’t ask you to wait for me, Bruce. It could be years. You’d be wasting your life,” she says as tears fill her eyes.
Bruce pulls her into his arms. “I’m not leaving you, Laney. I’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
On the threshold of a breakdown, she wrenches free of him. “I have to go, Bruce.”
He pinches his brow. “Are you sure? I hate to leave you when you’re so upset.”
“I need to be alone right now,” Laney says, gathering her things.
“I understand.” He grabs his toolbox, and they exit the building together. He calls out to her as she gets in her Suburban. “Call me later if you can.”
Laney drives at a snail’s pace on her way home, taking deep breaths to calm her frazzled nerves. She’s planned nothing for dinner, and she’s in no mood to go to the market. She’ll wait until the girls get home, and they’ll order Mexican takeout. Even the girls are growing tired of pizza.
She’s pulled herself together by the time she arrives home. Hugh is seated at the kitchen counter with a manila file and the ever-present bottle of whiskey in front of him.
“Where have you been?” he asks in an accusatory tone.
“At work, writing up proposals,” she says, retrieving an open bottle of pinot grigio from the refrigerator.
“You swore to me you aren’t having an affair.”
She freezes, the wine bottle poised near a glass. “I’m not.”
He opens the file and slides a photograph across the counter. “Then explain this.”
She glances down, then does a double take at the image of herself and Bruce kissing in the apartment's window above the shop. The earth falls away beneath her, but she maintains her composure. “I’m not having an affair. It was one kiss. It shouldn’t have happened.” She lifts the photograph and studies it more closely. Whoever took it was standing across the street near Ada’s wine shop. They must have used a superzoom lens to get such a clear image. “How’d you get this anyway?”
“I hired a private investigator.” He slides another photograph across the counter. “He took this one earlier today. After your meeting with a divorce attorney.”
Laney stares at the picture of herself emerging from Candice’s office building. “Candice isn’t my attorney. She and I are planning an end-of-season party for the hockey team.”
He bangs his fist on the counter. “Stop lying.” He gets up and comes around to her side of the counter. “I consulted my own divorce attorney. You don’t have any evidence against me to apply for a contested divorce. But I do,” he says, snatching the incriminating photograph from her hands.
“Good! Then divorce me! Better yet, let’s agree to an uncontested divorce.”
He sneers at her. “And give you half of everything I own? No thanks. I’ve made it clear I don’t want a divorce. You have two choices. You can return to my bed, and we can work on rebuilding our marriage. Or I will plaster this photograph all over social media.”
“So plaster it! See if I care,” she says, taking a large gulp of wine.
“You’ll care when your boyfriend loses his job at Love-Struck. You know how Dad is about preserving the family’s image at all costs. As much as Dad loves Bruce, he’ll give him the axe in a second to avoid a scandal. Are you sure you want to ruin Bruce’s career?”
Laney’s knees go weak, and she grabs hold of the counter for support. “No,” she says in a meek voice. Hugh has outplayed her for now. But she’ll figure out a way to get out of this marriage if it’s the last thing she does.