Vodka Dregs And Bottled Dinners; Coming To Terms With Failure
Day 151 of The Andie Chronicles
“Thanks, love. I will see you in the morning.”
I was standing over the stove when I heard James come through the front door. I caught his final goodbyes to GG. I heard her call out to him and wondered why she didn't come inside.
They never made it back to the office yesterday. Part of me thought it was a good thing, to get it all over and done with in one day and never look back.
But as I caught sight of James’ tear-stained face, I could only assume the worst had happened. He’d lost the case?
Dumping everything from his pockets onto the couch, before pushing off his shoes and onto the floor, James walked into the kitchen and leaned over my shoulder.
“Whatcha making?”
“It’s a stir fry. Bottle satay, nothing fancy. You want some?”
James moved away from me and into the fridge. And as quickly as he examined the contents, he closed the doors and opted for the freezer, producing the old bottle of Belvedere I had buried. It didn’t have much left in it. I was saving it, considering I didn’t have the money to replace it.
He opened the lid and drank straight from it, finishing the contents. My heart sank.
“I would eat anything you put in front of me, babe. Anything to forget today.”
Leaning against the counter, I was surprised James didn’t retreat. Instead, he stayed close to me.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, but I can guess things didn’t go well.”
“No, they didn’t. This was our last shot at negotiations, and if this didn’t work, we would have to go to court. It was a fucking disaster.”
“Are you going to go to court?”
I kept stirring the meal, not looking up at James. I felt worried if I asked the wrong thing or asked too much or showed too much interest, he would stop telling me things.
“I want to take the fight all the way. But if Douglas’ says no to the legal fees, then I’m screwed.”
Everything seemed to hinge on my ex. How we made our money did. How we fought our battles did. What we could do with our business did.
How had we let this man take over everything? Why had my friends, my independent and ferocious friends, let this man take it all?
“Careful,” I warned in jest, “He might give you a paperweight instead of the legal hours.”
James couldn’t help but smile. “He really was a shit to you, wasn’t he?”
“You’re only figuring this out now?” I laughed too, but it was a genuine question. How was he only just figuring this out?
“And was GG helpful?”
James shook his head. “Fucking useless, if I’m being honest. She kept telling the lawyer to make sure my aunty was happy. Why does she care about my aunty?”
“She doesn’t care about her,” I said, putting the rice cooker on. “It reminds her too much of her divorce. And because she knows what it’s like to fight like this, GG empathises too hard with both sides.”
James was silent. I turned around from the stove and saw James staring at me.
“How did I not see that?”
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
