Delayed Penalty, page 4
The thought of hiring a ruthless divorce attorney to pit us against each other in a war where the attorneys would be the only winners made my stomach churn.
“Maybe,” I said. Surely, she wouldn’t want a penny of my money. She had her own, and she’d want to keep it that way.
I hoped like hell I was right.
Chapter Six
Riches to Rags
~~Blaire~~
I’d always had a knack for avoiding the unpleasant as long as possible. The multiple texts from my family, each one more desperate than the last, filled me with trepidation.
Perhaps my cards being cut off wasn’t due to identity theft but something far worse. I didn’t check the news or social media or turn on the TV for fear I’d find out something I didn’t want to know. Instead, I cleaned Jasper’s kitchen, which took a good two hours.
Unable to put off the unavoidable any longer, I chose to call my grandfather first. He was always the calm voice of reason in my family and therefore a good place to start.
“Hi, Grandpa.” My cheerfulness sounded forced because it was.
“Hi, princess.” The defeat in his voice made my stomach ache. Something was seriously wrong.
“What’s going on? I’m guessing you got my message about my cards not working?”
“I did. Are you okay? Are you in a safe place?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m in Jasper’s condo.”
Silence reigned.
“Are you still there, Grandpa?”
“Yes. You aren’t back with him, are you?”
“No, of course not. He’s not even here. He’s on a road trip until next Monday.”
“Thank God.”
My grandfather didn’t care for Jasper, even though our families had mutual business dealings over the years. Jasper wasn’t the guy he’d pictured for me. In fact, my parents weren’t crazy about him either. He was the black sheep by Flint standards since he was nothing but a lowly hockey player, and he’d rejected everything they believed in. I’d admired his courage, but I’d been dependent on my own family’s finances. Showing horses at the international level was insanely expensive, and horses had been my lifelong passion.
“Enough of Jasper. What’s going on? Why have my accounts been frozen and my cards inactive?”
Another very long silence. “You haven’t seen the news?”
“I’ve been avoiding it.”
My grandfather chuckled briefly. He knew me too well.
“Our bank accounts have been frozen. Our assets have been seized. Your father’s been arrested for God knows what. We’re hoping to have him out on bail today.”
I’d always been suspicious my dad’s business dealings weren’t all legitimate, but how my family made our money hadn’t concerned me. My grandfather had a very good idea why my dad had been arrested but chose not to share. Not that I couldn’t find the charges online.
“What’s going to happen?”
“I’m not sure, princess. Right now, we’re broke, and I don’t know what the future holds.”
For the first time in my life, I didn’t have an endless supply of money at my disposal, but this wasn’t just about me. Fear for my entire family made me sick to my stomach. None of us were equipped to manage without endless funds. We’d always gotten whatever we wanted.
“When you said they’d seized our assets, did you mean all of them?” I had a message from the owner of the boarding stable where my horses currently resided, but I hadn’t returned her call.
“Everything.”
“Including my horses?” I hated how selfish my question was considering my family’s current dire situation, but without my horses, I was nothing. They were my identity. My life. A vital part of me.
“Yes, but don’t worry your pretty little head. We’ll get this mess straightened out. It’s a huge misunderstanding. Some of our business partners weren’t as aboveboard as we’d thought.”
I got the distinct impression this wouldn’t be straightened out, and we’d all be exiled to some little town in the middle of nowhere and living in a seedy motel like on Schitt’s Creek. Only this wasn’t television or reality TV, this was our harsh reality. It was far more entertaining when this stuff was happening to fictional people.
“I’d hoped to have the trust fund drawn up before this happened, but now it’s too late.”
The final bombshell dropped on the scorched earth that was my current situation. “There’s no trust fund?”
“None, I’m sorry, princess.”
My stomach turned, and I felt queasy. Fighting back nausea, I spoke a little longer to him, inquiring about my mom and other relatives. Finally, I ended the call and ran for the bathroom, where I prayed to the porcelain God, retching until nothing was left, not even dry heaves. I collapsed on the floor and curled into a fetal position and hugged myself.
Much later, I struggled to my feet and staggered into the living room, blinking at the brightness before my eyes when all I saw was darkness in my future. I stared out the window of Jasper’s condo, not seeing the gorgeous sunny day, only seeing clouds that weren’t there.
I was numb with a mixture of fear and grief. Fear of what to do next and grief over what I’d lost. The IRS had seized every asset my family had, including my beloved horses, with the exception of my number one dressage horse. He was currently in quarantine in Florida for thirty days after being shipped back to the country at the end of our European show stint. The feds were probably lying in wait to grab him if they realized the value of an internationally competitive dressage horse.
My life had been my horses, and they’d been ripped out from underneath me. I had no skills other than being a world-class dressage rider. Perhaps I could teach, but merely teaching wouldn’t afford me the kind of money required to compete on an international level. I’d need a sponsor for that.
Right now, my options looked dim and my future even dimmer.
My most immediate issue was way more basic than worrying about horses. I’d never been in this situation before, and I didn’t have the skills to handle it. I guess I’d be getting a crash course on how to prevent homelessness and earn my own way.
My grandfather had been left with a few assets he was trying to liquidate, but that’d take time. Besides, I couldn’t in all conscience take his retirement income. I was young and capable of earning a living. I’d never had to do it before, but I would find a way.
I had to get the divorce proceedings started and clean up that loose end.
Here I was worrying about myself when my dad was in jail, and who knew how my mom was handling it. Guilt washed over me for being a selfish, self-absorbed daughter. Steeling myself for more misery in the form of my mother’s grief, I called her. She answered on the first ring and immediately started sobbing before I said one word. We both cried together for all we’d lost and our bleak future.
I sniffled, and my heart went out to her. She’d always been there for me. I had to be there for her. “Mom, I’m coming home. You need me.”
My mom hiccupped and cleared her throat. “There’s no home to come back to, Blaire. I’m staying with friends. As much as I’d love to have you here, you’re better off staying on the other side of the country and somewhat sheltered from all the gossip.”
“But Mom…”
“Honey, we’ll get together when the dust clears and I’m on my feet again. I’m looking into a couple possible positions with charities, but right now everything’s up in the air.”
We talked a little longer, I told her to send my dad my love, and we ended the call after promising to talk in a few days.
I had no home to go back to. What was I going to do now? I had one week at Jasper’s to find a viable option for earning a living, something I was ill-equipped to do but determined nonetheless.
Before I’d left for Seattle, my grandfather had set me up with a Seattle family law attorney with whom he was familiar. The best way to handle my problems was to tackle them one at a time. I’d get the divorce started and go from there.
The attorney’s assistant answered, and I explained who I was. She embarrassed me by gushing about how she’d heard about my family’s plight as it was all over the news. I’d hoped my distance from the East Coast would dampen the news somewhat. It hadn’t with her.
“Ms. Goetz has a few minutes between clients at noon. Can you be there? She’s been expecting you.”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
It took three different city buses to get to the law offices of Goetz, Marham, and Giles, not to mention walking three blocks in my heels. I was ushered right into Ms. Goetz’s office without having to wait. It was almost as if she didn’t want her other clients to see me.
Ms. Goetz had salt-and-pepper gray hair, an expensive charcoal suit, appeared to be in her sixties. She wore her hair in a severe bun and exuded a no-nonsense attitude. In other words, she intimidated me. She rose and gestured for me to sit on a comfy couch overlooking the large windows with a view of the city. Prime real estate and I doubt it was cheap.
“Ms. Leighton, so unfortunate what happened to your family.” She didn’t sound the least bit sorry. Instead, she reminded me of a shark circling.
“Thank you,” I said carefully. I needed her help, and I didn’t have any money to offer her, so I had to maintain a friendly, gracious tone. Hopefully, my grandfather had worked out a deal with her.
“I’ve spoken with my partners, and out of respect for your family, we’ve agreed to waive our retainer and delay payment until your divorce settlement is final.”
Settlement? There wasn’t any settlement. I had to set her straight.
“If you’re assuming I’ll get a portion of Jasper’s income, I’m not interested. I just want a divorce.”
Silence reigned, and I held my breath.
“I’ll work out the details. You don’t need to worry yourself about this.
“Certainly,” I said with relief. I didn’t want to handle this stuff. “But I just want a divorce. None of his money.”
She murmured something unintelligible, which I took as agreement.
I did harbor some guilt for dropping this expense on my grandfather along with his other woes, but I was grateful for his assistance. I’d always been Daddy’s little girl and Grandfather’s princess. The only female in the last couple generations. I was spoiled to a point, but I prided myself on being a kind person, not an entitled mean girl.
I took care of my own horses, did all the grooming, saddling up, and cooling off, unlike some of my contemporaries who hopped on, rode, and passed the horse off to a groom. I had no problem mucking stalls or bucking hay when necessary. Beyond training horses to the highest level of dressage, those were my only marketable skills.
Former heiress desires $100k a year job caring for horses.
Yeah, like that was going to happen.
“Blaire, let’s be practical. I looked up your husband’s salary, and he’s pulling in several million a year.” She consulted her notes. “You’ve been married to him since you were nineteen before he went pro. You’re entitled to half of his salary, including back wages.”
I made a quick calculation of what that’d mean for my depleted bank account but only entertained the idea for a few minutes. For all intents and purposes, Jasper and I had been divorced after one year.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable claiming a portion of his income as I didn’t contribute in any way to his earning it.”
Ms. Goetz frowned, lines marring her stern face and annoyance visible in the hardening of her gaze. “Would he feel the same if the tables were turned? Women have a tendency to undervalue their contribution to a man’s success. You helped him get where he is today, and you are entitled to a portion of his wealth.” She reminded me of a professor I’d once had, including the lecture.
“I don’t think I was with him long enough.”
One of her thin eyebrows shot up. She checked her notes. “It appears you’ve been married to him for seven years. That’s long enough.”
“But we weren’t really together.”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“Regardless, I don’t want a share of his income. I don’t deserve it.”
“I understand. Let me handle the details in concert with his attorney. You don’t need to worry yourself about them.”
Now she was patronizing me.
“Okay, but I want nothing from him but a divorce.”
“Trust me. I’ll do the right thing by you.”
I didn’t doubt that, but would she do the right thing by Jasper, and why did I even care?
Despite my misgivings, I acquiesced. I hated handling stuff like this, and I’d have to trust her. I didn’t have any choice.
Chapter Seven
Carving Her Name
~~Jasper~~
* * *
The team did well on our preseason road trip, winning two and losing one. This year’s batch of rookies was impressive, especially Paxton Graham and Rex Clarke, who’d most likely earn spots on the team. Hot Rod, a.k.a. Jared Roderick, retired at the end of last year after an injury. The main core of guys from last year was back, and we were all geared up for a better outcome this season.
I was having a great preseason, solidifying my place on the first line and developing an even deeper connection with my line mates, Smooth and Rush, to the point where we were able to anticipate each other’s moves before we made them. Ice and Jason “Wildman” Wilder appeared to be the first defensive pairing, though it was hard to tell. Wild vacillated between the first and second pairings with Steele moving up at times during the preseason. I had no idea what coach had up his sleeve. Gorst was nothing if not unpredictable.
Life was looking good.
At twenty-six, I had a lot of gas left in my tank. I was flying high and feeling cocky as shit. There was only one small problem—being married—and that’d be taken care of as soon as legally possible.
I hadn’t heard from Blaire, and I didn’t contact her. The less we communicated, the better. She wanted out of this marriage as much as I did. We’d get it done quickly and forget we’d ever been married to each other, just like I’d been doing until a few days ago.
Our plane landed at four a.m. from the East Coast, and I threw my stuff in the back seat of my Hummer. Wearily, I hopped in the driver’s side and gunned it for home. I wanted nothing more than to sleep the next eight hours in my bed. Later I had plans to go out with some of the guys.
Once this pesky divorce was out of the way and Blaire was out of my life, I’d settle back into my routine.
Blaire had always been so put together that I felt inadequate in comparison. Every time she pointed out my dirty socks scattered on the living room floor or my dirty dishes on the counter or my coat thrown on the couch, I’d gotten more and more irritated with her perfection and my inability to measure up to her standards. I’d dealt with never being good enough my entire childhood. I wasn’t going to deal with that crap as an adult.
We’d fought more than we got along, though the makeup sex was hot AF. Not that there weren’t good times, because there were. She was my biggest fan, my true supporter, and she had always been a sympathetic ear. Regardless, we weren’t compatible. Never had been.
If I hadn’t been so jacked up over her choosing me over my seemingly perfect big brother, I’d probably have never run off and married her. Or maybe I would’ve. Doing spur-of-the-moment stupid stuff I’d regret later was my jam, and I’d learned to live with consequences rather than squelching my propensity for reacting before thinking.
Hey, I was who I was.
I pulled into the underground garage of my condo, grabbed my bag from the back seat, and took the elevator to my floor.
I opened my front door ready to crash for several hours. My bed had never looked this good without a lush naked female body or two in it.
As the door swung open, I tossed my duffle and jacket on the floor and stopped cold.
I gazed around the large great room. Shit. I must be in the wrong condo. This looked like my condo but didn’t look like my condo.
My key must’ve opened another condo door. I started to back out, reaching down for my bag and coat, when a movement caught my eye.
I straightened and gaped at what I was seeing, blinking several times. The image standing before me was no ghost. In fact, far from it.
Blaire rocked a pair of pajamas, consisting of a tight tank and shorts. I stared at her, unable to stop myself. Her nipples were clearly visible through the thin fabric, and I’d always loved her breasts.
“What? What are you doing here?” I blurted out with a twinge of déjà vu.
She stared at me, startled. Her gaze followed mine downward. With a bright red face, she crossed her arms over her chest. Hiding her nipples didn’t deter my libido. Instead, I gaped at those heavenly long, long legs.
“Quit looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” I advanced on her, and she backed up a step. I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around her and kiss the hell out of those lush lips. I stopped a few feet away. I might be a caveman, but I never did anything a woman didn’t invite me to do.
“Like…like that.” She pointed at my face as if I were able to see my own expression.
I shrugged. “Why are you still here?” I spoke the words that’d been on the tip of my tongue the second I’d seen her, along with a few other X-rated words.
She looked away and chewed on her lower lip, a sign she was deep in thought. “I’m sorry. They’re working on my financial issues. I’ll be gone today.”
I had no idea who “they” were, nor did I care.
“Don’t you have a horse to ride or a judge to schmooze or a German trainer to flirt with?” I shot back.
Her challenging expression shattered like one of my mother’s crystal goblets on our marble floor. She went from defiant to devastated in one second flat. Tears streamed down her cheeks and a wail of pure despair erupted from her.
