Page 70 of Born a Billionaire

“You’re very talented, Adelia,” Susie said. “I hope it all works out for you.”

“Me too. The waiting is killing me.”

Dottie looked toward the hallway, where the men had disappeared into Dad’s den. “How’s your dad really holding up?”

“We haven’t talked about it much since I’ve been here. We did talk on the phone shortly after it all went down, and he said if Mom wanted to come home, he’d take her back.”

“Really?” Susie asked.

“Do you think he still means it?” Dottie asked. “Now that some time has passed and it doesn’t look like she’s going to leave this other man?”

“I don’t know. I hate my mom for what she’s doing to this family.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry y’all are going through this.”

“Thanks, Dottie.”

The doorbell rang then, and Adelia was about to get up when her father came down the hallway to answer it.

He opened the door, spoke to someone, then closed it. He opened a manila envelope he held in his hands, and his chin dropped to his chest as if in defeat.

“Who was it?” Adelia asked.

He walked over and dropped the envelope on the side table. “From your mother.” And then he headed back down the hallway again.

Adelia was filled with dread as she took the envelope and peeked inside. Tears burned her eyes. She’d been so good at keeping her emotions inside about all of this, but she couldn’t right now.

“Divorce papers,” she whispered, and the ladies surrounded her with hugs and held her while she cried.

Dad’s eyes were rimmed red when he and the guys came out for dinner. Nobody mentioned it, and the meal went on as if nothing had happened. They talked and caught up and had a nice time together.

After dinner, Dottie and Susie took care of the dishes while the guys smoked cigars on the back deck, the kids disappeared to the game room again, and Adelia went to her room for some quiet.

She lay on the bed for a while, thinking about what had happened, and then she grabbed her phone and dialed.

“Hey, you,” Oliver answered on the first ring.

“Hey.”

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

“You too,” she replied. “What did you do today?”

“I worked.”

“No Thanksgiving turkey?”

“Not this year.”

“That’s so depressing. There was plenty of extra here, even with my dad’s family in town.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It would’ve been more fun if a guy hadn’t shown up at the front door with divorce papers for my dad.”

“Oh, you’re kidding? On Thanksgiving?”

“It’s not Thanksgiving here.”

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