Page 56 of First Date: Divorce
“You could have frozen them out anyway.Way you did to Shar at the flower shop and Mrs.Cavendish.”
Disbelief rampant, she asked, “You think if I twisted myself around to make my sheriff comfortable, my career prospects would suddenly shoot up?”
“Nah.He sounds like a throwback.”
“As my supposed spouse, you should show concern about my career issues and be supportive of my ambitions,” she said dryly.
“I am.I say get out of there.Get away from a boss who’s an anchor around your neck.”
“Quit?Get out?That’s supportive?”
“Sure.But, considering the difficulties in our marriage, maybe I shouldn’t be so supportive.We should make use of your career frustration.I’m tired of you bringing it home, being surly about it.That sort of thing.”
“That’s not bad.But insurance investigating still doesn’t feel right.”
“Prison guard?Parole officer?”
“Too close to law enforcement.”
“Teacher?”
“Don’t know anything about it.But I do know about libraries from my mom.That was her part-time job for years and years.I spent a lot of time there after school while she worked.I can make that work.I’m a branch manager, but with a difficult boss above me, blocking my career.”
They settled on names for this boss and two fictional co-workers as well as where she worked.
After a brief silence, he said, “You never said why you’d file a consumer complaint on behalf of your mother.”
“Mark, that’s why.”
“Your fath— stepfather.”
“Not my father of any sort.My mother’s husband.”
“Oh-kay.Won’t make that mistake again.There it is.First look at Marriage-Save.”
All the preparations were behind them.All the pretending that they were a courting couple, a wedding-day couple, a happy married couple were behind them.
Now they shifted to two individuals trapped in a failed marriage.Giving it one more try, but knowing it was doomed.
And she started her job.Her real job of investigating.
All the rest was to get to this point.
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Cully called the building that Marriage-Save leased a historic railroad hotel, K.D.envisioned a four-square brick building.
She’d known otherwise from the floorplans he’d shown them.Still, the long, narrow white-frame building with dormers set into the second and third stories while the roof’s bottom sloped over a wrap-around porch, surprised her.
A cowboy-attired valet took Eric’s vehicle where the drive swept past the building, but left them to deal with their luggage.
After a slight tussle at the bottom of the porch steps — concluded when K.D.growled at Eric, “You wouldnothelp me with my bag” — they entered the double front doors.
The reception room was large.Probably even larger than it appeared, with the scale thrown off by a mammoth rock fireplace topped by a deer head mounted over the mantel.Leather couches, upholstered chairs, and wooden tables created separate seating groups focused on the fireplace or the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows.
A dark-framed stairway that had to be original started up along the right wall, then turned halfway to continue its ascent.A carved fan overhead marked the turning point.Beside its base stood a wooden check-in desk that suited another era, complete with what looked to be original pigeonholes.Its glowing wood matched the staircase.
K.D.gave the operators points for achieving a western feel without descending to kitschy.
