She already knew that. She had one horribly long video reason why he didn’t want this to get ugly. “That’s not what Harry said.”
She was being obtuse on purpose, but he deserved to squirm a little.
“Harry misspoke,” Rex insisted.
“He seemed sure. He had a folder and everything.” She drifted to the right as a giant semi-truck came down the two-lane highway a little too close to the centerline. “Three folders, actually.”
“Viv, I’m perfectly willing to honor our original deal. I want to take care of you.”
She opened her mouth wide and had to fight the urge to gag.
“I’m just asking if you would please sign an amendment making it clear that we agreed to thirty-five percent of my income at the time of our divorce,” he continued. “Really, it’s to make the bookkeeping easier on everyone. That way you don’t have to worry about audits, and paying lawyers to dig around, or if I get demoted and start earning less. I’m thinking about you here. Clarity is good business.”
Did he think she’d buy what he was shoveling right now? She already assumed he was skimming off the top. She was sure there was creative accounting going on. The irony of the whole situation was, if he’d just asked her nicely without threats or pretense, she would have signed the damned agreement locking in the thirty-five percent.
“I wouldn’t feel right taking the same amount if you were demoted,” Vivien denied, feigning concern. “I couldn’t do that to you. Let’s keep the agreement the way it is for the sake of simplicity.”
“But—”
“I insist.”
“Okay, but—”
“Was there something else?” she asked.
His tone lowered, losing all traces of his forced charm. “You remember that you can’t show people that video, right?”
And there it was.
“As long as I’m not forced to, I promise I won’t,” she said. “That video embarrasses me as much as it does you.”
That was truer when they first split up, less so now.
“And you’re not going to take me to court for forty percent?”
“As long as I’m not forced to,” she repeated.
“And the audit?” Rex insisted. “Now that I explained that Harry was mistaken, you’re not going to audit the firm, are you?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” She hadn’t given it much thought. “As long as I don’t feel a reason to. Harry was pretty threatening. I don’t want to talk to him again without my lawyer there. Make sure he knows that.”
She was about eighty percent certain Harry and the other partners were listening to the call. Tiny noises sounded behind Rex’s voice.
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your next deposit,” he said.
“I’m sure I will.” It only mattered because of the charities she sent monthly donations to with the funds. “If there’s nothing else, Rex, I’m about to walk into an appointment.”
“No, there’s nothing else. Thanks for being so understanding, Viv. You looked great the other day by the way.”
“Goodbye, Rex.” She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else as she pushed the button on her steering wheel to end the call.
It took her several deep breaths before she could concentrate past the lines on the road. Rex was more of a nuisance than anything else. It wasn’t surprising that he’d called to make sure she wasn’t talking to her lawyer to take him to court. He knew he’d messed up. Making him sweat about it would only prolong her interactions with him.
She passed a sign saying her exit was in five miles, and then a billboard for one of her restaurants. It looked a little faded, and she made a mental note to talk to the advertising company that handled it.
“That’s who you married after me?”
Vivien cried out in surprise as Sam’s voice came from directly behind her. The car swerved, and the tires ran into the ditch. Her heart leaped into her throat. She jerked the wheel to correct the car’s trajectory.
Vivien made it back onto the road, but the overcorrection took her across the opposite lane. A semi-trunk honked a warning, and it barely missed striking her back end. She slammed on the brakes, stopping the vehicle along the wrong side of the road. Her hands shook and took the car out of gear. She took several deep breaths.
“No offense, babe, but he sounds like a loser,” Sam continued as if nothing had happened.
Vivien looked in the rearview mirror but didn’t see him. She turned around to find him lounging in the back. His feet were on the seat and his back against the door. She could see the seat through his body.
“Sam, what the hell?” she demanded, her tone harsh after the fright he’d given her. “You can’t pop up behind me like that. You almost got me killed!”
He reached over his head and picked at the seal along the window as if bored. His fingers had no effect on her car. “When did you get so serious? I remember you putting your hands over my eyes when I was driving. You told me to feel the road.”
She had done that once. Those had been crazy, wild times. “That was stupid of me. I shouldn’t have.”
Vivien studied him. His body contorted into a position that caused her back to spasm just looking at it. Sam looked so young, younger than the image she had carried with her. His handsome boyish face hadn’t gained in years, and his eyes lacked the wisdom that only came with age and experience. She didn’t get the impression that he wanted her dead, but then, their track record on the subject wasn’t great.
“Sam, you know that I don’t want to die, right?” she insisted. “You can’t keep trying to lure me to my death.”
“Why would I try to do that?”
“Then what are you doing here?” she asked. “You can’t be here. I know I séanced you but—”
“What are any of us doing here, Viv?” He stared at her as he pushed up from the door. “Let’s go to the beach. You love the beach.”
A knock on her window caused her to jump in her seat. She spun around to find a highway patrolman gesturing that she should roll down the glass for him.
Vivien glanced behind her only to find Sam was gone.
“Hello, ma’am,” he stated. “What seems to be the problem here?”
There was no way on Earth she was answering that question truthfully.
“Bee,” she lied as she turned off the engine.
He leaned over the look inside her car. “I’ll need to see your license, registration, and proof of insurance.”
“Yes, sir.” Vivien leaned over to the glove box to retrieve the registration and insurance before digging in her purse for her wallet. Sam had startled her, and she forced herself to focus on the patrolman so she could read him and get out of a ticket. She handed all three items over to him.
“Have you been drinking ma’am?”
“Just coffee.” She smiled. “Maybe a little too much.”
He didn’t laugh at her lame joke. “Is there a reason you’re parked on this side of the road?”
Vivien knew this man was used to people lying to him and making up excuses in an effort to get out of tickets. All he wanted was for someone to take responsibility for their mistakes and poor judgments. Her best bet was honesty… to a point. “I became startled, nearly drove off the road, overcorrected, and ended up here. I was trying to catch my breath after almost colliding with a semi-truck. I’m just thankful that no one was hurt by my mistake.”