“I can’t hurt her like that.”
“She started it.”
“She didn’t mean for this to happen. I care about her.”
I love her.
“As your lawyer and your friend, I’m going to walk you through this. Are you ready to lose your business, all its professional and personal assets, and your house for a woman you’ve known for less than half a year?”
“I have an LLC.”
“They’ll pierce your LLC. Then Mega Eats will cut your house like a cake. They’ll take everything and Judge Harper will make you pay attorney fees, which Mega Eats will have inflated like a fucking hot-air balloon.”
“They keep saying less than half a year, but that’s not right.” Why didn’t anyone get how important their time at the Jean Paul Molineux School had been? “I’ve known Kia since she was twenty. I wouldn’t be who I am without her. Mirepoix wouldn’t be Mirepoix without her pushing me to be the best chef I could be.”
“That’s very noble. But I want you toreallythink about this. Yes, you slept with her. Yes, you think you love her.”
“I didn’t say—”
“I’m a divorce attorney, Sullivan. If I can’t spot someone about to throw themselves under the bus for love, I shouldn’t be in the business. But are you ready to be that noble? If you find out she doesn’t feel the same way? When she leaves? And here’s the thing: You can’t ask her. You can’t say,Do you love me, because if you do, I won’t denounce you in court. You won’t know if she wants you orif she’s desperate. When you’re starting over, and she’s gone, will you still be happy with your choice? And Mega Eats might offer her the same deal. She’s the one they want to nail. They want to show people what happens if you fuck with Mega Eats. They want you both, and if they can only nail one of you, they’d rather it’s Kia but…” Nina didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Sullivan paced across the room. Her life felt like an escape room she couldn’t win. “I won’t do it.”
Part of her had never been so confident of anything in her life. Another part desperately scanned the future trying to figure out if she herself was lying. Would she really give up everything for Kia? She wanted to be that strong.
“I won’t hurt her,” she said again. “Call Mega Eats and tell them I won’t take their deal.” There. She’d said it. She didn’t have time to change her mind.
“I won’t call Mega Eats.”
“This is my decision!”
“Shh, girl, calm down. I won’t call them tonight or tomorrow. Go to one of those hideous campsites you like and sleep on it. Spend a night in a tent crawling with bugs. Then if you’re sure, I’ll tell them whatever you want.”
chapter 33
Kia was gettingready for a day of frying tursnicken and angsting over the fact that Sullivan had only responded to her texts with emojis. She hadn’t told Sullivan about her profiles. The emojis were a wall, and she didn’t know if Sullivan wanted her to scale it. Kia had textedgood night, and Sullivan had texted back . She’d texted a picture of a minimart sign advertisingGUNS, AMMO, WINE, WORMS. Then she’d textedone stop shopping, move over Walmart. Kia waited for some text banter to let her know that Sullivan wasn’t mad that she’d left, but all she got was a laughing emoji a few hours later. With that cold response, she couldn’t write,They closed down my accounts. I can’t make money. I know they want me to back down.What if Sullivan texted back with,Now you know how it feels to lose your business. That didn’t seem like Sullivan, but Kia didn’t know anything anymore.
Kia was checking the propane connection when her phone rang. She jumped to answer, but it wasn’t Sullivan. It was Nina. Nothing Nina had to say could be good, could it? Nearby, Deja was talking with one of the fair organizers. Kia excused herself, trying not to look panicked. Deja’s sympathetic expression said Kia had failed. She walked quickly through the maze of hoses and supply crates. A few people waved at her. She heard someone say, “That’s Kia Gourmazing,” and someone else say, “She’s hard to miss. Did you see her truck?”
“Hello, Kia.” Nina was all business, not a trace of familiarity in her voice. “I’m very sorry, but I need to withdraw from your case.”
“What?”
“I’ve got Mark Bretton on the line.”
Nina said it like Kia should know who Mark Bretton was.
“He’s ready to take your case, if you want. He’s one of the best family law and contract attorneys in Portland.”
“Thank you, Nina,” a man’s voice said.
“He’s even beat me in a few cases, which does not happen often. Naturally, you’re welcome to find your own attorney, but given the time-sensitive matter, I think it’d be wise to transfer your case to Mark.”
Kia sat down on a crumbling Jersey barrier, snagging her pants on a bit of metal sticking out of the concrete.
“And do not try to do this pro se. You will lose,” Nina added.
What was pro se? And more importantly…
