Both men nodded in understanding. “I think people just get really busy in their lives,” Mack suggested. “And then we forget that they’re even there. But, for them, the days are long, and, without visitors or without any kind of contact, I think it’s much harder on the seniors.”
“I’d agree with that. I see Nan, not every day and maybe I should, but Nan’s just as likely to push me away because she’s lawn bowling or dancing or something.” Doreen chuckled. “But I do try to see her every few days. And almost always she’s there, more than ready to see me. Sometimes she calls me up and hauls me down there just because she needs a hug.”
“And that’s very understandable.” Nick looked over at his brother and added, “And you’re right. I should be moving back.”
“Only if you’ve got the business here,” his brother stated, focused on Nick. “I know you went to school for a lot of years to do this. I don’t want to see you give up that dream.”
“I don’t think I’d have to,” Nick replied. “Kelowna has grown a lot. I haven’t checked into joining any partnerships here.” He cocked his head. “I could always set up my own business.”
“You could,” Doreen agreed, looking at him. “I’m not exactly sure what kind of law you do, outside of divorces.”
“I do family law, but I have a couple specialties as well,” he added. “I’m not too sure I’d have competition from very many attorneys here, so I’d probably be able to keep the business going.”
They paddled for another hour, and, by the time they made it back to shore, she crashed on her towel, Goliath right beside her. He’d apparently spent the whole time entertaining himself in the park. She’d been relieved to see him there when she came back. She’d kept an eye on him from a distance, but, when she wiped out, it was a little hard to see anything. But the men had informed her that Goliath was doing fine.
And, oddly enough, the beach was still mostly deserted. “I guess that’s one thing about coming early, isn’t it? We don’t have to worry about crowds.”
Other paddleboarders had gone out and left their gear as well. The joys of small-town living.
The two men smiled at her. “And that’s very true,” Mack added. “Plus, we do have a picnic lunch to look forward to.”
She looked up at him and beamed, and then she realized it was only 11:00 a.m. “But you’ll probably want to wait, won’t you?” she asked.
“No, and you probably only had toast for breakfast, didn’t you?”
She frowned at him. “What’s wrong with toast?”
“Just carbs, no protein, no sustenance, and you burn right through it, which is great in terms of initial energy, but after that?” He shrugged. “You go downhill pretty quickly.”
“Well, that’s the story of my life,” she replied, chuckling.
And when Mack pulled out a thermos and handed it to her, she looked at him and then snatched it up. “Coffee?” she asked, with a big grin.
He nodded. “If there’s one thing I know to bring you, it’s coffee.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, sighing happily. “This is lovely.” She looked over at Nick. “Did he bring enough food for you too?”
Nick burst out laughing. “Maybe not. Apparently you eat a lot.”
She winced. “You didn’t tell him that, did you?” she asked Mack in horror. “That’s hardly ladylike to eat a lot.”
“It’s hardly ladylike to starve yourself either,” he declared. “The good Lord knows you’ve been doing plenty of that.”
She glared at him again and poured coffee into the lid.
As she sipped it, Mack asked, “You going to share that?”
She immediately shook her head. “Nope, you insulted me, so I don’t have to share anything.”
He sighed and looked over at his brother. “See what I have to put up with?”
Nick was grinning at her. “She’s all heart.”
“Exactly,” she agreed, looking over at Nick. “I’ll share with you.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“You’re trying to get that ex out of my life,” she replied.
He nodded. “And, by the way, I got another counteroffer.”
“Did you?” she asked. “I’m surprised. I never in my life thought that Mathew would negotiate. And that’s because he’s an all-or-nothing kind of guy. And how much of a negotiation did he do?”
“He came up a little bit, but it really won’t be enough to make anybody happy.”
She looked at him and nodded. “That would be what I’d expect.”
“Maybe,” Nick replied. “So I will send back a response that won’t have much movement on my side and a message to see him in court.”
She shuddered at that. “You know the last thing I want is to go to court, right?”
“I know, but sometimes we have to do what we have to do.”
“I suppose,” she muttered. “How quickly would a court date be? And would I have to go?”
He shook his head at that. “Not sure about the date. And, yes, you’d have to appear in court as well, unless I can get a dispensation to represent you.”
“Right,” she murmured. And she sat here quietly.
Mack reached over, placed a hand on hers, and added, “It’ll be okay.”
She looked up at him. “Do you think so?”
“Yes,” Mack agreed, “and the court’s not a big deal. This stuff happens all the time. It means that you can’t come to a reasonable middle point on your own, so the judge will step in.”
She nodded. “And you think that that’ll be in my favor? Even though all the stress it’ll put me through?”
He looked at her seriously, his gaze steady as he nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“And you don’t think that my life will be in danger as we get closer to that court date?”
Nick’s gaze widened. He looked at Mack, back at her, and stated, “If you’re serious about that, if you think that is a potential in this case, I can ask for you to appear by video.”
She considered it. “I don’t know how much money we’re talking about. I just know that he’s very, very against sharing.”
“I got that impression already,” Nick noted. “I’ve looked at the paperwork that his lawyers have sent back, and they don’t seem to think that he should share at all.”
“Exactly.”
He pondered that for a moment. “We still can’t just let him get away with this.”
At that, Mack handed her something wrapped up in tinfoil. “Chew on this and not on that,” he stated succinctly.
She glared at him. “Do you really think you can just keep shoving food at me, and I’ll stop doing the stuff you don’t like?”
He grinned at her. “At least you will for the moment.”
She unwrapped the parcel in front of her and then stared at it in delight. “Oh, my gosh, this is a meat pie, and it’s still warm,” she crowed.
Immediately she unwrapped the tinfoil, so she could access the treat, and took a big bite. She sat here quietly, with her eyes closed, and chewed. Maybe Mack was right. Maybe she could be satisfied with just food. But she did know that she didn’t want anything to do with her ex, especially not showing up in the courtroom and having to face him one-on-one. She’d do a lot to get out of that.