"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - For Richer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

I said, "I will if he will."

"I'll go check it out," said Gretchen.

The judge gave us a big scolding for wasting his time, and said we should have
thought this thing through better, and if we were incapable of thinking about
it, our lawyers should have been more responsible, and if he ever saw us in
his
court again he would divorce us immediately in revenge. I couldn't follow his
logic. Rich was laughing, and that only seemed to infuriate him more.

"Come on," I said, "Let's go home."

He had been living in his own apartment for two months -- since I kicked him
out
of the one we had shared. He leaned forward and looked at me. "Really?"
I took his arm. His hesitation made me more sure than ever that he was someone
new. "Come home," I said. Now or never. We could start with an early dinner,
then see if the evening followed the old pattern or not. If he still ended
lovemaking with hurt and humiliation, I knew the judge I wanted to see.

As we walked out of the building, Gretchen joined us. "Call me for lunch,
Penny.
Don't call me for any more divorce work. I don't think my budget can take it."

"Don't worry," said Rich.

Gretchen gave him a pointed look. "On the other hand," she said.

He grinned at her. Couldn't be Rich; Rich had no sense of humor where my
independence was concerned. He hated it if I had lunch with a girl friend
almost
more than he hated it when my advertising buddies and I went out to lunch.

He wrote Gretchen a check for a thousand dollars. "Just in case she needs you
again, here's a provisional retainer," he said, handing it to her.

She swallowed. "What if she doesn't?"

"For services rendered," he said.

"Penny, you witnessed that, didn't you? Now I'm going to deposit this."

"Isn't there something fishy about your taking money from your client's
adversary?"

"Not since you halted the proceedings." She blew us both a kiss and walked
off.

"I don't know, Rich," I said. "I feel funny about you paying my lawyer for not