Intent(4)

The good part of this encounter is that it seems to have infused steel back into my spine and helps me to face the day ahead of me. I have no doubt I’ll be assaulted with sights, sounds, and smells that remind me of Bobby all day. Hopefully, this anger and desire to cause him bodily harm will see me through until I can fall apart privately at home tonight.





Chapter Two





“Got a second?” Marcia Bettis, my supervising attorney, asks with a single rap on my open door.

“Sure. Come on in,” I reply as I look up from my laptop.

Marcia closes my door behind her, and my stomach settles somewhere near my ankles. It’s never a good sign when the boss wants to talk, privately, behind closed doors. She sits in the chair across from my desk, tilts her head to the side, and gives me a small smile. “How are you doing, Layne?”

“I’m okay,” I lie. It’s been three and a half weeks since I caught the cheating * and the skanky ex-best friend together. I’ve told no one at work about what happened because of my intense need to keep my worlds separate. “Why do you ask?”

“Honestly, I’m concerned about you. You don’t seem like yourself anymore. You’ve completely missed a few staff meetings when you’re normally the first one in the room. And just now, before I spoke, I stood in your doorway for a good five minutes while you stared at your laptop, and you never realized I was there,” Marcia replies, warmth infused in her tone. “Talk to me, Layne. What’s going on with you?”

“I’m experiencing a few problems in my personal life, Marcia.” I choose my words carefully not to give too much away and to shift the focus from my shitty personal life back to work. “I admit I didn’t realize it was affecting my job so much. But now that you’ve brought it to my attention, I will immediately step up my performance.”

Marcia regards me for a few uncomfortable seconds. In her later fifties, she’s around the age my mom would be now, and despite her tough-as-nails demeanor in the courtroom, she’s been incredibly supportive and nurturing toward me. She took me under her wing when I first started working here during my summer internships. She knows me too well.

She nods her head slowly. “That was a great, politically correct response. But that doesn’t answer my question.” Her eyes lock on to mine and her determination is clear. She won’t leave until she gets her answers. She won’t give up until she’s satisfied she’s squeezed every last ounce of truth out of me. And she uses sneaky tactics to trip up her victims, tactics I haven’t learned, much less perfected, yet.

But I know she has my best interests in mind.

“I hope you have a few spare minutes,” I sigh, conceding defeat.

“For you? Always.”

Her simple response makes tears spring to my eyes. The support, the love, the friendship that she so easily gives, and I’ve so recently lost. To hide my emotionally charged response, I take a moment to close my laptop and take a drink of water. When I’m sure I have myself under control, I take a deep breath and tell Marcia the entire story, from start to finish. From my relationship with Bobby, to the agreement I made in exchange for a baby, to finding him in bed with my best friend, I share my every shameful secret and every hidden desire with Marcia.

“We need to roofie them both, shave their heads completely bald, and superglue their genitals closed,” Marcia replies, sounding completely serious.

I laugh for the first time in a long time. I desperately needed that release right now.

“Why are you laughing?” she asks incredulously. “I know people.”

“Thank you, Marcia. I really needed that laugh today,” I reply. “No superglue needed. Although, the whole roofie and head-shaving idea has merit.”

“If you change your mind, you know where to find me. And I know where to find the guys who can make it happen,” she replies with raised eyebrows. “Until then, I think you need to take some time off.”

“What? No,” I object vehemently. “That’s the last thing I need.”

Deep down, I know she’s right, and I think I’ve known it for the last couple of weeks. A week after I caught them together, I finally snapped out of my dazed stupor and dove headfirst into depression. I think I actually prefer the stupor, when I was still shocked and didn’t fully experience the feelings. Now I feel everything. Every. Little. Thing.

“Layne.” The tone and inflection of Marcia’s voice scold me for my mental disappearing act. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re not okay.”

She moves around the side of my desk to stand beside me. She places her hand on my shoulder and softens her voice. “Layne, I’m giving you some time off to get away from here and clear your head. Between school and work, you haven’t had a real break in years. Do you remember about three years ago when you went to Georgia with me on a case?”

“Yes, I remember. Small town. Nice. Peaceful,” I sigh.

“That’s right, in Oak Grove. I have a vacation home there I haven’t used in years. Go stay there for a while, enjoy the slower pace, and put all of this behind you. Your job will be waiting for you when you get back.”

Inhaling a deep breath, I prepare to begin my rebuttal. Just as I open my mouth to speak, Marcia cuts me off with her stern look and take-charge demeanor.