The Pre-Nup Read Online Free PDF Page B

alarmed at the thought of what apple juice would do to her upholstery. She met Ellie’s gaze with an air of frank assessment, then arched one tapered black eyebrow.
    Really?
that eyebrow said.
That’s all you’ve got?
    The stitching on the steering wheel dug into Ellie’s fingers as she backed out of the parking space and merged into traffic. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps. To hell with that husband-poaching harpy and her condescending smirks. Ellie had won. She’d made her rage known and unleashed her inner bitch. With organic apple juice. Which, admittedly, might not be the most formidable instrument of revenge, but she awarded herself points for creativity.
    In the backseat, Hannah flung aside the bag of chocolate and announced, “I don’t feel good.”
    Pity. That was the emotion flickering in the brunette’s eyes. She hadn’t seemed threatened because, to her, Ellie was nothing more than a vapid suburban housewife who lounged around eating bonbons all day. Organic apple juice would only add to her derision. She was probably throwing her head back formidable, laughing about the sad little soccer mom’s fit of pique.
    Sweat poured down Ellie’s forehead. Apple juice! What had she been thinking? She should have stormed into the café and grabbed a fistful of steak knives! She should have—
    “Mommy, I don’t…uh-oh.” Hannah gagged, then vomited all over her car seat.
    “Oh, sweetheart.” Ellie jabbed at her hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road. “It’s okay. You just ate too much chocolate. Hang on. We’ll get you cleaned up.”
    My fault,
she admonished herself as she rummaged through the glove compartment for a package of wet wipes.
Bad mother, bad wife, bad person.
    Hannah threw up again as soon as Ellie finished wiping up the first round, then announced, “All better.”
    “Good.” Ellie smoothed her daughter’s silky blond curls. “We’ll go home now. You can watch a movie and sip some ginger ale.”
    “’Kay.” Hannah smiled up angelically.
    Ellie set her jaw and flicked on her right blinker. “Mommy just has to do one more thing real fast.”
             
     
    The red convertible’s alarm had stopped blaring but Ellie triggered it again when she pulled up behind the car and lobbed the vomit-soaked wipes into the driver’s seat.
    Michael sprinted out to the parking lot, his face red and his eyes wide.
    “Holy shit, Ellie! What are you—”
    “Watch your mouth.” Ellie slammed out of the SUV and strode over to confront him.
    “Hi, Daddy!” Hannah chirped from the backseat.
    Michael’s face changed from crimson to chalk white in the space of two seconds. “Hi, sweet pea.” He lowered his voice and hissed, “I mean it, Ellie. I demand to know what you think you’re doing.”
    “Oh, really, you demand?” She brandished her car keys like a weapon. “Well, I have a few demands of my own.”
    “You…?” He blinked a few times. “What is going
on
with you?”
    She widened her stance. “I know, Michael.”
    He regarded her with what appeared to be genuine confusion. “About…?”
    “Don’t play dumb.” She jabbed her index finger toward the restaurant. “You. Her. I know. So give it up.”
    He opened his hands and turned both palms toward her. “What are you talking about? That’s one of my new clients. Dr. Victoria Locane. She’s looking for new office space out by the Biltmore.”
    Ellie let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Michael, honestly. How stupid do you think I am?”
    “I don’t—”
    “Stop, okay? Stop talking before you make this worse for everybody. Including Hannah.”
    Michael’s voice eased into a low, gentle cadence. “You’re not making any sense, honey. Take a deep breath and calm down—”
    “You’re supposed to be golfing,” she reminded him. “Nine holes? The Oro Vista deal? Ring any bells?”
    He shrugged one shoulder. “Those guys got stuck in traffic coming across from the west valley. The