Every Woman Needs a Wife by Naleighna Kai Read Free Book Online Page A

Knowing that Bettye wasn’t a drinker, she removed the glass from the woman’s delicate hand and took a small sip of the sweet, clear, bubbly liquid. “You knew about Tanya?”
    “I’m not surprised. Like father, like son,” she said, reclaiming her glass, then slinging back the last of her drink.
    When Tori shimmied past with a tray of wine, Brandi’s mother-in-law exchanged the empty glass for a full one, which Brandi swiped away from her. “Hey, how many of these have you had?”
    Bettye grimaced, looking at Vernon’s father and shaking her head. “Not enough to deal with being in the same room with my asshole of an ex-husband
and
his new woman.”
    Brandi had invited William Spencer; he had taken the liberty of bringing Julie, the new toy, twenty-five years his junior, to the anniversary party—probably knowing Bettye would be there. The balls of the Spencer menwere big enough to substitute as doughnuts on a broken-down vehicle.
    Bettye leaned over and said, “You know, William’s going to direct Vernon on how to shaft you on this one. I’d let Avie get a head start if I were you. Mother’s on the side of truth and justice.”
    Brandi lifted the glass saying, “Amen to that! I have no intention of being written off as some embittered, jealous, paranoid woman.”
    Avie appeared next to them, wearing a navy power suit, and powder blue blouse, which complemented her creamy, honey-colored skin. She wore her auburn hair pulled up into a love knot, accentuating her almond-shaped eyes and round face. “With your level of proof,” Avie said grimly, “you’ll get everything you want.”
    “I only want what I deserve,” Brandi said softly, an uneasy feeling settling into the pit of her stomach as she took in the lawyer’s hard glare.
    Avie turned to Brandi. “And that’s
everything
. And I’m going to make sure you get it.”
    Although her specialty was commercial real estate, Avie Davidson looked at marriage as a contract and, just like in corporate America, if someone didn’t live up to their end—they had to pay. It was obvious that Avie was still angry at Vernon for trying to cut her out of doing work for The Perfect Fit. Brandi had fought hard to keep her friend as part of their new business venture, but Vernon had insisted on using a friend of his from college. Avie had checked over the “friend’s” work a few times and caught several fatal flaws. When she checked the billing records and found the man had milked them better than a Wisconsin maid, Vernon had to relent. He was willing to let bygones be bygones, but Avie could hold a grudge so long it could become its own universe. Vernon would need more than a good lawyer to escape her clutches on this one—he’d need two extra pair of asses. Avie knew how to extract a pound of flesh from each cheek.
    “Where are the girls?” Bettye asked, watching as all the men, except Donny and Thomas, gathered on the far side of the dining room with Vernon in the center, fielding questions like some rock star.
    Brandi grinned over her glass. “They’re sleeping at Avie’s house with her three hellions.”
    Avie’s eyebrows drew in. “Who are you calling hellions?”
    “It wasn’t
my
children who flooded the living room with the garden hose,” Brandi shot back.
    Her friend’s lips curved into a sheepish grin. “Oh, well, that’s different.”
    Brandi chuckled, saying, “I didn’t want them here just in case things got ugly.”
    “With Donny here?” her friend said, eyeing the animated male crowd. “I wish Vernon would show his natural Black behind. I remember the last time those two got into it. Your brother locked his butt in the trunk for an hour.”
    Bettye looked over her glass of wine at her son. “Vernon will think twice before letting what’s in his pants mess up his home life the next time he gets married.”
    Avie turned to the older woman, saying, “If he can afford a next time.”
    Brandi looked at Avie, seeing the hard glint