The Ex-Wife by Candice Dow Read Free Book Online

or so.”
    “I would expect that I’d be dating someone longer than a year before I’d be willing to sign over my life to them for better
     or worse. You know?”
    “You never know. Sometimes it takes years to make a decision about a life partner. Sometimes it takes minutes.”
    He paused and looked at me. Does he think I’m that gullible? I smiled and shook my head a little.
    “I’m comfortable with lowballing the initial offer. I try not to be anxious for anything, so I’m up for negotiating. As long
     as I get what I want for the price I need.”
    “That’s what’s up,” he said.
    After the last of the documents was printed and signed, Cam took his time explaining and clarifying everything a second time.
     He seemed so patient and passionate about his job. I liked that about him. I found myself smiling at him for no reason and
     he returned a smile each time he caught mine. As time passed I found myself less and less angry, and more and more curious
     about this guy. My heart and my brain told me that he was who he’d told me he was. He’d backed off like he promised. He didn’t
     bad-mouth his stalker ex-wife, like the average man would have been tempted to do. He simply admitted that he should get his
     business in order. He seemed noble in his words and actions. That was a rare combination and maybe that’s why I’d felt so
     deeply connected to him that I wanted to rock his world on a first date.
    Still, I yearned to know his complete story. The what, when, and why of this guy’s being in any kind of domestic situation
     with that angry woman who had called my show. It would have been too hypocritical of me to pretend I was interested in hearing
     his side, so I suppressed the urge to ask.
    After the paperwork was done, he suggested I wait for him to walk into the parking lot because it was dark out. He secured
     the building and we headed out to our cars. I noticed him staring at me as he held the door. I wished I could decipher what
     was behind his intense eyes: lust, lies, or a lonely man on a quest for love. I didn’t know and I didn’t slow my pace enough
     to figure it out.
    I unlocked my car with the controller and he walked over and opened the driver’s-side door. I smiled. “Thank you.”
    Ducking his head into the car he said, “I’ll be in touch hopefully by tomorrow. The agent should have everything first thing
     in the morning. At least he’ll be able to look at the offer and see if we’re in the ballpark. I can usually gauge by their
     response what the seller is willing or not willing to do. I’ll contact you as soon as I get a call from him. OK?”
    I said, “OK. Hopefully we’ll talk tomorrow.”
    “Definitely. You’ll hear from me one way or the other.”
    “Sounds good.” I paused. “Thanks, Cam.”
    “You’re certainly welcome.”
    He reluctantly pushed my door closed and took two steps back. I felt awkward starting the car as he stood there, but I did.
     When I backed up, he raised his arm one more time in a wave. I beeped the horn, because I would have felt slightly stupid
     waving back. Finally he headed to his car.
    I called my younger sister. “Aaliyah, what are you doing?”
    “The same thing that I’m doing every night at eight.”
    “Right, tell my nieces that I said good night.”
    “Auntie said night-night.”
    They responded in their three- and four-year-old languages. God only knows what they said, but it sounded sweet and momentarily
     distracted me from what I really wanted to talk to Aaliyah about.
    “So did you sign the contract?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Did y’all discuss you-know-what?”
    “No.”
    “Did he tell you why, you know, he acted like, you know?”
    I knew she had to do that for the sake of little ears, but I was irritated and I wasn’t in the mood to translate her cryptic
     phrases. Aaliyah knows me so well that when I paused before responding, she laughed and said, “Sister, let me call you when
     the girls go to