A short time later, as sleep was taking hold, a thought popped into Millie’s head, jolting her from slumber so much that she sat upright and stared into the darkness. The smallest of grins appeared on her face when she realized her prayers may well have already been answered.

***

“I thought I saw your car in the garage,” Addison said, standing in the doorway to Fran’s office. “What are you doing here on a Saturday?”

Looking up from her computer, Fran said, “I’m researching singles’ websites, trying to find you a wife.”

The mere mention of the word caused Addison to set her jaw. “Do you honestly think you can find someone on those stupid things?”

Since returning from the courthouse on Wednesday, Fran had spent every waking minute of her time trying to find a solution to Addison’s problem. She was tired. She was worried, and she was fed up with Addison’s spoiled, rich kid attitude. Glaring at the woman in the tailored Zegna suit, Fran said, “I don’t know, but it’s the only thing I could think of. Why, do you have a better idea?”

“No, but then again, I thought you could do your job.”

“I can do my job!” Fran yelled, getting to her feet. “But every fucking time I went to file the papers, every sodding time I tried to fit this into your goddamned schedule, you kept delaying. How many meetings did you cancel? How many bloody times did you push this aside and find other projects where you thought I was needed more? In your infinite, goddamned wisdom you thought you were smarter than he was. There was no way the mediators wouldn’t find in favor of the great Addison Kane, but you were wrong, Addison! You may be one hell of a businesswoman, but your father, the son-of-a-bitch, fucked you from the grave!” Pointing at the door, Fran said, “Now, get the hell out of my office so I can try to find some fucking way to get you out of the mess you created!”

Somewhere over the years, their friendship had been lost to contracts and workload. Addison had forgotten about the nights they had spent studying together. The times when Fran forced her to leave the school in search of pubs and parties to show her life actually did exist outside ivy-covered buildings and libraries rich in tradition. Having never had any friends in her youth, the concept was foreign to Addison, but as she stared back at Fran, the lawyer’s dark blue eyes blazing with fury, Addison knew she had wronged one of the few in her life who had always tried to be her friend.

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you. I’ll give you that,” Addison said as she sat down in a chair opposite Fran’s desk.

“Piss off, Addison. I don’t have time for your crap.”