behind her.'
'I'm going to try,' he said. God! Carla's blind faith in him made it even harder. He dreaded going into the office tomorrow and calling Raoul Kramer. The guy's client list read like a who's who of the rich and famous. They loved him, but he had the reputation of being a snake who devoured his opponents whole. Poor Nora! Other than her fidelity and good reputation as a wife, Nora didn't have a leg to stand on. How could Jeff Buckley be so rotten? He couldn't be certain until he spoke to Kramer what he'd do, but he was going to fight like hell to get Nora Buckley an even break.
The following day he called her. 'Hey, kiddo, it's Rick. Make me a sandwich. I'm coming by 'cause we gotta talk.'
'Turkey or ham?' she asked.
'Turkey,' he replied.
'What time?'
'About twelve thirty.'
Nora was irritable. She hadn't been able to get back to The Channel since Friday night because J. J. was home in the evenings studying for his finals. She missed Kyle. She missed the raw animal sex she had enjoyed those two nights she had been with him. For the first time in her adult life she felt there was someone who cared about her. Really cared. And she wanted to be with him again. If only there were a television in her bedroom, but Jeff would never hear of it. She wondered how much it would cost to have the cable company put in another connection. But then, Jeff had exited her life but for the formalities.
Rick arrived exactly at twelve thirty. 'Carla's out,' he said to Nora as he came into the kitchen, and sat down. 'I knew she would be. I didn't want her over here sticking in her two cents, and she would be.'
'Tell me,' Nora said quietly as she set the sandwich before him, and sat down with her fat-free yogurt.
'He wants to sell the house right away. He's got a bid in on a co-op in the city,' Rick began.
'Let him get a mortgage,' Nora said. Her heart was racing. If he took the house, where was she going to go? Where were the kids going to go when they came home?
'The lease on your car is up, and he's not renewing it. You can buy the car from the dealer for eighty-seven hundred dollars,' Rick said. He bit into his sandwich, unable to meet her eye.
'With what?' Nora said.
'He's canceled the car insurance on your car, J. J.'s, and Jill's,' Rick continued. The sandwich tasted like sawdust in his mouth. He gulped some iced tea.
'What else?' Her voice seemed to her to be coming from a very long way away.
'He's paid Jill's first year at Duke Law, but says that's it. She'll have to manage to get student loans for her other two years. He won't pay for J. J.'s college. He says his son is eighteen now, and he's not legally responsible.'
'And?' Nora's face was emotionless.
'No alimony,' Rick finished.
'What am I supposed to do, Rick?' Nora asked quietly.
'He says you've got a college degree, so get a job,' Rick told her.
'What about the eight thousand dollars my dad gave him to buy the house? He told my father he'd put the house in my name.'
'Jeff's lawyer says there is no proof of that, and that the money was a gift to Jeff. Unless your mother can help us prove otherwise, we're stuck. But listen, Nora, this is just the opening gambit in this game. Now we negotiate to try and get you and the kids better terms. Will your mother buy the car for you?'
'It's too much money right now,' Nora said. 'She's already given me ten thousand to tide me over. And she's sending you a check. Did you speak to her?'
Rick nodded. 'Yeah. And you're right. She's a cool lady.'
'We can turn J. J.'s car into the family car. He won't be happy, but I told him he couldn't take it to State in his freshman year anyway. But how much is the insurance going to cost me?'
'We can handle that for you,' Rick said. 'We'll put J. J.'s car in your name 'cause it will give us a better rate. Jill is working for her pocket money, so she'll be okay. J. J. got a summer job yet?'
'At Handlemann's Nursery,' Nora said. 'He's already working weekends, but it's too late to get him any student aid for this year. How could Jeff do this to his own son? And because he wants to buy a co-op for his girlfriend! Rick, what am I going to do about J. J.'s college? The scholarship covers tuition, but he's got room and board.'
'We'll work that one out,' Rick told her. 'State is cheap for in-state kids. The big problem is the house. We can't let him sell it out from under you, Nora. I'm going to go into court tomorrow and get a restraining order. His lawyer can get it lifted, but we can tie them up long enough to get through the summer. And at that point we will have come up with something, or maybe he will be more reasonable.'
'Don't bank on it,' Nora said grimly. 'When Jeff wants something badly enough, he will move heaven and hell to get it. You don't know what he's like.'
'Well,' Rick said, 'we'll just have to move heaven and hell to keep him at bay.'
Nora gave a small laugh. 'I never realized you were a knight in shining armor, Rick,' she said.
'I'm second-string, honey, and I'm up against the first string, but I'm not going to let Jeff leave you homeless and penniless, Nora.' He stood up. 'Thanks for lunch,' he said.
'You only ate half your sandwich,' she admonished him.
'I'm not hungry, except for a victory over Jeff Buckley,' Rick told her, and then he was gone out her kitchen door.
The telephone rang. It was her daughter. 'Ma, you okay with all of this?' Jill asked. 'It must have been one heck of a shock.'
'It's bad, baby, but Rick is going to do his best,' Nora said.
'I wish we had the best to handle this,' Jill said. 'This kind of thing is really over poor Uncle Rick's head.'
'He's all I can afford,' Nora answered, 'or rather, Grandma can afford. She sent him a retainer. Your tuition has been paid at Duke for the coming year, but you'll have to get student aid for the other two years. Daddy says he won't pay. And I don't know where we're going to get the money for J. J.'
'He's not paying for J. J.? Ma, that is so unfair! Why not?'
'I think he's taken your college funds for the co-op he wants to buy. He's trying to sell the house out from under us too,' Nora told her daughter.
Jill shrieked, 'Ma! This is terrible. It's like he's trying to punish you, but you didn't do anything. Are you sure I shouldn't come home this summer?'
'You've got another course to complete if you're going to Duke this fall, Jill. You were accepted on the proviso you finished. I don't want you deferring law school. There is nothing you can do to help, and we don't want to give your father an excuse to not pay that first year. Rick says this hardball is just a negotiating tactic.'
'Ma, this is really gross of Daddy,' Jill said.
'There is more, sweetie. Your car insurance is going to be changed, but don't worry,' Nora said. 'But I did want you to know when you get the paperwork. Okay?'
'Why is the car insurance changing?' Jill demanded.
'Because I'm going to be paying for it,' Nora told her. 'Now, Jill, I don't want to discuss it any further.'
'You aren't telling me everything, Ma,' Jill Buckley said.
'Jill, the divorce between Daddy and me isn't your problem. It's my problem, and I'm going to solve it. Your brother understands that, and is studying his brains out for his finals. I want you to understand it, and finish up so you're ready for law school in the fall. Now, do we have a deal?'
'Have you met her?' Jill asked.
'Who?' Nora was puzzled.
'Daddy's little bimbo,' Jill replied.
'No, I haven't, and to be honest I don't know anything about her. I assume she works with your father in some capacity,' Nora said.
'I hate her!' Jill said. 'I never even want to meet her! I don't have to, do I?'
'You are of age, Jill. That decision is yours, but you might want to meet her at least once for Daddy's sake. If you don't, he'll say I'm turning you against him. I really don't need that right now.'
'I can't believe how good you're being about this,' Jill remarked. 'What are you going to do now? I mean after
