Glass Hearts

Chapter 30: Reaching

Samantha Campbell

My right foot slams against the brake as the driver in front of me makes an unexpected turn. The car comes to an abrupt stop and yanks us forward. Our seatbelts press into our skin and keep Kevin and me in place, but the red beads on my rear-view mirror rattle.

"Really?" I shout, honking my horn.

The asshole has the nerve to blare their horn back at me as they speed down a winding ramp. Would it have killed them to go into the other lane ahead of time? Some people have no sense of common courtesy. They burst into your life without warning and disrupt how you normally do things and make you feel so...

An exasperated huff escapes my lips as I start moving the car again. Luckily, no other cars were behind me, otherwise, this could have been a major accident. I'm on edge enough as it is. I don't need to add reckless drivers to the list of things to worry about tonight.

Kevin reaches into the space between his seat and the center console and fishes around for something in the dark.

"Lose something?"

He pulls his empty hand out and looks at me.

"I dropped my money clip." He says.

An image of the metal money clip pops into my head. The night we ordered tacos, I observed that it was an expensive-looking piece with his initials carved into it. For something that holds money, it sure looked like it was worth more than the bills it contained. Before I can ask how it got out of his pocket, he puts a white business card on the dashboard.

"I was getting this."

I read it quickly and look back at the road.

"I already have a lawyer."

"Doug is a shark. He's won a lot of cases for my father and should be able to speed up your divorce."

I bite my lip. See, this is why I didn't want to share. He's going to feel obligated to help out of some misplaced pity.

"I appreciate the gesture but I have a perfectly fine lawyer."

Rachel knows what she's doing. It's not her fault that the judge wants Daniel and me to work with a mediator. If I call her and explain the situation, I'm sure she can find another way to handle my case.

I try to give the card back to him but he wont take it.

"I have no use for it. So if you'd like to hang onto it, you can."

I think about protesting further but the sincerity in his tone stops me.

"Fine, but I'm not making any promises."

He nods. Thankfully a loud ringing from his pocket interrupts our conversation.

"Excuse me." He directs to me before he picks it up.

"What's the update?" Kevin asks.

There is a short pause as the man on the other end explains something to Kevin.

"That won't work. l need it for the fall."

The man apologizes and I can hear him try to smooth things over.

"You're killing me, Darwin." Kevin rubs his temples and lists off a set of instructions for Darwin.

He becomes engrossed in his call and I cant help but be glad. Good intentioned or not, I don't want to keep talking about my divorce. I need a moment alone with my thoughts to sort out the mess of emotions swirling inside.

We've been driving down the highway for at least fifteen minutes, but part of me still feels like I'm at the lake. Kevin's advice replays in the back of my mind like a broken record.You don't let others at the office take advantage of you, so why should your marriage be any different?