Page 35 of Whatever You Want

“Don’t forget she has dance tomorrow at ten, so don’t keep her out too late.”

I wasn’t worried about her being tired the next day. I was concerned about Vanessa finding out that Ava and Madison were going with us.

“My parents rented a house up in the Adirondacks for two weeks in August,” I said, getting straight to the point. The sooner we finished this conversation, the sooner I could leave.

She walked over to the fridge to get her almond milk to add to her coffee. “Send me the dates and I’ll let you know.”

I gritted my teeth. She acted like an HR director who had to approve my time off. Tension crept up in my spine.

“Also, while I’m here.” I pulled the envelope out of my back pocket and smacked it down on the counter. “I believe this is yours.”

“What’s that?” she asked, sliding onto one of the barstools.

“It’s a bill with my name on it for lawn service.”

“You’re right it is. What’s your point?”

“Why the fuck am I getting charged for this?”

She huffed and threw her long dark hair over her shoulder. Vanessa was a beautiful woman, and I was the stupid son of a bitch who allowed her beauty to cloud my judgment when we first met.

“You seriously expect me to mow the lawn and trim the bushes that you planted?” She played with the diamond pendant necklace I gave her and trailed her fingers to her cleavage. “I told you from the beginning that I wanted minimal landscaping, but you got what you wanted and now I have a damn forest growing around my house.”

This was an ongoing battle during our marriage. She fought me tooth and nail on everything. The fence. The deck. The landscaping. I let her make every other decision without any protest. She picked everything from the paint, the furniture, to the SUV she drove. Whoever came up with the phrase “happy wife, happy life” never met Vanessa.

“Yes, I expect you to pay because it’s part of being a responsible homeowner. If you don’t like the bushes, then tear them out and pour cement across the entire property, I don’t care. I don’t live here anymore and I’m not paying that bill.”

“We had an agreement. You said you would help me out.”

“Yeah, I meant if the hot water tank went or the furnace shit the bed. I’m not paying for this.”

Vanessa came from money. She was a pampered princess who was used to getting her way. My ex-wife also suffered from major mommy and daddy issues. When she dropped out of college to pursue a career in modeling, her parents cut her off. Once she realized that her looks weren’t going to pay the bills, she started bussing tables to make ends meet. That’s where we met.

When I saw her wearing that little plaid skirt with a low-cut green top, I was stunned, speechless at how stunning she was. I thought I hit the mother lode when she agreed to go on a date with me. I was young and dumb and full of cum. No matter how beautiful or how great the sex was, no woman is worth what I went through.

She parked her hands on her hips. “You know I don’t make a ton of money working at the doctor’s office. The one thing I splurge on is these nails.” She held them out. “I’m not breaking them by pulling out those damn shrubs I didn’t even want in the first place.”

“But you wanted this house, right?”

“Damn right I did.”

I pushed the letter toward her and tapped my finger over the amount due. “The bushes came with the house, so pay the bill.”

“I’ll tell you what. You pay that for me and I’ll let you take Brina on your family vacation.”

My back went straight. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“This is low, even for you. Using Brina to blackmail me.”

She rolled her eyes so far back in her head I was afraid her fake eyelashes would fall out. “I’m not blackmailing anybody. You can either pay the bill and take your daughter camping or not pay the bill and go alone. Completely your choice.” She smiled smugly, seeming so damn pleased with herself. I had officially reached my limit.

I smacked my hands down on the counter and leaned in. “I’m taking you back to court.”

“What?” she shrieked. “What the hell would you do that for?”

“Because I’m sick and tired of your games and trying to drain my life savings.”

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