Page 97 of Last Girl Standing

“She made Tanner sound like a great guy, a wonderful human being. But we both know that’s not true, don’t we?”

Delta eyed Amanda cautiously. She hardly knew how to respond to that, so she didn’t. “Are you going to help me?”

“We need to work out a few things. Financial and otherwise. You’ve hated me for years. I’m just wondering if you can put that aside.”

“I haven’t hated you,” Delta responded automatically.

“I’m going to tell you something, and then we can move on.”

“All right,” Delta said carefully.

“I’m competitive.”

“Really.” Delta was dry.

“No, I mean deep-down competitive. On the edge of psychotic. . . competitive.”

“You act like this is news.”

Amanda gave a surprised laugh. “Fair enough. From the beginning, I wanted to beat you. Everybody, of course, but especially you. I wanted Tanner because you wanted him. I had to have him because he was yours. I didn’t think about it that way at the time. I’ve come to that realization a bit late.”

“Why?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“Because you were, and are, the best of us,” she said. “It’s just something I always knew. Ellie feels it, too, I’d wager. Watch out for her . . . and for Zora.”

“Zora? What do you mean?”

“Don’t trust any of us. We lie. You don’t lie . . . much.”

“All I know is I need a defense attorney. I’m here because that’s what you are, and you’re a good one. I know things are going to get worse for me, and I’ve got a little boy to take care of who’s just learned his dad isn’t coming back.” Her voice quavered a bit, and she pulled herself together. “He’s doing okay. Wanted to go to pre-K today. I took him. I don’t really know what else to do, but another shoe’s going to drop.”

Amanda gave a deep nod. “My job would be to do my best to keep you out of jail, but if I should fail, have you made arrangements for your son?”

“Yes. I mean, no. But my mother and father, his grandparents . . . they would take care of him.” Amanda had put her finger on Delta’s deepest fear. She couldn’t believe she could actually go to jail. She was horror-stricken at the thought.

Several long moments elapsed during which Delta could tell Amanda was doing some serious thinking. “All right,” she finally said.

“All right?” Delta repeated.

“I’ll represent you.”

Delta let out a pent-up breath. “Oh . . . good. Thank you. Do you need a . . . retainer? I can write you a check . . .” As long as it’s not too much.

Amanda named a fairly reasonable figure, which caused Delta’s brows to lift.

“I’m doing this as a friend,” she told Delta.

Delta’s throat closed, and she was glad to have to look down and search through her purse for her checkbook, a chance to gather herself. Once she’d written out the payment, she set it on the table between them.

Amanda didn’t reach for it. She merely crossed her arms atop the table and settled in. “Now that we’ve got that taken care of, let’s go back over the last few months, maybe a year. Don’t leave anything out about your relationship with Tanner and your son and anyone else you deem important in your life. Your parents? Friends? Tell me about any fights you’ve had and what they’ve been over, money, the dynamics of your household—”

“Other women,” Delta cut in.

“Other women,” Amanda repeated, cutting off whatever else she’d been about to say, then picking up again, “What you told the police. Anything about his business, and yours. Financial issues.”

“I don’t have a business.”

“You wrote a book.”

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