Page 89 of The Best Part of Breaking Up

“I didn’t know she was yours exclusively,” he smirks. “She’s a total badass. Much more efficient than Lyle. Or Tim. I don’t know why anyone hires Tim. He’s about as stealthy as a buffalo.”

“Yeah, I know,” I chortle. “I’m just… surprised that you know.”

“I guess I know more than you give me credit for,” he says. “Fortunately for you, I’m willing to share.”

He turns the screen of his phone to me, and I see the message from Angela. Kimberly Winewright, formerly Glass. Iowa City, Iowa. 319-555-2989.

Holy shit.

My eyes meet his with wide intensity. “Is that…”

“The former Mrs. Glass,” he confirms.

“Jackpot,” I breathe.

A few minutes later, we’re sitting in the warm sand, crowded around Quentin’s phone. The sun is setting across the water. The few beachgoers that emerged after the pop-up storm are now packing up their chairs and umbrellas and sand castle molds. I tug my knees up to my chest as we wait to see if the call will connect.

“Hello?” a woman answers. Her voice is commanding but cheerful. I swell with hope.

“Ms. Winewright?” Quentin says.

“Dr. Winewright,” she corrects amiably. “That’s me.”

“Dr. Winewright,” he amends, “I’m Quentin Maxwell from Freeman Maxwell Lewis. My partner and I have a few questions for you about Teddy Glass –”

“I’m sorry, I don’t talk to the press –”

“We’re not the press,” I break in. “We’re his attorneys.”

There’s a pause on the line, and I stare at the call timer on the screen, waiting for the notification that she has disconnected the call. The seconds keep climbing. She doesn’t hang up.

“You’re Heidi?” she says.

“Heidi Krupp,” I confirm. “Mr. Maxwell is my co-counsel. We’re –”

“Teddy mentioned you, when I talked to him a few months ago. Said you weren’t like the other attorneys he met with. That you cared.”

I push past the way that does something to my chest. Seriously, what is with today? I’m scheduling an EKG the moment I get home.

“That’s me,” I offer. “We’re committed to helping Teddy resolve his divorce, and we have a few questions for you if you have time.”

“What questions?”

“You were married to Teddy?”

“Yeah,” she laughs. “About a million years ago.”

“What can you tell us about him?”

I hear her soften. “Teddy? He’s… um, Teddy. Genuine. Funny. Way too into music. He’s honestly one of the best men I ever knew.”

“That’s good to hear,” I say. “Why’d you split up?”

She sighs. “We were young.”

“Care to elaborate?” Quentin says.

“I got accepted to a grad program in California. It was a dream come true for me. When I applied, I thought it was impossible I’d ever get in. So when the letter came, there was no way I could say no. But Avid was always Teddy’s first love. I used to joke that I was his mistress, because he was very much married to his work. It was mutual, in the end. He wasn’t going to leave. I wasn’t going to stay.”

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