Reconcilable Differences: A 'Having It All' Novel Read Online Free Page B

with golden highlights and looked windblown, inviting
touch. His nose was long and ever-so-slightly kinked to the right, his jaw
still lean and strong though his face was much fuller than it had been when he
was nineteen: less scrawny-boy, more chiseled-man, with more than a hint of
shadowed worry. She wet her lips as her eyes followed the slope of his jaw up
to Pan-like ears that made him seem... What am I doing? She had a
meeting to run. A job to do. She pushed on.
    "So. Um. If I have everyone's agreement... have
I?" she glanced around again, and everyone nodded.
    "You have my complete commitment, Kate,” Sharon
said. For some reason, her tone only increased Kate's doubts and worries.
    "Of course I respect your methods, Kate,” Simon's
warm tenor carried a hint of private amusement. "If what you are looking
for is cooperation, you have it. But I can't be expected to commit to agree to
a settlement I haven't seen, or a process, for that matter, that is not in my
client's best interests, can I?" He raised his sandy eyebrows expectantly.
Eli, who had been industriously doodling with his fountain pen, sat up
straighter and glanced at Simon with a hint of concern on his handsome face.
    "You do understand me, Simon. I am looking for full
participation, not an arbitrary substantive agreement," Kate clarified in
a voice intended to reassure Eli. Play along. She forced a smile onto
her face.
    Over the next half hour, Kate reviewed confidentiality
policies, then went over the step-by-step procedures. She reviewed the rules
about handling emotions. And finally she talked to them about the written
agreement that would be the important end result of the process.
    "Good. Now about our timetable, we should commit to
continue until, say, mid-to-late November, though I am optimistic that we can come
to a resolution before then. I prefer to meet once a week, if possible. After
the first session, it won’t be necessary for Sharon and Simon to attend."
Could she simply get rid of both of them? Dared she hope?
    "I'm afraid it is," Sharon said. "I've been
requested to attend every session by Madame Duchamp, who is paying your
bill."
    Kate drew in a breath, held it and let it go. Nicely
done, Sharon. "Of course. For some people it can be cost
prohibitive."
    D'arcy’s gaze rested on the ceiling, making Kate wonder
who was calling the shots. Sharon pursed her lips and looked at Kate, chin
raised in a challenge.
    "If she's here, Simon is too.” Eli glared at Sharon
while still avoiding eye contact with D'arcy. "You’ll stay, right
Simon?"
    Simon nodded. "If that's what you want, Eli."
    Damn . She was stuck with him, as long as she kept
this case. And she very much wanted this case for her presentation. "Okay.
But remember you're not here to stir up trouble. Your schedules everyone?"
Kate said, flipping open her calendar. Her head was buzzing, and dark spots
danced at the periphery of her vision. She rested her head in her hand, trying
to gain control. She wouldn’t faint, but bile was definitely fighting its way
up her gullet. How am I going to do this?
    Sharon scanned her agenda, while Simon reached into his
briefcase in search of his. "I'm pretty flexible, Kate,” she said.
"I'm at an advantage, since I have no travel time. I’ll defer to Simon, of
course." She blinked rapidly at him. It was a peculiarly feminine gesture at
odds with her rigid bearing that made Kate cringe and wondered how well she
knew him, or wanted to. Against all logic, a twist of jealousy tightened her
jaw.
    She imagined the young idealistic Simon growing up,
growing older. What had his life been like to make him so hard, when he had
been such a gentle soul? Who was he now? And why should she care? She's gotten
over him long ago. She'd been through therapy; she understood how her memory of
trauma had transferred to Simon. She shouldn't be falling apart now.
Nevertheless, a surge of nausea washed over her and her vision darkened.
    Simon found what he was looking for,