In Confidence. Karen Young

anyway, now,” he said, running a palm over his two-hundred-dollar haircut. “I’m the one who’s had the financial rug pulled out from under me.”

      She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

      “Walter. He talked the other doctors into voting me out of the practice. When I got there Monday morning, they’d already met over the weekend and had a document drafted with the buy-out terms. It’s totally unacceptable. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let him grab my practice. I’ve spent twelve years building up that practice. Who the hell does he think he is?”

      “I think that’s pretty obvious. He’s your partner and you stole his wife. It’s a betrayal of the most hurtful kind.”

      “That wouldn’t have happened if Francine had been getting what she needed from him,” he said, staring into his drink.

      Rachel sank back against the chair’s cushions. “Then I can assume the same thing? You weren’t getting what you needed from me and you could get it from Francine?”

      “I told you, it just happened. We didn’t plan it.”

      “Uh-huh. And I heard you the first time.” She stood up. “As for the manner of Walter’s revenge, you must have had a clue when he stormed over Saturday morning with blood in his eye. You can’t steal a man’s wife and expect him to have no hard feelings. And you can’t expect the other doctors in the practice to turn a blind eye either. Everything that’s happened is so predictable, Ted. How did you not assume there would be some negative fallout? Walter simply chose the most effective way to retaliate.”

      “I’m not taking this lying down. I’m fighting them in court.” Setting his drink aside, he reached for an envelope in his jacket. “You’ve got a stake in this, too. Think about it. If their offer stands, it will affect you and the kids, too. If Walter screws me in this deal, our joint net worth is cut in half. No way is he getting away with this.” He gave her the envelope. “Here, my lawyer drew this up.”

      She took it, frowning. “What is it?”

      “It started out to be the terms of a tentative separation settlement, but it had to be revised after I arrived at the practice Monday morning. Everything’s changed.” He glanced toward the stairs. “Are the kids here?”

      “No, Nick’s still at baseball practice and it’s Kendall’s day for gymnastics.” She glanced at her watch as she pulled the folded document from the envelope. “I have to pick her up at six-fifteen,” she said, scanning the first page. She frowned, struggling through the usual legalese until she finally reached the meat of it. Then her eyes widened in disbelief. She looked up at Ted. “You can’t be serious!”

      “When have you ever known me to joke about money?”

      She held the blue-bound papers as if they were poisonous. “You’re seriously suggesting we sell the house? This house? What makes you think I’d even consider such a crazy thing? This is Nick and Kendall’s home, Ted. It’s not yours to use to get your tail out of a crack.”

      “If you can come up with a better idea, I’m open to suggestions.”

      As he rose from the chair to freshen his drink, the front door crashed open and Nick burst into the room. “Mom, I gotta talk to you!” He broke stride only momentarily when he spotted his dad, then ignored him to light into his mother. “You have really messed up.”

      She gave him a stern look. “Can’t you see your dad and I are having a discussion now, Nick? We’ll be done in—”

      “Why did you tell Coach about Dad walking out on us?”

      She gave him a startled look. “What are you talking about?”

      “Coach saw me after practice and offered a shoulder to cry on, Mom. It was—” Tossing his jacket on a chair, he shook his head as words failed him. “Jeez, Mom. Ward heard it and I don’t know who else. I can see it now, I’ll be trying to live this down for the rest of my life. I don’t believe you did something so bogus!”

      “I did not tell Monk Tyson your father walked out.”

      “Then how’d he know it?” Nick demanded, his face filled with outrage.

      “This is a small town. Word gets around, Nick.” Rachel drew a deep breath, knowing this was not the last time she would have to try to ease the fallout from Ted’s desertion. “Monk mentioned it in the break room this morning,” she explained. “He expressed concern, nothing else.”

      “And you let him think I’m such a baby that I might not be able to handle what’s happened?”

      Ted finally spoke up. “Nobody thinks that, Nick. And of course you can handle it. If you ask me, it’s a good coach who’s aware of more than just a kid’s stats on the ball team.”

      Nick turned on Ted furiously. “What the hell would you know about stats, Dad? You haven’t made one of my ball games this season.”

      “Don’t talk to me like that, boy,” Ted ordered. “You know the rules around here about profanity.”

      “Yeah, and I guess you’re going to leave it to Mom to enforce the rules as usual, right?”

      “Please…” Rachel lifted a hand to stop them. “Let’s all calm down. Nick, my conversation with Monk was not personal, so you have no need to feel embarrassed. He offered to help if you seemed to need it, that’s all. There’s nothing for you to be upset about.”

      “Except the whole team is thinking what a trip this is,” Nick said bitterly. “You should have heard Ferdy, then you’d understand. You’re a guidance counselor, Mom. This isn’t supposed to happen to you. Everybody thinks you’re supposed to fix things.”

      “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ted said. “You’re looking at real trouble if you start listening to what everybody says.”

      “I’m sorry, Nick,” Rachel said quietly, ignoring Ted. “I didn’t see this coming and I can’t fix it. But we’ll get through it. Now, why don’t you go to the kitchen and get yourself something to eat. I picked up a pizza on my way home. We’ll talk later.”

      Nick turned on his heel. “I’m not hungry.” He snagged his jacket from the back of the chair and stalked out.

      When he was gone, Rachel gave Ted a meaningful look. “What was that you were saying about the kids being fine with this?”

      “They will. It’ll take some getting used to, but Nick’s tough. He’ll adjust.”

      She looked briefly at the ceiling, praying for patience. “Okay, Ted. Whatever you say.” She realized she still held the legal papers in her hand. “Was there anything else you wanted to tell me about this? Like Nick, is there anything more I need to adjust to besides the fact that you want to sell the house out from under us?”

      “As I said, I’ve talked to my lawyer. According to the terms of the original agreement when the practice was established, if Walt and the others are unanimous in any decision—and that includes demanding the ouster of any partner—they can do it. The only negotiable is how much they’ll agree the departing member is worth. And that’s where it all gets sticky. If I don’t accept what they offer—and I’m not about to—then I have to take them to court. Who knows how long that’ll take. Could be months. A year. I’ll need the money—” He paused, then started again. “We’ll both need income while this is ongoing. Your salary at school won’t cut it. The money’s there…once we sell the house.”

      “What does Francine have to say about all this?”

      “She’s shocked, naturally. She says Walter’s just doing it to hurt her.”

      “He’s probably feeling pretty hurt himself, seeing his wife has been sleeping with a man he thought was his friend.” She waved him quiet when he started to argue and said wearily, “Never mind trying to spin what you and Francine have done as anything