Free NEXT TO ME (A Love Happens Novel Book 1) by Jodi Watters Page A

personal use, he had run reports in the past for a few buddies who’d gotten themselves into some deep shit before they could come up for air and think with the correct head. Sam always told them it was better to know the woman you were getting into, before you actually got into her.
    So did that make him a hypocrite or just a fucking fool? Most likely, both. But he was not starting this relationship with Ali by looking up her credit score or her driving record. He wanted her to open up to him, to tell him about herself, because she trusted him.
    And if he didn’t stop obsessing like a teenage girl with puppy love and get to work on all the shit currently covering his desk and filling his inbox, he might never make it home tonight. Swearing long and low, Sam dealt with the problem first and foremost in his mind. Picking up the phone, he dialed Ray Berg’s number, ready to rid himself of one big fucking headache.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    “The judge signed the decree, Ali. The day before yesterday. Even though Danny contested the divorce, New Jersey is a no-fault state and since you weren’t asking for any community property, assets or alimony, all we needed to do was wait out the six months.”
    It was early evening, the sun sinking low in the sky and the air just beginning to cool, as Ali paced the length of her kitchen. Bare feet silent on the wood floor and burner phone to her ear, she absorbed what her lawyer was telling her. “So does that mean it’s done?”
    “Yes. In the eyes of the law, as of forty-eight hours ago, you are officially divorced. I can have the original, notarized documents overnighted to you.”
    “Does he know? I want to make sure that he knows it’s final.” That she was free and clear from him, at least legally speaking. “And my real address isn’t anywhere on the papers, right?”
    Before leaving the state, Ali had set up a post office box, somehow having the foresight to know she needed her mail sent to a location where she wasn’t. Danny was smart, she didn’t need to make it any easier for him. Her lawyer was the only person that knew her true whereabouts and she would check the mailbox monthly, forwarding any correspondence to Ali.
    “No, Ali. Every step was taken to ensure your privacy. They all have the New Jersey post office box. And I will personally mail the envelope with these documents myself so your location will remained privileged. As to Danny? The man is licensed to practice law in three states. He should know how this works.”
    The relief Ali felt was so strong, she sank bonelessly down onto the slip-covered sofa, clicking the phone off with a heartfelt whisper of thanks. The judge signed the decree, Ali. The day before yesterday. Leaning her head back against the sofa, she laughed out loud, the sound rusty and garbled as an exultant sob joined in. The weight of the world began to lift and she inhaled deeply, the suffocating mistakes of her past slowly easing. Oh, the seed of fear was still there, deep in the pit of her stomach, but the undiluted hope she felt minimized it. She was one step closer to putting the pain of the past six years behind her. A new beginning was within reach and Ali could finally see her opportunity for happiness on the horizon.
    She’d already had her fits of anger and cathartic crying sessions over the end of her doomed marriage, working through the devastating emotions with the help of unaccompanied time and fresh perspective. And a good bottle of chardonnay, when the doldrums really set in. Determined not to repeat the past, Ali spent hours racking her brain, tallying up every red flag she had either missed or discounted. She’d been doing exactly that the night before last, sitting on the beach watching the sun go down and wondering if she’d ever have a normal life, when Pete interrupted her melancholy musings and made his introduction, Sam following shortly behind. The tears that night weren’t from sadness or regret over what had been