Free COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) by Kassandra Lamb

the first time in days. “Thank you both so much. This is above and beyond the call of friendship. You two are–”
                Mac cut her off. “I don’t know ’bout you, honey bun, but I’m insulted. We’re not friends, Kate. We’re family.”
                “He calls you honey bun ?” Rob said, a chuckle in his voice.
                Rose glared at him and marched out the door.
    ~~~~~~~
                When Skip spotted his lunch date entering the restaurant, he stood up and pulled out a chair for her.
                “You’re not hard to find in a crowded room.” Janice stood on tiptoe to peck him on the cheek, then sank onto the chair with a sigh. “Sorry I’m late. I was in court. Judges get cranky if you get up and leave. You got some good dirt for me so I can put this miserable case to rest?”
                Skip grinned. “The plaintiff’s got a rap sheet as long as his arm, under several different aliases.”
                “Say what?”
                “William Dunning is not who he says he is. He’s served time in three states for scams similar to the one he pulled on your client’s mother.”
                “Son of a bitch. My client’s actually telling the truth.”
                “Yup,” Skip said. “He may have beat the crap out of Dunning but any jury worth its salt is likely to give him a medal after they hear Dunning’s history.”
                 The waiter approached to take their drink orders. “Champagne,” Janice told him. “Your best bottle.”
                “Uh, I don’t usually drink at lunch,” Skip said. “Makes me too groggy to get through the rest of the day.”
                “That’s okay.” Janice crossed her arms over her chest. “I may drink the whole bottle myself.”
                Skip thought her tone rather morose considering the news she’d just received. He cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her.
                “I’m divorcing Richard.”
                He struggled to keep his mouth from falling open.
                “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, since it’ll make things awkward at the party Saturday night, but I had to tell somebody. I’ve had it in the back of my mind ever since I made up the guest list and I realized how many of my friends he’s alienated through the years.
                “But the main reason I’m divorcing the jerk is no children. And he let me believe all these years that the problem was with me. Well guess what I found out?” Anger flashed in her eyes. “The S.O.B. had a vasectomy three years before we got married. Never bothered to tell me.”
                Skip resisted the temptation to stick his fingers in his ears. This was way too much information.
                “I was thirty-two when we got married and I told him I wanted to have children right away, before it was too late. He agreed. ‘Oh, yes, dear, I want a family too. We’ll have two point three kids, blah, blah’.”
                The waiter arrived with the champagne and two flutes. “I think I’m the designated driver,” Skip told him. “Just half a glass, please.”
                The man nodded, then presented the bottle to the lady for her approval before popping the cork and pouring. He propped the bottle in an ice bucket.
                Janice tasted the wine, then took another sip before they ordered their food. After the waiter left, she sat up straighter in her chair. “Sorry. I’m being totally inappropriate here.”
                “It’s okay. That’s one hell of a secret he was keeping. When did you find out?”
                “Last night. He insisted I meet him and one of his boring clients for cocktails after work. The guy let it slip that Richard had the snip-snip