Chapter 1 : Part 1

Your Bed or Mine?
by Candy Halliday

The Housewives Fantasy Club Is Now in Session Every Saturday night, best friends and neighbors Zada, Jen, Tish, and Alicia heat up their quaint little cul-de-sac of Owl's Roost Road with the infamous Housewives Fantasy Club. Everyone has a secret fantasy to share. Some have better ones to hide.

Make War, Not Love

Unbelievable! Zada Clark expected the judge to finalize her divorce, not give her and her estranged husband, Rick, ninety days to end their squabble over the house and the dog. Rick declares he's moving back in until they reach an agreement. Never mind that it's impossible to live with Mr. Gotta-Be-My-Way. He's military neat and tidy; Zada leaves things where they lie. The only place they always agree is in bed, where sparks of a sexier kind fly like gangbusters. Now, locked in their own survival game where winner takes all, this wife will use her considerable wiles to outwit, outlast, and outplay her husband until he puts out or moves out. But will her foolproof plan backfire? For while she may be Rick's greatest weakness, he has always been Zada's one and only fantasy.

Chapter 1

Zada Thornton Clark didn't miss the frown on her divorce attorney's face as she hurried up the courthouse steps. The disapproving frown should have intimidated Zada.

It didn't.

The fact that the revered Angie Naylon was known around Chicago for her killer instinct in the courtroom, didn't mean squat to Zada, either. There was just something about having personally held your college roommate's head over the toilet more than once that served as a pretty good equalizer.

Zada reached the top of the courthouse steps.

Angie's frown only deepened.

"Are you kidding me, Zada?" Angie looked her up and down. "This is your idea of a mousy-looking outfit for the judge's benefit?"

"No," Zada said stubbornly. "This is my idea of an eat-your-heart-out outfit for Rick's benefit. I want Rick Clark to get his last good look at what he lost when he walked out on me."

"And how shallow is that?" Angie said with disgust.

"Today," said Zada, "shallow suits me just fine."

"Obviously," Angie snipped when two suits and ties walked past, craning their necks around for a second look at Zada's curvaceous nothing-skinny-about-her figure.

Angie looked back at Zada and said, "Your all-about-me dress certainly leaves nothing to the imagination. And here's another news flash for you. Red is not listed on the mousy side of the color chart."

"But red is listed on a brunette's side of the color chart," Zada argued, tossing her long, dark hair. "Ask any brunette. It's our signature color."

"It's the judge's signature you need to be worried about." Angie frowned again. "I warned you this judge was old school, Zada. He doesn't take divorce lightly. That dress blows any chance we had of him believing you're a meek and mousy heartbroken housewife, only asking to keep your home and your poor blind dog."

Angie wheeled around and stomped into the courthouse.

Zada hurried after her.

"Oh, come on, Angie," Zada pleaded when she finally caught up. "I'm about as mousy as a wolverine, and you know it. You could dress me in a nun's habit, and I'd still look militant."

"We don't have time to argue," Angie snapped, glaring at her again. "Your case is the first one on the docket after the lunch break. That dress is enough to sway the property settlement in Rick's favor. The last thing we need is to be late for your hearing."

Angie forged ahead, her briefcase in a death grip.

Zada picked up speed, trying to keep up.

"But we still have the poor blind dog hook," Zada pointed out, trying to make amends. "I'm the one who's taken care of Simon since Rick walked out on us."

Angie sent her another mean look.

"How many times do we have to go over this, Zada? Simon is Rick's dog."

"The dog Rick left with me," Zada said.

"And the dog who saved Rick's life," Angie reminded her. "Rick's attorney will make a big production over Rick and Simon being injured recovering that explosive device at O'Hare. Separating a man from his heroic life-saving dog is not going to be an easy task."

"That's when you bring up the fact that I didn't even know Rick when he and Simon were injured," Zada said, "but that I was so touched when I heard Simon was blinded in that explosion, I visited Simon at the vet's hospital every day and even wrote a children's book about him."

"And Rick's attorney will remind the judge that Rick is one of the top trainers of explosive-detection dogs in the nation," Angie said. "Rick trains dogs professionally every day of the week."

"Yes, Rick does train dogs professionally every day of the week," Zada said. "Twelve to fourteen hours every day of the week. But I'm Simon's stay-at-home mom. The mom who didn't walk out and leave Simon behind."

"It doesn't matter," Angie insisted. "Rick's attorney will say the only reason Rick left Simon behind, is because Rick had your house specifically equipped so poor, blind Simon could function as a normal dog again."

Copyright © 2006 by Candy Viers

About the Author

Candy Halliday is a renegade Baby Boomer who is also a part-time dental hygienist. She's been married to her Mr. Right for 17 years, has one daughter and two fabulous grandchildren.