Highlands Homecoming (A Highlands Christmas Romance #3)

Chapter 10

E arly Monday morning, Colin was dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on the divorce papers. Everything was in order, so he gave them to his assistant to submit. He took a sip of coffee and looked out at the dark clouds over the Charles. Another stormy day lay ahead.

At 8:05, there was a commotion outside his office door. Colin took a deep breath as he anticipated—and confirmed—that it was Melissa’s ex, Dave.

“Hello, David,” said Colin. “Per our unplanned meeting over the weekend, I went ahead and sped things up. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve completed all the documents on both sides of the divorce, and everything’s in order, so?—”

“I had an idea,” said Dave.

Colin set down his cup of coffee. “All right. Have a seat. What can I do for you?” asked Colin.

“As you know, I’ve requested half. That includes that house in Scotland I’ve been hearing about,” said Dave.

Colin took a deep breath.

“The house wasn’t part of—” began Colin.

Dave interrupted, “No, half means half—Cut down the middle: 50% for me, 50% for her.”

Colin nodded. “Well, that’s a good idea, but unfortunately the divorce has been finalized.”

“Then why don’t I have the notarized final copies of the divorce in my hands?”

“They’re on their way. It was finalized per your request over the weekend, and I just need to?—”

“No, you don’t need to. You’re my lawyer, and I’m telling you to stop everything until I can sort this house thing out.”

Colin froze. “I can’t do that.”

“You can, and you will.”

“It’s already done,” said Colin boldly, hoping that his lawyerly tone would resonate with Dave.

“But it’s not. The papers have to be notarized, and final copies get sent to both parties. I don’t have those notarized final copies.”

“They’re already in process,” said Colin. “I mean, they’re being finalized right now.” Colin peeked through his office door and could see his assistant furiously printing the papers so she could notarize them.

And just then, the power went out.

Colin closed his eyes. Ice storm strikes again. Why couldn’t it have prevented Dave from coming over?

He glanced through the door with raised eyebrows. We got it?

His assistant shook her head and mouthed, “not yet.”

“So yeah, I wanna put that Scotland house on the market. Like I told you, me and my girlfriend wanna sell the place and get a condo in Vegas,” said Dave.

“I understand,” said Colin through gritted teeth. “Unfortunately, David, it’s a done deal. You and Melissa have both signed the divorce papers.”

“Yeah, but the thing is … they’re not in my hand. And better yet, they’re not in Melissa’s hands. Not notarized copies, at least. Which means there’s nothing to stop me from putting that house on the market today.” He checked his watch. “And since it’s morning, it’s still business hours. Looks like Melissa’s lost this one.”

The power flashed back on, and the printer whirred and hissed, spitting out the hard copies of the divorce documents. Colin collected them and handed them to Dave, along with a pen.

“Here you go, David. As you can see, Melissa has signed, and you have signed. One final signature with the date should seal the deal.”

Dave scowled and looked at the calendar. A twisted grimace flashed across his face as he quickly signed and dated the documents.

Colin wondered what had changed, but he was grateful.

“Good day, then, MacGregor. Looking forward to selling that estate.”

“You’ll need the owner’s signature in order to sell it,” said Colin evenly.

“I’m the owner. We’re still married,” Dave repeated like a broken record.

Colin took a deep breath. Why did he have to keep repeating this to this numpty?

“You and Melissa both signed the documents dissolving the marriage. You just now signed the final, notarized?—”

“I gave myself some wiggle room. I dated those documents February 1st, and you didn’t even notice. What a sham lawyer you turned out to be, but it’s all in my favor now. I’ve got several more weeks of domestic bliss that says I get half of that house when it sells. But considering my own lawyer is dating my wife, I may be able to get the whole thing.”

And with that, Dave walked out, slamming the door behind him.

That night Colin sat at his desk in his condo with a cup of tea, staring at the computer screen. He opened a new tab and scrolled through some flights to Scotland. Then he clicked back to his work.

His cell phone rang.

“Colin MacGregor,” he answered.

“Colin?” It was his boss, Derek. “I hate to do this over the phone, but I wanted to talk to you right away,” he said.

Colin sat up and set down his tea. “How can I help?”

“There’s no good way to phrase this …”

Colin winced. He could guess what was coming.

“Are you dating a client?” Derek asked.

Ever the lawyer, Colin couldn’t help but notice the error in his boss’s phrasing.

“Um … no. But since you asked, I will disclose that I have been dating the soon-to-be-ex-wife of one of my clients.”

Silence on the phone.

“Colin, you’re the best lawyer I’ve ever worked with, and you’re honest to a fault.”

“Thank you?” responded Colin.

“You know why I phrased my question the way I did,” he continued.

“Yes, but I also knew what you were asking,” said Colin. “Did Dave call you?”

“He’s furious. He also really wants that house in Scotland,” said Derek.

“I know.”

There was an awkward silence.

“He wants me to let you go,” said Derek.

Colin nodded and sipped his tea. He flipped back to the tab with flights to Scotland and took a deep breath.

His boss continued, “I said he’d have to simply dissolve your contract and find another lawyer because you have several other cases you’re working on for me.”

“But I haven’t started them yet.”

“You’ve been in the office every day, early, reading through?—”

“It’s time, Derek. I think this is the wake-up call I needed.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’m in love with Melissa, I miss my home, and my family needs me. It’s time for me to leave Boston.”

“If I were to lay you off, you could collect?—”

“It’s been a pleasure, Derek. Thank you for the opportunity.”

“Colin!”

Colin hung up the phone and took a deep breath. What’s done is done , he thought. He looked around his condo. He had a minimalist style, so there were just the basics: a couch, a large chair, bar stools in the kitchen, a simple bedspread. He could probably rent it out until he was fully ready to sell.

In fact … He snapped a few photos with his phone and sat down at his computer. He created an account on a rental website. Soon he had a listing.

He went back to the computer to continue searching for a plane ticket. Excitement flowed through him as he scrolled through the options. Fly to London first? Straight to Edinburgh? Train? Rent a car? What if he had Melissa meet him in Dublin, and then they could drive up to Northern Ireland, see the Giant’s Causeway, and then take a ferry?—

Wait. He’d just quit his job.

He had to move to another country where a woman who he hadn’t known for long had settled. Would she even want him there? Of course she would. She would, wouldn’t she?

What would he do for work?

His dad certainly needed help on the croft, with the sheep and the dogs he trained, but that wasn’t going to pay the bills. He wasn’t licensed to practice law in Scotland anymore. Gah. What had he been thinking? This wasn’t like him at all. He wasn’t impulsive. He was reliable, steadfast … Oh hell. He was gonna get on a plane and go to Scotland and start his new life.