A Different Life

forty five

"And believe me, I've stayed with them before, I'd rather hear laughter than the shouts I have heard. I'm still traumatized from last time." Olivia threw out, she knew what Logan was trying to do and knew she was best placed to shut it down.

"You said you didn't hear anything!" Rory exclaimed.

"Rory, I'd have to be deaf to have not heard you guys."

"Okay, okay girls don't make me separate you, and Olivia we will just put you on a different floor next time, maybe the wine cellar." Finn said with a serious face, while their friends all laughed.

"Maybe I need to review that STD plan," Rory whispered to Finn. Finn laughed, he knew as much as Rory might joke about it, she had too much heart to be mean to Summer like that and she knew that's who that would hurt.

Once they landed and were all getting ready to say goodbye Rory got Summer's attention.

"Hey Summer, I might be in Hartford this week, if I am, do you want to have lunch? Here's my card, give me a call sometime this week, okay?"

"Um, sure. I'm around all week, Logan is going to London for work this week so lunch sounds great." Summer answered truthfully, but skeptically.

Rory was at her desk typing frantically, working on a brief, when her assistant buzzed her.

"Miss Hayden, I have Mrs Summer Huntzberger on the phone for you."

"Thanks Charlie, you can put her through." Rory took a deep breath; she was not looking forward to this phone call.

"Hi Summer," Rory looked around her office before focusing on a picture of her and Finn taken at a Gala they had been forced to attend earlier in the year, even at an awful event they looked like they were truly happy. Rory knew she should focus on that, everyone deserves to be that happy, not just existing.

"Hey Rory, I hope you aren't too busy, I feel bad interrupting you at work."

"No Summer, it's fine I told you to."

"So Rory, you wanted to have lunch?"

Rory took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Well actually Summer, I wanted to talk to you about something. I know I wouldn't be able to have this conversation face to face so I hope you don't mind if we just talk now do you?"

"Of course not, unless you are going to tell me you have Logan's secret lovechild from college hidden somewhere." Summer joked with a half hearted laugh.

"No, it isn't that but it does involve Logan."

"Okay, go ahead Rory."

"I know Logan made you some promises, and that you are giving it a proper try for an actual marriage, not a society marriage."

"Right..."

"Well I'd like to offer my services to potentially help you at the end of those six months."

"In what way? What aren't you telling me Rory?" Summer asked, anger slipping into her tone.

"Nothing, there's nothing I know, not for certain anyway Summer, and believe me, I wish we weren't having this conversation. I'm basing my offer on suspicion and knowledge of Logan's past behaviour."

"Okay, so what way do you want to help me?" Summer asked, almost resigned in tone.

"Well I can help put you in touch with a shark of a divorce attorney, in case you need one. They would be able to help you review your pre-nup that I'm sure Daddy Huntz put in place."

"Rory, tell me honestly, do you think he is cheating again?"

"Summer, I don't know him very well anymore, but I do know when he cheated on me and promised it would never happen again, all he did was be more careful to avoid being caught. I was left reeling when it happened to me, and I don't want the same to happen to you. Hopefully he isn't and everything works out great for you both, but if it doesn't. Well that's the situation I'd like to help you be prepared for. If it doesn't work out you would be in a position to move instead of scrambling, and if it does work out we can just forget all about this." Rory rambled out as quickly as possible.

"So you aren't certain, but you want to just help me in case?"

"Yes, and I honestly hope it's help that you will never need to actually use. When you got your pre-nup did your dad negotiate it with his attorney and you signed or was it someone who was advocating just for you?"

"It was my Dad's," Summer sucked in a breath, "Oh you mean he might have made it more business friendly instead of actually to my benefit?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'd like to help you find out. I have seen a few society pre-neps set up so that the wife gets very little if there is a divorce because both families think that a divorce will ruin their reputation so both sides want it discouraged."

"Oh"

"But like I said, Summer hopefully nothing is necessary but I like you and I don't want you hurt. I know this is an awkward conversation to have with your husband's ex-girlfriend. But I feel like we bonded over the weekend, and I want to ensure you are protected. Think about it. You can take me up on the offer anytime."

"Thanks Rory, I'm sorry, I have to go. You kind of sprung a lot on me and I need some time to think about it." Summer said with a sigh.

"Of course, even if it's fifteen years from now the offer still stands. I'll let you go. Bye Summer."

"Bye Rory, and thanks."

Rory replaced the handset to the receiver and took a deep breath, she did not enjoy making that kind of call. Even the nature of her work and the frequency of similar calls, had not made her immune to the pain that comes with ending a marriage or breaking up a family. That was why she mainly stuck to business law, preferring to leave family law to different associates.

A/N I am hoping to wrap this up by about chapter 50. I originally thought it would be like a 20-25 chapter fic so I'm a little shocked it's still going. There maybe a bigger gap between updates as it gets closer to the end.