Two.
Past.
Courtney struggled with her violin as she walked to her lesson after school, and all she could think about was what she was going to say to Duncan when he made some smart-ass comment about her showing up, which she knew for a fact he was going to do.
As she walked into the record shop she was glad to see that Duncan wasn't standing at the counter waiting for her, as she had expected he would be. She saw him busy with a customer at one of the racks and hurried past him to the back room in the hopes that he wouldn't see her.
She was stopped at the door, however, when she heard his voice. "You're a little early for out date," he said, and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice. How predictable. "An entire hour early, in fact. I didn't think you'd be so eager."
Courtney gritted her teeth and turned to face him. "I'm hear for a violin lesson, not for you jackass," she said coolly. He just raised his eyebrows in response and she sighed. "But you already knew that. Anything to try and make me look stupid, right?"
"I was making a joke, chill out Princess," Duncan said defensively."
"I didn't find it funny," Courtney told him coldly. "Now if you'll excuse me." She opened the door to go to her lesson.
"Well hey, if you want to hang out after your lesson," Duncan offered.
"Yeah, right," Courtney replied with a scowl. She glared at him before slamming the door on his stupid, smirking face. Who gave him the right to rile her up like that? If he was being serious about the date he was certainly going the wrong way about it. And if he wasn't, well that was just plain mean because what if she did like him like that?
The thought made her laugh. Of course she didn't like him like that, or at all. But he couldn't possibly know that for certain and it's horrible to make someone think you like them when you really don't. Courtney had known Duncan since the beginning of high school and still all she really knew about him was that he had terrible morals and an even worse sense of humour.
"Courtney! Are you ready?" Courtney's teacher Mrs Anderson asked, interrupting her thoughts. Courtney nodded and headed into her lesson, still fuming about her conversation with Duncan.
Present Day.
Courtney woke up the next day feeling even worse about the argument with Robert. She should have known better than to go to bed angry but it was already well past the time she normally went to bed when he got home, she didn't think it worth it.
The pair barely talked that morning over breakfast, save for the usual "Good morning honey" and "I love you" goodbye as they headed off to their separate law firms. Courtney wondered if they might have talked about their argument if they still drove to work together, but she supposed they would have to talk about it when they got home that night. It was better this way anyway. Courtney found herself tired of Robert with the little time they spent together at home, she couldn't imagine working with him all the time like she used to.
"Courtney, when you've finished up the paper work on the Connelly case will you come and see me in my office?" Courtney's boss Marion instructed when Courtney walked into work. She had already finished the paper work on the Connelly case a week ago, but she took the time to sit in her office for a few moments and collect her thoughts.
In her mind it was pretty clear that Robert was seeing someone else. Probably some younger blonde woman from his new firm, he always had a thing for blondes. Was it someone she knew? A friend of hers? Not that she really had any friends. She still kept in touch with her friends from high school but had drifted apart from them as they both had kids.
She shook her head and took a few deep breaths. Now was not the time to think about her sham of a marriage. It took all the strength she had to fight back tears and put on a smile as she walked into Marion's office.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Courtney! You've finished the paper work already?" Marion asked, surprised.
"I finished it last week," Courtney informed her. Marion chuckled.
"I should have known! You stay late almost every night it's no surprise it's already done," she said. She cleared her throat and gestured for Courtney to sit down. Courtney did so, a little nervously. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. The amount you stay late, I mean."
"Excuse me?" Courtney said, taken aback. "Am I not doing enough?"
Marion laughed again. "Oh goodness, no! I was going to say you're doing too much, far too much!" she replied. "You're overworking yourself, Courtney dear, and I want you to take some time off."
"But Marion-" Courtney tried.
"It doesn't have to be for long," Marion interrupted. "Just a week or two. You've done so much for us and we really want to give something back to you."
"I appreciate that, really, but I've already started another case and-"
"We'll give it to Branson," Marion assured Courtney. Branson was possibly the worst lawyer in the entire firm, but the case was easy so Courtney supposed he might be able to handle it just this once.
"What am I supposed to do in that time though?" Courtney asked. Her job was her life and she didn't exactly have any other hobbies to fill in the time.
"Take a holiday with that fine specimen of a husband you have," Marion laughed airily.
"Yeah, right," Courtney scoffed.
"Or take a nice holiday by yourself! Learn a new skill! The sky's the limit," Marion said. She let out a happy sigh. "So two weeks shall we say?" Courtney nodded. She knew there was nothing she could say to get her boss to change her mind. She would just have to find something to do with herself.