"Oh, I see. I would rather Teresa stay…just in case she is needed, you understand." Laura finished pouring her drink and carried it back to the sofa.
"Very well." Amanda cleared her throat. "I have come to ask you to give Mathew a divorce."
Laura slowly smiled. "Two in a week? My, but my husband does get around. Of course, the other one didn't come in person, she called instead."
"She called?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, from Sweden, I believe it was. She has a very heavy accent and I could hardly make out what she was saying." Laura took a quick sip of her drink and bluntly asked, "Do you love him?"
Amanda was caught completely off guard and stammered at first. "I…very much."
"Of course you do, he is handsome and can be most charming when he wants to be. I loved him once myself."
"You don't love him now?"
"I merely tolerate him when I must, though he is rarely here. Perhaps you know where he is these days?"
"In Florida."
"Ah, yes, he goes there quite frequently. I believe Tampa is his favorite. What does he say he does for a living?"
"He is a salesman," Amanda answered. "Mrs. Connelly, I…"
"Of course. That's how he explains the need to travel all over the world. What do you do?"
Amanda was starting to get annoyed. "I don't see what business that is of yours."
"You're right, it is not my business. Let me guess, you work in a casino. You are likely a blackjack dealer. Those are his favorites."
Amanda repeatedly blinked. "Favorites?"
"Yes, dear, he adores blackjack dealers. I have no idea why he finds them so tempting. They don't even have to be pretty, although you are quite captivating. It is perhaps a fetish of some kind. I suggested he see a doctor about it, but…"
"You are joking," Amanda decided, beginning to smile.
Laura wasn't smiling. "I wish I were. Surely, you do not think you are the first to ask me to give him a divorce. My dear, he's had a woman in every port, as they say, for the last twenty years."
Amanda simply couldn't be sure if Laura was serious or not. "What?"
"Shall I name them for you? I have the names written down somewhere. I believe I even noted the year."
"You are lying; Mathew swears he has only loved two other women before me - you and a girl he knew in high school."
This time it was Laura's turn to be taken aback. "Mathew told you he loved me? He is a better liar than I thought. He never loved me, not for one single moment."