by Robyn Carr
“No, she’s not,” Logan said. “She’s an abuser. You’re at risk. The police department can assist you. All you have to do is—”
“I appreciate your concern but it isn’t how it looks. This sort of thing never happens. I mean she can get mad and yell, but she gets over it and—”
“And apologizes,” Logan said. “And makes up. And promises to never do it again. Man, you’re a statistic waiting to happen.”
“You see the size of her?” Scott said with a laugh, absently rubbing his biceps. “She’s no bigger than a ladybug. I’m going to take her home. We’ll have a conversation, and it’ll never happen again. Thanks for your concern but we’re fine.”
Scott moved quickly to the car, got in and started it. Justine was frozen. She could see Cat sitting in the passenger seat, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face. She looked out the passenger window and didn’t make eye contact with either of them. Scott pulled out of his parking spot and off they went.
Justine looked up at Logan. “Well now, that’s very bad,” she said.
“She was slugging him with all her might. Don’t let the fact that she’s small fool you. There’s nothing preventing her from picking up a bat or a boulder. Or a gun.”
“Oh Logan, surely Scott wouldn’t let it get that out of control!”
“I don’t know Scott. But I do know that some of these abusers have an amazing power over their victims. It boggles the mind.”
“He left me for this?” she asked. “For a woman who would hit him hard enough to leave a bruise, make him bleed?”
“Here’s something I took for granted. There were a couple of domestic calls that police answered in her last relationship. Maybe there were similar problems before that. I assumed it was the man in the relationship beating on the woman. I didn’t go in and read the reports. I’ll do that now. Maybe she’s been the violent one all along.”
“Would that be in the report?”
“No telling,” Logan said. “Male victims are often reluctant to admit they are having trouble defending themselves. They hate admitting they’re being physically abused by a woman. Most of them won’t hit back. They’re captives. Prisoners. The situation is just as bad as any typical domestic violence where the man is the aggressor. Just as dangerous.”
“Will you check, please?”
“Sure,” he said. “Of course. But Justine, don’t get involved in this. You’re too close to the situation.”
“Maybe I’m too close to stay uninvolved,” she said.
* * *
Logan called Justine first thing in the morning. “It was probably her, creating the domestic disturbance in the earlier relationship.”
“Probably?” she asked.
“When the police arrived, they blamed each other. They were both charged with misdemeanor assault. I ask myself, how often has this happened with her other relationships?”
Justine was quiet for a moment. “What has he gotten himself into?”
“It’s also not unusual for someone, man or woman, to leave a satisfactory relationship for one that seems more thrilling only to find it’s loaded with problems. Only time will tell.”
It wasn’t as though this was the first issue of domestic violence Justine had ever heard of, but it was the closest she’d ever come to an actual case. And never in a million years did she think Scott could be caught up in something like that. Scott was too smart and sure of himself for that!
But then she hadn’t expected him to have an affair, either.
It was a quiet morning at the house. Amber wasn’t home from her overnight in San Jose, Olivia was on her laptop with her earbuds in, Addie had gone out for a long walk and had plans to do some shopping later. Justine spent an hour on her own laptop, sitting at the dining table. She read about male victims of spousal abuse and found lots of reading material. Then she applied herself to some laundry and cleaning, perfect activities when she wanted to think.
When she’d taken the job in this little town, she thought the hardest part would probably be seeing her husband and his mistress in blissful happiness living like college kids on the beach, nary a worry in their lives. She never in a million years thought she’d be seeing what she was seeing.
There was a certain amount of cynicism that came with her profession. She had to consider the worst-case scenario to be prepared to represent her company, or, in her new role, her client.
The household was full of activity. Addie came home, showered and changed and went off to San Jose for shopping. Olivia went with her. Amber came home and went straight to her bed for a badly needed nap after her night out.
Justine put on her tennis shoes and went out for a walk. She was wearing tight-fitting jeans with rips in the knees—high fashion these days, she mused. She pulled on an oversize poncho with a cowl neck over her dark long-sleeved shirt. She hadn’t paid any attention to Scott’s habits or schedule since they’d split up. In fact, she made it a point not to know too much about his current life. She didn’t know exactly where he lived, though she knew she could easily find out. But he was done with her; she wanted to be done with him even if that was a difficult emotional space to occupy. Was she curious about him and his new life? Absolutely. It was hard not to be.
She walked to the kayak shack and, as she expected, it was closed. The October weather was cold and the few ocean goers were now often in wet suits. There were no cars there. She knew Cat drove a red BMW SUV, one flashy, pricy vehicle. She knew because Olivia had mentioned it, along with her observation that maybe that meant the kayak shack was doing better than people thought. It was not there.
She braced herself for the possibility of running smack into Cat Brooks, but she was relieved that she didn’t. When she looked inside the shack, she saw Scott working on his laptop at the counter. He quickly closed the computer and looked at her.
“Wow,” she said before even considering stopping herself. He was sporting a nice shiner. “Looks like you didn’t work things out as quickly as you thought you would.”
“It’s none of your business, Justine,” he said angrily.
“Hey, no need to shoot the messenger. I came to see you, for the first time, I might add, because I’m concerned about you. I mean, I hate you, but it looks like maybe you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not in trouble. Everything is fine now.”
“I’m so disappointed in you, Scott. I thought by now you had perfected lying and here you go, bungling it. Clearly everything is not all right. You hooked yourself up with an abusive woman, and she’s beating the tar out of you.”
“It must make you so happy to think I’m in trouble,” he said. “I’m not. We have a very good relationship. One little flare-up doesn’t mean a thing.”
“One?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“One!” he insisted loudly.
“Listen, indulge me for a second. Exactly what is it about her that would entice you to sacrifice your family?”
“I haven’t done that,” he said. “I had to end my marriage, but I had hoped that once you got used to the idea that we weren’t married anymore, we’d still be friends. And I never intended to give up my children. I think you turned the girls against Cat and now I hope that in time they come around. I’m still their father. I still love them.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t have to turn them against her, Scott. They are very suspicious—naturally—of the woman who could make you betray all your commitments. You not only left us, you took half the money we earned together. Now it will take twice as long to reach that retirement goal...”
“But you said it—we earned it together. I only took what was mine.”
There were so many responses she wanted to throw back at him, but what was the point?
“Well, that’s what the law says. But will I ever know why?”
“I’m not sure I kn
ow why it happened. I wasn’t expecting a woman like Cat to come into my life. She believes in me. She thinks I’m amazing and smart. She trusts me to save her business. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never felt so alive.”
“Did you invest everything you have in her business?” she asked outright.
He paused for a moment, looking around as if seeking the right answer. “Yes,” he finally said. “I can make this work. I know business. I’ve studied the market, the local and tourist economy.”
“Where do you live, Scott?” she asked, taking a step closer.
“What does that matter?”
“I was just wondering. Do you live with her now? In her house or apartment?”
“No, I found a small house. Ocean Heights, just up the road. I’m renting. For now. She gave up her house. She lives with me.”
“I bet it’s a nice house,” Justine said.
He merely nodded, clearly not seeing where this could be going.
“And you bought her a car?”
“Hers was limping along and I—Wait a minute. How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “I just guessed. Our divorce has been final about five months. You got a good settlement and you’ve already complained that you need money.”
He stiffened, and his expression was angry though not, Justine believed, because she was questioning him. Rather he was angry that she seemed to already know the answers.
“I think you’re in trouble,” she said. “I think she’s already gotten a generous share of the money you brought to your new life, and on top of that, she beats you up. I bet she’s already asking for more, isn’t she?”
“She doesn’t beat me up!” he shouted, looking particularly ominous with his black eye, split lip and scarred eyebrow.
“She hits you, Scott. And she wants your money. You need to know something. I think you’ve been used. She went after you, caught you, got some fast money out of you and will only be with you as long as you continue to feed her habit. You’re probably going to get beat up again and again, and really, you need help. Men don’t like to admit a woman is abusing them, and sometimes they stay in it too long and end up in the hospital. Or worse. I can’t help you.”
“I don’t want your help,” he said bitterly. “You don’t understand. You never needed me. You never admired me. You can’t know how that feels.”
“And so now you’re going to somehow make this my fault? That I didn’t show my appreciation quite enough? I gave you everything I had, you son of a bitch! I loved you! And I was faithful to you!”
“But it didn’t take you long to find a new man,” he chided.
She couldn’t believe he was really jealous or that shallow. “I don’t know you anymore, Scott. I think you’ve really gone around the bend. Please, be very careful. It seems you’re in a bad place. I have nothing more to say.”
“Maybe you’re in a bad place,” he taunted. “Maybe there’s an argument that you used your advantage as a lawyer to talk me out of fair representation. Maybe we should go to court.”
She sighed. Really, she had not expected this. “She wants more money, does she? You signed off, you got what the law says you were owed. If anyone was treated unfairly, it was me and the girls. We’re done here.”
She turned to leave and he said, “I can sue you.”
She looked back at him. “Good luck with that! You can sue anyone for anything, Scott. Don’t forget, I’m a lawyer. Throw away more money if you want, but I can assure you, you won’t win. I don’t owe you anything.”
And she walked away, vowing never to return to that kayak shack.
Chapter Fifteen
Adele and Jake had been spending more time together at Jake’s house since Justine and the girls moved into her space. This night they sautéed chicken breasts and vegetables with some Chinese noodles for dinner. They chose to watch Addie’s favorite holiday movie, Love Actually, even though Thanksgiving was still weeks away. She watched it every year, but Jake had never seen it. Both the dinner and the movie were a roaring success—she already knew she loved it and was pleased Jake did, as well. After they finished eating in front of the TV and retired their trays to the kitchen, Adele snuggled a little closer to Jake.
And he pulled her yet closer.
“We should have a talk,” Jake said.
“A talk?” she repeated. “Sounds serious.”
“I think it is,” he said. “I’d like to know what your plan is.”
She sat up a bit straighter. “You already know everything, Jake. I’m going to keep my current job, go to school, emerge as a counselor who can actually do some good...”
“Live in your house with your sister and nieces, have dinner with me twice a week, graduate from platonic kisses to hot kisses to weekly sex?”
She smiled at him. “I’m not opposed to that idea.”
“That’s why we have to talk. Addie, you take your sweet old time making up your mind about things. I think I’ve been on the back burner just about long enough.”
“How can you say that? I have a great job, the first one I applied for, and I’ve committed to finishing my master’s. In a new program yet!”
“You’re going to think I’m being mean, but it took you eight years.”
“Not really! I mean, in the first place I had a real serious trauma. A terrible relationship that led to a trauma. It was devastating and I admit, it took a while to recover. Then my mom.... But I always meant to get to this place!”
“So, here’s my question, Addie. What place do I have in your life?”
“Jake,” she said, shocked. “You’re my best friend! I’ve told you a million times—I don’t know what I’d do without you!”
“I like being your best friend. But I’d like a little something more.”
“Like what? Like sex?” Then she smiled at him, trying to tease him out of this mood.
“This is my fault,” he said. “I always wanted to explain myself better, to tell you how I really feel. It’s hard for me. I think it’s hard for most men, but I’m off the charts. The truth is, I want more. Maybe we don’t want any of the same things, and if that’s the case, we need to face it. I want a family. A wife and a couple of kids, but I’d be happy to have one kid.”
“Jake, you’ve never told me that before!” she said.
“There’s plenty of time but I don’t want to play games. What about you? What do you want?”
“I used to think I wanted a child. I sure wanted one once. Losing him almost killed me. Now I’m focused on having a career. I want to be able to take care of myself. That’s the one thing about Justine that I admire the most—she’s completely capable of taking care of herself.”
“You can take care of yourself, Addie. You’ve been taking care of yourself and your mom. I could promise to always take care of you, but those kinds of promises are no good. My father died young and my mom, she manages pretty well. If I wasn’t around to do the heavy lifting, she could find someone to help. What I should have said a long time ago is I love you, Addie.”
She put a hand on his arm. “I know, Jake. And that means a lot to me.”
“I don’t think you get it. I’m in love with you. I have been for years. I think it first occurred to me when you came home from Berkeley. But you were in love with someone else, and you were having a baby. Then you were so fragile and hurt. And then there was your mom. I vowed when you weren’t grieving any longer I would be more honest with you, but I guess it took me a while.”
She stared at him in shock. Through all the hours they’d shared, through the affection, the kisses and hugs, she had herself convinced it was little more than convenience. They were genuinely close friends. There was no one else for either of them, and they were, after all, adults. Buddies. Confidants.
“I thought this was the part where you cried for joy, threw your
arms around me and—”
“But Jake, we’ve been friends for so long!”
“Yeah, and we can talk to each other, make each other laugh, have each other’s back. Listen, I already had the experience of loving someone I didn’t like very much, someone I wanted to trust. But I knew I was kidding myself. I’ve learned a lot since then. I want to be with someone I know deep down I trust, someone whose character I’m sure of. Someone I’ve loved for years.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Can you please do better than that?”
“I’m sorry, but something about this seems a little clinical. Like an arranged marriage. She’s got a good dowry, strong teeth and decent birthing hips.”
He grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her toward him. Then he devoured her with his best, most powerful kiss. She’d had a few of these before and there was no question about it, he had a serious skill. She sighed when he let her go.
“Adele, you don’t fall in love with teeth or hips. You fall in love with a heart, a spirit.”
“Oh Jake,” she said, nearly swooning.
“It’s time for us to make a transition,” he said. “Well, time for me. I understood all the complications of your life and never wanted to push you. You had so much to deal with. But you’re sailing along now, and I want you to think about us.”
“I counted on us being the same forever.”
“That’s the thing. That’s not going to be enough for me. I want the real deal. I don’t want to draw a line in the sand here, but I want you to know—I want more.”
“How much more?” she asked.
“I thought that was obvious,” he said. “Here’s the thing. If you’re also in love with me, we can make plans. They don’t have to be traditional plans. But there has to be a future in this for me. If we’re just going to be friends, I’m going to do myself a favor and get on with my life. That’s not to say we won’t be friends, but I can’t be kissing you and holding you and spending all my time with you and hope to ever have a real relationship, one filled with hope and commitment. Or that family. Or the future with someone who wants a future with me. If we go on like this, someday you’re going to just say, ‘Jake, I met someone I really love.’”