I'm With You

by Taylor Dean

  “Relieved?”

  “Yeah. Sorry if that sounds callous. I know marriage is work, but I don’t think it should feel like hard labor, day in and day out. Maybe that’s when you know you made a mistake.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Perhaps you’re right.”

  “I wish I wasn’t.” He’d put forth a great deal of effort into his marriage, determined to make it work, and Taryn had thrown it all away as if it meant nothing, as if they’d simply been a whim until something better came along.

  Okay, maybe he was relieved and bitter. But he wasn’t ready to admit to the latter.

  “As far as you’re concerned, it’s over? You don’t want Taryn to come back to you?” Chloe asked.

  “No, thank you. I’ve already filed for divorce. I’m not okay with cheating.”

  Chloe couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. “You’re very decisive.”

  “She ran off with another man. What was there to decide?”

  “I know. It’s just that it’s so…final. The end came so quickly without me foreseeing it. It’s the end of a family, of a lifetime, of a future together…of love.”

  How very poetic. Jack wished he felt that way about Taryn. It was how you should feel when a marriage ends. He realized he was mourning the fact that he didn’t feel those emotions. Clearly, Chloe wasn’t ready to accept the conclusion of her marriage, was perhaps even in denial.

  “How can you start the divorce when she isn’t even here?”

  “Easy. Went to the court house and filled out the paperwork petitioning for a divorce. A summons will be sent to Taryn, letting her know that a divorce case has been filed. I asked her to sign an ‘acceptance of service of process’ agreement. That means I don’t have to use a process server to deliver the papers.”

  “How long will it take for the divorce to be final?” she asked.

  “There’s a sixty-day waiting period that takes effect once the papers are delivered to Taryn. After that, when it’s uncontested and all parties are in agreement, it doesn’t take long. A month, tops, maybe even a couple of weeks. I’m confident Taryn won’t object to the separation agreement. I’ve been more than generous in the settlement.”

  Chloe was quiet for several moments. “Will you help me file? I’ve never done it before and I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Jack wondered if she was really ready to take that step. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? There’s no hurry.”

  After a thoughtful silence, she said, “His decisions and choices are unforgiveable. I’ll always love him, but I can’t stay married to him. I’d be a fool if I did. Besides, our marriage has been over for quite some time anyway. I should’ve known this was coming.”

  The anxiety on her face didn’t match her brave words. “What happened? If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

  “Life. It changed us and we can’t ever go back.”

  “You don’t really want to talk about it, do you?”

  “Not in detail. In many ways, fate ruined our love.”

  “Extenuating circumstances?”

  “Yeah, events beyond our control.” Tension emanated from her, from the rigid set of her spine to the firm pout of her lips.

  “Are you hoping he might come back to you, Chloe?” Her answer would be telling.

  “I guess that’s been in the back of my mind.”

  “Would you take him back?” It was a resounding no for him. However, it would appear that Mark and Chloe had much more invested into their marriage than he and Taryn had ever had. Even though she considered Mark’s actions unforgiveable, Jack also knew that marriage was so much more complicated than that. It was never black and white, not when emotions were involved.

  Her hesitation was answer enough for him. But her response was resolute. “No, never. Absolutely not. We could never move past it. I’m not okay with cheating.”

  He smiled as she repeated his words. “An excellent rejoinder.”

  Chloe studied him curiously. “What do you do for a living?”

  Very quick change of subject. The finer details of her marriage were not something she wanted to discuss. It made him wonder what they’d been through together. His curiosity was stoked, but he didn’t push. Whatever it was, it weighed on her heavily. Perhaps that explained the anguish in her eyes. Her husband’s decision to leave was probably the culmination of a very tough period of time. Generally, this type of break-up doesn’t happen suddenly.

  The black tentacles of disillusionment and resentment have usually woven themselves through the fabric of a marriage long before a spouse acts upon his or her feelings. Although he should’ve predicted this outcome with Taryn, at least they had remained civil with one another until the bitter end. Well, mostly.

  “Contract law,” he answered.

  “You’re a lawyer?”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Oh. I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  “Good. Glad I don’t look like a bloodsucker.”

  A very small smile flickered across her face and he realized it was the first hint of a smile he’d seen. It transformed her features and the beauty he sensed within filtered through the air—and landed directly on him.

  “It explains the ease of your divorce,” she said, sipping her orange juice.

  He shrugged. “I took the last few days off. I felt like I needed to put my life in order, make a few changes. Why wait? I’m ready for everything to be over sooner than later.” The minute Taryn had announced she was seeing another man, it was over for him, as if she’d taken a knife to his heart and killed all the love inside. He was done.

  A tired looking waitress seated a family with three small children and a baby in the booth next to them. The children loudly begged for chicken nuggets and the baby began to fuss. Her attention diverted, Chloe watched them for a moment. Then, looking irritated, she asked, “Would you mind if we moved to another spot?”

  “No problem.” The transition was made, quickly and smoothly, to a somewhat isolated booth next to a window. He liked the change, it was a little more conducive to private conversation.

  “Thank you. The noise level was a bit much,” Chloe commented.

  “It’s okay. I’m used to it. Taryn doesn’t like children either. It sounds a little cliché, but she insisted that she didn’t want to ruin her figure with a pregnancy.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell over the table and Chloe’s face darkened. “What about you? Did you want children?”

  “I grew up in a large family and I’ve always loved the constant activity, the noise, the accompanying hustle and bustle. So my answer is yes, I’ve always wanted several children. It was one of many things that stood between Taryn and me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Chloe muttered softly.

  “I feel like we’re skirting the issue with all of this polite talk. Maybe we both need to unload. I think it’s our right.”

  “Are you talking about a bash session? There’s something kind of pathetic about that, don’t you think?”

  He had the feeling she wanted to talk, but she was holding back because it was the polite thing to do. Perhaps it was time to interject a little humor into the situation. “You know, our circumstances would be fabulous fodder for a dinner theatre script. The forum: two jilted spouses commiserating with one another. The menu: sour grapes. The mood: spite, anyone? The conversation: my wife is worse than your husband. The conclusion: we’re both suckers.”

  That brought on a smile. The biggest one he’d seen yet. She even let a small laugh escape—music to his ears. He found himself surprised he’d amused her.

  Jack: 1 Grief: 0

  “The truth is I’m pissed off. How about you?” he asked.

  She studied him intently before answering, then let out her breath. “Mad as heck.”

  Ah, a breakthrough. “Did you know they plan to stay in the Bahamas for six weeks? Six weeks! Who goes on vacation for six weeks?” It felt good to say it out loud. “Jerks.”

 
; “Stick our noses in it and rub it in our faces,” she commented acidly.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “I didn’t even know Mark had that much vacation. If I asked him to take a day off, he always said he couldn’t.”

  “Idiot. Gosh.”

  “Napoleon Dynamite,” she responded immediately, making him grin.

  “I can’t sneak anything past you.”

  “No, but clearly my husband can.”

  She was beginning to loosen up a bit and her real personality was slipping between the cracks of her iron façade.

  “His loss, my dear,” he told her. “He’ll regret it one day, I can promise you that.” Wanting to somehow make her feel better, he blurted, “I’ve known you for thirty minutes and I’d take you over Taryn in a red hot second.”

  Jack cringed inwardly. He sounded as if he was trying to pick up on her or something. No wonder she was wary of him. Smooth, Jack. Real smooth.

  She actually blushed at his words, a flash of red that climbed up her face from her neck to her forehead. He found it downright endearing.

  “Sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable,” he added.

  She surprised him when she whispered, “Thank you, Jack.”

  For a moment, he thought she was going to burst into tears and he didn’t want that to happen. “Let’s continue. We were on a roll for a minute there,” he said, his tone upbeat.

  “How long do you think they’ve been seeing each other?” she asked guardedly, as if she wanted to know yet didn’t all at the same time.

  “Taryn said it had been going on for two weeks and I didn’t even notice. Just for the record, I don’t usually spy on my wife.”

  “Two weeks?”

  “I know. That’s even faster than a month.”

  “Mark’s been happier lately, you know, whistling while he shaves and singing in the shower. I should’ve known right then. He never sings out loud.”

  “Come to think of it, there was a huge credit card bill for Victoria’s Secret and I never saw any of the new lingerie.”

  Unwanted mental images of Mark and Taryn together trickled through his mind. Evidently hers too, because she whispered, “Ew.”

  “Gross,” he countered.

  He held out his fist and they fist bumped. The real Chloe was in there somewhere, dying to get out. He was sure of it.

  “How do you think they met?” she asked.

  Obviously, Taryn had been a little more forthcoming than Mark when it came to explanations. Chloe knew nothing—and it was eating her alive. “At a social at one of her friend’s houses. I was unable to attend because I am so busy working all the time,” he mimicked. “Someone has to pay the bills.”

  “I didn’t know he’d attended a social recently,” she said sadly.

  This wasn’t going well. His next words were inspired by the fact that he wanted to help her feel better. “By the way, Mark has a surprise coming,” he warned.

  “What do you mean?”

  Jack reflected on that moment during their honeymoon when he began to realize he’d made a mistake. Taryn had been on a rant over the same subject for fifteen minutes.

  “I hate this purse. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I told my mom exactly which purse I wanted for my birthday, and instead she got me this one. I’m so mad. She never listens to me.”

  “It’s a really nice purse.”

  “Oh, yes it is. It’s a Michael Kors and it’s very expensive. But that’s not the point. It’s not the one I wanted. I haven’t spoken to my mom since my birthday last month. I’m still mad at her. I refuse to speak to her until she apologizes.”

  Jack remembered feeling taken aback at her spiteful words.

  “Whoa. Look out or I’m gonna push you in the chocolate river.”

  He’d laughed at his own joke, but Taryn didn’t get it. Evidently she’d never seen Willy Wonka. Go figure. Instead she went on and on about how mean her mother was and how she never listened to her. It was an eye-opening moment.

  Jack cast the reminiscence aside and continued. “Taryn is an only child, born to wealthy parents who spoiled her rotten. She’s never wanted for anything. In her defense, I’ll say that it’s not exactly her fault. It’s the way she was raised and she really doesn’t know any different. However, as a result, she can be rather…demanding. She may be beautiful and she certainly knows how to turn on the charm, but when she’s really being herself, she’s a bear to live with. She’s completely self-absorbed.”

  He didn’t expect her response. Chloe’s breathing quickened. Her chest rose and fell noticeably, as if she was filled with raging fire. Then, very unexpectedly, she started to laugh. He couldn’t help but join her.

  “There’s something really funny about that. Like poetic justice or something,” she managed through her laughter. “I mean, it makes me sad for Mark, but…”

  She laughed so hard, tears ran down her face. It didn’t take a genius to realize her laughter was the slightly-crazed-anxiety-produced kind. But at least he’d made her laugh. After awhile, he wasn’t so sure the tears were laughter produced, and they sobered.

  “You know, I can’t really say anything bad about Mark,” she said quietly, looking defeated.

  “You loved him.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Yes.”

  “He’s a lucky man—and he’s a fool.” Jack hoped his comment didn’t come off as flirtatious. He simply wanted to make her feel better.

  “Maybe I’m a bear to live with.”

  “Are you?” he asked, doubting it very much.

  “Sometimes. And, lately, I’ve been pretty self-absorbed myself,” Chloe admitted.

  He shrugged. “We all have our moments. But for Taryn, it’s her nature.” Jack ran his hands over his face. “My sisters hated her.”

  “Taryn?”

  “No, the waitress that just walked by.”

  It took a minute for his sarcasm to register and she threw her crumpled straw wrapper at him. “Shut up,” she said playfully. He moved to one side, avoiding the flying wad. It nailed the customer sitting in the booth behind him.

  “Sorry about that, sir,” he said, taking the blame.

  He liked the sudden sparkle in her eyes, the flash of humor. Life was brimming inside of her, begging to be unleashed.

  “All right,” he said in response to her playful “shut up.” Saying nothing more, he took the opportunity to scarf down his pancakes. Chloe followed suit.

  “Okay, I give, tell me why they hated Taryn. I know you’re dying to say it. And I’m dying to hear it.”

  “Thought you might be. They nicknamed her Princess Taryn. On our visits to my mom’s house, she would sit on the couch and never once get up. She’d even ask for a glass of water and expect to be waited on. My sisters had no patience for her. On Easter one year, she declined to bring the sweet potatoes because she couldn’t ‘carry the hot dish down the stairs.’ Then, as we cleaned up the kitchen, Taryn said she couldn’t help with the dishes because she was wearing a blouse and she couldn’t roll up the sleeves.”

  Chloe was appropriately incredulous. “Seriously?”

  “Not exaggerating one single bit.”

  “Did you get out the scissors?” she asked.

  “The idea was discussed amongst my sisters. Extensively and not very nicely.”

  “Maybe water makes her melt.”

  It was his turn to let out a bark of laughter. “If that’s the case, the Bahamas won’t be very fun.”

  Chloe smirked. “I hope it rains. The. Whole. Time.”

  “I hope they get a really bad sunburn.”

  “You know what? Sour grapes taste really good,” she remarked.

  “Pretty delicious, aren’t they?”

  “Yep.”

  Chloe fell quiet, disappearing into herself once more, and he wished he could make her laugh again. He’d liked the way he’d seen little glimpses of her personality shine.

  “What you said at the doorstep that day
, you were right, you know,” she said so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

  Jack reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “Don’t say that, Chloe. Don’t even think it.”

  “I became wrapped up in my own problems and I shut him out. He tried, but I never let him back in.”

  “Maybe he should’ve tried harder.”

  Chloe looked surprised at his words. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

  “He shouldn’t have given up. Not when he had you.”

  She stared into his eyes, long and hard. “You don’t know me.”

  “I know enough. The hard times in life are when people show the world what they’re made of. You’re hurt, but you’re a strong woman. I can sense that about you.”

  “You can’t know that,” Chloe whispered.

  “I can.”

  Her eyes never wavered from his. “You’re wrong,” she said quietly, resolutely.

  “Chloe! Chloe Brennan! I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  A woman approached the table and recognition danced across Chloe’s features. He could swear she wasn’t happy to see the woman.

  “Hello, Sue. How have you been?” Chloe greeted demurely. She smiled, but it was a fake smile if ever he’d seen one.

  “The question is how have you been? It’s so good to finally see you out and about, moving on with life. About time, sweetheart. I’ve missed you so much. We all want the old Chloe back.”

  Chloe’s fake smile died on her face.

  Sue glanced at him with curious eyes. He quickly removed his hand from Chloe’s. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what type of conclusions Sue had drawn. Regardless of the fact that Chloe’s marriage was over, he didn’t want tongues to be wagging about her being seen with another man.

  “Where’s Mark?” she asked with her eyes on him.

  “He’s on a trip,” Chloe responded with no hesitation whatsoever. “This is my good friend, Jack.”

  Good? He liked that. There was nothing clandestine in their being together and it showed in Chloe’s demeanor, completely diffusing any suspicion.