That was a brilliant idea, Jane agreed. They spoke a few moments longer, and then Jane thanked her mother and told her how much she loved her. When she hung up, she sat motionless for a few moments. There were times when her mother would just blow her mind. She had been so certain that her mother was going to be an obstacle that she would have to overcome in all of this.
As she sat there, she felt like crying at the realization that all her mother wanted for her was for her to be happy. She felt pretty silly being so nervous to tell her the truth. Ronald padded over and jumped into her lap. At his affection, she did begin to cry. She knew she always would have Lacey having her back. It was just really liberating to know she wasn’t the only one.
It was a happy cry. She sent Wyatt a text asking him to come over to dinner at her parents’ the next night. With any luck, this would all be a distant annoyance by Sunday, she hoped optimistically. Her emotional conversation with her mother took a lot out of her. She crashed early with Ronald curled at her feet. When she woke, he was in a ball maybe an inch from her nose. Each breath she took would make his fur move slightly.
She tried getting up without disturbing him, but he was a light sleeper and meowed in protest at her movement. Picking him up, she went downstairs and fed him. She wasn’t very hungry, so she drank some orange juice and surfed the web until Lacey came downstairs. Lacey looked pretty guilty and came over to warn Jane that Jack had spent the night.
“Hoochie mama,” Jane replied and turned back to the computer.
“Just be cool when he comes downstairs,” Lacey pleaded.
Jane crossed her eyes and made a fish face “So I can’t talk to him like this?” she asked.
“Jane!” Lacey stressed.
“Alright, alright. I’m cool,” Jane promised. “So how was it?” she asked saucily.
Glancing upstairs, Lacey began fanning herself and said she would dish when he left. Lacey went back upstairs, and a few moments later, both she and Jack came downstairs together. Lacey went into the kitchen to make coffee while Jack sat awkwardly on the sofa.
Jane waved and said, “Hello."
“Hi, Jane. It’s, uh, nice to see you again,” he replied.
“Did you want to watch TV?” Jane asked, motioning towards the remote.
“Is that okay?” Jack asked.
“Sure,” Lacey replied, walking back into the room with two steaming cups of coffee.
She sat down close to him, handing him a cup. He rested back with his other arm across the back of the sofa, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
Jane had to stop herself from saying “awww.” She had to admit they looked very cute together. Jack was taller than Lacey, but then again, who wasn’t? He had dirty blonde shaggy hair, just long enough to pass the tops of his earlobes. He set his coffee down and turned on the morning news.
“Would you like anything for breakfast?” Lacey asked. “I can make eggs or bagels?”
He said he was fine but encouraged her to get something if she was hungry. Lacey said she was fine and leaned into him to watch the news. Jane smiled to herself. There was no way Lacey would eat by herself in front of a guy she liked. Lacey invited Jane to come over and sit with them. She turned the computer off and sat in the armchair by the sofa. Jane asked Lacey what their plans for the day were. Lacey pouted, saying Jack would probably have to leave soon because he had a big test coming up next week.
He laughed and, kissing her on the side of her head, said he would much rather be hanging out with her. With that, Lacey seemed appeased. When they finished their coffee, Jack got up to put their mugs in the kitchen and then went upstairs to collect his things. His test was Wednesday night so as he left he confirmed dinner with Lace for Thursday. She agreed then, after a long kiss, he was gone.
As soon as the door shut, Lacey ran to the kitchen to toast a bagel.
“I am so hungry,” she mumbled, munching on a slice of cheese as her bagel toasted. Jane followed her and, once her bagel popped out, put another one into the toaster for herself.
“I take it last night went well,” she said as Lacey consumed one half in no time.
“He is so friggin hot, Jane. You never expect it with the preppy types. I swear I’m amazed I didn’t throw my back out last night,” Lacey gushed.
She poured herself another cup of coffee and took her time with the second slice. “After dinner, when he brought me back here, we were kissing in his car for a little bit and then he started kissing my neck. I almost jumped him in the car but managed to talk him into coming inside,” Lacey went on. She seemed so happy; Jane was thrilled for her. Before Lacey would tell Jane all of the gory details, she made Jane tell her about Wyatt’s visit.
Lacey wasn’t surprised. Of course God’s gift to women would never believe someone would not be into him. What did shock her was Jane’s mother’s reaction.
“Go Mrs. Martin,” she hooted.
“I know, right?” Jane replied.
“Can I please, please, please, please come to dinner too?” Lacey pleaded. “I have got to see this."
Jane, while welcoming the additional support, really thought it would be best if she did this on her own since they both could admit Lacey would have a hard time keeping her mouth shut. Jane promised to give her the play by play as soon as she got home, and Lacey relented, agreeing it was probably for the best. Later on, the girls ran to the grocery store to stock up.
Once home, Jane got ready for dinner while Lacey napped. She really hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before. She wore some navy slacks and a white sweater with some brown boots. As she stepped out, she turned right back around to grab a trench and an umbrella to avoid getting soaked in her white sweater. She got to her parents before Wyatt and gave her mother a long hug.
Her father then came to pat her on the back. “Never been prouder of you, Janey. Can’t wait to watch you dump this jerk."
“Dad!” she cried.
He just raised his hands like “what?” and winked at her.
She took the ring out of her purse. Her mother had found an old ring box for her to put it in to return to Wyatt. When he arrived, he acted like the night before had never happened. He pulled Jane towards him and kissed her on the cheek.
“Hello Mom, Dad,” he called out cheerfully.
Her father sneezed what suspiciously sounded like the word asshole and went to go sit in the living room. Wyatt rested his arm around Jane’s shoulders as they followed him. When she went to pull away, he pulled her tighter to him, smiling at her. Her father was sitting smack dab in the middle of the sofa, and her mother was sitting on the loveseat. She could have kissed them. Seeing there was nowhere for them to sit together, Wyatt sat in one of the wingback chairs while Jane went and sat next to her father. After he sat, Wyatt attempted to engage her father in some small talk.
“Not now, young man. Jane has something she would like to tell you,” her father interrupted.
Jane motioned to the box on the coffee table and, after taking a deep breath, said, “Wyatt I asked you here tonight to, in front of my parents, let you know that I do not love you and cannot marry you."
Wyatt sat there quietly while Jane and her parents wondered what to say or do next. When he rose suddenly, Jane’s father did as well.
“Wyatt, Jane does not want to hurt your feelings and would like this to be as amicable as possible."
“Amicable?” Wyatt spat. “Our announcement is running in the paper tomorrow."
“Maybe you should have asked Jane if she even wanted to date you before you went ahead and proposed to her." Jane’s father replied.
Wyatt looked down at Jane and said, “I don’t believe you."
“How can you not believe me?” Jane asked, rising.
“Trust me. You will come to your senses. This can be very profitable for all of us,” Wyatt went on.
“Profitable?” Jane asked while her father roared, “You listen here, young man."
Jane put her hand on his shoulder, and he slo
wly sat, glaring at Wyatt.
“You poll well,” Wyatt replied. “If I am going to run for office, I need a simple wife. No one too showy. You fit the bill, and it will be like winning the lottery for your family. Seriously, Jane. Think of how much you can improve your lives,” he went on.
Having heard enough, Mrs. Martin at that point interjected, “Wyatt, why on earth do you think marrying you would equal winning a prize? I’ll have you know we are quite content in our situation and do not need nor desire your saving us. I believe I have heard enough, young man. Kindly take that all rock, no style ring and get your uppity ass out of my home and off my property."
She said all of this while sweetly sitting.
Wyatt picked up the box and walked out of the room, calling out, “You'll regret this”
Jane looked at her mom and started clapping while her dad went over and gave her a big kiss.
“I like it when she gets feisty,” he said, winking at her
“Oh, Mitch, hush,” she said, blushing. “Now let’s go eat dinner. I made Beef Wellington, and now we don’t have to worry about that idiot ruining our appetites."
Dinner was delicious, and Jane had so much fun hanging out with her parents. She thanked them both after giving them big hugs and kisses then went home leftovers in tow. As promised, when she got home, she gave Lacey the play by play.
“Shut up,” Lacey exclaimed, eating some leftovers. “He compared himself to winning the lottery?"
Lacey was beside herself and was so bummed that she had missed it all. What she would have given to see the look on his face as Jane’s mom kicked him out. Jane admitted it was something she would not forget. At the end of it all, she just felt lighter and happier then she had all week. Sure, she had no clue what would happen with her and Gabe, but she was able to acknowledge that, either way, she would be okay.
Chapter 30
The next day she made a special trip to the store just to buy the paper to see the announcement. Lacey tagged along, and they read it right there in the middle of the store. It wasn’t just any old announcement it was a half page gigantic announcement.
“Oh my God,” Jane said, staring at it.
A good chunk of the announcement was taken up with a blown up picture of them from college. Once she read the announcement, she cringed. There was no way Gabe would ever trust her after this. She folded the paper up, not wanting to read the whole thing in the store. Lacey ran to go buy them some donuts, and they returned to their apartment. Donut in hand, she read it out loud once there.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Huntington II happily announce the engagement of their son, Wyatt Huntington III, to Miss Jane Theresa Martin. Wyatt and Jane met and first dated at Virginia Commonwealth University. Wyatt went on to graduate school in Chicago while Jane entered the workforce after graduating. It was followed by comments like, “Jane will, of course, no longer be working as she will stay home to raise their family” and “We are so thrilled welcome Jane into our family.” The newspaper even had a supposed quote from Jane saying, “We can’t wait to start our own family after the wedding.” The paper went on that, given the prominence of the groom’s family, the wedding, which was slated for the following spring, would likely be the event of the season with all of the who’s who to be invited.
Jane sunk down in the armchair, uneaten donut still in hand. “It says I want children, Lace,” she said dumbstruck.
“Holy shit,” was all Lacey could manage.
“How do I undo this?” Jane asked. “Everyone in town will think we’re still engaged, and with that fake quote from me, they are going to think, if anything, that Wyatt ended it because, come on, he is a friggin winning lottery ticket."
“Holy shit,” Lacey repeated.
Jane set the donut down and, putting her head between her knees, did her very best to not hyperventilate. Lacey came over and gently patted her on the back. Her phone starting ringing.
Lacey checked it and said, “It’s your mom."
At that, Jane grabbed the phone and answered it, “Mom, have you seen it?” There was a pause as her mother responded. “I know. It is horrible. I never said that. Is that legal?” Another pause then, placing her hand over the phone, she said to Lacey, “My mom says my daddy is going to kill him.” She then uncovered the phone and said, “Tell dad not if I get to him first."
They spoke a bit longer and then hung up.
“What am I going to do?” Jane grumbled. “How can I get everyone to know that we are not engaged and that I broke it off?”
“I’m not sure, babe, but I know we will think of something,” Lacey said sympathetically.
Jane’s phone rang off the hook that day with calls to congratulate her. When she checked in with her parents, she learned it was pretty much the same for them. She finally gave up and turned her ringer off. That evening, flipping through channels, Jane stopped on college basketball since the Rams were playing. It was bittersweet because it reminded her of her bet with Gabe over the game they watched together at the sports bar.
“Whatcha watching?” Lacey asked, walking in.
“Basketball,” Jane said, pouting.
“Hey the athletic director reached out to the choral department to see if they would sing the fight song at the next home game,” Lacey said.
Jane went to bed early since she was dreading work and people talking about the announcement.
The next day, her desk was crowded with all the females who worked on her floor. They were asking when the date was and if they could see her ring. She said there was no date, and it was a long story about the ring. She smiled politely and tried to discourage any additional discussion on the matter. When her boss came in, he asked her pointedly if she would be resigning anytime soon. She tried to explain the situation as briefly as she could to him but did her very best to assure him that she was not engaged and would not be resigning any time soon.
He seemed very sympathetic to her, assuming that Wyatt had dumped her. She tried to let him know that it was more of a misunderstanding that he had proposed, and she had declined but not in enough time to stop the announcement. What struck her was he clearly did not believe her. It was almost as though he pitied her, like she was concocting this story. It was embarrassing. This was someone who knew her and knew her family. Was this how it was going to feel every time?
Her mother drove out to meet her for lunch. She was trying to cheer her up. She kept the conversation light as she watched Jane push her food around on her plate. She finished lunch, and her mother drove her back to work. When they pulled in, she was surprised to see several media vans crowded around her office building. Her mother looked at her in question, and she shrugged. Her mother went to drop her off in the front of the building when the news people began rushing the car, microphones out asking Jane for a comment.
Her mother put the car into reverse as Jane called her boss to ask what was going on. He told her the news crews had arrived just after she left for lunch and that it was okay for her to lay low while they figured out what was going on. Next, she called her father to see if there was anyone at their house. He had no idea what she was talking about but, at her direction, looked out the window and informed her confusedly that the coast was clear. Her mother quickly drove them to her home as Jane scoured news pages on her cell phone in an attempt to learn what this was all about. When they arrived, she switched to searching for info on her parent’s computer.
“What on earth is going on?” her father asked, confused by all the drama.
Jane gasped when she discovered what prompted all of this. She brought one hand to cover her mouth. She looked at her parents, her other hand pointing to the screen. Her parents both leaned in to read, and her father who didn’t have his glasses asked her mother to read it out loud.
“It is an official press release from Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Huntington II, saying that they regretfully confirm the engagement of their son to a Miss. Jane Martin has been dissolved due to previously unknown flaws to her
character. And they ask that their son’s privacy be respected during this difficult time."
At that her, mother made the sign of the cross, and her father started cursing.
Tears running down her face, Jane turned to her mother and said, “How can they do this?”
Her mother pulled Jane to her and rubbed her back, murmuring that she didn’t know. Her father had left the room to call his attorney to see if this could be subject to libel. Her mother led Jane to the sofa and offered her tissues. Her father, on the cordless, came in and poured all of them a shot of brandy. Jane accepted readily and threw it back, raising her glass to her father for another, which he granted. Then he left the room when his lawyer came on the line.
Jane and her mother waited for him to hang up. He came back into the room frowning. When Jane asked what happened, her father came and sat on the other side of her, and putting a hand on her shoulder, said his lawyer believed the press release and insinuation of a flaw was vague enough that there was no legal action available to dispute it. That a flaw could imply something as simple as a bad credit score to who knows what. Jane buried her head into his shoulder.
They sat like that for some time and listened to the home phone ring off the hook. The machine picked up, and Jane leapt to grab the phone when she heard Lacey’s voice. Lacey was panting and, between breaths, asked why their apartment was covered with reporters looking for her. Jane apologized for not thinking to tell Lacey the news. When she explained the situation, she had to jerk the phone away from her ear as Lace lost it. They spoke for a while, and Jane finally ended the call. She let Lace know that she was spending the night at her parents’ house, admitting that she was so emotionally exhausted that she was ready to pass out. The two shots her father had given her may have helped.
She called out sick from work the next day, figuring her office may be staked out by news crews again. It must have been a very slow news week if a broken engagement garnered this much attention. Part of her just wanted to bury her head in the sand and avoid the whole situation. When she brought this up as a possible solution to her mother, it was made clear to her that one way or another there would be a response to this falsehood. She would not allow Jane's reputation be tarnished in this way.
A Bridge of Her Own Page 18