by Mary Whitney
My first thought was disbelief “That can’t be. How would they know?” I asked, closing the door. I joined Trish at the table and pushed aside my cereal in which I’d lost all interest. “Michael would’ve told me if he’d settled the divorce.”
“Maybe.” Trish took a sip of coffee. “Maybe not. It’s kind of an awkward conversation, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. We’ve talked about it before.” I always expected I’d hear the news from Michael himself. Since our make out session on the sofa, we talked all the time. It was usually during the day and generally a simple “hello” text or pinging the other with a joke. At night, though, the phone calls were long, lasting deep into the night. We told stories, teased each other, and occasionally got a little hot and bothered. Because Larry had invited him over on the weekend, it seemed as though we already had a date planned. I shook my head. “It just seems weird to me. We talk all the time.”
Why wouldn’t he mention it to me?
“Maybe it’s the money.”
“What do you mean?”
“The story says the divorce settlement is around $20 million. That’s a lot of money for only four years of marriage. I mean—the Graths are rich, but $20 million? Wow.”
“Well, she’d been asking for $40 million.”
“Which is a preposterous amount, and the story says he was only offering $4 million.”
I had to do the math for a moment to bring the numbers down to ones I could comprehend. If someone demanded $4,000 from me, but I only offered $400, and I ended up giving that person $2,500, it was hardly a good bargain on my part. “Why? Why would he give in like that?”
“He obviously wants a quick divorce settlement rather than money.” Trish smiled. “Or should I say someone wants you more than money.”
“Oh.” I tried to hide my smile by covering my mouth. “You think that’s possible?”
“Yes,” she answered, with a knowing look. “Especially after what I saw on the couch the other night.”
“I’m not sure…” It was a silly thing to say since Trish’s logic made perfect sense.
“And that is the reason why he didn’t tell you first,” Trish said, crossing her arms as if she’d solved a puzzle. “He’d have to explain his undying love for you in the context of his divorce. Who wants to have that conversation?”
Love was supposed to take a lot longer, right? My last significant relationship had taken a full year before we said “I love you.” The relationship lasted only two years after that. So maybe the length of time before you fall in love wasn’t a very good indication of relationship success.
“We’re hardly at the love stage,” I said, trying to throw up a stupid smokescreen. I was falling for the guy and hard, but was it premature? The only concrete prediction I could make was based on intuition. The tingling feeling I got around Michael and the sense of unstoppable joy told me love was definitely coming, at least for me. With his divorce, it might take him years to want to be with another woman.
“Whatever,” Trish said. She drained her coffee. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“You think so?” My voice lilted at the end, giving away how much I liked the idea.
“Of course.” Trish nodded and gave me an encouraging smile. “Listen. I’m okay with it. I’ve talked a lot with Larry, and you know how much he likes Michael. As your chief of staff and your friend, I just ask a couple of things.”
“What’s that?”
Trish raised a finger. “Number one, no more fast times on the congressional couch—yours or his. I shouldn’t have to explain why.”
“Okay.” I laughed. “That’s easy to comply with.”
“One would think so, but I felt the need to remind you.”
“Go on. What else to do you want?”
“Can you keep it on the down-low for a while?”
“Of course.”
“No, I’m serious. It’s too soon. It will look terrible.”
I hated the idea of not getting to see him at all. “Well, what exactly do mean by laying low?”
“Don’t be seen together in public. Now, I’d prefer if it if you didn’t date him at all until long after his divorce was finalized, but I know after your little romp on the couch, that’s a non-starter. He has seemed to throw caution to the wind with you. I’d rather you not do the same.”
I nodded, not really wanting to agree out loud, and Trish tipped her head to the side, her voice sympathetic. “Jessie. I’m not just speaking politically here. I know you like him, and he’s a good guy, but he’s still just a person like any of us. He’s on the rebound. I don’t want you to fall victim to that rebound. If he has some time under his belt away from his ex, I’d feel more confident about him. It’s the rebound thing that makes me worry a little.”
“I’ve thought of that,” I started slowly. I looked down at my cereal bowl with new found interest in it and pushed the spoon through the brown mush. “But I don’t think it’s an issue with him. I think he’s been mentally divorced from his wife for a long time, and emotionally, it sounds like they were never really together.”
“Well, good. I hope I’m wrong.” Trish raised her hand up as if she was taking an oath. “I’ll never bring it up again.”
“Thanks. I know you only want the best.” I smiled. “So what does all this mean for the weekend? Michael is supposed to come over to watch the game.”
Trish’s expression slowly morphed into a grin. “I’m okay with him being here—even overnight.” She pointed to the ceiling. “You’ve got a built in alibi with Mr. NFL upstairs. As long as they’re also seen out together, I think you’re safe.”
“I really owe Larry…” My smile widened.
“Oh, and about the overnight thing. I have a requirement.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Go get yourself some reliable contraception.”
“You’re telling me that?” I asked, pointing to myself. I chuckled. “I may have had a doctor’s appointment yesterday already.”
Patting my arm with reassurance, Trish laughed. “That’s my girl.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Michael
The day the divorce news hit the press I laid low, cancelling meetings that wouldn’t draw additional attention. I just wanted to be alone until the worst of it blew over. Besides, I had to prepare myself for Jessie’s reaction. I hadn’t warned her, and she had to have heard about it over the course of the day. Eagle eye Trish probably caught the news the moment it hit the wires. When evening rolled around, I still hadn’t come up with a good explanation.
Late that night, I sat in my favorite chair as I always did for my nightly calls with Jessie. Daisy was at my feet, acting as a foot warmer and canine moral support. Under normal circumstances, I was completely comfortable sitting there, and talking with Jessie only made it that much better. That evening, though, I fidgeted in my seat, only half-listening as she spoke. Bracing myself for the inevitable, I flipped through muted channels on TV, my mind in frantic worry about how to answer her questions.
Half an hour into the call, Jessie raised the issue she’d probably picked up on long ago. “Um. Michael,” she said with some hesitancy. “Is there something wrong?”
“Wrong? No. Nothing wrong.” I covered my eyes with my palm. I wasn’t a very good actor with her.
“Oh. Okay. I was just wondering, because you sound a little distracted.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day, and…” My voice trailed off as I debated how the conversation should continue. If I wanted to deal with this head on and hopefully move forward, I had the opportunity to ease into it. If I wanted to avoid talking about the divorce and punt the topic to another day, I should bring up another subject. Shaking my head, I scoffed at myself for being a wuss. It was time to man up. I took a swig of beer and said, “Well, my divorce is finally settled. You might’ve heard about that.”
“Yeah, how could I not? There’s been a fair amount of press.”
&nbs
p; “I’ve tried to avoid it all. If I see a headline, I skip it. I figure I know the facts. If there’s something else I should know, Jeff or Mark will tell me about it.” I snickered, “Or of course, my mother will let me know.”
“I bet.”
“So am I missing anything about the story?” It was a stupid question because I’d already heard from Mom, Dad, Emily, Jeff, and Mark that the press had picked up on the large dollar amount. The media was suspicious as to why I caved in. Lucky for me, the one thing I’d secured from Stacy for the deal was an iron-clad confidentiality agreement, and if any of her friends spread rumors, she knew I would pelt her with every bit of garbage I could find. All in all, it was a clean arrangement.
“I guess not.” She paused before adding, “I think it’s just the amount of money involved in the settlement that’s getting so much press.”
“Yeah.” That was the issue I had wanted to avoid—the fact was I’d bought my way out of a stupid mistake with a stupid woman. It was just so trite and tawdry. I never thought my life would end up like this. I tried to be dismissive to end the discussion. “It’s just money.”
“Just money?”
“Did that sound bad?”
“In a way. It depends on what you meant. If you meant there are more important things in life than money—like family, friends, and health, well, that’s fine and true. But if you meant that money is something trivial that can easily be replaced that sounds privileged and out of touch.”
Unbalanced by my emotions, I mumbled, “I’ll admit I meant a little of both.” A pang of shame came over me because I’d meant the latter. As I thought about what she said, though, I remembered that the real reason why I’d caved to Stacy was because I did value Jessie more than money. My eyes widened as it all came together. No wonder my dad was suspicious. I was willing to lose millions of dollars just to be with Jessie. Was I in love with her?
“Don’t feel bad. I didn’t mean to judge you. It was only my immediate reaction. It doesn’t matter. I bet you’re glad to have this behind you now.”
“I am,” I said and finally began to smile. “I really am.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jessie
On Saturday, I stared at the little dots on the television screen, signaling three balls, two strikes, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Michael’s arm tightened around me, as he and Larry became tense, hoping for an unlikely Cubs rally. I glanced over at Trish, asleep on Larry’s shoulder. The signs were all there. The game was ending and so would our evening as a foursome. Soon Larry would carry Trish upstairs, and I would be left alone with Michael. It could have been an exciting prospect, if I wasn’t so nervous.
When the game ended in yet another Cubs loss, Larry clicked off the television and kissed Trish on the forehead. She responded by clutching his shirt. Larry smiled, and after a silent goodnight wave to Michael and me, he scooped up Trish and headed to the stairs.
I offered a sheepish smile to Michael. “We’ve been abandoned.” It was exactly how I felt.
“I think you’re right.” He looked around the empty room. “Should we leave?”
“Yeah. Sometimes it’s weird hanging out here alone. I try not to treat their house like I’m the college kid home for the summer. You know what I mean?”
“I can see that.” He finished off his beer.
“Let’s go down to my place,” I offered with a shrug—a gesture which defied all of my emotions.
“Okay.” A small smile formed on his lips.
As we made our way outside and then down to my apartment, we kept our voices low, which only caused every crack of the door and footstep to be doubly loud. We laughed in hushed giggles. When we arrived inside my kitchen, I shooed Severus outside and sent Michael off to sit in the living room while I got a couple of beers. I wanted a moment to calm down because my mind was racing ahead to where we would inevitably end the night—my bedroom.
When I went into the living room, Michael was kicked back on the sofa, his feet resting on the coffee table. He read a newspaper he probably had already seen twelve hours earlier. “Hey,” I said, handing him a beer.
He took the beer and clinked his bottle to mine. “Cheers.”
“Reading old news?” I asked. Then I sat in the corner of the sofa where I could turn towards him.
“Some of it. I didn’t get to read my paper this morning. I had to deal with a plumbing problem in my kitchen.”
“Plumbing?” I giggled. “I can’t really imagine you with your head stuck under a sink, holding a wrench.”
His brow furrowed, but he had smiled before taking a swig of beer. Placing the bottle on the coffee table, he turned to me. “Are you saying I’m not very manly?”
“I didn’t say that at all. I just said I couldn’t see you doing plumbing. So it’s not that you’re not manly. It’s just that I don’t picture you as a handyman.”
“Well,” he grumbled. “I’ll admit I couldn’t fix it. I might have even made it worse. I had to call a plumber.”
He had such a cute pout on his face, and I leaned a little closer to him “Don’t be offended. Lots of men can’t do plumbing. You’re good at other things.”
“Like what?” He raised an eyebrow.
I set my beer back on the table and smirked. “Like writing legislation. You’re very good at that.”
“Great. That’s not what I was hoping you would say.”
“Oh yeah?” My heart began to quicken. “What were you hoping I’d say?”
“Something more like this.” Before I had a chance to blink, he lowered his lips to mine for a soft kiss.
The kiss continued, and it was so sweet and slow that I shouldn’t have been anxious, but I was. I pulled away, feeling incredibly inadequate. “This is my problem. You’re really good at this.”
“Thank you, but so are you.”
He leaned in again, but I placed both my shaky hands on his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous.”
“Nervous? Why?” He chuckled.
“Because I haven’t done this in a long time…”
“But why?” He side-eyed me and smiled. “Remember? The other night on your office couch? I don’t think you were nervous then.”
Actually, he was right. I hadn’t given it a thought at the time.
“No, I wasn’t.” I laughed and hid my eyes for a moment. “I was very much into it.”
“So what’s the problem now?”
“That was spontaneous, whereas I’ve known this was coming for a few days.”
He pressed his lips together as if to stop his smile from widening. Leaning back onto the sofa, he still held my hand, but he also crossed his legs and placed them again atop the coffee table. In a reflective voice, he said, “So you say it’s been a while… are you worried there have been some technological advances you’ve missed out on? Like you’re not going to be up to speed?”
“No…” I rolled my eyes.
“Good, because while I don’t keep up with everything, and I’ve been off the market for a bit, I’m pretty sure human sex hasn’t really evolved in hundreds of thousands of years.”
“You’re teasing me.”
I knew he was, and I started to relax and enjoy it.
“I am,” he said, his tone and smirk softening. He touched my hair for a moment and then pulled me back into his arms. “Come here.”
“Okay,” I said, snuggling into his side.
“We’re friends. I don’t want you to be nervous.”
“All right. I’ll try.”
His mouth twitched. “I’ve got an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“We should just pick up where we left off.”
“Where we left off? What do you mean?”
“We should start from the point where Larry walked in on us.”
I remembered the orgasmic precipice I was hanging on the moment I heard Larry’s voice. “Um, unless there have been some great technological advances, I can’t start r
ight where we left off.”
His eyes shone, telling me he knew exactly what was going on with my body when Larry interrupted. “Fair point. There’s no way I can start at the exact same place either.” He took a breath and gave me a long look. “Just give me a minute, though. If we continue talking about it, I’ll be right where I was.”
“But your idea isn’t going to work for me.”
“Not true at all. We don’t know that. I think we should try.”
“How?”
Michael shifted on the sofa. “First, let’s get into the right positions.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No.”
I laughed and looked first right, then left. “What the hell? Okay… I need to lie down.”
He rose, as we both laughed while I lay on my back. He kneeled on the end of the sofa and pointed to my knees. “Uh… I need you to spread your legs a little bit.”
“Oh.” I looked down and widened my legs, and he moved between them. “Better?” I asked.
“Much,” he answered, though he wasn’t yet touching me. He nodded to my chest. “Now this might make you uncomfortable, but your blouse was open.”
Looking down at my sleeveless sweater, I laughed. “You’re right. I was wearing a blouse that was open, and my bra was practically off.”
“Do you mind?” he asked, tugging at my sweater. “For reenactment’s sake, of course.”
“But of course.” I shook my head at how ridiculous we were being. It did have a benefit though. “This is so goofy I don’t feel nervous at all.” With a swift pull, the sweater was gone and tossed to the side. When I looked up, his eyes were focused solely on my breasts, and he didn’t seem to have any interest in looking anywhere else. Feeling a little emboldened, both hands went behind my back, and my bra soon landed near my sweater.
His mouth dropped open, as he stared at my now naked chest. “I remember this part,” he mumbled and smiled. “I think I can pick up exactly where I left off now.”
“You can?”
He didn’t answer with words.
Instead, his mouth was occupied at once, trading off attention to my breasts. He kissed and sucked on one and then moved to the other while I squirmed beneath him and widened my legs, hoping to feel more of him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as intimate as the last time. I reached down, and instead of finding a skirt to easily hike up, I touched the denim of my jeans. “Um. I think it’s going to take me a lot longer than last time because of these jeans.”
