Page 35 of Shameless

By now I should know that I married a woman who never loved me and just saw me as a meal ticket. But Jasmine still manages to surprise me by reaching a new low every time we talk.

“I’m going to make sure you get your money. Worry about our daughter and the new baby you’re carrying.”

Her lips curl into a cruel smirk. “I’m glad Eddie got himself murdered before we went in front of the judge. You have a month to make the next payment. Fail to come through and you’ll see how much I can drag my feet.”

I clench my fists, fighting to keep my temper in check. “Our agreement was clear that you would withdraw all your complaints and false allegations against me and give me immediate access to our daughter as soon as the first payment landed in your account. Don’t test me, Jaz. If you can play dirty, two can play that game.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

“What are you going to do? Hit me? Or worse, shoot me? The news said that an antique shotgun was the murder weapon. Didn’t you inherit one from your grandfather? You were on the island when the murders happened and the murder weapon belongs to you. I bet any judge would understand my concern in leaving my daughter with a murder suspect.”

Why? Why was I ever so stupid to touch this woman?

Jasmine’s only redeeming quality is that she gave me Jenna. “I’m not allowed to talk about the case,” I inform her. “But youcan quit playing your stupid games right now, Jaz. I have an alibi and I wasn’t at the hunt where that weapon was being used.”

Whatever news leaked must have been quite detailed, because Jasmine doesn’t let my argument convince her. “Yeah, but I read the murder weapon was missing in the morning and never made it to the hunt. How can I leave my daughter in a house where there might be a murderer? Even if none of you did it, your stepfather at the very least let it out of his sight. That’s hardly reassuring. Jenna could stumble into another gun and get hurt.”

Fuck.

If her reasoning wasn’t totally malicious, she would almost have a point. “There are no other guns in the house, Jaz. Cut the crap, will you? I’ll get you your money.”

“How?” her tone is hard.

“Don’t worry about that.”

She shakes her head. “That isn’t my only concern, Jules. I thought I was clear when I told you to move out of here. I’m still not comfortable with Jenna staying in the same house as a convicted drug dealer and addict. And you’re living here again. Think of my surprise when I went looking for you at the Country Club and Lula’s mother opened the door. By the way that woman is white trash, I don’t care if she’s head to toe in designer clothes.”

That’s the only thing Jasmine has said in the last year that I agree with.

“Where I live wasn’t part of our agreement. Stick to your end of the deal, or I’ll sue, Jaz. I fucking mean it.” I hope my tone conveys how done I am with this conversation.

“Miss one payment, Jules. One fucking payment, or pay less than the minimum we agreed on and you can forget you even have a daughter. Am I clear?”

“Crystal. I want to see Jenna.” I demand.

“We’ll see. I’m busy lately. Maybe at the end of the month, when the renovations on the new nursery are done.”

I can see what she’s trying to do from a mile away. She’s trying to drag her feet until the next payment is due. She knows better than me that I don’t have the money.

The thing is, she gets her regular alimony, I pay for the house that Mom gave us the deposit for as a wedding gift and she just got a six figure check last Friday. At least Eddie came through with his promise to give an advance to the one who won the tryouts for the electric boat.

But the point is, she has more than enough money to live comfortably even if I was to miss a few payments. Jenna has everything she might want.

I’m not a deadbeat who left his ex and his child penniless.

“Jaz, don’t play stupid games with me. We agreed that you’d let me see Jenna as soon as you got your first installment. I want to see her next weekend.”

“Fuck, no.” She snorts. “Next weekend is the Fourth of July. You’re not getting our daughter on a major holiday.”

I don’t budge. “Come on, are you trying to tell me that you don’t have any plans for the weekend? No wild parties to go to?”

God knows she always left me with Jenna to go party any chance she got.

“As it happens, my plans got canceled.”

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but the words leave my mouth before I can think better of it. “Then bring Jenna to the club and join us. There are always a lot of events for the members’ families.”

Jasmine doesn’t immediately say no, so I charge on.

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