Page 5 of Suddenly Single

“Bless your heart, Asher.” Mom chuckled. “No. Never again. I told myself before marrying your father that I’d only get married once. But, I miss the companionship of a man. Marriage is hard work. All I want is a good friend, and perhaps a smidgen of romance.”

I pulled out of the parking lot of the courthouse and a moment later we were on Broad Street, heading to our offices downtown. Mom’s words danced around my head, and I realized Mom probably knew exactly how I felt about my marriage.

“Mom, I love Carter, but he’s so demanding.” I sighed, and Mom patted my arm. “I’ll do anything to make him happy, including having another ceremony. But can I tell you something in confidence?”

“Of course, Asher.”

“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t have married him.”

Mom cleared her throat. “You mentioned that at breakfast. Whatever do you mean?”

“I can’t imagine my life without him, but there’s always so much drama.” The right words wouldn’t come to me, so I just blurted out whatever came to mind. “I knew he would be a handful. In fact, that’s one reason I love him so much. Never a dull moment.”

“Well, he fits in beautifully with the family.” Mom’s voice slurred. “While I never expected you to settle down with a man, I can’t imagine our family without Carter in it.”

“Oh, Mom, neither can I.” I flipped the turn signal and made a right onto Belvedere. “I’m just saying that if I had to do it all over again, I’d just want to shack up. You know, live in sin with him, instead of…”

“Darling, that’s a marriage. Even though the Commonwealth of Virginia doesn’t recognize common-law marriage, we have won huge settlements for clients who cohabitated.” Mom pointed out the window as we drove past the Virginia War Memorial. She always did, because that was where Dad proposed to her. “So, getting married is helpful, because legally it gives you a precise idea of…”

Mom droned on and on about the legal benefits of marriage, despite her saying earlier she’d never do it again herself. But I was used to the contradictions. My entire family was riddled with them. When I turned into the parking deck of our building, she finally dropped the subject.

“Asher, Florida is picking me up. She wants me to go along with her on a doctor’s appointment.” She opened the car door and stepped out. “It’s only a check-up, but I always worry about her. She’s more than a maid to us. Florida is family.”

“Of course.”

When we got to our offices on the fifteenth floor, Mother turned left down the hallway, waving to the receptionist. I turned right, and moments later said good morning to my secretary, Gloria.

“Mr. Yates, there’s an important letter on your desk. A courier delivered it a few minutes ago.” Gloria joined the firm when I did, seven years ago. Unlike the rest of the women in my life, she was decidedly not the motherly type. I adored that about her.

“Thank you, Gloria. Hold my calls for the next fifteen minutes while I prepare for the day.” I scooted into my office, then saw the envelope sitting in the center of my desk. In bright red ink, the word URGENT was stamped on it. I laid my briefcase down, then ripped it open.

Dear Mr. Yates,

I am writing to let you know of an unfortunate mistake made by Linda Crawford and the State of Colorado. According to our records, she hadn’t renewed her license to officiate weddings by the deadline set by state law. Because of this, your marriage to Carter Camden is not valid. We apologize for….”

“Oh my fucking God!”

I grabbed the letter and raced out of the office. “This is a disaster. No calls!” I shouted, running past Gloria's desk. When I got to Mom’s office, her secretary tried to stop me, but I pushed open the door.

“Asher, what’s wrong?” Mom took her gold reading glasses off, her brow furrowing. We never barged into each other’s offices like this.

“I,I,I, um, shit.” I gave her the letter, and she put her glasses back on.

“Oh dear.” Mom scanned it, then let the paper drop to her desk. She stood up and crossed the room to the mini-bar in the corner.

“Whatever you’re having, make me a double.” I muttered, and the sound of ice dropping into glasses filled the air. “What the hell am I going to do, Mom? Carter is going to flip out.”

“Here. Take this.” She handed me the glass of clear liquid. I shot half of it back and wheezed. Vodka on the rocks, no mixer. Mom sat behind her desk and picked up the letter. “This is a technicality, and if worse comes to worst, you could sue the state of Colorado for negligence. But…”

“Mom, if Carter discovers we’ve never been married, he’ll have a complete breakdown. Like, you know how high-strung my husb…I mean Carter is. Shit, we’re not married.” I put my face in my hands and took deep breaths. Now that we weren’t married, I felt empty. Damn it, if I could take back what I said to Carter at breakfast, I would. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I glanced back up at her and opened my mouth, but she held a hand up to stop me.

“I’m putting my lawyer hat on now, Asher.” Mom drained her drink, setting the empty tumbler down on her desk with a thud. “Don’t say a word about this to Carter.”

“What?”

“Honey, Carter is family, and we all love him. But this might come in handy one day if you and he hit a rough patch.” Mom leaned back in her chair and eyed me.

“But I don’t get it.” Pressure built behind my eyes. This was a catastrophe.

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