Page 7 of Suddenly Single

“The materials just arrived, Carter.” Beverly Southall barked over the phone. “When does construction start?”

“Give me one moment.” I checked my calendar, and saw that our contractors weren't scheduled to start until two weeks from today. Beverly was a pushy older woman who lived a mile down River Road from the Yates estate. She’d want me to bump up her job to tomorrow, if possible. “The crew isn’t available for two more weeks. But, if we have any cancellations, I’ll…”

“Oh please, if at all possible, move it up. It's so tacky having all this wood and bricks taking up space in the driveway.” I heard her inhale and suspected it was a contraband cigarette. Her husband was the president of the local lung association, and I’d seen him snatch a lit cigarette out of her mouth in public on more than one occasion. Thankfully, there was a knock on the door. “Beverly, I’ve got to go, um, my next appointment is here.” I hung up before she could say anything else. The door swung open, and a man strolled in, with Mom following along behind him.

“Are you Carter Camden Yates?”

“Yes.” I glanced at Mom, who shrugged her shoulders.

“This is for you.” The man laid an envelope in front of me marked URGENT, then spun around and marched past Mom out of my office.

“Wait!” I called after him, but a moment later we heard the bell ring, which meant he’d exited the store. "What is this?”

Mom eyed me. Then the bell rang again, so she raced back into the showroom.

I snatched up the mother-of-pearl letter opener Asher gave me. My gut clenched, then I sliced the envelope open.

Dear Mr. Camden,

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 Asher Montgomery Yates is not valid.

“What the fuck?” I muttered, the paper falling from my hands. “This can’t be happening!” I raced to the showroom, where Mom was ringing up a customer. As soon as the woman left with her lamp, I locked the shop doors.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Mom asked while my stomach churned. “Was it the letter, that man…”

“Yes!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her back to my office. “Read it.” I pointed at the paper on my desk, not wanting to touch it again. Mom picked it up, her lips moving as she read.

“This can’t be true.” Mom’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe this.”

“Asher and I are done for.” I felt tears building up and swiped at my eyes. “He’s already said he wished he’d never married me. Well, his wish just came true.” Damn it, I loved him so much, and now it turned out we’d never been legally married at all.

“Now, now, Carter. Let’s not make rash decisions.” Mom crossed over to the bar and pulled out two mini-bottles of wine we saved for customers. She didn’t even bother with glasses, just twisted open the bottle and chugged. “What if he doesn't know? Like, maybe they only sent the one letter to you.” She handed me the other bottle, and I downed the contents at once.

“I don’t want to be married to him anymore. He doesn’t love me. I know it.” I sat behind my desk and a tear slid down my cheek.

“Darling, it’s just the shock talking. As soon as you calm down, you’ll see that you need to be with Asher, even if he belongs to that snobby family.” Mom sat down, then pulled a tissue out of the box on my desk and handed it to me. “You know how I feel about the Yates family, but it would be social suicide to leave Asher.”

“God, Mom.” I mopped up my face with the tissue. “I’m not staying married, I mean, I’m not staying with Asher just so I can…”

“They’ll toss you out of the Country Club of Virginia, and you’ll lose many of your wealthy clients.” Mom shook her head back and forth. “You’ve got to admit, this business took off after you became a Yates.”

My mother was the real snob, not the Yates family. She was only interested in my last name, not my happiness. But would I ever be happy without Asher by my side? I loved him more than anything else in this world.

“Darling, just don’t say a word to Asher or his family. And definitely say nothing to any of your friends or clients. When you two have your new ceremony, you can make sure it’s legal and binding. Nobody will be the wiser, and…”

“Mom, how can I not tell Asher about this? He’s a lawyer, and he’ll…”

“Keep your trap shut, Carter.” Mom snapped. “And all of this nonsense will fade away.” Mom came around the desk and started rubbing my shoulders. “Do you trust Mommy?”

“Jeez, Mom, I’m thirty-two years old. Stop talking to me like I’m a baby.” I sighed. “Fine, I’ll say nothing for now. But if he says one more time that he wishes we weren’t married, I’m out the door.”

Chapter 4

Asher

The smell of autumn was in the air, and despite the chilly temperatures, I kept the car windows down as I drove home from work. The sun was setting earlier, and I wanted nothing more than to slip into my pajamas and call it a night. Maybe Carter and I could start a fire, and share a few quiet hours alone, without family interference. But how on earth was I supposed to keep our non-marriage a secret from him? He owned my heart, and keeping secrets from each other was unheard of.

“Damn it.” I shook my head as I drove past Mom’s house. Lila Brooke and Mary Jane’s silver Bentley was parked next to Florida’s minivan. As soon as they knew I was home, they’d summon me to come have a drink or play cards. All I wanted was to be alone with Carter, but if I turned the ladies down, I wouldn’t hear the end of it for days.

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