Page 23 of Free to Believe
I spent hours trying to get a hold of my wife. I tried the few of her friends I knew. They all clucked sympathetically about Michelle but did tell me to get Jenna to the hospital immediately. After all, a fever of 104 was nothing to joke around about in a child.
I was in the hospital for four hours when the text came in. It was from Michelle’s best friend. It was a photo captioned withI’m sorry. So was I when I saw a close-up of my wife sitting on a local bar top where my ex-bandmate had his tongue shoved down her throat. The betrayal burned like I swallowed battery acid. I remember typing back two words—How long?—before pressing Send. Then I put the phone away and focused on the small blonde girl in the bed. Because ultimately, it didn’t matter.
My marriage was over. All that mattered was Jenna.
Another rotation of doctors came through before I ever heard from my “wife.” Her frantic entrance into the ER sent everyone into a tailspin. Quietly, so as not to disturb our daughter, I told her, “I’d use this time to go home and pack your shit. Leave a forwarding address. Touch one thing I bought, touch one thing of Jenna’s, and I’ll eviscerate you in court before I divorce you.”
“I fell asleep on Tay’s sofa, Jake…” she started. Whipping out my phone, I hissed, “That’s so obvious. Now get out so I can care for my daughter.”
We were twenty-seven and twenty-six respectively. Since that time, I can only count a handful of times Michelle’s had contact with Jenna. It hasn’t been because I’ve prevented it. It’s because Michelle’s been on her own path finding who she is. As Jenna’s grown older, she gets a cynical look in her eyes when she talks about her mother.
Dani’s stepped in to become the strong female role model in Jenna’s life. Standing to my full height, I scrub my hands over my face. I shouldn’t be surprised she wants to go into fashion, should I? After all, when your cousin is the most famous fashion model on the planet, you’re bound to absorb some of that. I let out a harsh sigh.
“It’s too beautiful a morning to start it out poorly. So, I’ll say good morning and excuse me.” The third woman whom I’ve managed to piss off starts to move past me to avoid the crashing waves. I blink. Emily has a backless tank, sports bra, and running shorts on. I almost trip over my feet in the sand as I see the length of her legs eating up the distance, a steely, fixed determination on her face. Jesus, watching her is incredible. Then I almost fall over for a completely different reason. Laughter starts low in my gut, and it takes everything in me not to let it out.
Completely ruining her sophisticated look, her curls are pulled into two pigtails that are dancing around her head. I can’t help but grin, especially when I look down and see the dog next to her.
This isn’t a yap-yap dog. This is a beloved family member.
“Good morning, Emily.” I drop to a knee. “Hey, old man.” He walks up to me and gives my face a lick. “Oh, you’re such a good boy, aren’t you.” Emily’s cool demeanor falls away, and her perfect stride falters. I frown. “Are you okay?” Despite her confidence running, sand is challenging to run in even for experienced runners.
“I’m fine, Jacob. I’m just…never mind. We’ll leave you to your morning. Come on, Mugs.” She turns to take off, but I make a snap decision. Maybe I can mend one of my problems.
“Do you mind if I run with you for a few?” I ask casually. Her head snaps around so fast one of her pigtails slaps her in her face. I have to hold back the smile threatening my face.
“Go ahead and laugh. Everyone else makes fun of me for running with pigtails,” she grumbles. Turning, she starts off down the beach at a pace comfortable for her dog to trot next to her. Since she didn’t say no, I follow after them.
We jog in companionable silence for a few moments before I break it. “Who makes fun of your pigtails?” I actually think they’re kind of cute. They’re not at all what I expected out of the woman who displayed such cool hauteur a few days ago.
Her breathing steady, she replies, “Phil openly laughs at me. Ali rolls her eyes. Cass, Cori, and Holly just giggle. But it’s the only way I can get through this torture.” When her watch beeps a few moments later, she lets out a whoop of excitement. Slightly under her breath she mutters, “Now I can get them all off my back.”
“Who?” I find I’m mildly curious about this friend of Dani’s.
“My family.” She bends over and stretches her hamstrings.
I mentally go over what she said while I’m distracted by the tug of her tight shorts against her ass. No one had a classification. “You’re married? I thought you said you were engaged? Are those your kids?”
Snorting from her upside-down position, she lifts her head so it’s perpendicular to the ground. “Not married. And not likely to be.”
“Then who are all those people?” Really, she doesn’t owe me an answer, but curiosity has me hoping she’ll tell me. If anything it’s a distraction from thoughts I should absolutely not be having.
Straightening, Em reaches my shoulder. She must be five nine, maybe five ten. Now that I think about it, she’s a lot shorter than my cousin. At six foot two inches tall, I’m barely an inch taller than Dani. “My brother and sisters,” she relents.
Suddenly, the ache I was developing flees in my frustration. If she’s so close to her family, why isn’t she staying with one of them? Why is she invading my space? Emily’s frozen in place. It isn’t until she opens her mouth and the ice princess reappears that I realize once again my internal filter has failed me.
“I didn’t stay with them because I actually live with them on an enormous farm. I couldn’t stay there due to some personal and professional reasons. But trust me, I’d have stayed in a No-Tell Motel off I-95 if I thought I wouldn’t be judged.” Turning, she begins striding down the beach, her long legs eating up the distance quickly. Mugs takes off after her, darting in and out of the water at the shoreline like a little puppy.
“Emily!” I call out.
As she runs through the flock of shore birds, she throws up a bird of her own.
And I have to admit, I deserve it.
So much for making amends with my new neighbor, I think glumly as I kick at the sand. Deciding to give Emily the respite she needs, I walk back the mile to the stairs leading from the house to the beach.
Later as I stand naked under the shower, I wonder if I should make a peace offering by driving my new neighbor into town to get groceries. There’s no way what I bought will last her more than just a few days. While I’m there, I can drop by to see Jenna at work. But soon, I’m absorbed in maintenance around the property and completely lose track of time.
By the time I remember to go ask her if she needs anything, there’s no answer at her door. Letting out a sigh, I turn around and head back to the main house. Heading down to the music room, I sit down with my guitar and start strumming out some chords before letting the music carry me away.
