Chapter Two
Jack
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T HE LAWYER’S OFFICE smells like coffee. Bitter coffee. Jinnie is staring at the wall. My knee bounces. This isn’t exactly an expensive lawyer, but I suppose you don’t really need some dude wearing a five-thousand-dollar suit to find a wayward husband.
Jinnie looks nervous. I’m supposed to be the calm one. Her rock. And I’m just as nervous.
“Miss Parker?”
“Showtime,” Jinnie mutters under her breath.
I stand and follow behind Jinnie and the young woman calling us back. We walk into an office that smells like...tacos? I shake it off and focus on the older man sitting behind the desk. He looks up when we walk in.
“Miss Parker,” he says.
“Mr. Langley,” Jinnie replies. “This is my friend, Jack. He’ll be joining us.”
He looks me over, nods, and then gestures for us to sit down.
I’ve never been in a lawyer’s office before. I don’t know if this guy is acting like lawyers do or if he really is as dismissive as I feel he is. I’ve only seen TV lawyers and this guy is a far cry from that. He says nothing as he flips through Jinnie’s file. It’s like he’s crash studying for a test he forgot about.
I’m not getting really good, confident vibes. But I sit and wait. Jinnie hired him. She must have liked him. She turns to me and offers a half-smile. I want to grab her hand, but I don’t. She’s a married woman. It’s fine when we’re at home, but she doesn’t need the rumors. Although, no one except this guy and me knows she’s married.
And her husband, of course. Sam. Sam, who’s out there somewhere refusing to give her the annulment she wants. The guy who ran out on her doesn’t want to finish the job and set her free.
Asshole .
“So here’s the situation,” Langley says, tapping a pen against his desk. “Your husband is contesting the annulment.”
“On what grounds?” Jinnie asks. “You said I had grounds for annulment. I don’t want to do a divorce, but if I have to I will.”
“That’s the interesting part.” Langley leans back. “He hasn’t specified yet. His new attorney contacted me with the notice but no details. Classic stall tactic.”
“Stalling for what?” Jinnie asks.
“I don’t know,” he replies. “But the good news is we don’t need to keep searching for him. Bad news is we’re likely looking at a hearing now. Judge will want to hear both sides.”
Jinnie’s breath hitches. “How long will that take?”
“Couple months, maybe? Depends on the court’s schedule.” He eyes us both. “You still need to leave the retainer. Contested cases mean more hours.”
I don’t hesitate. I pull out the cashier’s check I bought with the money Aggie and I made on our special tip night. “Is this enough?” I ask.
Langley takes the check, glancing at the amount before nodding. “It’ll do for now. I’ll let you know if we need more.” He slides it into a folder without ceremony, as if it’s just another piece of paper in the endless stack on his desk. As if I didn’t sing my heart out to earn that money.
“And what happens if he doesn’t show up to the hearing? If he’s just dragging this out to make it harder for me?”
“Then the judge will likely rule in your favor,” Langley says with a shrug. “But if he’s contesting, he’ll probably show. At least, his lawyer will. They wouldn’t file this without some kind of endgame.”
“An endgame like what?” I ask, unable to keep the frustration out of my voice. “What does he even want? He walked out on her and disappeared.”
Langley gives me a look that makes me feel like I’ve just asked the dumbest question in the world. “Money, usually. Or leverage. Sometimes it’s just about control. Hard to say without knowing him.”
Jinnie exhales sharply, her shoulders slumping. She looks defeated. It takes everything in me not to reach for her hand right there in front of this guy.
“Is there anything else we can do?” she asks quietly.
Langley leans forward, his elbows on the desk. “Be patient. Stay out of trouble. And be ready to testify if we go to court. Keep your head down, Miss Parker. The less drama you bring into this, the better.”
I have to bite my tongue. Jinnie is probably the least dramatic woman I’ve ever met. She avoids drama at all costs.
“What if he tries to call me?” Jinnie asks. “Or shows up at my house?”
“Are you afraid of him?” The attorney’s question is the same one I have.
We both turn to look at her.
She shakes her head. “No. But I don’t want him around.”
“If he shows up, document it. Ask him to leave. Because you are legally married, he could technically stay.”
“He doesn’t live there,” I say.
“And the police will probably make him leave, but it’s a tricky situation,” he says. “Let’s take this one step at a time.”
“Great,” Jinnie murmurs.
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear from his counsel.”
Jinnie stands abruptly. “Thank you.”
We leave the office in silence, the weight of Langley’s words hanging between us. The sun is too bright outside. We both put on our sunglasses as we walk to my truck. I don’t know what to say, so I keep quiet, matching her pace.
“He’s going to make this as hard as possible,” she finally says. “I don’t know why I thought he’d just let it go.”
“Because you’re a decent person,” I say. “You expect others to be decent too. But not everyone is.”
She stops walking and turns to face me. “I just want this over with, Jack. I want to move on with my life. Why does he get to have this hold over me still?”
I wish I had an answer for her. I wish I could snap my fingers and make Sam disappear from her life forever. “He doesn’t,” I say instead. “He thinks he does, but he doesn’t. You’re already moving on—he’s just too stubborn to see it.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “I hope you’re right.”
“Hey.” I catch her wrist before she can open the door. “Whatever he’s planning, we’ll handle it.”
She won’t meet my eyes. “Thanks.”
“Come on, let’s go get a burger. And a milkshake. Do you like your fries dipped in your milkshake?”
I’m trying to lighten the mood, but it’s clearly not working.
“I need to be alone for a bit,” she says. “Maybe a raincheck. Can you take me home?”
The request stings more than it should. “Yeah. Of course.”
The drive is silent. At her tiny house, she leans over and kisses my cheek before hopping out and practically running for the door. I sit there, waiting for her to turn and wave or smile. But she doesn’t. She disappears inside without looking back.
“Shit.”
I don’t know what to think.
I back out of her driveway and make the short trip to Aggie’s house. She’s not home when I get there. Just as well. I don’t feel like talking. And I can’t tell her what’s on my mind. I don’t want to lie to Aggie. Already, it doesn’t sit right with me that she doesn’t know. I’m keeping Jinnie’s secret. I just hope I don’t have to keep it for long. Secrets have a way of eating away at you.
I flop onto the bed, arm over my eyes. The ceiling fan clicks with each rotation. I stare up at it, watching it go round and round.
Why didn’t she want me to stay?
That’s the question that’s been running through the back of my mind. Is she mad at me? I could offer comfort. Distraction.
But she didn’t want me.
That hurts.
I thought I’d been a good boyfriend. Maybe she didn’t want a boyfriend. I didn’t regret giving her the money. I’d make more. I guess I was just thinking we were team.
My phone buzzes. Michael’s name flashes on the screen.
I answer with a grunt.
“Hey, little brother.”
“Hey,” I reply.
“How’s it going?” he asks.
“Good.”
“Playing tonight?”
“Yeah, later.”
“What’s going on?” he asks. “This is the first time since you left that you sound like you’re struggling.”
I can’t tell him about Jinnie. “Just a shitty day. How’s it going back there?”
“Same old shit.” He chuckles. “Literally. We bought a new bull at the auction.”
“Yeah? A good one?”
“Dad’s hoping to start a little side business breeding and selling,” he says.
“Are things tight?”
“Nah. I mean, no more than usual. You know Dad. He’s always thinking of ways to make things a little better.”
“Everything for the farm,” I mutter. “He still pissed at me?”
He doesn’t answer right away. “Uh, yeah.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
He clears his throat. “It means he’s playing dirty.”
I sit up. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Says he’s gonna sue for your share of the farm’s value if you don’t come back. Claims you walked away from a binding partnership.”
I bark a laugh. “There was no partnership. I was born. I don’t remember signing anything at the ripe age of one-day-old.”
“Look, I think it’s bullshit, but you know how he gets when he’s dug in. He’s just looking for anything he can do to get your ass home. By any means necessary. He wants you back.”
I clench the phone tighter, my jaw locking as I process Michael’s words. “Sue me? For what? He can’t just pull that out of his ass.”
“He’s desperate, Jack,” Michael says, his voice calm but tired, like he’s been the middleman in this nonsense for too long. “You know how he is. He doesn’t want to lose you—not really. He just doesn’t know how to say it.”
“Yeah, well, threatening a lawsuit isn’t exactly a heartfelt plea for me to come home,” I snap, running a hand through my hair. “He doesn’t want me , Michael. He wants a farmhand. A body to fill the boots. He doesn’t give a damn about what I want.”
“That’s not true,” Michael says quietly. “He’s just set in his ways. You know that. The farm is his life, and he wants it to be yours too. He thinks he’s doing what’s best for you.”
“Best for me?” I laugh bitterly; the sound harsh even to my own ears. “He doesn’t even know me, Mike. Not really. If he did, he wouldn’t be pulling this crap.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I can hear Michael exhale slowly, like he’s weighing his words. “Look, I’m not saying he’s right. But he’s our dad. He doesn’t know any other way. I’m just letting you know where he’s at.”
“I thought he would be over it by now. Shit. I’m gone. I’m not going back. I’ll live in a tent the rest of my days before I go back there.”
“Jack—”
First Jinnie’s mess, now this. Like the universe decided today was screw-Jack-over day.
“Thanks for the heads up,” I mutter. “I gotta go.”
I hang up before he can say more. Toss the phone onto the bed and flop back.
My thoughts are all over the place, but they all come back to her.
What if she changes her mind? What if Sam sweet-talks her into giving him another chance? What if I really am sued by my father?