Chapter Twenty-Three
The rest of the afternoon was idyllic, as we enjoyed the warm weather in the backyard. When it was getting close to dinnertime, Jason announced that he was going to make dinner, and he made a quick grocery run to get all the ingredients. When he came back, he quickly got to work in the kitchen.
“Can I help with anything?” I asked, watching him puttering around in the kitchen. He stopped to pour me a glass of wine, and then waved me away to sit on the stool at the other side of the counter.
“You just relax,” he said. “I’ve got it under control.” He flashed me a sexy grin, and then got back to cutting vegetables. I admired him as he worked. He deftly moved around the kitchen as if he had been cooking there for years. Back in college when we had been dating, we had cooked together often in this kitchen, but nothing elaborate. It was usually just spaghetti with jarred sauce or boxed macaroni and cheese. Still, it had been fun and cozy to act like a domestic couple, and the feeling was the same now. To see Jason back in my kitchen warmed my heart and made me feel safe.
I was impressed with Jason’s dish of pasta with shrimp and salad with homemade croutons. I promised that I would make dinner next time as we dug into our meal. For the next couple of days, Jason spent practically the entire day at my place, except for sleeping there. I stayed true to my word, and made a roast dinner the next night. Jason acted like it was the best thing he ever ate, and while I agreed that it was quite good, I tried to hide my smile when he outrageously announced that it deserved a Michelin star.
The threatening letters weren’t completely forgotten, but it was just a whisper in the back of my mind. By the time Jason got back on Friday night from picking Chloe up at the airport, something he insisted on doing, it was barely a thought in my head.
“Daphne!” Chloe exclaimed when I opened the door. She enveloped me in a big hug, and I hugged her back enthusiastically. I was so happy to see her, but also concerned at the evident strain on her face despite her wide smile.
Jason walked in behind her, carrying her suitcase and setting it inside. “Although I’d love to stay, I’m sure I’ll just be in the way of you guys catching up.” Jason leaned over and gave me a quick kiss and then departed after saying goodbye. Chloe’s eyebrows were sky high after I closed the door behind him.
“What was that? ” she exclaimed. “Are you guys a couple??”
I laughed, not knowing how to answer. Jason and I had purposely never had a discussion about what we were. We had an implicit agreement not to discuss those things. We were just enjoying our time together.
“There’s plenty of time to discuss stuff like that later,” I said, motioning her towards the living room. “I have a glass of wine waiting for you.” I paused. “Unless you want to wash up and change first. You must be tired since you had to fly out right after work.”
Chloe shook her head. “No, I’m fine. It was a short flight. A glass of wine sounds perfect right now.”
She collapsed onto the couch and picked up her glass of red wine, and I settled in next to her, picking up my own glass of wine I had been nursing while waiting for her.
“It’s so good to see you,” I said. Despite her protestations, Chloe looked more than tired. She looked exhausted. Her green eyes that were usually sparkling seemed dull. Even her red hair seemed muted and there were dark circles under her eyes.
Chloe smiled at me, her sincerity shining through her tired eyes. “Same. It’s been forever.” Her smiled faded as she continued. “Sorry for the short notice on visiting. I just had to get away.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is everything okay between you and Gareth?”
Chloe sighed heavily and took a sip of her wine before answering. “Not really. I found out that he and a female co-worker have gotten really close. Like, going to lunch all the time and texting each other outside of work.”
“Oh no,” I gasped. “Has anything happened between them?”
“Gareth denies anything between them. He says they’re just friends. But if that was true, why did he hide her from me? He never told me about her. The only reason I found out is that I saw a text from her come through on his phone while we were out at dinner and he was in the bathroom.”
“What did the text say?” I was shocked to my core. I had never actually met Gareth, since I hadn’t gone to their wedding. But from what Chloe had told me over the years, he had sounded like a devoted boyfriend, and then a devoted husband.
“It said some crap about how she had made his favorite banana nut muffins for him and she was going to bring them to work tomorrow.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “What the fuck does she know about what kind of muffins he likes? There was just a familiarity in the text that didn’t seem right. An intimacy. So I looked back at their text conversations, and they’ve been talking constantly. At face value, it doesn’t look terrible, I guess. It could just be friendly conversation. But why? He’s a married man. She even tells him she misses him when he’s offsite for meetings.”
“What?” I screeched, appalled by the revelation. “Why the hell is she telling a married man that she misses him?? That’s fucked up!”
Chloe’s eyes started filling with tears. “The more fucked up part is how much he shares with her. She knows more about his day and what’s happening than I do. When I text Gareth at work, I only get quick replies. He claims it’s because he’s so busy at work. But he has plenty of time to text Veronica about the fucking new bakery that opened up near their workplace that they need to try.”
I was seething inside. “What’s with them and their baked goods?? Dumb assholes. And Veronica?! Of course her name would be something like Veronica. What a ho.”
The tears that were welling in Chloe’s eyes escaped and streamed down her cheeks. “Gareth had the audacity to tell me I was overreacting. That he and Veronica were just friendly co-workers. I don’t see him fucking texting Bob and Gary down the hall from him about the fucking bakery.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe he thinks what he did is okay.” I hesitated before continuing. I didn’t want to make things worse, but I’m sure Chloe had thought about all the worst-case scenarios. “Do you think anything physical happened between them?”
“He claims that they’re never done anything. That they’re just friends.” Chloe angrily swiped her tears away. “But if that was true, why didn’t he tell me about her? He’s never mentioned her once. He said it was because he was afraid I would misunderstand but that’s bullshit.” She paused to blow her nose with the Kleenex I offered her. “It’s not like I’m some crazy jealous wife. Gareth has a couple of female friends, and I’ve never had a problem with them. Because that’s exactly what they are. Friends. And we do things with them as a couple with their spouses too. Because there’s nothing to hide.” She shook her head. “This is different.”
I felt furious for Chloe. She seemed so lost and betrayed. We talked well into the night, as she told me all the problems she and Gareth had been having. It all seemed to stem from them not spending much time together since Gareth had been so busy after being promoted. And now Chloe was convinced that Veronica was one of the reasons he had been spending so much time at work, and I didn’t disagree. I felt terrible for her and listened, while supplying her with as much wine and Kleenex as she needed.
When she was exhausted and said she was ready for bed, I led her up to the guest bedroom, carrying her suitcase despite her protestations that she could carry it herself.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in my room? Maybe it’ll help to not sleep alone.” I said, hesitating at the door. “I promised I won’t spoon you,” I said laughingly. “Unless you want me to.”
Chloe smiled, her eyes red and puffy. “No, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to wash up and pass out.” She grabbed my hand, squeezing it quickly. “Thanks so much for letting me come visit and listening to me pour my heart out.”
I hugged her fiercely, feeling sad. My vivacious Chloe seemed like a shell of herself at the moment. But knowing her, I knew whatever happened, she would persevere and get through this. And I would be here for her as much as she needed, just like she had been there for me in the past.
After I left the guest room, I tried to go to sleep as well, but I tossed and turned, and when I finally fell asleep, it was to have restless dreams about being watched.