Chapter 10 #2
“You don’t get to talk about Chloe like that.
You don’t know anything about her.” I leaned forward, my voice steady and certain.
“Chloe is the most caring person I’ve ever met.
She spends her days healing animals, comforting their owners, showing up at 3 AM for emergencies because someone’s pet needs her.
She held Mrs. Blake’s hand while they said goodbye to her dog of fourteen years.
She drove through a snowstorm to deliver a calf on old man Wilder’s farm. ”
“That’s animals, Sam. Children are different—”
“She’s spent several years building a life in this town, making sure every pet gets the care it needs, even when owners can’t afford it.
She volunteers at the school to teach kids about animal care.
She creates family wherever she goes.” My voice was steady now, certain.
“And yes, she has a career she’s passionate about.
That doesn’t make her less capable of loving a child.
It makes her a role model for what a strong, independent woman looks like. ”
Jenna’s expression had gone cold. “She seems very… career-focused,” she said stiffly.
“She’s focused on building a life that matters. Just like I am.” I crossed my arms. “And frankly, the fact that you think a woman having a career makes her unfit to be a mother tells me everything I need to know about your priorities.”
Jenna’s expression shifted, her confidence growing despite my defense of Chloe.
“You think you know me? Let me tell you what I know.” She straightened.
“I can see it in your face, Sam. The guilt, the stress. You’ve been lying to her, haven’t you?
And she hasn’t confronted you about it, has she?
A woman who’s truly invested fights for what’s hers, doesn’t just let things slide. ”
“Actually, she has confronted me.” I kept my voice level. “After you blindsided her outside the clinic.”
Jenna’s confidence faltered for just a moment. “What did she say?”
“Chloe’s not going anywhere, Jenna.” I felt stronger saying it out loud. “She’s chosen to work through this with me.”
“For now.” Jenna slid out of her side of the booth and moved to sit beside me on my side, closing the distance I’d tried to maintain. “Sam, be realistic.”
I shifted away from her, pressing against the wall of the booth. Definitely should have chosen The Garden Café.
“Leo needs stability,” Jenna continued, her voice soft. “I need security. And you, whether you want to admit it or not, need a family that’s actually yours.”
“What are you saying?”
“We should get married.”
The words hung in the air between us like a grenade with the pin pulled. “Married,” I repeated, wondering if I’d heard her correctly.
“Think about it logically, Sam. Leo gets his father, I get security, you get your son without having to navigate the complications of an unwilling stepmother or a custody battle.” She reached out to touch my arm, and I pulled back; nowhere left to go in the booth.
“We were good together once. We could be good together again.”
“We were a summer fling, Jenna. Five years ago.”
“We were compatible. Physically. And we have a child together.” Her voice dropped to something that was probably meant to be seductive but wasn’t. “Leo asks about you constantly. He wants a new daddy so badly, Sam. And he wants you.”
The mention of Leo was a direct hit, exactly where she’d intended it to land. My son wanted me. Or did he? Was this another of Jenna’s lies, carefully crafted to manipulate me? Had she been coaching a four-year-old boy to say those things, weaponizing his innocent words for her own agenda?
“This isn’t about Leo,” I said carefully. “This is about you wanting a lifestyle upgrade.”
Jenna’s mask slipped for just a moment, revealing something cold and calculating underneath. “I want what’s best for my son. Our son. And what’s best for him is having his real parents together.”
“Where? Here above the bar?”
“No, the house you live in now.”
“That’s Chloe’s house. She bought it when she moved to Willowbrook to take over the clinic.” I kept my voice matter-of-fact. “I moved in with her.”
Jenna’s smile faltered slightly. “But you said you own a house.”
“I do. It’s been rented to long-term tenants for years. Before I moved in with Chloe, I lived in the apartment above the bar.” I gestured upward. “And even if my house was available, I’m not playing happy families with you, Jenna.”
“Why not?” Jenna’s smile returned, sharp and confident. “You have a successful business, a perfect little life in a perfect little town. Leo would thrive here. I would thrive here.”
“And Chloe?”
“Would probably be relieved not to have to deal with the complications you’re bringing to her nice, simple life.” Jenna’s proximity in the booth felt suffocating.
“Leo’s already attached to you,” she continued. “We already have history. I’m willing to relocate. It makes sense, Sam. Much more sense than trying to force a woman who doesn’t want children into a ready-made family.”
That was a step too far. “Chloe has never said she doesn’t want children.”
“She didn’t have to. Actions speak louder than words.”
Jenna’s hand found my arm again, and this time I was trapped between her and the wall.
“She’s what, thirty? If she wanted children, she would have brought it up by now.”
“Stop.” The truth had finally dawned on me. This wasn’t about Leo’s needs or family stability. This was about Jenna realizing she’d hit the jackpot and wanting to cash in. “Get away from me,” I said quietly. “Move. Now.”
“Sam.” Her voice turned pleading, but her eyes remained calculating. “I’m not asking you to love me. I’m asking you to be practical. We have a son together. We could have a good life together. Leo deserves–”
“Move,” I said firmly, and something in my tone finally made her move back to her side of the booth.
I stood up immediately, putting several feet between us. “Leo deserves a father who loves him, not one who settled for convenience. And he deserves a mother who loves him for himself, not for what he can get her.”
Jenna’s composure cracked completely, revealing the desperation underneath. “You think Chloe is going to love him? You think she’s going to welcome your bastard child with open arms and play happy family?”
“Don’t call him that.”
“It’s what he is, Sam! I’m the woman who showed up with your illegitimate child and destroyed your perfect relationship. Do you honestly think Chloe is going to forgive that? Do you think she’s going to want to raise the proof of your past mistakes?”
“Leo isn’t a mistake.”
“He is to her! He’s the reason you ruined her birthday, the reason you’ve been lying to her, the reason her fairy tale romance is falling apart.
” Jenna’s voice was rising, her careful composure completely gone now.
“She’s going to leave you, Sam. And when she does, you’re going to be a single father trying to figure out custody arrangements with a bitter ex-girlfriend - me. ”
“You’re wrong.” I met her eyes steadily. I moved toward the front door, holding it open meaningfully. “Chloe’s not leaving.”
“Marry me,” Jenna said again, desperation creeping into her voice. “Think about Leo–”
“No.” The word was firm, final. “I’m not marrying you, Jenna. I will support Leo financially. I will be his father. We’ll work out a custody arrangement that’s in his best interest. But you and I? We’re not happening.”
Jenna’s mask slipped again, revealing something cold and vicious underneath. “Fine. Have it your way. But when Chloe can’t handle the reality-.”
Something in me snapped. “GET OUT!” The words came out louder than I’d intended, echoing through the empty bar. “Get out of my bar. Get out now.”
After she left, I pulled out my phone and immediately opened my notes app. Arthur had told me to document everything, and while I couldn’t record the conversation without Jenna’s consent — Oregon law was clear on that — I could write down everything while it was fresh.
I typed quickly, capturing the conversation word for word while it was still vivid in my mind;
- Jenna’s proposal of marriage
- Her calculated assessment of my assets
- The manipulation about Chloe not being “maternal material”
- Her conflicting stories about David
- The threats about what would happen when Chloe supposedly left me
- Her admission that she’d researched my life online before contacting me
- How she moved to sit beside me in the booth, trapping me against the wall
- Her repeated attempts to touch me despite my clear discomfort and requests to stop
My fingers flew across the screen, documenting her exact words where I could remember them, the tone she’d used, the way she’d positioned herself in the booth to make me uncomfortable. Everything Arthur might need to understand what we were dealing with.
When I was done, I emailed the notes to myself and Arthur with the subject line: “Documentation of conversation with Jenna - 10:15 AM Friday”
I checked the time. 10:45 AM. The produce delivery was scheduled for 11 AM — the last thing I needed to handle. Then I’d go home, sit down with Chloe, and tell her everything. The full story. No more secrets, no more delays.