3. James
3
JAMES
" I t's only been eight days, though. Maybe she'll change her mind." Sam, my best friend and business partner, sat across from me at the conference table at headquarters. I knew he meant well, but he was wrong. Sam and I had been through hell and back with this company, and he'd even managed to forge a friendship with Barbra over the years too. He just didn't know her like I did.
"I'm afraid you're wrong this time, Sam." I sat back in the leather chair, and it squeaked as it reclined slightly. Sun poured in the picture windows and bathed the room in light, but it did nothing to lighten my mood. "I got served less than twenty-four hours after she was gone. They're not even divorce papers. With the prenup, she knows she will get only the fifty grand up front and five grand a month in alimony. She wants an annulment, and I think she's got someone else lined up to marry her immediately. She can't live without money."
Sam scowled and bounced the back of his seat in a rocking motion as he shook his head. "You think she was just in it for the money the whole time, then?"
I'd thought about that too, that maybe Barbra was always just a gold digger and would never be anything but. Except it didn't jive with the reason we fell apart. I gave her everything she wanted from the very beginning. She didn't cheat because of a lack of money. She cheated because of a lack of intimacy, for which I was partially to blame.
"Nah, I don’t think that’s the case. If so, she'd have contested the prenup." My eyes roamed over the conference room. Only moments ago, it had been full of shareholders and board members and we had given a presentation to beat them all. But the instant they were gone, Sam cornered me. He knew me too well to let this bad mood continue.
"I'm sorry, man…" He looked thoughtful for a moment and then narrowed his eyes at me. "Does this mean that fancy gala you planned for renewing your vows is off? Bethany was really excited about that. She had me buy this fancy couture gown." He rolled his eyes and chuckled. His wife was a dear friend of ours, and I knew how much she was looking forward to it. All of our friends were. We were planning the surprise of the century, and now it would likely turn out to be just a Valentine’s party for adults with nothing to do but put on expensive clothing and drink pricy champagne.
"I'm not canceling it. It's going forward. By then, I should have my final release and I'll use that party as a means to make sure all of my friends know at the same time. That way, I don't have to tell the same story a million times." I raked a hand across my face and thought of Ms. Hart, currently settling into her new room at my home. I had no idea she had been living in a hotel after leaving her former partner, and having her things picked up and brought to my place felt bittersweet. We were more alike than I cared to admit.
"Really? Well, Bethany will be thrilled. What about Christmas and?—"
"Everything is still on. I hired a party planner. Barbra cheated on me, Sam. I might not have been as attentive as I should've been, but when I saw what I did that hurt her, I tried. We did counseling, and I was willing to do anything, even forgive her infidelity. But her leaving is the right thing. I stopped loving her the instant she told me she'd been seeing that asshole for six months. Any respect I had for her is gone." I felt my chest tighten in anger. I thought I'd actually let go of it, but I hadn't.
"Well, it’s a good attitude to have. A planner is a good thing too. I know Barbra used to do all of that." Sam stood up and buttoned his suit jacket, and I knew our little gab fest was coming to a close. We both had work to get done.
"That's all Barbra has been to me in a year, anyway. A party planner. It's time to move on. Who knows? Maybe love will strike again someday, but I'm not holding my breath." I stood too, shaking his hand before saying, "Top golf on Saturday?" Our tradition of hitting the indoor range wasn't going to change, either.
"Wouldn't miss it. Winner buys the brews at the pub." He winked at me and turned to go, and I chuckled.
I would have to learn to function without a wife, and it would take time to rearrange my life again, but I'd move on and I'd be better for it. The more I told myself that, the better I felt and the more I looked forward to doing the holidays a new way. Maybe Ms. Hart was my lucky charm, after all.