Chapter Twenty-Four
Jinnie
T he bakery is quiet , the mid-afternoon lull stretching on with only the hum of the refrigerator and the occasional oven timer going off. I’m wiping down the counters for the third time, my mind miles away. Jack’s abrupt departure earlier keeps replaying in my head—the way he wouldn’t meet my eyes, the stiffness in his voice when he said he had to go. Something was off, and I can’t figure out what it was.
Was it me? Did I say something wrong? Or maybe...did he regret last night? The thought makes my stomach twist. I’d been so sure, so caught up in the moment. But now, doubt creeps in.
I glance at my phone on the counter, willing it to buzz with a text from him. Nothing. It’s been hours since I sent that last message. I really thought he would pop in.
I go into the kitchen and pull out the last tray of muffins that will be in the case tomorrow morning. Then, I text Jack and let him now I’m ready for him to pick me up. I’m oddly worried he might actually leave me. With the way he left this morning, I’m not sure I can rely on it. He texts me back immediately and lets me know he’s on the way.
Last night was amazing. Being with Jack was...good. Different. New. And so good. There was a small part of me that couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. If we’re doing this, a relationship, he needs to know all the dirty details of my situation. I don’t want him to feel like I purposely kept something from him. I did, but not with ill intentions.
Fifteen minutes later, I see his truck pull up out front. He doesn’t get out. That seems odd, but whatever. I turn out the lights, lock up, and open my own door. That’s new. He always opens the door for me.
The truck door slams behind me, sealing me in with Jack and whatever storm is brewing behind his clenched jaw.
“Hi.” I smile. I lean over to plant a peck on his cheek.
He pulls away from the bakery.
I quickly buckle my seatbelt, my stomach already knotting. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
He stares straight ahead. “Let’s just talk at your place.”
“Okay.”
The drive to my tiny house is silent except for the rumble of the engine. I stare out the window, watching the familiar landscape blur past. It’s clear he’s angry with me. I don’t know what I’ve done. He doesn’t seem the type to use me and leave me.
We get back to my place. He turns off the engine and just sits there. “Do you want to come in?” I ask quietly.
He nods. “Yeah, I think I better.”
We go inside and sit down. He’s keeping his hands to himself which is disturbing in a way I can’t explain. I want him to try and touch me.
I reach for his hand. “Whatever it is, just—”
“Lisa mentioned your ex,” he says abruptly. “Your husband .”
The word lands like a punch. My breath catches. Of all the things—
“Jack, I—”
“Were you ever going to tell me?” He finally turns to look at me, his eyes dark with something I can’t quite name. Hurt? Betrayal? Anger. I’m sensing anger.
I swallow hard. “Yes, I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how.”
I’m going to kill Lisa. I finally tell someone, and the first thing she does is blab. She could have at least given me a heads up.
Max climbs out of his chair in the corner and weaves between my legs.
“You’re married,” he says.
“It’s not what you think.”
“You’re either married or you’re not,” he snaps.
“Yes and no.”
“Are you going to tell me, Jinnie? I don’t like games. This isn’t funny. I know we’re both eighteen, but this feels childish.”
“I’m not playing games,” I insist.
He rubs his hand over his jaw that has the beginning of a five o’clock shadow. “Right now, all I know is that you’re married—”
“ Was ,” I correct quickly. “I was married. It was a mistake. At least, in my mind we were. It’s just, well, it isn’t officially over.”
Jack runs a hand through his hair, his shoulders tense. “Start from the beginning.”
I take a deep breath. I’m so embarrassed. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I had hoped to get through life without anyone finding out.
But there was something about everything coming to light. My shit is being exposed.
“His name is Sam. He came into the bakery last summer, all charm and compliments.” I reach down and absently pet Max. He’s my comfort. “I was seventeen, stupid, flattered by the attention. He made me feel special. Like I was the only person in the room. I had stars in my eyes. He convinced me he could give me the world. I was going to be this big marketing star.”
Jack’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt.
I lick my lips. “My parents weren’t fond of him. They didn’t necessarily say it, but I knew how they felt. I think he was too smooth, I guess. They warned me, but I didn’t listen. I thought they were being overprotective, like always.” I pause, my throat tightening. “He knew all the right things to say. I was so na?ve. So stupid. I can’t believe I fell for his nonsense.”
“You married him,” he says.
“On my eighteenth birthday, he convinced me to drive to Vegas. Just for fun, he said. Just an adventure.” I laugh, the sound hollow. “We got married by some Elvis impersonator.”
The memories flood back—the neon lights, the cheap ring, the way Sam had grinned when he slid it onto my finger. At the time, I’d thought it was love. Now I know it was just conquest.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know where your husband is?”
I cringe at the idea of Sam being my husband. “No.”
“We came back home after a couple of days in Vegas. He moved in here. We played house for about four weeks, then I guess he got bored. The whole madly in love thing wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. We were broke and there was no way we were going to move to the big city. We couldn’t even rent an apartment. He hated living in my house. He thought my family had money because they own this land. He was expecting us to get a nice apartment or a bigger house in town once we were married.”
Jack nods but says nothing. Now that the story is coming out, I want it all out.
I take a deep breath. “A month after we got home, I came home from work, and he was gone. He took some cash, my iPad, and Mr. Snuffles.”
Jack blinks. “Is that Max’s brother?”
A hysterical laugh bubbles up. “No. Mr. Snuffles is a teddy bear my dad gave me when I was five. Sam knew what it meant to me.”
The admission hangs between us. Jack’s quiet for so long, I think he might leave.
“I don’t like that Aggie didn’t tell me,” he mutters. “She made it seem like you were single and available.”
I cringe. The next part of the story has to come out. “She thinks I am.”
“I get that he’s not here, but you’re married, Jinnie. I’m not sure how I feel about having sex with another man’s wife.”
“Yes, technically I’m married, but I’m trying to get it annulled. And Aggie didn’t tell you because she doesn’t know. My parents don’t know either.”
He looks surprised. “They don’t know you’re married?”
I shake my head. “No. I was so embarrassed. We said we were going to tell them after they got used to the idea of me and Sam together. When he moved in, no one was happy. I didn’t want to tell them we were married until they got to know him a little better. I thought they would eventually warm up to him once they saw how happy he made me.”
“Did he?” he asks. “Make you happy?”
I think about my answer. “Have you been drunk before?”
He smirks. “I’m not a total good boy.”
“When you’re drunk, things are different. Maybe you’re someone who laughs at everything or you get angrier. People look more attractive. Then you sober up and you realize that isn’t how you really feel. When Sam left, I was sad. I don’t think I was heartbroken because honestly, after we moved in, I realized I didn’t really know him at all. He wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
He nods. “I get it.”
“A couple of weeks after he left, I felt like I could see clearly. You could say I sobered up. I had a fresh perspective. I saw the situation for what it was. I wasn’t in a manufactured love haze.”
“You’re not still in love with him?”
“No,” I reply definitively. “I’m not. I don’t think I was ever really in love with him. I was in love with the idea of him and the world he was promising me. We overlooked all the practical matters. Part of that is because we were young and dumb. It was all very stereotypical and it is so embarrassing.”
“And now?”
“And now I want an annulment and to pretend it never happened.”
“So, why haven’t you?” he asks.
“Because I don’t know where he is. He didn’t exactly leave a note with a forwarding address.”
“Have you tried to find him?”
“Of course. But he’s vanished. He fell off the face of the earth as far as I can tell. And without him signing the annulment papers...”
“You’re stuck.”
I nod. “My lawyer says we can file without him, but it’s expensive. More than I have right now. I have to put ads in papers. My lawyer says I need to put ads in places I think he might be. Do you know how ridiculous that is? It’s truly a needle in a haystack. I don’t know where to look.”
“Have you tried his hometown?”
I can feel my cheeks burning. “I don’t know where his hometown is. He lied to me and I never questioned it.”
“Shit,” he mutters. “What a dick.”
“If I could get him to sign the papers, this would officially be over. But unofficially, it was over before it ever started. What we did—that wasn’t cheating, Jack. Please don’t think you did anything wrong. You didn’t know and I don’t think of myself as a married woman.”
Jack stares at the wall for several minutes. The silence stretches between us, thick and heavy, until I feel like I might suffocate under the weight of it. Finally, he lets out a slow breath and leans back against the couch, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know what to say,” he admits. “I mean, on one hand, I get it. You were young, you made a mistake. But on the other hand...” He hesitates, then looks at me directly. “You should’ve told me, Jinnie. Before last night. Before any of this.”
“I know,” I whisper, my throat tightening. “I wanted to. I was going to. But I was scared. Scared you’d judge me, or think less of me, or...or just walk away.”
He frowns, his brow furrowing. “You think that little of me?”
“No! No, it’s not that. It’s just this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done. And I didn’t want it to ruin what we’re starting to have. But you’re right—I should’ve told you sooner.”
“Can you put an ad on Facebook?” he asks.
“What?”
“To find your ex, what about social media? That’s your thing.”
I smile. I like the way his mind works. “I can. I should have, but I didn’t want my business out there. I was hoping to handle this discreetly with my lawyer, but he’s charging me a fortune.”
Jack exhales sharply. “That’s why you’re always working.”
“Yeah.”
He turns to me, reaching for my hand. “I’m not judging you. I’m pissed for you.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll help you,” he says.
I shake my head. “Jack, no—”
“Tomorrow night’s tips. They’re yours.”
“Jack—”
“I’m not taking no for an answer.” His voice leaves no room for argument. “This guy doesn’t get to keep controlling your life. And I guess you could say I have a selfish reason for it. I want you, Jinnie. I don’t want to share you with another guy.”
I lean forward, resting my forehead against his. “Thank you.”
His arms wrap around me, pulling me close. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”