Page 7 of Jake

“Okay.” Jake glanced at his grandma then back at Forrest. “Perhaps you should just say whatever it is.”

“You’re my mate, Jake.” Whatever Jake had thought he was going to say, that would never have entered his mind. “I would like to know what you’re thinking right now, please.”

“To be honest, I don’t know. My mind is blank.” Forrest nodded. “I was married. To a woman. And she wasn’t…I wouldn’t have picked her, I don’t think. I shouldn’t have married her at all, but I was sort of pressured into it. Why, I have no idea, but.... I’m babbling, I’m sorry. But for me to be your mate, your male mate, I’m not…I don’t know what to think.”

“Yes, I’m aware that you’ve been married to a woman.” Jake’s mind suddenly filled with questions. And images. Then he was afraid. “I want to touch you. No, that’s not right, I need to touch you. But I won’t.”

“Why?” Jake felt his face heat. “I mean, why would you say that? Does it matter that you won’t touch me?”

“I don’t want to just touch you, Jake. I want a great deal more.” His body warmed, then heated. Jake was confused not just by his feelings, but the thoughts that were racing in his mind. “Maybe we should just get through this, like I said, then if you want to talk, we can.”

“Yes. All right.” When he was handed a file, he stared at it for several seconds before he spoke again. “I don’t know what to do. This is not anything that I’ve ever thought of in a long.... This is…I don’t mean to sound crass, but I’m just unsure of everything about this.”

“I understand. If you’d like, I can recommend someone else to take over your case. I know—” Jake told him no. “All right then. Let’s begin. As you can see from the folder you have, Carol had asked her parents to help her leave you. But under false pretenses. The furniture was removed because she told her father that there was a bug infestation in the house, and it was important that things were removed before the exterminators arrived. I’ve spoken to them both, and believe it or not, they’re willing to testify that she left you and the house you shared. Mr. Lane, I’m not sure what he has going on at the moment, but he sounds sort of resigned to the fact that this is beyond his control. And Mrs. Lane has told me that she wants this finished. Now.”

“Is that important? That they testify, I mean?” Forrest explained. “But I don’t care that she’s gone from the house. I’m glad that she’s absent. Nor that she took all the furniture. It was repugnant anyway.” Forrest and his grandma laughed and Jake joined them. It was the first good laugh he’d had in a while. “I want this to happen; I want her out of my life for good. Whatever it takes, I’d very much like her not to be a part of my life from now on.”

“We’ll get you there. But as for them testifying, it goes to show that she didn’t want the house or she would have stayed and asked you to leave. Maybe she did, but by her own actions, she left you the house. And I’m hoping the courts will see it that way as well.” He told him how the house was in his grandma’s name. “Did Carol know this? I mean, was she aware that it was done and why?” Jake looked at his grandma when she laughed a little.

“Oh yes, she knows. And was not too happy about it either, let me tell you. I lent them the money for back taxes when she hadn’t been paying them. They were close to losing it all due to foreclosure. Carol, along with Jake, signed the deed over to me. Jake insisted on it once I paid it off for them. When he asked me for a loan, we agreed that the house was supposed to be in my name only until he paid me back, but it didn’t change.” Grandma looked at him. “I never brought it up to be switched back because I was afraid that Carol would do it again. With my name on the deed, then the bank would call me if there was a problem. I never meant for you to pay me back, Jake. I was glad I could help you.”

“He was smart to do that, Jenna. Both in paying you back and giving you the house as collateral. And the fact that she was well aware of it is perfect. She can’t claim that the house belongs to her. Who brokered the deal?” Jake told him the bank. “Good. That’s good. The bank will have had a vested interest in keeping things on the up and up.”

Jake watched Forrest make notes, using his computer to look up phone numbers when he didn’t know them. Jake did the same thing when he worked, not relying on someone else to gather information for him. He thought he’d like to work with him, be a partner in a law firm together. Jake didn’t know why; he’d just met the man, but he thought he’d be a good person to work with. Jake looked at his grandma when she poked him.

“Your phone is ringing.” Apologizing, he pulled out his phone and said it was Carol’s dad. Forrest asked him to answer it, and if he wouldn’t mind, put it on speaker phone. He nodded and did as requested.

“Jake?” It was Carol, not her dad. Forrest showed him a recording device. Jake nodded for him to turn it on. “Jake, I know that you’re there. I can hear you breathing. What the hell have you done to me?”

“To you? I’m not sure what you mean, Carol. You’re the one that left me, remember?” Forrest put a sheet of paper up, telling him to inform Carol that he was recording their conversation. “Carol, I want you to know that I’m recording this. I don’t want you to—”

“You think I give a shit what you record, Jake? I don’t. What I do care about is what you’re doing to my house. And what do you mean by sending me this paperwork thinking that you want a divorce? You don’t. I want you to make sure that whoever you’ve talked to knows that as well. You aren’t getting a divorce from me. Not unless I say so. I like things just the way they were before you got all this in your head. I was teaching you a lesson. One, I might add, that you’ve not gotten. You’re not being very nice to me, Jake. And I don’t care for it.” He started to explain to her how she’d left him no choice. “I left you plenty of choices. Like not to cut off my credit cards like you did. Not to take away my spending power. How am I supposed to be with my friends if you’re forever making me look bad? Giving me what I wanted when I wanted it was what you should have been doing. Not this…this divorce thing. I won’t stand for it, Jake. Make them stop this nonsense right now.”

“I’m not going to stop it. I like things the way they are now. Carol, we couldn’t afford you doing those things you were doing. I don’t have that kind of money to be tossing away whenever you wish. You’ve nearly bankrupted us as it is. And you left me, I didn’t leave you.” She made a noise, something like the sound of a raspberry on a child’s belly. “What was I supposed to think when you emptied the house of everything and even cut up my suits?”

“I did that to get you to see I mean business. You seemed to have forgotten that I’m the one that has to stay at home all day while you work to make money. What are you going to do now? And just so you know, I’m not going to allow you to leave that furniture in my home once I’m back there either.” He asked her what sort of business she meant to teach him. “That you cannot take things from me when I want them. Jake, why are you buying new things for the house? You know as well as I do that those things are not my taste. There is no color on them. Nothing to say power. I have that, Jake, all the power in the world, and I will not have you taking it from me.”

“I never bought it with you in mind.” He heard her sharp intake of breath and felt empowered by it. “As for your power over me? That’s gone as well. I’ve enjoyed you being gone, as a matter of fact. It’s been enlightening. And freeing. I’ve never slept better or felt so wonderful in my entire life. No, I think I like things just the way they’re headed. The divorce is going ahead. I’m glad I’m getting it done.”

“No, you’re not, Jake. I want you to listen to me and stop this drivel right now.” He asked her what drivel that would be. “You thinking that you know what it is you want or need. You know you don’t want this. You’re just acting out. Or you’re depressed that I’m not there. That’s all. I’ll come home and bring my things back, and you’ll see. It’ll be just like it was before. You’ll give me back my credit cards and I won’t have to do this to you again.” The second note went up and he nodded.

“Can you tell me about the abortions, Carol?” The silence on the other end was laughable to him. “There were two that I know of. The more I find out about you the more I think you’ve never been faithful to me, nor did you have any intentions of being so. I know that at least the last one wasn’t mine. Who was it? Did you know him?”

“Who told you? James? Did he call you? I told him you’d not care. But now that it’s out, yes, I had three as a matter of fact. None of them were yours. What does it matter? I’m willing to forgive you.” He asked her what he had to be forgiven for. “You treated me badly, Jake. You know that. When I asked you for things, you said no. What sort of person does that to the person he’s supposed to love? Where did you find out these terrible things, anyway? Was it James or Tayler? I’m telling you right now, they’re not going to be getting into my bed after this. But that’s water under the bridge. You’re going to give me what I want, aren’t you, Jake?”

“No. I think I’ve given you enough. I’ve filed for divorce and I’m going to leave it the way things are. The fact that you have no shame in what you’ve done and just expect me to act like it never happened shows just what sort of person you are.” He felt like a failure in that moment. Not for not loving his wife…because in that moment, he knew that he never had. But he’d let the woman he married take everything from him. “Carol, I don’t know what your plans are, but I would suggest you get yourself a good attorney. Or a bad one, I don’t care. But I am proceeding with this. I’ve had enough.”

“Damn it, Jake, what is wrong with you? You will not treat me this way, do you hear me? I want you to get that crap out of my house and pay for my things to be brought back home, my home. Now, this is what you’re going to do; I’ll meet you there in the morning. After you’ve had time to think of what you’ve done to me and put my house back the way I had it. There wasn’t any reason whatsoever for you to go out and try to shame me by putting that tasteless couch in there.” He told her that he’d changed the locks. “Jake, you’re starting to piss me off. I’m not going to take this from you.”

“Good. I’m glad that you are pissed. And I’m not going to take you back. I’m not going to get rid of the things that I bought. Nor am I going to do a damned thing for you again.” He laughed, feeling lighter for it; his failure, he only just realized, was not on him but her. “Goodbye, Carol. I’ll see you in court.”

When he closed the connection, he sat there for several minutes. He heard them talking, his grandma and Forrest. But what they said, he had no idea. Jake was getting a divorce. He was actually going to leave his wife by the curb. When he stood up, Forrest did as well.

“I need a drink.” Forrest nodded and smiled. “I don’t know what this thing is that you have going on, this other part of you, but if you’d come have a drink with me, I’d appreciate it. You and Grandma both.”

~~~

Forrest watched Jake. He was calm, much too calm for a man who had just had his entire life turned upside down. Or maybe this was just him, the way he was. Calm and thoughtful before speaking. Forrest asked him twice if he was all right before he finally looked at him.