Part of her was furious. Angry that he could break their marriage vows. Angry that he had cheated on her.
Part of her wanted to listen to what he had to say.
Part of her knew she wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say.
Gradually, the fuel gauge on the truck fell as Jake drove around aimlessly. He’d driven out to Henlopen State Park. He drove through Lewes then worked his way up the coast, stopping next at Slaughter Beach. Finally, having nowhere else to go, he headed back to JJL.
It was growing dark as he stopped the truck in front of the low studio building. There were lights on inside and Jake guessed that Dr Marrs was still working. Wearily, he headed in.
The lights in the lounge were dimmed as he wandered through. Jake fetched himself a bottle of water from the refrigerator then stretched out on one of the black leather couches. Staring up at the shadows on the ceiling, Jake replayed the day’s events over and over in his mind.
“Jake?” said Dr Marrs sometime later. “Didn’t expect to find you back here.”
“Hey,” said Jake without moving. “Had nowhere else to go. Drove about for a few hours and ended up back here.”
“You ok?”
“Not really,” replied Jake, sitting up and turning to face the producer. “She wouldn’t talk to me. Told me to pack a bag and leave.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah,” sighed Jake sadly. “Couldn’t go to Paul’s. Maddison is after my balls on a plate. Couldn’t go to Grey’s. Not fair with the new baby. Can’t go to my old apartment. Scott’s there. I guess I’ll go find a hotel or head to Lucy’s.”
“No, you won’t,” said Jim calmly. “There’s plenty of room at the house. You can stay here for a few days. Stay as long as you need to.”
“Thanks, Jim. Appreciate it.”
“Have you eaten dinner?”
Jake shook his head.
“Come on. I went food shopping so I’m sure I can rustle up something more appetising then grilled cheese.”
The rest of the day passed in a haze for Lori. After Jake had left, she had sat on the deck and sobbed until no more tears flowed. Around her, the world seemed to fade and all she could visualise was the gaping black hole in front of her mind that represented Jake’s betrayal of her trust. What she couldn’t comprehend was the why….
She’d been on autopilot as she’d collected the kids, helped with Melody’s homework and cooked dinner. Curious to know where their daddy was and when he’d be home, the kids had plagued her with questions about Jake. Trying to keep things as normal as possible for them, all she’d been able to say was that he was working late at the studio. It tore at her heart that, despite everything, she was lying to protect his image to their children.
It was a relief when they finally went to bed for the evening and she could curl up on the couch in the sunroom and watch tv. Flicking through the channels, unable to settle on a show to watch, Lori felt drained and numb. As she tried to focus on the late news bulletin, her cell chirped on the arm of the couch beside her. Dreading the thought that it was a message from Jake, she switched it off without checking it.
Half an hour later, as she switched off the tv ready to head to bed, Lori turned the phone back on. Once it had powered up, there were three messages waiting for her. The first was from Maddy checking that she was ok. The second was from Grey saying that he’d be over after breakfast to talk to her. The third read simply, “Your husband tastes so sweet.”
Angrily, Lori threw the phone across the room. Instead of smashing on the floor as she had intended, it landed on the smaller couch and slid down in among the cushions.
“Christ,” she muttered. “I can’t even smash up my phone!”
Leaving it buried where it was, she headed to bed.
There was a crack in the ceiling of the spare bedroom of the studio house that he’d been allocated. Unable to sleep, Jake lay with the small bedside lamp on, staring up at it. In an effort to find some way to get to sleep, he began to imagine that it was a river winding its way across a valley, tried to visualise the landscape surrounding it. Next, his imagination suggested it was a road or a trail across the desert. Nothing helped. His mind kept darting back to the events of the day. Picking up his cell, he scrolled through his photos, finally stopping at one taken at the aquarium on Jesse’s birthday. The faces of his family smiled up at him from the small screen. His heart ached to hold them. His heart ached to hold Lori, to smell her favourite floral perfume, to smell the scent of the shampoo in her hair, to feel her heart beating next to his. Instead, all he had was her worn t-shirt with its fading aromas.
Wistfully, he thought that perhaps the crack on the ceiling represented the crack that had split right through his own heart. With tears wet on his cheeks, Jake finally drifted into a restless sleep, curled round the Guns N Roses t-shirt.
Feeling the clothes still warm from the dryer, Lori was folding laundry in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the back door. Before she could call out, the door opened and Grey stepped in
“Mornin’,” he said warmly. “Chilly out there.”
“Hi,” she replied, forcing a weak smile. “Coffee’s hot. Help yourself while I finish this.”
“Want one?” asked Grey as he fetched himself a mug from the cupboard.
“Please.”
She had just neatly folded the last t-shirt as Grey handed her the mug of hot
