A Love Worth Saving (Forever Yours Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter 7

Reed walked through the double-doors into the cool lobby of the law offices of Abrams, Bachman, and Kline on Monday morning and approached the information desk.

A woman with long blond hair styled in an elegant updo sat behind a hand carved mahogany desk. She peered up at him an expectant smile on her face. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Marshall Kline.”

The woman studied a list atop the polished surface and then nodded. “You must be Reed McNamara.”

“Yes.”

“Follow me.” She stood and turned in front of Reed giving him a view of her backside.
Not as nice as Ashley’s
. Why was he comparing her to his soon-to-be-ex-wife? His relationship with Ashley was over. She wanted an annulment and he’d agreed. End of story.

Blondie sashayed down the hall and stopped at the third office on the left. After a quick rap on the door, she twisted the knob, poked her head inside, and murmured something. A moment later, she stepped aside and waved him in.

Marshall, his college fraternity brother and personal council, stood and walked around to the front of his gleaming metal desk. He extended his hand to him. “Reed, it’s good to see you again.”

Reed shook his hand. “It’s good to see you, too, Marsh.”

Marshall gestured to one of the leather seats surrounding a round table in the far corner of the room. “Have a seat.”

He folded his body into one of the brown club chairs.

Marshall took a seat adjacent to him. “So, how have you been?”

Reed smiled. “Good. Yourself?”

“I can’t complain. What brings you here today?”

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ashley and I have decided to have our marriage annulled.”

Surprise flickered across Marshall’s face, but he quickly replaced it with a neutral expression. “I see. Why seek and annulment and not a divorce?”

Reed sighed. “The truth is, we only got married because Ashley was pregnant. She miscarried last week.”

“I’m sorry, Reed.”

His stomach twisted. “Yeah, me too. Anyway, there isn’t any reason for us to stay married, so we’ve decided to split up.”

Marshall nodded. “Were you both over the age of consent?”

Reed frowned. “Yes, why?”

Marshall didn’t answer, instead he asked another question. “Are there any close blood relationships between you two?”

Reed snorted. “Are you asking if we’re related? If so, no.”

“Were either of you still legally married before this union occurred?”

“No, of course not. What the hell, Marshall? What has any of this got to do with getting my marriage annulled?”

“A civil annulment will only be granted under certain circumstances. I’m trying to ascertain if you qualify.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then you’ll have to seek a divorce.”

Reed shook his head. What did it matter anyway? Their marriage would be over either way. “Fine.” He waved a hand in the air. “What are the rest of the questions?”

“Was one or both of you unable to consummate the marriage?”

He arched up an eyebrow. “I said Ashley was pregnant.”

“I understand, but that happened before you married, not after.”

“No. Neither of us had any trouble consummating the marriage. Next question?”

Marshall rattled off several more and Reed’s response was the same each time. No.

“You and Ashley don’t meet the criteria for a civil annulment.”

He nodded. “Okay, a divorce it is. Can you get the paperwork started?”

“We’ll start with a list of assets. Do you own a home together?”

A home together.
He’d purchased the condo long before they’d met, but it hadn’t felt like home until Ashley moved in. She’d taken his sparse, sleek, ultra-modern penthouse, added a few personal touches, and made it warm and welcoming. A place you wanted to return to at the end of a busy day. “No.” The thought of going back there now held little appeal. “And I’ve decided to put the condo up for sale.”

Marshall nodded. “Any investments? Stocks, bonds, artwork?”

“Two paintings.” They’d purchased them at an art show they’d attended for a friend. Ashley loved the clean, simple lines of the matching pieces. “They’d be perfect in the living room,” she’d said. And she’d been right. “They’re worth about a thousand dollars. Ashley can have them.” He didn’t want to be reminded of her every time he saw them. And he would. Her smiling face. The playful, mischievous glint in her eyes.
Get a grip.

“What about—”

Reed held up a hand. “We were only married for eight weeks, Marsh. Other than the paintings and some furniture, which I don’t want, we didn’t purchase or own anything together of significant value.”

“Okay. I’ll get started on this. Have Ashley’s attorney contact me.”

Reed swore. “Can’t you handle it?”

“I recommend Ashley have her own council. We’ll file no-fault on grounds of irreconcilable differences in six months.”

“Six months! We have to wait that long before we can even file?”

“That’s the minimum amount of time, assuming you live separate and apart and you both agree to the grounds.”

“And if we don’t?”

“You’d have to wait two years.”

No. Unacceptable.
“We need to do this faster.” God, he just wanted this whole thing to be over and done with.

Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what you want, a quickie divorce?”

He nodded. “We just want to get on with our lives and put the last few months behind us.”

“We can file for an uncontested divorce if you both agree to the terms.”

Reed stood. “Good. How long will it take?”

Marshall arched up a brow. “Are you sure about this? Maybe you two can—”

“Work things out? No.”

“And Ashley will agree to the terms?”

“We have a prenup. What’s not to agree on?”

Marshall nodded. “Okay. I’ll draw up the settlement. You’ll be a single man again in a few weeks.”

Chapter 8

Ashley sat in her office at The Perfect Affair and read through the email she’d written to the University of Chicago law school one last time. Satisfied she’d explained the circumstances regarding her initial decision to defer admission, and the reason for her change of heart, she hit ‘send.’

While it was true Harvard and Stanford hadn’t notified her, yet, they’d been her stretch schools, especially Harvard.

No matter, with a little luck, she’d start law school in the fall. Step one of getting on with her life, of realizing her dreams, complete.

Now, for step two.
She stared at her computer screen. The Google home page glared back at her, daring her to type the words she’d been dreading.
Just do it!

She typed ‘match dating service’ in the search bar and hit enter before she lost her courage.

After two days of berating herself for being an idiot once again, moping around the condo and crying herself to sleep, she woke this morning determined to move on.

Hence the letter to the University of Chicago Law School, and the dating site.

More dates, more relationships, and more marriages than any other dating or personals site, the commercial promised. Finding someone else would be easy with those stats.

Search results filled her screen.

Click on the damned link! Come on, what are you waiting for?

The telephone rang.
Saved by the bell.
She reached for the receiver and answered it. “The Perfect Affair.”

“It’s Reed.”

Her heart did a crazy little flip.
No. No. No.
What the heck was wrong with her?
New start. New beginning
, she reminded herself and got her wayward emotions under control.

“What can I do for you?”
Yes.
She sounded cool, collected, and in charge.

“I spoke with Marshall this morning.”

The blood roared through her ears and she started to shake.
Stop it. Now.
There was no reason to get upset. An annulment was best for both of them. “And?”

“The annulment is out, we don’t meet the criteria. We’ll have to get a divorce and you’ll need your own lawyer.”

“Okay.”

“Also, I wanted to let you know I’m selling the condo.”

Ashley drew in a sharp breath.
Selling the condo?

“I would appreciate it if you’d let my real estate agent show the unit while you're still living there.”

No explanation as to why he’d chosen to get rid of the place. Then again, he didn’t owe her one. The condo was his to do with as he saw fit. What he decided was none of her business now that they’d separated. “Oh. Yeah, sure. No problem.”

“I’ll make sure she gives you sufficient notice when someone wants to see it.”

“Thanks. Is there anything else?” Silence echoed down the line. “Reed? Are you still there?”

“Yes. I’m here. You’ll be single again in a few weeks.”

The breath whooshed out of her. What the hell had she been hoping for? A declaration of love?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Would she ever learn? “I’ll call my attorney and have her contact Marshall.”

“Good. I’ll see you on Friday at the party.”

Where she’d play the blissfully happy wife. She shuddered. “Try to be on time. Please. It’s important you’re there. For Nicole and Max.”

“Important. Right.”

The line went dead.

Ashley dialed Dana Robert’s number, the family lawyer who’d helped them settle her parents’ estate and gave her Marshall Kline’s contact information, then returned her attention to the computer screen.
Single. Again. In a few weeks.
Reed’s words whispered through her mind. Her stomach roiled. Bile rose in her throat and her head started to pound.

No.
She had to stop torturing herself. Her marriage was over. She needed to get on with her life.

She clicked on the Match.com link. The website appeared. She sighed, created a login and began the process.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Ashley peered up from her desk. Jake stood in the open doorway, a grin on his face.

She frowned. “What are you doing here?”

He laughed. A rich, warm chuckle that came from deep within. It still had the power to make her smile.

“You called me, remember? We’re supposed to go and see the three venues you’ve selected for my fundraiser next month.”

Heat invaded her cheeks. “Right. Sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Reed, she’d been thinking about Reed and that damned phone call this morning. Not to mention the pings she’d gotten on Match.com. Three. Already. In less than four hours. The knot in her stomach tightened another notch. What the hell had she been thinking? She wasn’t ready to date again.
Yes, you are.
Get a grip.

“Ash?”

She blinked. “Sorry.”

Jake frowned. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She laughed and boy did it feel good. “You don’t have to worry about me passing out on you again.”

“When I think about . . . Forget it.” He walked over and pressed a cool palm to her forehead. “You feel warm.”

“I just have a bit of a headache, that’s all.” Was it any wonder considering the day she’d had?

He nodded. “So, where are we off to?”

Ashley stood and grabbed her purse. “We’ll start with Chez Francois.”

“Okay. That’s the new banquet facility downtown, right?”

She nodded. “Camilla booked a fiftieth wedding anniversary there when it first opened a month ago and was impressed with both the décor and the service. The Modique ballroom is available on the date you selected. It seats about two hundred and fifty people and the location is perfect for your constituents.”

“Sounds great. Let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, their taxi pulled to the edge of the curb in front of the event facility. Ashley slid from the rear seat, paid the driver, and Jake followed. He turned to her when the cab drove away, a boyish grin on his face. “What?” she asked.

He pointed to a small pizza joint across the street. “Remember the night we all went to Nick’s?”

Ashley smiled. “After the championship football game my freshman year of high school. You had the waitress add jalapenos and hot red pepper flakes to that jerk Barry Newgate’s pizza.

“He kept harassing you. He deserved it as far as I’m concerned.”

“Damned straight he did. And the look on his face when he stuffed a huge slice into his mouth all at once”—she grinned—“priceless.”

“It was also the night you kissed me for the first time.”

She sighed. “Missed my curfew because of that kiss. Got grounded for a week. Would have been a month if my mother had her way.”

He let out another of his laughs. It warmed her heart.

“Your own fault. You kissed me first and didn’t stop.”

She wiggled her brows. “I would have been old and gray if I’d waited for you to make the first move.”

His eyes lit with amusement. “Okay, okay. I’d been working up to it.”

Ashley snorted.

Jake turned serious. “You’re right. The truth is, I didn’t want to screw up our friendship, and—”

Ashley swallowed hard. “We should go inside.” She turned toward the grand entrance of the banquet hall.

Jake grasped her arm and pulled her back to face him. “I’ve missed you, Ashley. Us.”

“Jake.”

He held up a hand to stop her protest. “I don’t mean us as a couple.” He shook his head. “No, I do miss us as a couple, but I get we can’t go there. What I’m trying to say is I miss my friend Ashley. The cheeky little girl I played with as a kid. The smart-mouthed teenager who didn’t take crap from anyone, and yes, the girl I dated, because she was my friend, too.

“What about the woman you were engaged to?” she whispered.

He cupped her face in his hands and gazed down at her. “I screwed up. I got scared and I didn’t know how to break things off without hurting you and pissing off my parents. The ties between our families were strong back then. Still are. So, I got stinkin’ drunk and did something I regret to this day.”

She sighed. The truth was she’d had doubts about their engagement, too, and she wasn’t sure what she’d have done about them if he hadn’t cheated.

“I’m sorry, Ash.”

Sincerity rang true in every word. She nodded. “Apology accepted.”

He pulled her into the crook of his arm and held her tight.

Where they went from here remained to be seen.