Chapter Twenty-Two

Jake

Once again, I watched her shut down when she realized Janice had arrived. It was a replay of the courtroom situation. I knew how to refocus her energy. I walked around the bar and kissed her quickly on the lips.

She looked up at me, irritation all over her face. It didn’t take much to get a reaction from Avery. I had a feeling I was going to be using my secret weapon quite a bit over the next four weeks. I wasn’t going to mind giving her quick kisses here and there. Maybe, eventually, I would get her to kiss me back.

"Jake, dammit,” she said, scowling at me.

I smirked and left the kitchen to go answer the door. Avery was giving Janice way too much power. I wasn’t quite so easy to intimidate. Oddly enough, I felt protective of Avery. I wasn’t going to let Janice make my wife feel inadequate. She had done enough of that already.

I took a deep breath and pulled open the door.

“Good evening, Janice,” I said, doing my best to sound friendly.

She stood looking at me, judging me with that familiar scowl on her face. She had a briefcase in her hand and looked serious about her visit.

“Good evening,” she said, her voice clipped.

“Come in, please. Dinner will be done in about five minutes. Avery just got home from work,” I said, leading the way to the kitchen and hoping Avery was back to normal.

When we walked through the large archway into the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to see Avery pulling plates out of the cupboard as if she had done it a hundred times.

“Hey, babe. Janice is here,” I said, walking toward her and putting a hand on her waist, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hi, Janice,” she said with a smile. “I think dinner is about ready. You would have to ask the chef, but it certainly smells done.”

“Jake cooked dinner?” Janice asked, one eyebrow raised.

I was going to jump in and answer, but Avery beat me to it.

“He did. He always cooks dinner. He is an excellent cook, far better than me. He was trained by the best chefs in the world.”

Janice nodded. “Interesting. Can I set this down somewhere?” she asked, holding out her briefcase.

“Of course. You can leave it here on the counter, or we can put it in the hall,” I told her.

She opened it, pulled out a yellow legal pad and a pen, then closed it and slid it to the end of the counter. I briefly wondered what was in that briefcase. Were our files stashed in there? I would love to get a glimpse at the notes she had taken after our meetings. I wondered if they had done a thorough background check and found skeletons lurking in our closets.

“I’m going to set the table,” Avery said, taking the plates and silverware into the formal dining room.

Janice followed behind her. I was anxious about them being alone together and quickly carried in the bowl of rice.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” I suggested. “Both of you. I’ll grab the rest of the food and we can eat.”

Janice took the chair at the head of the table. It was a gesture meant to irritate and offend. If she had been a man, I would have put up more of a fuss. As it was, I let her make her little power play. Avery looked over Janice’s head and smirked.

I used my head to gesture for Avery to take a seat. She hesitated but sat down.

I returned to the kitchen, grabbed the rest of the meal, and prepared myself for what was probably going to be the longest two hours of my life. I hoped Janice loosened up a little more than usual.

“How long do you plan on renting this place?” Janice asked. “And I know it’s a rental.”

“Just until we find a house,” I answered.

“You won’t be moving back to California?”

“I’m not sure. I can do my job from anywhere. I do have a private jet I can use for meetings I have to attend in person. I can fly over for the day and be back for dinner,” I said.

“What are your plans for Iris?” She looked at Avery. “You started a new full-time job and your husband will be jetting around the country. Where does Iris fall into your plans for the future?”

“We’ll hire the best nanny. Avery works a typical day job. You work. Do you have kids?” I asked, hoping she would recognize the absurdity of her question.

“This isn’t about me,” Janice shot back.

“No, it isn’t. Avery can work and still be a good mom. I can work and still be a good uncle slash father to the child. I believe you are the one who had a problem with Avery’s lack of employment,” I said coolly.

“I’d like to know more about your relationship. It all seems very sudden,” she said, once again looking at Avery. “Is he paying you to be his wife?”

Avery’s mouth dropped open. “No! Absolutely not!”

“We’ve explained that,” I answered.

“Yes, but what if you suddenly realize you made a mistake. It isn’t uncommon for people to make rash decisions after going through a tragedy,” she reasoned. “I would hate for you to get custody and realize you weren’t right for each other. Iris would be subjected to yet another custody battle.”

I forced myself to continue to smile. “We’ve acknowledged that as well. We know it was sudden, but trust me when I say it was a long time coming. I believe it was fate. Losing my sister has been devastating for both of us, but having each other to lean on has made it easier. When you go through something like this, it leaves you vulnerable. I have never felt so close to anyone in my life,” I said, injecting plenty of sincerity into my voice.

Avery was nodding her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. I didn’t know if they were faked or real. It didn’t matter because they helped sell the story.

“Okay. Do you plan to have children of your own someday?”

“No,” Avery blurted out.

“Yes,” I said at the same time.

Janice smirked. “I guess there are a few things you haven’t discussed.”

“What I mean is, I want to adopt,” Avery added.

“I know this is a topic many couples have differing opinions about. It doesn’t mean anything. We haven’t had time to talk about it. It isn’t our priority. When we’re ready, we’ll discuss it.”

That seemed to satisfy the woman, who finally focused on the meal in front of her and stopped peppering us with questions I didn’t feel were any of her business. We managed to get through the remainder of the meal with relative ease.

Once finished, I offered to clear the table while Avery gave Janice the grand tour.

“Are you sure, hon?” Avery asked in a syrupy-sweet voice. “I can clean up while you give the tour. You cooked after all.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I’ve got this. Show her the room we have picked out for Iris.”

She glared at me before turning to face Janice with a fake smile on her face.

“Okay, well, we can start in the living room,” Avery said, leading Janice out of the kitchen.

I took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. I hadn’t realized how much energy it took to fake being happily married. I could hear Avery’s voice as they moved through the house. I knew Janice needed to get to know Avery better. Avery had spoken little during dinner, leaving the majority of the talking up to me. She wasn’t comfortable blatantly lying, but now it was up to her to show Janice she did have a voice.

After putting the dinner dishes in the dishwasher, I walked to the bottom of the stairs and listened. I didn’t hear Avery screaming, which I took to be a good sign. They began to walk down together and seemed to be getting along.

“Did you show her around?” I asked.

“I did.”

Janice had a yellow pad in her hand. As she walked by me, I could see a page full of scribbled notes. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Avery gave me a look as she passed. I smiled. The look was one that said “help me.”

“Is there anything else we can answer for you?” I asked the woman who was watching us closely.

“No. I have what I need for now. I’m not sure if it will be me or my colleague doing the supervising tomorrow. I will receive a full report, which will be included in your file for the judge to review,” she said through pursed lips.

“Sounds good. I look forward to proving we are the right fit for Iris. Thank you for coming,” I said, walking around her to open the front door.

I couldn’t wait until the woman was gone. I wanted to kick back and relax. I played a cool game, but inside, I was ready to let down my guard.

The moment the woman walked out the door, Avery and I released a long sigh. I opened my mouth to talk, but Avery shushed me.

“Not yet,” she hissed. “She may come back or be standing out there listening.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t—”

The doorbell rang, causing Avery to jump back.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

I opened the door to find Janice standing there again. “Did you forget something?” I asked in a pleasant voice.

“Yes, actually, I did. I left my briefcase in the kitchen.”

“I’ll grab it,” Avery said, practically running out of the foyer.

I looked at Janice and smiled, silently praying Avery found it in a hurry.

Avery returned, slightly out of breath, and handed the briefcase to Janice. “Here you go.”

“Thank you. Good night.”

She left once again, and this time I kept my mouth closed until we heard her car pull out of the driveway.

“She’s gone.” Avery breathed out through her mouth like a balloon deflating.

“I need a drink,” I blurted out and headed for the open bottle of wine.

I grabbed it and found Avery in the living room. She was sitting on the couch, her heels off and her legs stretched out on the coffee table.

“You look comfortable,” I said, flopping down on the couch beside her. I chugged the wine straight out of the bottle. “Here.” I handed her the bottle.

She looked at me strangely at first and then took a swig. “I can’t believe we’re drinking wine from a bottle.”

I laughed. “That isn’t the cheap stuff either.”

We both burst into laughter, taking turns drinking from the bottle.

“How do you think it went?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I think pretty well. You were great.”

“I don’t know. At dinner I couldn’t bring myself to talk. I felt like a complete idiot. I’m glad you picked up the slack. Thank you,” she said in a soft voice.

“She seemed far more relaxed than usual. I think she even liked the dinner.”

Avery burst into laughter. “It was the only time she wasn’t frowning.”

I could feel Avery relaxing. I knew it was a combination of the wine and the relief at having the first visit over. I felt the same relief. Avery wasn’t so bad when she wasn’t wound so tight. I could grow to like the woman sitting next to me.

“We’re going to get through this. We’re a good team,” I told her.

She leaned her head back against the couch and stared up at the vaulted ceiling. “I hope so. I always feel like she is scrutinizing my every move. It freaks me out.”

I nodded my head. “I understand. Just keep your cool. Another performance like tonight and she’s not going to be looking like that anymore.”

She dropped her head forward. “I will. I can do this.”

“Good. Now, you ready for bed or you want to watch some TV?”

“How much wine is left?”

I held up the bottle and shook it. “A bit more. Want to finish it?”

“Hell yes.” She grinned. “You’re going to spoil me with the fancy stuff.”

“Good. I want to spoil you,” I told her, meaning every word.

We relaxed for another hour before calling it a night. I took her hand as we climbed the stairs together. She didn’t resist or tell me to leave her alone. It was a small step in the right direction. I wouldn’t push it. Not yet; not tonight.