Marriage Matters

Fifty-three

Chloe took Geoff’s arm as they stepped inside the Asian fusion restaurant. “I am so excited for you to meet my friends!”

“I hope they approve.” Geoff stopped, giving himself a critical look in a decorative mirror. Straightening his sweater, he eyed his reflection. “I look good, right? Not too old and stuffy?”

Chloe laughed. “You’re hardly old and yes, you look perfect.”

Before leaving the house, she’d convinced Geoff to ditch the ascot in favor of slacks, a plaid shirt and a navy sweater. Even though his outfit looked like he’d just stolen it from a Michigan Avenue mannequin, it beat the heck out of those stupid tweed jackets. In exchange, Chloe had put on a simple red dress and left her hair long and wavy. Geoff had already told her three times how pretty she looked.

Geoff’s phone buzzed and he checked the number. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t recognize this. Why don’t you go sit and I’ll be right in, okay?”

Chloe nodded. Since Geoff owned his own practice, he didn’t have the luxury of ignoring his phone, as it could be a patient in a crisis on the other end of the line. She looked forward to the day where she couldn’t afford to ignore her phone, either. “No problem,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Go do what you do best.”

Following the hostess to their table, Chloe admired the bright red walls, black lacquered decorations and the golden symbols coloring the walls like graffiti. The low pulse of bass filled the air and her heart beat a little faster. She was excited her friends were finally meeting her fiancé and she hoped they would approve, especially after that disastrous conversation with Ben.

Spotting her, Sally leapt to her feet. “Where is the lucky guy? And don’t you look hot!”

“No, I don’t.” Chloe blushed. “He’s right behind me. He just got a phone call. Probably a patient.”

Dana, the final part of her college trio, gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek. “I know how that is,” she said. “Brad just got called in, too. He sends his apologies.” An OB-GYN, it wasn’t uncommon for Brad to bail on their plans at the last minute.

“You’ve got me, though,” said Norman. “So, that more than makes up for those two losers.”

By “those two losers,” Norman was adding Ben to the equation. Normally, he’d be the third guy in their group. Sometimes, he brought a date, sometimes he didn’t. But tonight, he’d been conveniently booked up.

Chloe smiled at Norman. “You’re right. You more than make up for—”

Norman leapt to his feet. “That’s gotta be him,” he whispered to Sally. Then he called, “Hey, Geoff.”

Chloe turned and gave her fiancé a nervous once-over. His green eyes were bright and his hair gelled neatly into place. In fact, he was the picture of perfection, and she shook her head, wondering how on earth she’d ended up with him.

“Sorry about that.” Geoff gave the group an apologetic smile. “Work.”

There were handshakes all around. Sally and Dana both gave giddy, approving looks but Norman took his time sizing him up. He was probably trying to gauge whether or not Geoff would be any fun or, more likely, he was supposed to bring a full report back to Ben. Either way, Chloe was grateful she’d talked him out of wearing an ascot.

Once they’d all taken their seats, Sally raised her drink. “Cheers, everyone,” she cried. “Geoff, we are so excited to meet you and so excited about the wedding. It’s right around the corner.”

“Yeah.” Norman eyed him over the rim of his beer glass. “Why so fast?”

“Well . . .” Geoff’s phone rang again. “Sorry.” He gave Chloe a conspiring look, as though saying, Please tell them I’m not really this rude. “Same number. It was dead air before.” Touching her shoulder, he got to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Geoff strode toward the hallway where the bathrooms were. Standing underneath a red lantern, he put the phone to one ear, a hand to the other and answered. He looked startled and quickly turned to face the bathroom hallway. By the sudden tension in his shoulders, it was easy to see he was upset. Chloe sighed, hoping it was a patient and not the babysitter. More than once, Mary Beth had misbehaved so badly they’d had to come home early.

“He’s adorable,” Sally squealed. “I love his green eyes. They are dreamy.”

“Dreamy?” Norman demanded, turning to her. “Did you seriously just say dreamy?”

“Well, they are,” Dana said. “He’s a much older man, sexy-intellectual doctor type.”

Chloe blushed. “He’s not old. He’s only thirty-six.”

“But he’s still a sexy-intellectual doctor type,” Sally echoed. She giggled hysterically as Norman tried to muzzle her.

The waiter interrupted the impromptu wrestling match between Sally and Norman as he approached with a tray of appetizers. It was piled high with fried calamari, ahi tuna rolls, pot stickers and some type of veggie roll. It smelled wonderful and Chloe’s stomach growled.

“We ordered some apps,” Sally said, reaching for a piece of calamari. “We can figure out entrées in a minute, can’t we?”

“Yes, and . . .” Dana popped a pot sticker in her mouth. “We have to discuss a certain something with Chloe.”

“Oh.” Sally snapped to attention. Forgetting the food, she leaned forward on her elbows. “So . . . are you going to ask us?”

Chloe looked at them, confused. “Ask you to . . .”

“Be bridesmaids,” Sally squealed, grabbing her hands.

“Oh.” Chloe was surprised and a little bit embarrassed. The bridesmaid thing had barely even crossed her mind. She’d been too busy to even think about it. “You guys, I’m so sorry. I should have said something. We’re not doing bridesmaids. Since we have three brides, we thought there wouldn’t be anyone left to watch us get married.”

Sally stuck out her lower lip. “Bloody hell,” she said. “Seriously?”

Dana shoved another pot sticker into her mouth. “Damn. I’m officially old, married and boring.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and straightened her glasses. Shaking her head, she said, “Whatever happened to the good old days of being a young, single and slutty bridesmaid?”

Sally nodded. “I just needed one last hurrah before being tortured with motherhood.”

Chloe gasped. “Are you pregnant?”

Making a face, Sally held up her drink. “No. But it’s out there.” Warily, she eyed Norman.

He nodded, grinning. “We’re going to have a soccer team. I can’t wait.”

Sally rolled her eyes.

Chloe glanced back at the hallway. Geoff was pacing anxiously and she wondered if it was, in fact, something to do with Mary Beth. “Well, I’m about to have a kid,” she reminded Sally, “so you better learn to like them.”

Groaning dramatically, Sally said, “Fine. But I’m only going to be nice to her if she’ll let me play with her Barbies.”

Catching Chloe’s eye, Geoff said his good-byes and came back over to the table. “Sorry,” he said, pulling out his chair and placing his napkin back in his lap. “Won’t happen again.”

“Everything okay?” she asked, reaching for his hand. To her surprise, his palm was damp with sweat. She looked at him, startled. “It’s Mary Beth, isn’t it?”

Geoff pulled his hand away and wiped it on his pants, his cheeks flushed. “Tell you later,” he murmured, draining his glass of ice water.

“So . . .” Sally passed him a plate full of appetizers. “I think the fact that you are getting married with Chloe’s family is going to be hilarious. How on earth did she talk you into that?”

“Chloe did not have to talk me into a thing,” Geoff said. “I have no problem doing it the way she wants.”

Norman laughed. “Good attitude, old chap. It’ll keep you out of trouble.”

“Either way, the wedding won’t be how I want it,” Chloe said cheerfully. “June’s pretty much running the show. If I could do the wedding how I want,” she said, taking a sip of water, “I’d go down to city hall. I’ve never wanted something big and fancy. But it looks like that’s exactly what I’m going to get.”

“It’s karma,” Dana cried. After cutting into a pot sticker, she pointed her knife at Chloe. “You made fun of me for years because I had a big, fancy wedding.”

“Only because your wedding required vaccinations,” Sally sang.

Off Geoff’s confused look, Norman said, “Dana got married in Malaysia. No vaccination required. But your fiancée got confused and . . .”

Sally pretended to shove her fork into her arm like a needle and they all laughed.

The whole vaccination debacle had actually been Ben’s fault. On a hot summer day, four weeks before Dana’s wedding, Chloe and Ben had spent the day drinking on the beach. When it got too hot outside, they finally moved into one of the bars on the River Walk with the fans and misting machines. There, Ben started telling complete strangers about the wedding and how cool it was that he’d get to see Mauritania. The guy he was talking with freaked out.

“You’re going to Mauritania?” His eyes bulged. “Look, I’m a med student. You have to get vaccinations. Like, today.”

Considering Chloe’s fear of needles, they decided to go do it right then, while they were still intoxicated. That way, she wouldn’t feel it. Ben held her hand the whole time. The next morning, he showed up at her apartment with a bottle of aspirin and the wedding invitation.

“The good news,” he said, scratching his head, “is that we won’t be getting Yellow Fever anytime soon. The bad news . . .” He pointed at the destination.

Malaysia.

“So, then.” Norman nudged Geoff, who looked lost in thought. “What’s the worst wedding story you’ve got?”

“I don’t know.” Geoff took a drink of water and glanced at his phone. Chloe wondered who on earth it was that had called and upset him. “All the weddings I’ve been to have been fine.”

“Any hitches at your first wedding?” Norman asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Hmm.” Geoff frowned. “Well, really just the fact that I got a divorce.”

The group fell silent. Sally’s face flushed and she said, “Right! Well, that’ll do it.”

The waiter approached the table and opened his book. “Everyone ready?”

“Yes.” Geoff gave an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, we’re in a bit of a hurry. I’m so sorry, everyone.” He gestured at his phone. “Something unexpected did come up.”

Dana smiled at Chloe. “So it begins.”

As everyone ordered, Chloe leaned in close enough to smell Geoff’s hair gel. “What’s going on?”

“That was my ex-wife on the phone,” he said. “Apparently, she’s moved back to Chicago.”

* * *

The next morning, Chloe was awake before her alarm went off. Reaching over, she touched Geoff’s hair, which was still perfectly smoothed in place. “What time is it?” His voice was thick with sleep.

“Early.” Chloe kissed his forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

Peeling herself out of the warmth of the bed, she pulled on her running clothes. Every once in a while, she met her father down by the water for a jog. They would get in five miles before most people were even awake. Chloe loved these mornings with her dad and when he’d texted her yesterday, she’d been quick to say yes, but now she regretted it. She and Geoff had stayed up way too late last night and she was still processing everything he’d said.

By the time she managed to trudge her way to the beach, Kevin was already there. He was dressed in a pair of gray jogging shorts, an oversize Detroit Lions sweatshirt and a pair of beaten-up tennis shoes. She couldn’t help but smile, watching his great, hulking figure stretch on the sand.

“Short stack!” His voice bellowed across the misty beach. “Over here.”

In junior high, her father called her “short stack” when she sprouted up past all the other girls and felt like a total outcast. “I’m a beanpole,” she’d complain, embarrassed. Her father would rumple her hair and say, “Nah. You’re just a little short stack to me.”

Sprinting across the sand, Chloe gave him a hug. It felt good to feel her father’s arms around her after the drama of last night. Pulling away, she smiled up at him. “You sure you don’t want to skip this? Let me go back to bed?”

He laughed. “Not a chance.” Dropping to the ground, he started doing push-ups. “Did you do something wild last night? Is that why you’re dragging ass this morning?”

“Not wild, exactly.” Chloe sat on the cold sand and pulled her knees to her chest. “I took Geoff to meet Sally and Dana and that whole crew but . . .” She picked up a handful of sand and let it sift out through her fingers. “We had to leave early because Geoff’s ex-wife moved back to town and called him. He was really upset.”

Her father paused mid-push-up. “Yeah?”

Chloe nodded. “It was not expected.” She fiddled with her laces. “Geoff was afraid she was going to show up at the apartment and talk the babysitter into seeing Mary Beth or something.”

“He’s not going to let her see the kid?”

“No, he will,” Chloe said. “Eventually. She doesn’t have custody or anything, but he will.” She shook her head. “He just wasn’t ready to do it last night. The whole thing kinda caught him off guard.”

That was an understatement. Even though Geoff did his best to charm her friends for the short time they were at dinner, he went silent the moment they were alone in the cab. Back at the apartment, he poured himself a drink and walked out to the balcony. It was freezing, but Chloe went out to join him. She had a lot of questions. Things like: What was the ex-wife doing in town? What did she want? And . . . was there any chance that he was still in love with her? But Chloe didn’t ask any of these things. Instead, she just put a hand on his back. They stood in silence until his drink was gone.

Hearing the story, her father shook his head. “You think it’s going to be a problem?”

Chloe shrugged. “It could be hard on Mary Beth.”

Her father clipped a bottle of water to his running belt. “I meant, will it be a problem for you?”

Chloe looked down at her ring. “I don’t know,” she said honestly.

Even though she didn’t want to be, she was worried. What if Geoff saw his ex-wife and decided that he still had feelings for her? It was very possible. They did have a child together, after all. And she was the one who left him.

“Well, it shouldn’t be.” Her father took a sip of water. “It’s like this. She flaked out on him and his kid. He’s not going to go running back to her just because she showed up.”

In a way, she knew her father was right. When they’d gone to bed, Geoff had kissed her more tenderly than ever before. They’d made love and he’d fallen asleep, cradling her body against his. But still, the situation was going to complicate things. It was going to cause drama between the two of them, which she didn’t want. And it was going to be hard on Mary Beth.

This thought concerned her the most. Mary Beth had really started to warm up to her. It had taken time, energy and a lot of love, but the little girl had started throwing fewer tantrums and was reaching for her hand without coercion. Once she even brought a storybook over, climbed into her lap and said, “Read.” Very slow bonding steps, but at least they were happening.

Throwing an ex-wife into the equation could set them back in a big way.

“Come on,” Kevin said, holding out a hand and pulling her up. “Let’s get your blood flowing. It’ll make you feel better.” They started to run, her father setting the pace. Immediately, Chloe’s limbs started to ache. “So, what does Ben think of all this?” he finally asked.

Chloe blew out some air, her heart pounding with exertion. “Ben and I don’t really talk anymore. He was kinda pissed when I got engaged.”

“That sucks,” Kevin said. “Jealous?”

Chloe stared straight ahead. “No.” Her breath was coming in painful gasps. Man, she was too tired for this. The run, the conversation, all of it. “Why on earth would he be jealous? He has hundreds of girlfriends.”

“Maybe.” Her father shrugged. “But he’s only got one Chloe.”