Marriage Matters

Seventy-five

Picking up the phone, June took a deep breath. Her granddaughter answered on the first ring.

“So,” June said, without saying hello. “I’ve been thinking . . .”

“That you’re going to back out, too?” Chloe said.

Hmmph. For someone who just called off a wedding, her granddaughter certainly sounded chipper.

“No,” June said, her voice stern. After an appropriate moment of weighted silence, she said, “But I’ve been thinking. Perhaps you should still bring a date to my wedding. It’s too late to cancel the extra plate.”

“Oh.” By the tone of her voice, Chloe was not expecting that. “I don’t know who I could . . .”

“I was thinking you should bring Ben,” June said. “You know, I have always thought he was a very nice young man.”

There was silence on the other end of the receiver. June stared out at her garden, noticing that the frosted branches looked beautiful against the sky. Finally, she heard Chloe sigh. “Grandma,” she said, “I know exactly what it is that you’re doing.”

“Good.” She sniffed. “So do I.”

June hung up. Staring at the receiver, she heard the pages of a newspaper rattle, then a soft chuckle. Charley snapped his paper shut and stood up.

“Ah, June,” he said, walking over and kissing her on the head. “You might just teach me a few things yet.”

* * *

Ben answered the door in his pajamas. His hair was a rumpled mess, as always. So was his bright green T-shirt, which Chloe found to be ridiculously immature.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised.

Chloe swept past him and into his apartment. The shades were drawn and the room was dark. The whole place smelled like Ben.

Turning to face him, she said, “I want you to know that I think your behavior over my engagement was deplorable.”

“My behavior?” His eyes flashed dangerously.

“I appreciated your gift. But seriously?” She glared at him. “You couldn’t even be bothered to come to my engagement party?”

“I don’t show up to farces.” Ben rubbed his nose. He widened his eyes just slightly, as though trying to wake up.

“Oh, okay. But you’ll come to an ice-skating rink?” She rolled her eyes. “To tell me that we can’t be friends anymore?”

Ben ran his hands through his hair. It stood up everywhere, like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket. “I didn’t say we couldn’t be friends anymore. I just told you that things couldn’t stay the same.”

“You know what?” She put her hands on her hips. “You need to get a haircut.”

“What?” He gave a half-laugh.

“And you need to stop being so ridiculously immature,” she said. “Because unlike you, I want our friendship to continue.” A flash of anger zapped through her heart as she remembered their walk back from the restaurant. The way Ben had kissed her at the door.

“What do you mean, immature?” he demanded.

Chloe glared at him. “Remember our date? The one you used to test the waters?”

Ben opened his mouth as though to speak but closed it just as quickly.

“Maybe my engagement was a farce.” She took a step closer to him. “But at least it was honest. I went after what I wanted instead of cowering in the corner. Who would have guessed that a Casanova like you could have been such a chicken?”

Ben looked pained. “Chloe, I—”

“I came over here to tell you that I broke off my engagement.” She held up her left hand, as though to prove it. He stared at her finger, his eyes wide. “Maybe I’ll have to wait the rest of my life for the person I’m supposed to be with but that’s fine. I’ll wait. I don’t care how long it takes.”

The air in the room seemed to crackle between them. “Good,” he said, letting out a breath. “I am so glad to hear you say that.”

“Well, great.” Chloe’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Thanks so much for the support.”

“Geoff with a G wasn’t right for you,” he said. “You would have been miserable.”

“Then it all worked out.” Chloe gave a little shrug. “My family still loves me and now, maybe I have my best friend back.”

“Definitely.” Ben’s eyes sparkled. “I . . .”

“You what?” Chloe asked. They stood there in silence for a moment, watching each other. Finally, she said, “I feel like I’m waiting for something, here. Like an apology.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “I was jealous. I didn’t want to lose you to that guy.”

“To be honest,” she told him. “I didn’t see you fight so hard to keep me.” Walking toward the door, she reached for the handle. “By the way, you better not be doing anything on December 27th.”

Chloe already knew that he was. Sally had told her that Ben was planning to go out to Colorado and stay with his brother during the wedding. He said it would have been “physically impossible for him to stay in town and not show up to object.”

“Actually,” Ben said, “I was planning on visiting my brother.”

“Cancel it,” Chloe said. “You’re coming with me to the wedding.” At the sudden silence in the room, she turned to look at him. “I’m sorry, but you owe me.”

“I know.” Ben nodded. “I’m just . . . I’m really happy that you asked.”