Page 3 of Matrimonial Merger

“Uh… sure,” I said, typing.

“Cal!”

I pulled away from my focus on the screen at her tone. Jo could scare me shitless with her righteous indignation. I needed it.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you really meant to send Daphne out to pack bags—without you.”

“Well, she’s always a good sport,” I said. “Just check with her assistant.”

Jo’s face didn’t change. “If my husband voluntold me without asking for an all-day-long charity event, I’d lose it.”

“She’s the city’s First Lady. It’s what she does,” I said. “She knows the job. Just clear it with her people. She loves kids.”

“I will put it as tentative. Cal, she’s not your goodwill envoy to deploy. She’s the president of a retail holdings company. And while people may expect her to play the good wife, you have to be more mindful.”

I was surprised for the pushback.

“Two months ago, you were saying if we were going to deploy her at all, we needed to soften her image. She ended up being great at charity?—”

“There is a limit, sweetheart,” Jo said.

I snickered. It had beenagessince she’d given me such a dressing down. “Okay, I see your point. I just also see that she wants to be distracted. This year is going to behardfor her without David. It’s the first Christmas?—”

“Is it hard for her? Or you? Is it thatyoumight be avoiding some of these things because it is also hard for you?”

Speechless, I sat there aghast at the assumption.

Jo took a deep breath. “Cal, I know you handle things differently. You get down in your feelings and stand around contemplating things—you can be brooding. Meanwhile, Daphne buries herself in work. But, you both need to talk about this. I am not going to be here for the crash.”

I sighed. “You’re not wrong, okay? I will… I will talk to Daph. Put it as tentative for now.”

She nodded, standing and walking to the door.

“And Jo?” I asked.

She turned. “Yes?”

“Thanks for calling me on my bullshit.”

“Anytime,” she agreed.

I looked out the window. It wasn’t the best view I’d had—not by a long shot. It didn’t compare to the beautiful, expansive one I’d had at Delphine’s. However, it was well-earned. The city was aglow, trying to make life festive. It was a beautiful time of year for Chicagoans. The windows in Delphine’s blew everyone out of the water. The cultural center would glitter tonight for our annual Christmas gala. And yet? I wasn’t feeling very jolly. I was missing my friend and helping my fiancée’s family through a difficult season.

Jo poked her head back in. “You should leave, Cal. You still have to get ready. And while you can be alittlelate, you know your mother will?—”

“Gotcha,” I said. “I will finish up this email and hit the road.”

No one wanted my mother’s ire—much less Daphne. Things between them were still complicated. A merger of the Delphines and Markhams was perhaps predictable, but not preferable for Elise Markham—something ironic considering her retail partnership with Delphine’s. We were still “new”. Daphne’s old-guard family had always annoyed her. And while Daphne only wanted there to be peace, Mom found any reason to complain. I heeded Jo’s words and headed out.

2.LIFE HITS FAST

Daphne

The buzzfrom downstairs caught me off guard. I was in our bedroom trying on my dress, cursing the bloat and my mother’s insistence that I looked fine when I heard it. I crossed the room to answer it, annoyed that Cal was still on his way home. If this was who I thought it was, I dreaded what happened next.

“Hello?” I answered.

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