Page 59 of The Wife
We were both quiet for a while when he asked me, “Ellie, do you need to talk to someone? You know you can tell me anything and I’ll listen, but if you need someone else. Someone who understands…”
“You mean a therapist? Riverbend doesn’t have a shrink, Jake. You know that.”
“You have a car, Ellie. You can go where you need.”
I knew that. I just didn’t know if I needed a therapist. I didn’t feel traumatized. Obviously there wasn’t anything sexually messed up with me or I wouldn’t have been begging Jake to get me off last night. If anything I was super pissed. That I was stupid enough to fall for Bobby’sforgive mebullshit.
“I think I’m okay, Jake.”
He reached over and grabbed my hand. “You’ll let me know if you’re not.”
I squeezed his back. Looking down at it, at his fingers and thumb, I thought about what he’d been doing with that hand last night, and I quickly let it go.
He must have guessed where I was going with that too, because he shifted in the car seat and I could see that the muscle at the back of his jaw was flexing.
Yes, it was time to act on the plan.
Fourteen
Ellie
November
Igot backfrom the appointment in town with Howard and tried to predict Jake’s reaction. The good news was I didn’t have to use the nuclear option. Which was putting the ranch up for sale. The bad news was there was no magic clause in the trust that would let me break it early.
However, what Howard did find were these companies that would buy out the trust my dad had set up for me with my mom’s life insurance money. Meaning they take twenty-five percent of the total, but I get my money now. Howard discouraged it as not a financially sound move, but knowing the amount it would leave me with was more than enough to do what I needed to do, the decision was easy.
Twenty- five percent to free Jake was definitely worth it.
I could have told Jake what I was trying to do, but any time I thought about it I kept coming back to the idea that it was better if I presented it to him as already being done.
This way he couldn’t talk me out of it. Because, not going to lie, it probably would have been pretty easy to do. I had to remember I was doing this for him. Saving him for once, and it helped to keep me focused.
I officially signed the paperwork, and the money would be deposited in my account in three to five business days.
I came in the front door and made my way back to the kitchen, where I could hear him.
He was listening to some country music while he was stirring something in pot.
“Smells good.”
“Beef stew.”
“When did you learn how to make beef stew?”
“When I looked up on Google,how do you make beef stew. What’s in the bag?”
I pulled out the bottle of champagne I bought. To kind of make this a celebration.
His eyes narrowed. “How did you buy that?”
Right, because it was one thing to drink at Pete’s, but another thing to buy alcohol underage.
“I bought it from Pete. Told him I needed something to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
I swallowed. I put the champagne down on the kitchen island, took my coat off, and tossed it on one of the kitchen chairs.
