Friendly Skies Page 9

  “Maybe. Yeah. But I was married for five years. What is wrong with you? Or wait, what’s wrong with me?” Judy was vexed.

  “Let me get this straight,” Dani began. “You aren’t crying for your errant husband right now, you are crying for the man you met after your husband left, right? Or is it the errant husband? Christ, Judy, help me out here.” Judy hated when Dani started to suspect something and Judy was the one in her sights. Dani’s a lawyer. When she was right, it was painful for all of everyone.

  “Ugh. Okay. I met someone.” Once she admitted that, Judy fell apart completely with loud, hiccupping sobs. “I thought I would hear from him but it’s been three days almost and not a word. God. I’m so stupid.”

  “Okay, hold on. Tell me everything,” Dani said. “Start from the beginning. Take your time.”

  So, Judy started with how she had gotten airsick in the plane, and the drama with Greg, and then those terrible (yet glorious) Mai-Tais that led Judy to end up with Jason holding her hair back while she vomited yet again. And she told Dani about how they went snorkeling, and then to dinner, and that perfect, amazing kiss. She relived how awful she felt when she thought she’d ruined everything that night, only to have Jason track her down the next day. Talking about him made him real, and Judy loved that. She loved reliving the last couple of days in Catalina with Jason. It meant it had really happened.

  Of course, she was in tears the whole time she was filling Dani in, and the fact that Jason had her once again spilling bodily fluids all over someone was not lost on her. Judy cried and swore nine ways from Sunday about the injustice of the way men treat women (thinking of Greg), and in the same breath she described how heartbreakingly handsome, kind and loving Jason was. Judy was crying uncontrollably, but oddly, it felt good to let it go.

  When she finished telling Dani her story, Dani said in her level lawyer voice, “Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news. Which do you want first?”

  “What? Give me the bad news, I guess.” Ugh. This could not be good.

  “I think maybe you’ve fallen in love with Jason, or something close to it.” Dani said quietly, looking at Judy straight in the eye the whole time. “Which gives you yet another set of emotional baggage to deal with.”

  Judy tore her gaze away from Dani’s because she knew Dani was probably right but she didn’t want to think about having fallen so quickly for another man. That seemed improbable or worse, traitorous to her marriage. Had her vows meant so little?

  But Judy had so much other shit to deal with because of Greg and his dancer, and not to mention that she hadn’t heard from Jason since Catalina. It seemed to Judy that was enough heartbreak for one year. And there was that little part of Judy that was still glowing inside because of Jason.

  “Uh, what’s the good news?” she asked, a little curious.

  “I think maybe you are over Greg, which is going to make the divorce a breeze.” And Dani winked at her. She poured them each a shot of tequila. Leave it to Dani. She found the silver lining and the reason to bring out the booze.

  Judy woke the next morning with a slight headache from the tequila but also with the memory of revelations that only occur with a best friend in the room. She still hadn’t heard a word from Jason, and she was starting to think that maybe she wouldn’t—maybe he just moved through women and in out of lives. Or maybe he had decided that her life needed to get back on track before he could be in it.

  She sat up and got out of bed. It would do her no good to dwell on that magical time with Jason. She had things to do. Her practical nature reminded her that she needed to finalize things with Greg. Even if Jason felt the same way about her, that he wanted her in his day to day life, it was not appropriate or feasible when she had a husband that she was trying to end things with. Plus, everything in Catalina occurred in the cocoon of vacation. It was a fantasy and not real life, so maybe it needed to stay there.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “TELL ME YOUR STORY,” Charisse, the six-foot tall woman with mocha-colored skin sitting across from Judy said.

  She had been back from Catalina for a week, and it was time to find an attorney. Charisse had helped a friend of a friend with her divorce and she came highly recommended. If first impressions meant anything, Charisse was the real deal. She walked into the room like she owned it in her 5-inch pumps, with an impressive afro that only heightened her natural gorgeousness.

  Charisse’s office was a corner office on the 20th floor of one of the downtown high-rises. She had a splendid view of Elliott Bay, and her office was tastefully, yet comfortably furnished. Unlike some lawyer’s offices that are designed to radiate power and intimidation, Charisse’s office was designed to put people at ease. It made sense—she worked in family law and dealt with uncomfortable domestic situations.

  Judy told her everything about meeting Greg in college, meeting up with him again afterward, and how they ended up getting together in Seattle and getting married. She talked about their various career changes, and the distance between them that led to deciding to go to Catalina Island. She wound her story down with details about Greg and his single-mom girlfriend.

  Charisse’s eyebrows raised slightly, “He told you he wanted a divorce, after having led you to believe this was a vacation to reconnect?”

  “Yes, that’s right. Apparently, this has been going on awhile.” Judy was still somewhat amazed with how calmly she can recount this story.

  “Well, okay,” Charisse said softly. “Here’s your reality. Washington is a community property state, which means everything you accumulated during your marriage is split 50/50. We might be able to do a little something on the emotional trauma side of it for you, but basically, after attorney’s fees, it’s going to get split. Also, you might have to give him a little more for spousal support. But I’ll work on that.”

  “Wow, really? Spousal support? That seems unfair,” Judy complained. “I mean, I didn’t want the divorce. Hell, I thought spousal support was a condition of being married. Why should I support him after he left me for another woman?”

  “Yes, I know. Unfortunately, that is the reality. We can use the fact that Greg has created this mess to our advantage, but he’ll still walk away with half or more.”

  Charisse was direct and did not mince words. Judy was grateful for that, but still. Spousal support? For the guy who cheated on her? What the hell was that about? She knew Charisse was preparing her for the worst, but God, more than half??

  “So, what is the next step?” Judy asked.

  “We’ll file a complaint for divorce. Then we’ll probably do some minor discovery, which is an exchange of information. The court is going to put us into the mediation program. It’s mandatory in all divorces, and it might end up saving you and Greg some time and money. You don’t have kids, which is good, and the only real asset is the condo, which it sounds like you both want to sell. This could go very quickly.”

  She paused and looked at Judy directly. Judy recognized that look. Dani looked at her that way sometimes. Must be a lawyer thing.

  “Because this could go very quickly, I must ask, are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure there is no hope of getting into counseling and maybe working this out with Greg?”

  Judy thought about how to answer without sounding like a complete bitch. “I think Greg is done. He doesn’t really want to have anything to do with me, and at this point, the feeling is mutual.”

  “Okay then, just one more thing I wanted to ask,” Charisse said, picking up a pen and making a few notes. “It’s my understanding that you have supported Greg financially while he pursued his writing career. What would you do differently in your career, if anything, if the tables were turned and Greg supported you financially? In other words, did supporting Greg hold you back from any of your career goals?”

  Judy answered right away. “I’ve wanted to go back to school to get my teaching certificate and teach high school history for a while now. I don’t mind my job right now
, but I don’t want to do it for 35 more years. I’m not passionate about it. I haven’t mentioned this to Greg, I thought it might be something we could talk about while we were working on our marriage.”

  “Hmm,” Charisse said, thinking out loud. “Maybe there is a way we can garner a little more for you so that you can realize that dream. We might be able to frame it as a quid pro quo agreement. You took on the financial burden during the marriage, allowing him to pursue his dream. Maybe you are entitled to more of the property because it’s your turn to pursue your dream.” Charisse looked thoughtful. “I’ll put together a complaint, email it to you for approval, and we’ll get the ball rolling.”

  “Thank you so much, Charisse. I appreciate your help.”

  “Oh honey, this is what you pay me for. I’m not cheap. No thanks necessary.”

  Judy left Charisse’s office and took in the afternoon, trying to clear her head. She had taken the afternoon off to have this appointment, and she didn’t want to go home yet. The condo was lonely without furniture, and she didn’t want to buy any furniture until she knew where she would land.

  It was a pretty day, though still chilly. The sun seemed to promise warmer weather to come. The breeze carried the scent of the ocean on it, though, and Judy was drawn to the water. She walked for a while on the waterfront and mulled over the events of the last two weeks. She watched the ferry traffic and the random cruise ship docked at the port. Still too early for tourist season, but there was always some ship or other docked at the Port of Seattle. She found a bench and sat down to rest and think.

  The sting of not hearing from Jason was still fresh. It was possible, though, that it was not meant to be with him. With time, she’d get over it. Dani was right—she had fallen for him, but it would fade eventually. It was probably better anyway. She liked to keep her life simple and free from emotional drama. Having Jason in her life right now would be anything but simple.

  She was not ashamed of being orderly or wanting her life to be stable. She had never been the type of person who could float from one thing to the next. She felt like being with Jason was impulsive and unthinking. She couldn’t control the way she felt, but she could control the way she acted—what possessed her to act on these feelings she had for Jason when the hurt of Greg’s announcement was so fresh? It was wrong on so many levels. It was wrong because she was still married. It didn’t matter that Greg had already moved on. Judy’s standards were higher than that.

  It was also wrong to drag Jason into an impossible situation. He might be a womanizer, or one of those awful men who just liked to collect women, but it was still wrong. Worse, he might be one of the good guys, and she put him right in the middle of her domestic problems.

  He hadn’t reached out to her, so maybe she needed to focus on getting through the end of her marriage. If it was meant to be with Jason, it would happen. It was right to let it go for now.

  If this was the right thing to do, why did Judy feel so sad?

  Chapter Nineteen

  JASON WAS EXHAUSTED. HE’D been flying every day since he got back from Catalina. He walked into his house, grateful that he had tomorrow off. Several of the other pilots at work had been out sick, and just as he got back into town from Southern California, he’d had to fill in. He’d been in the air the maximum amount permitted by the FAA, and had barely kept up with the paperwork. He threw his jacket and keys on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. He was so tired he didn’t think he’d be able to move from this spot.

  As with every other free moment he’d had in the last week, his mind turned to Judy. He knew he should call her. He wanted to call her. He said he’d wait a week, and it had been a week. But he felt something holding him back.

  It just seemed like they both had a lot going on in their respective lives. Of course, Judy had her personal life to sort out. That alone seemed like a hot mess that Jason should steer clear of. But she also seemed like she was on the brink of a major career change. She was going to change her whole life, and maybe he would be an unwelcome distraction while she navigated through that.

  Not to mention, he had his own shit to sort out. He was in the middle of selling his dad’s company to a big corporate outfit. He was trying to make the deal of a lifetime that would give him the time and opportunity to keep flying and not have to deal with management issues, and garner enough money to take care of his mom and sisters.

  Not that any of them needed the money. His mom was doing just fine financially since his dad’s estate settled, and his sisters were in good shape, too. It’s just that Jason had always felt bad that his dad left him the company and not anyone else. When he saw that in the will, he begged his mom to take the company, and when she refused, he begged his mom and two sisters to take equal shares of it. They all refused. It was the exact opposite of what usually happened when someone died, so his attorney said. Usually people were clamoring to get a piece of the pie.

  Bradford Aviation had shown up just at the right time with its interest in the company. Jason could negotiate this deal with Bradford and make sure that everyone got their fair share. He didn’t want any of it, just a job flying was enough for him. But he would have a nice little nest egg by the time the papers were signed, so maybe he’ll be in the market for a cushy job in southern California flying folks back and forth to Catalina after all.

  The deal had been mostly reached right before he went down to California and the papers had been drawn up while he was gone. This past week he’d given them to his attorney for review, and if everything looked good, they’d be closing the deal this week. Assuming he could stay in town long enough to get it done. He hoped his pilots had recuperated enough to come back to work.

  Just as his eyes closed and he started to drift off, his phone rang. He needed to let it go to voicemail. He was too tired for anything. It thankfully stopped ringing, and then after a minute, promptly started up again. Jesus Christ. Who was this asshole? He looked at the screen and saw that the call was coming from Bradford Aviation. It had to be Rich Mulcahey, the CEO. He was the only one obnoxious enough to think he was too good for voicemail after 9 o’clock at night. Jason picked up.

  “Hello,” he said, somewhat raspy from being almost asleep.

  “Hey there, Jason old buddy!” Rich practically yelled into the phone, his Texas drawl even more pronounced than normal.

  “Hey Rich, what’s up?” Jason responded, stifling a groan.

  “Did I catch you in the middle of something?” Rich asked. “Or maybe in the middle of someone?” Rich chortled at his joke.

  Jason rolled his eyes. “I just got home from a pretty busy flight week, you’ll be happy to know.” The man was insufferable.

  “Well, good. I always like to hear business is good. Hey, I wanted to tell you that I hired an advertising agency to help us announce the Bradford-Callahan merger. I want you to be involved with the announcements and all the ad stuff that happens. We have a meeting in a coupla weeks,” Rich explained.

  “Uh, I don’t know, Rich, that isn’t really my area of expertise. I’m not sure how useful I’ll be.” Jason was profoundly annoyed. He hated this type of corporate bullshit. It was the whole point of selling the company.

  “Jason, buddy. You are the face of Callahan and the spittin’ image of your daddy. We need you on this. After this first campaign or whatchacallit, you can go straight back to flying the friendly skies,” Rich said.

  He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He could handle one meeting. “All right. When’s the meeting?”

  Chapter Twenty

  “JUDY, DO YOU HAVE a few minutes to meet?” Judy’s boss, Stephanie, asked as she popped her head into her office.

  She had been back from Catalina exactly 10 days and it had taken every minute of it to catch up. Third-quarter campaigns were in finalizing stages and fourth quarter was right around the corner. In advertising, the fourth quarter was the most important: it’s the holiday season with all the Christmas shopping. Judy’s agency
represented a variety of clients, and it was the biggest agency in the Pacific Northwest. There were some agencies in the Bay Area and LA that were bigger, but not many.

  She was the senior account executive for three of the larger accounts. One was a Seattle-based clothing store that had grown to be an international business. She handled their domestic ad campaigns. She managed the creative team that came up with the ads, the media team that made sure their campaigns got on TV, radio, print and the web, and she ran interference between the agency and the clients. It was a much different world than the smoke-filled, martini-laden meetings portrayed on “Mad Men.” Madison Avenue in the 60s was the consummate White Boys’ Club, and if you weren’t three martinis in, there was no way a deal would be struck.

  Now when they held meetings with clients, she had her assistant contact their assistants to find out if there were any food allergy/avoidance issues, and they had fresh, healthy meals to fortify them while they hammered out the deals. The most decadent thing on the menu was coffee. Their clients focused on health and well-being, work-life balance, and portraying their products in such a way that it made everything easier and healthier: work, play, fitness, health, love, travel. Their products should make you feel smarter, family-oriented and cosmopolitan, and they had diversity requirements for their agencies doing their work. Having only white men doing the ad work led to a negative public perception. There were still some good-ole-boy holdouts in the business, but their numbers were dwindling.

  “Yes, sure, I’ll be right down.” Judy answered Stephanie.

  Stephanie was like Judy; she had worked her way up relatively quickly. She was VP for all work that came from the agency’s “local” clients; those who were headquartered in the Pacific NW. Hers was a sought-after position because it involved less intensive travel than their clients that were head-quartered in other places. The agency had a handful of international clients who were head-quartered in Asia, and the travel schedules for those account executives and VPs were brutal.