***Chapter 7***
***The next morning***
Jonathan woke up first. He instinctively rolled over and kissed Jennifer good morning, like he always did.
"Morning darling".
No response.
He got up and showered and then dressed. She was still sleeping.
He leaned down and whispered "I love you so much, whether or not you think so". He kissed her a few times, and then left.
She woke up at 8, and went downstairs to get coffee.
She saw that he had left her a note in the kitchen.
"I love you. I hope you still love me too. Hopefully we can talk tonight? I love you, Red -J".
She smiled a little. She wanted to believe that he was innocent, but the pictures don't lie.
She tried to work on her article, but couldn't concentrate. Instead she took herself to lunch, and then to a movie.
When she got home, Jonathan was home.
She heard it before she even came in the house. He was playing the piano. He always did it when he was upset or trying to figure something out.
She walked in the kitchen door, and stood and watched him play a while. He finally stopped and turned and saw her.
He stood up and went to her.
"Hi".
"Hi".
"I was worried about you".
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to".
"I ordered us dinner, it should be here soon".
"I'm not hungry".
"Jennifer, please talk to me. I can't get through this without you".
"You can't get through this? What about me? Do you realize that when the press gets ahold of the pictures, that I am going to look like a fool? Guilty or not, we are both going to be judged and talked about and ridiculed".
"I know. And I wish I could stop it, but I am doing all I can just to keep my head above water, here".
"You aren't the only one".
"I swear to you, I didn't purposely cheat on you. I wouldn't do that, honey. You are the only one for me".
"Jonathan, that chunk of time that you claim to be missing? What caused that?"
"Well, I was tired. And we had had a few drinks".
"Exactly. Think back to the last time you and I had a few too many drinks".
"2 weekends ago, the weekend before the awards ceremony".
"That's right. What happened afterwards?"
He thought for a minute, before he remembered.
"Jennifer, that doesn't prove anything".
"It most certainly does."
"Jennifer-that only happens when it's you and me".
Her eyes filled with tears, and her voice broke as she said "How do you know for certain?"
She shook her head and then went upstairs without another word.
***A few hours later***
Jonathan gave her some space, and stayed downstairs. He wrote out some questions he wanted to ask Mark, and he wrote out some questions that he wanted Mark to ask Charlie in the deposition.
After a few hours, he went upstairs. He figured Jennifer would be asleep, but he was surprised to find her laying on the bed watching tv.
He changed into his pajamas, and then came and got in bed.
He was debating whether or not to say anything to her.
He didn't want to upset her again.
He turned out his light, and rolled over away from her.
She watched TV a little longer and then got up and turned it off. She came back to bed and reached up and turned her light off and laid there, as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
***The next morning***
Jennifer was up before he was. She had barely slept all night. She was in the study when he came downstairs.
He came to the study door.
"Care to have breakfast with me?"
She nodded, and got up and headed to the kitchen with him.
They made bacon and eggs together and sliced fruit. He squeezed her some fresh orange juice, and she made his coffee just the way he liked it.
They had a quiet breakfast, and then she got up and cleaned the kitchen.
He came over to her, and grabbed both of her arms.
"Put down the sponge, please".
"Jonathan-"
"Please."
She put down the sponge and he turned her towards him.
"I love you. I don't know how she made those pictures, I don't know why she made those pictures, but what I do know is that you are the only woman in my life and the only one I love, or have ever loved, or will ever love. I am sorry I hurt you with all of this, and if I could go back and change it I would, but I can't. So, in order to keep you from getting hurt going forward, I will move to the beach house, and I will make a statement to the press that this was all my doing, and you were an innocent bystander. But, I am still going to love you, no matter what".
"Jonathan, I don't want you to move out. That's not going to solve anything".
He kissed her fingers.
"I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you might have slept with her. Not that you planned or chose to do it, but you know how you get when you have had too much, and it's just…I never thought you would do that with anyone other than me".
"Me either. I have a strategy that I think will work, I was going to run it by Mark this morning".
"What strategy?"
"Darling, if someone asked you what our lovemaking was like, could you describe it to them? I don't mean like "it was nice" or "it was ok", I mean like really describe it, step by step".
"I suppose I could, but that's personal".
"I know. Now, think back to the men you dated before me. Could you describe it with them?"
"Jonathan! I don't like where this is going".
"Humor me, please".
She thought for a minute.
"I suppose I could".
"Is that something all women can do? Describe it, I mean".
"I suppose".
"So, what if we have you describe our lovemaking in a deposition and then-"
"No. I won't give out personal details of our life like that, Jonathan. That's humiliating".
"Darling, it might be the only way. And we don't know what her lawyer is going to ask you".
She sighed.
"Jonathan, I can't do that. I won't do that".
She broke away from him and headed upstairs.
He wanted to go after her, but instead he headed to the office.
***A few hours later***
Jennifer was working on her article, in the study when the intercom rang.
She went to answer it and opened the gate. It was a delivery man.
He brought in the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen.
She thanked him and had him put it on the coffee table. It was in a beautiful square vase, and had to be at least 5 feet tall.
She dug for the card.
"I love you, no matter what. I hope that we can get back to being us, soon. J. H2H".
She smiled a little and smelled the flowers. They were gorgeous. They were all her favorites- bells of Ireland, white tulips, and dark red roses.
She went to call him and tell him thank you and that she was sorry for this morning, when the intercom rang again. She let the delivery man in the gate again, and opened the door for him.
"What did you forget?"
It was a different delivery man.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were the same one who was just here".
They brought in the flowers and she had them set them on the bar.
She tipped him, and he left and she dug for the card.
"Mrs. Hart-Just wanted to say thank you for teaching your husband how to properly treat a woman in bed. This morning was the greatest morning of my life, and it's all thanks to you-Charlie Watkins".
Jennifer was incensed.
She called Jonathan at the office. Kelly answered.
"Hi Kelly. Can you tell me what time Mr. Hart got there this morning?"
"About 8:45".
"And has he been alone in the office all morning?"
"Yes".
"Perfect. Can I speak with him please?"
"Certainly".
Jonathan picked up right away.
"Hi darling".
"Jonathan, if you value our marriage at all, you will come home right now. This has gone on long enough".
She slammed the phone down, and made a very stiff martini.
About an hour later, he came in the door.
She was on her second martini.
She gestured to the flowers.
"Did you send me these?"
"Yes I did. You love flowers, I don't understand".
"Right after I got these, I got those". She gestured towards the ones on the bar.
"Who sent you those?"
She shoved the card in his hand and took her glass to the bar.
He got up and caught her before she could leave the room.
"Jennifer, I wasn't with her this morning. I was with you, here. I left when you went upstairs, and I had to stop along the way to the office and get a new tire. Then I went straight to the office, and I was there till you called me, and then I came straight home".
She looked at him and didn't say anything.
He started to get angry.
"What, you don't believe me? Fine, here is the receipt for the new tire". He pulled it out of his wallet and shoved it into her palm.
She looked at it and saw that it was indeed a receipt for a new tire.
"I never said I didn't believe you".
She handed it back to him.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I can't do this anymore-constantly wondering whether or not she's going to call, or send evidence or now, send flowers, taunting me. I am not the kind of woman who fights other women. I never have been. When I was dating Andy, and he cheated on me, I walked away. I didn't stay and fight, because that's not me."
"Jennifer, please don't walk away from me-from us. Please".
She didn't say anything.
"Why is she doing this to us? To you?"
"I have no idea. But I promise you, I will figure it out".
She leaned up against the bar.
He grabbed the bar phone and called Mark.
"Mark- Jonathan here. Listen, Charlie is still harassing Jennifer. First it was the phone calls, and now she sent her flowers telling her that she and I had a lovely morning together when we didn't. So, can you call her lawyer and tell her that if she wants to have a deposition, then she knocks off the harassment?"
"She's entitled to a deposition regardless, Jonathan".
"Ok. Well surely, you have some legal trick that you can pull to get her to leave my wife alone."
"I will send a cease-and-desist letter. We need to call the flower shop and find out for sure that she paid for the flowers, though".
"I will see what I can do".
They hung up.
He turned back to Jennifer.
"Are you going to be ok here, if I go back to the office?"
She nodded.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you".
"I love you too. I'm sorry I have been such a bitch the last two days".
"Don't be silly. You have nothing to apologize for".
She let him hug her, and then he kissed her and went back to office.
"I'll see you tonight".
She nodded. She headed back to the study and started working on her article again.
***A few hours later***
Jennifer was still in the study when she decided to take a break. She got up and as she passed the intercom, it buzzed.
"Delivery for Jonathan Hart".
"Come on up".
She let them in the gate and opened the door.
It was a very large box, and had to be wheeled in with a dolly.
They put it down next to the stairs and she tipped them and then closed the door.
She went to the kitchen and made herself a salad, and was taking it to the study when she heard something coming from the box.
She looked at it, and then headed on back to the study.
Just as she was in the doorway of the study, she heard a loud noise again, and turned around. She dropped her salad as she heard the second noise, and realized that someone was in that box.
All of a sudden the cardboard fell to the floor, and there, crawling out of the box, was Charlie Watkins. She had a gun in her hand and pointed it at Jennifer.
"Don't move, or I swear, I'll kill you".