"From the plane crash, really?" The woman named Elaine said excitedly. She grinned at Kate. "Will you tell me all about that? Jack never wants to talk about it. Says it was all just a bad memory."
The three of them were sitting in the front room, Kate in an armchair, Jack and Elaine on the couch. She was exactly the type of woman Kate imagined Jack should be with, beautiful, intellectual, good family background, a trophy wife for him to parade in front of his colleagues at fancy dinner parties, a woman who looked the other way when her husband watched other women walk by, who kept her mouth shut and raised their children in their comfortable home in the suburbs. She reminded Kate a little of Shannon, although without the attitude.
"It's been three years. Over three years. It's hard to remember now."
"Must have been very exciting," Elaine said dreamily. "Beautiful beaches, lots of healthy fruits, perfect air, sunny. Sounds like paradise."
Kate looked at Jack, as if to say, Is she serious? He looked away. Elaine glanced at Jack, then to Kate, and hopped up from the couch. "Gotta check on the roast. You'll stay for dinner, then, um...?"
"Kate."
"Kate, right. You're staying?"
Her eyes flickered to Jack's, and she nodded. "Just for a while. I don't eat meat."
Elaine nodded, "I used to be a vegetarian. Jack changed my mind." She gave his shoulders a rub and Kate felt a roar of jealousy.
"When?" She demanded, after Elaine had disappeared into the kitchen.
"When what?" He asked, fiddling with the gold band around his finger.
"That, the ring. Her ring. When?"
"Almost two years ago. In November." He muttered. "What do you want?"
"I need a place to stay for a couple of days. Just until I get back on my feet."
"Not here. You can't stay here."
"It's only for a while."
She pressed until he agreed, thought she noted his reluctance. She shrugged it off. While Elaine was busy in the kitchen, the two of them talked about what had happened the past three years. She told him how desperately she had wanted a baby, how Sawyer refused, saying it would tie him down. Jack told her how his mother had introduced him to Elaine, how he had proposed to her at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. They spoke carefully, neither of them treading over the subject of their island romance. She started to bring up the others, but Elaine poked her head out of the kitchen to tell them that it was time for dinner.
She left her belongings in her bag, not intending to stay long. The guest bedroom she'd been given was painted pale yellow, empty save for a wooden pine dresser and a bed, a single window looking out into the large backyard. The bed had freshly pressed white sheets and a bright yellow comforter. The walls were bare, for the most part, except a small painting hanging above the bed.
Dressed in her pajamas, a long white shirt and a pair of track pants. She was pulling back the blankets to get into the bed, when there was a soft knock on the door. She answered it, and Jack was there, looking at her nervously.
"Can I come in?" He asked. She stepped to the side in reply, watching him curiously. He sat down on the bed and looked up at her. She shut the door softly and turned to look at him again.
"I can't do this, Kate." He admitted. "This whole marriage is a lie." She felt sorry for him, and went to sit next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders.
"I don't have long, she's in the shower. Maybe fifteen minutes. We need to talk."
"Okay," she said, waiting. He took a deep breath.
"You know I've always felt something for you. I still do. I married her because my mother told me I needed to get over you. But I can't get over you, Kate. But I can't divorce Elaine either. I have to get rid of her somehow. I just don't think I can–"
She put a hand over his mouth. "Don't worry about it. I'm only staying a few days. This is your life now. Stay with her. You deserve to grow old with her. You don't want me. I'm broken and used."
He pulled her hand away, and his touch sent shivers up her spine. "I do want you," he said, in a voice she'd never heard from him before. "I don't want a trophy wife." She let him kiss her, didn't protest when he pulled her shirt off and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor beside them. He didn't protest when she pulled his shirt off, or when she pushed her tongue deeper into his mouth. She arched her back and moaned softly when he gently pushed her back against the pillows, his fingers tracing circles on her stomach. She lay back, her hair splayed across the pillow, panting softly, watching as his eyes took in her almost-naked body. She had never wanted anything so much in her life than him, here, now. It was hot, and the sweat rolled down his face. She propped herself up by her elbows and grabbed his belt buckle, loosening the strap and pulling it off. She threw the belt on the floor and bent low to unbutton his pants. She easily wiggled out of her too-large jeans, kicking them onto the floor. They were both breathing heavily, staring into each others eyes. She wondered vaguely if what they were about to do would mean anything to either of them, or if it was just meaningless. At that moment, she didn't care. It took her a second to realize he had pulled his boxers off, and tossed them carelessly to the side, her underwear with them. He was looking at her with the strangest look, but she put her arm around his neck and pulled him close, letting fate take over.