On the Beach

"Sure, come on round, would you like breakfast or have you already eaten?"

"A coffee wouldn't go astray."

"Fine, I'll see you soon." I hung up and got another mug down. I heard a car pull in to my driveway as I poured and was heading for the door when the bell rang.

She looked very nice close up, she felt very nice close up, her lips felt . . . you get the picture. "I've spoken to Kate and have an appointment at 1.30 this afternoon. I would like you to come with me, please."

"All right I will. How are you coping?" we were sitting while I finished my muesli and started on the coffee.

"I'm doing surprisingly well, Phoebe has been a great help, in fact she's going to our house to pick up a few things that I need, and to spy out the lay of the land, you know, evidence of another woman involved. Tony is going to have a chat with Roger to find out what he's saying and doing. I have spies everywhere."

"Good, now you relax and drink your coffee while I have a shower and shave. I won't be long."

Refreshed and spruced I walked in to see her looking at some framed pictures on the wall. "Did you do these?"

"Yes, they're my feeble attempt at becoming an artist."

"They're very good, how did you get that effect?"

"I use a mixed media of charcoal, pencil and pen, and some of them I use oil crayons to add colour highlights."

"It's very effective. Have you sold any?"

"No, I don't think that they're good enough."

"I'd like to buy a couple, if you'll sell them to me."

"Pick two and you can have them. I can always do more." She looked closely at the pictures and selected two of the sand hills behind the beach. "What would you like to do between now and when we have to leave for your appointment?"

"I'd just like to sit here and talk to you, if that's okay with you." So we sat and talked and had another coffee. It was a pleasant and new experience for me, Melinda wasn't one for talking, or sitting for that matter, she always had to be doing something, fidgeting with the ornaments in the display case, moving furniture, and it used to bug me, particularly when I wanted her undivided attention to discuss important matters like our finances.

My phone rang. "Hi Jeremy, it's Phoebe, is Mum there."

"Sure, I'll put her on." I handed the phone to Jenny. She stood listening, her face clouded over as Phoebe broke the news. She handed the phone back to me. "Well?"

"Her name is Tiffany and she's a model, and she hates dogs. I'm scared that she might do something to them. Can't we go there and take them from her?"

"We could, but I'd like to get Kate's advice on this before we go in with guns blazing to rescue them."

We had lunch in a bistro around the corner from Kate's office, it was almost a relaxed meal but there was still some tension and apprehension in Jenny. This was quickly dispelled when we walked into Kate's office. She greeted me as a close friend, a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "It's good to see you again, you look great, semi-retirement obviously suits you. And this must be Jenny." She cast an appraising look at Jenny and hugged her as well. "So, tell me, who was the fool who traded you in on a new model?"

"His name is Roger Prothero."

"Not the Roger Prothero?"

"The one and the same, manager to the stars. And the new woman in his life is Tiffany, just Tiffany, and she actually is a model."

"I think I know her, wasn't she the one involved in that scandal with a married football player? I remember reading about it in one of those gossip mags at the doctors a while ago." Kate wasn't about to admit to being addicted to this type of magazine, but I had seen inside her desk drawer.

We settled down to work our way through the initial strategy. We couldn't lodge a counter claim until we saw what Roger was going for, but Kate would contact his lawyer to advise that she was acting for Jenny and that all contact would be through her. "Don't worry about anything at this stage of the game, there will be an initial skirmish to see how serious we are in challenging anything he wants, it won't be until the dust settles that we can expect to get into serious negotiations."

"One thing I insist on," Jenny added just before we finished our conference. "I want the dogs, and I want them as soon as possible."

"I'll see what I can do." I didn't know what I was going to do but I had to give her some hope. "But we can't force the issue if they are part of the asset split."

"Why not? He doesn't even like them."

"All that he has to do is to say that he wants to keep them and it will be up to the court to decide, he could drag it out for months. Sit tight on this and we may be able to do something about it soon, rock the boat and we'll have to wait." Kate re-enforced my position.

"You're the expert."

"Jenny, do you mind if I have a very quick and private word with Jeremy?" Jenny nodded assent and left the room deep in thought.

Kate looked me in the eye. "You fancy her, don't you?"

"Yes I do, and I only met her two nights ago. At first I thought that it was only sympathy and that I could help her without getting involved, but that was until I began to fantasize about what it would be like with her that I realised that I was attracted to her. She is lovely don't you think?"

"I agree with you there and I think that you would make a great couple, but don't let your feelings for her get in the way of what we have to do here, otherwise you'll fuck up your chance of success. I know you and you don't want an affair with a married woman so the only way that you can have her is to make sure that she gets her divorce."

"You know me too well and you know that I want what's best for her, so I'll just have to keep him in my pants until this is resolved."

I took Jenny home and Phoebe was there with the kids. "I'll give Father one thing he can pick them, she's beautiful, not smart mind you but beautiful, and she hates the dogs and I think the feeling is mutual. They came to the door when she opened it and greeted me like a long lost friend and she just stood there freaking out, stamping her foot and yelling at them to leave her alone every time one of them brushed against her."

"Jeremy I've got to get them back, I can't have them living in the house with someone who hates them."

"I know that this is hard for you but please be patient and let this situation take its course, I know it won't be long. Speaking of dogs, unless I go home and take my two for their walk they'll go stir crazy."

When I got home I made a phone call to the local animal shelter and explained that I believed that a woman would bring in two dogs the following day, I described them and gave their names so that when they scanned the micro-chips it would confirm their identity. She would say that it was because she wasn't able to handle them and that when this happened they were to contact me and I would buy them.

The next morning I sat reading the morning paper over breakfast and a headline in the gossip pages caught my eye. 'Top model Tiffany moves in with her man.' The article went on to proclaim that she has been telling her friends that she is the happiest that she has ever been now that she has moved in with the new man in her life and that 'this is it'.

Another article that attracted my attention was of a meeting later that day between Model Management CEO Roger Prothero and representatives of some of the most prestigious Paris fashion houses where they would be introduced to the top models in this country with a view to future catwalk work. Tiffany was mentioned in the six names to be put forward.

I had just returned from my early morning stroll on the beach when the phone rang. It was the animal shelter telling me that the dogs were there. I rang the owner of the boarding kennel that cared for my two when I had to go away and arranged for them to be boarded there. I collected the dogs and, after dropping them off at their temporary home rang Kate and told her what had happened and warned her that she might be getting a call from Roger's lawyers wanting to know if we had abducted them.

I called in to see Jenny. "I have good news and bad news, the good news is that the dogs are no longer in Roger's care, the bad news is that, although I know where they are, and they're safe, I can't tell you where they are because you'll probably get an angry call from Roger demanding their return. This way you won't be lying when you tell him that you haven't got them, you didn't take them and you don't know where they are."

"What are you telling me?"

"I had this feeling yesterday when Phoebe told us about Tiffany and the dogs that she'd do something stupid like dumping them at the animal shelter. I figured that she wouldn't be bright enough to realise that Roger was using them as leverage. All she could think of was that she and the dogs hated each other and she had to get rid of them. So what I did was to ring the shelter and ask them to contact me if she should dump the dogs and I'd buy them, which I did. I have them safely hidden away, that's all you need to know."

"You're a wonderful man, I could kiss you." She moved to me but I held up my hand.

"Jenny, let me explain something about me and how I operate. I am a single, divorced man, and you are a married not divorced woman. Now I was brought up to value the bonds of matrimony. I won't deny that, even in the short time that we've known each other, I've grown very fond of you to the point of hoping, dreaming, that this will lead to something. But given my upbringing, I think it best if I suppress my feelings for you, for the time being at least."

"But you will allow me a platonic kiss from time to time won't you?" She didn't wait for my refusal but gave me a kiss that was borderline platonic. I could see that my resolve would be sorely tested. "Now I have to explain to you something about me. Roger was my first and only lover. We weren't prudish enough to wait until after we were married before we had sex but I have not made love with any other man. The way I feel about us at this point in time is that I would like very much to make love to you. Now I know that you are going to say that if we rush into an affair it will be difficult to differentiate between having sex and making love, but I want to experience a sexual experience with another man to help me decide whether I still have feelings for Roger. I would much rather that experience be with you."

"Can you wait for a couple of days before taking this step? I think that the next day or two are going to be very trying for you, for us."

"I can if you just hold me for a couple of minutes, just to give me something to look forward to." She wrapped her arms around me, leaving me with little alternative other than to hold her and I have to confess that if she had lifted her face to mine my resolve would have disappeared in a puff of smoke.

That evening all was not well with Roger and Tiffany. "Where are the dogs?" He yelled at her.

"They must have run away when I went shopping."

"What? Did you leave the front door open? Because that's the only way that they could have gotten out."

"I don't know how they got out. Maybe your wife came while I was out and took them."

He rang Jenny and she denied any knowledge of the dog's whereabouts so Roger turned his attention back to Tiffany.

"What were you thinking? I kept those dogs to force Jenny to agree to my terms and now they're gone. You got rid of them, didn't you?"

"But you didn't like them and they hated me, so what if I did get rid of them? You didn't have to put up with them barking at you all of the time."

"Where did you take them?"

"To the dog's home, you know the one that looks for homes for unwanted pets."

Roger looked at his watch and realised that he had just enough time to call the shelter before it closed for the day. The news wasn't good, both dogs had been sold and no, they couldn't release details of the purchaser or purchasers. "Do you realise the mess you've made? While I had them I could have dictated terms and she would have gone along with them to get the dogs back. Your little brain fade will cost me millions which I haven't got."

"Why are you angry with me? If you hadn't wanted me to do this all you had to do was to say to me, 'Tiffany, I know you don't like the dogs, but if you love me you'll put up with them for a few weeks until she agrees with my terms.' And I would have done it because I love you, but now you're angry with me and tell me I'm stupid and now I don't think you love me. I don't know what to think, I'm confused, one minute you say to me that you love me and that you're going to get me this huge contract in Paris and we can move there and be happy and be fabulously rich and mix with the beautiful people like Posh and them, and that I'll become famous all over the world and it's all because of you, but now you don't love me all because I got rid of those fucking bogs that you didn't even fucking well like! I'm leaving." She paused at last to catch her breath before storming off to pack.

Roger stared at her receding back. He knew that she was scatty and that her emotions were all over the place, but he had reasoned that if she was living with him, he'd be able to control her so that she wouldn't just suddenly disappear and the first he would know of it was seeing her in the gossip mags cavorting about with some over-toned football star, only to return when the star's wife threatened to screw his financial arse to the wall. He began to question why he was in the business and rationalised that it was the perks, like wall to wall sex on tap that had kept him in it. Now he was up shit creek without a paddle, he couldn't afford to give Jenny half of his assets because, he wanted to keep the house and maintain his lifestyle and to do that he would have to buy her out and that was financially impossible. Tomorrow he would call his lawyer and demand a reconciliation conference; he had to salvage his life.

I sat reading the morning paper over breakfast and was confronted by the headline in the gossip column; 'Tiffany walks out of dream home.' The article went on to relate, in cynical terms, the fact that Tiffany had once more failed in her latest relationship. Further into the paper was the small announcement that Model Management had severed its contract with Tiffany and that she was no longer on the list of models that would travel to Paris for the coming fashion season.

I had three messages on my answering machine when I got back from my beach walk; the first was from Jenny. "Hi Jeremy, Darling, it's me. Just thought that I'd call to see if you've softened your stance on us making love. Please call when you can. 'Bye."

The next message was from Kate. "Jeremy, how are things between you and Jenny. I've just had a call from Roger's lawyer demanding a reconciliation conference. Call me."

The third was from Jenny again. "Kate rang, Roger wants a conference. She wants to see us this morning. Call me."

My first call was to Kate. "What is he planning? Surely he can't really want a reconciliation, I get the impression that he doesn't love her."

"I've just received the financials and while I've only glanced at them, I've a strong feeling that this is a financial decision. It would appear that his business isn't travelling all that well and he's begun to get desperate. He was hoping to convince Jenny to give up her entitlement to the main house so that he could borrow against it to pay off some of his debts. The meeting with the Paris fashion houses was something of a last throw of the dice for him, if that had come off, and it still might, then he may have salvaged some of his business."

"So who will be at this conference?"

"There will be Roger and Jenny, myself and his lawyer, and I'd like you to be there as my associate."

"Okay, I have to ring Jenny now, we'll see you at eleven." I dialled Jenny's number. "Hi, it's me, can you come over for coffee? Good, I'll see you then." A quick shower and shave and I was ready for her.

She came through the door and into my arms, her lips on mine. Resolve don't leave me now. I gently pried her away. "Please don't make this hard for me, be patient. I don't want to seem callous but we need to discuss the latest developments."

"I know that you're right but I just had to feel you and kiss you." I poured coffee for us and we sat at the dining table. "Do you really think Roger wants a reconciliation?"

"I think he's getting desperate. You know that Tiffany has left him, don't you?"

"Yes. I gather they had a huge argument about the disappearance of the dogs. He rang me last night to accuse me of taking them, she apparently dropped that one on him to explain them not being there, and when I denied knowing their whereabouts he turned on her."

"Kate has spoken to his lawyer and has a good idea what he's proposing so she'll fill us in on all aspects of this."

"You think a lot of her, don't you?"

"Yes, we've been friends for years, and her husband is a really great guy. He's a doctor as well as my brother and they have three of the nicest kids I've ever met, but then I could be just a little biased seeing as my own marriage was never blessed that way."

Kate was waiting for us. "I think I know the reason for Roger's actions of late. He has a gambling problem that has drained his finances."

"What! Wow, he certainly kept that quiet." Jenny was genuinely surprised.

"Yes well, what he had planned was to divorce you on his terms which were that he would keep the family home and you have the holiday home. He would then re-finance it to pay off his debts. Having Tiffany living with him would mean that he had more control over her finances and would be able to tap into her wealth, not that she had all that much, money flowed through her fingers like fine sand. Unfortunately for him, she's not the brightest bulb in the box and she hated the dogs so she got rid of them, thereby ridding him of the leverage he hoped to use. My feeling is that he'll be full of remorse and contrition and play on your forgiveness."

The conference room was sterile and adversarial. A court appointed officer was the referee and the warring parties lined up on opposite sides of the long table, enough timber separated them that coming to blows would mean climbing onto the table. Introductions over Roger's lawyer briefly outlined Roger's proposal. "We do not feel that this would be a good outcome for my client." Kate looked directly at Roger as she spoke. "There are no guarantees that he will not want to divorce her again once his financial situation is resolved. There is also no guarantee that his gambling habit will not further diminish the joint asset pool leaving my client in a worse position financially."

There was a hurried whispered conference between Roger and his lawyer. "My client gives an undertaking that he will seek help with his gambling addiction, which will enable him to restore his financial position."

Our side's turn for a whispered conference. "I would insist that any guarantees that he makes should be in writing so that if he reneges we can hold him to his promise in future negotiations." Kate advised.

"I get the impression that you aren't opposed to some form of reconciliation." Jenny asked.

"That is entirely up to you. I was just putting to you the steps that you need to take to preserve your interests if he decides to go back on his undertaking."

"What do you think?" Jenny asked me.

"You know what I think. However I will support your decision, whatever that is, and I'm not going to make it hard for you by pleading my case to you. Know that you have my love and support either way."

"This is hard for me. One part of me wants desperately for this whole mess to be over and you and I can get on with our lives together. On the other hand I have invested a lot of my time, my physical and emotional resources, not to mention financial resources, in this marriage and I feel that I should at least give him another chance. Of course if I'm with him I can keep an eye on him to make sure that he honours his promises."