That Ring: Chapter 11

I sleep in late, and when I go downstairs for coffee, I find Jadyn baking up a storm. And based on the disaster that is her kitchen, I’d say she’s been at it for a while. There are three pans filled with homemade, iced cinnamon rolls. Trays full of cookies. What I assume will be a layered cake is cooling on racks. Flour, sugar, and chocolate chips share the island with mixing bowls and spatulas. The microwave door is open. The room hot from the oven being on, but it smells incredible.

I take a seat at the bar, remembering how Danny said this is what Jadyn does when she’s stressed or trying to solve a problem.

“Can I help?” I ask her.

“Yes, actually, you can. Go grab a couple of beers and sit at the bar and talk to me while I bake.”

“Uh, it’s only nine a.m.”

She shakes her head. “Really? Sorry, I’ve been baking since, like, four this morning. It feels like noon. Phillip took the kids to school and both the puppies to the office with him. He couldn’t wait to show them off. Danny is at practice but said to tell you he’d be home in time for lunch.”

“So, what’s wrong?” I ask her. “Danny said you cook when you’re trying to work out a problem.”

She smiles at me. “Yes, I do. I’ve already solved a couple of them. One had to do with elevators. Because Tripp was in such a hurry to start and because you never know what you’re going to find when you start ripping walls out, we knew basic space requirements, but I’m having to adjust minor details on the fly. For example, some of the baseboards in one section were rotted. We looked for days, trying to find a match, finally gave up, and are having custom millwork done. Expensive, but no big deal compared to the scale of the project. The marble distributor that I’ve used for over ten years just folded their business. Apparently, the owner’s wife and his accountant were having an affair; the accountant embezzled a lot of money and then quit and took off with his wife. They left a few months ago, and he just now discovered the money side of it. He’s going to have a court battle on his hands, and it will be really messy. He suggested that I fly to Argentina and source it myself through his distributor. Tripp is so enthusiastic about this project that he’s already bought another historical hotel. Luckily, this new one is in Fort Worth, so a little closer to travel to. But the real question is, how would I feel about letting my company go? It should be an easy decision. Stay home with my kids more. See Phillip more.”

“Danny said Phillip is going to take Tripp’s deal. That Tripp agreed to let him promote someone within the company to CEO and that Phillip would stay on as chairman of the board.”

“He also wanted a spot on the board of Tripp’s holding company. Are you saying that Tripp agreed?”

“That’s what Danny said. But he also said you would know because you and Phillip tell each other everything.”

“We do.” She nods her head. “But after getting the kids calmed down and to bed after the excitement with the puppies last night, I think I kissed Phillip, laid my head on his shoulder, and was out—which is very unusual for me.”

“Does it make a difference in what you’re baking?” I ask.

“Actually, it does.” She smiles and drops her whisk. “Will you stay here and take that batch out of the oven in six minutes?”

“Uh, sure,” I say as she goes racing to her office.

I wait six minutes, take the cookies out of the oven, and then pour myself a glass of milk.

I pile a plate with three cookies, sit back down at the bar, and bite into the warm goodness—the melted chocolate and peanut butter combination tasting like heaven. After enjoying the treats, I figure I might as well make myself useful and clean up the kitchen.

I’m just wiping the counters off an hour later when Jadyn comes back.

“Jennifer, you didn’t have to do all this!” she exclaims.

“I know, but I figured it’s the least I could do. I’m really sorry about Angel.”

“Thank you. And I really appreciate it. Did you at least eat some cookies?”

“Three. With some milk. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with everything.”

“I think I’ll let Devaney frost the cake when she gets home from school. I taught her how to use a bag and tip, and she’s pretty good at it. We can have it tonight for dessert. The cookies will fill up the after-school jar, and then I’ll send some home with Danny and the kids and freeze the rest. With the holidays coming up, it will be nice to have them ready to go.”

“It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Troy and I usually traveled during that time. What do you do?”

“Our Thanksgivings are basically filled with friends, family, food, and football. Will you be here for the holidays?”

“Um, is that okay?” I ask. “I didn’t even think about that. You probably will need your guest room back.”

“Phillip’s parents will be over for Thanksgiving dinner, but his sister and her family won’t be down. So, you’re cleared to stay through the divorce. Or however long you feel comfortable with it.”

“When is the divorce final?” I realize I don’t even know.

“December the sixth. Providing…”

“Providing what?”

“That Lori doesn’t change her mind about anything.”

“Can she do that? I thought they signed, and everything is official.”

“Yes, but they still have to go in front of a judge and tell him that they agree to it in person. If one of them doesn’t say they agree, the court recesses, and they have to get another date and try to come to a new agreement. Since Danny surprised Lori by giving her the Ferrari instead of more money like she had hoped, it’s hard to say what she’ll do. She’s a wild card. Erratic. You just never know. Hopefully, she is crazy happy with Dickrash and can’t wait to marry him, so she’ll be anxious to say yes.”