Даниэла Стил - All That Glitters

“I’ll think about it. And I’ll see you in New York soon,” she said, as they got up from dinner and left the restaurant. “What are you going to do about Tamar?” she asked.

“Wait and see what she does. She said she was going to see a lawyer when I left, to try and work out some kind of separation agreement. She took the LSATs, she wants to start law school in January, if she gets in. She’d like to specialize in tax law, which actually would have fit with what I do, but I don’t think we’re going to be running a business together,” he said ruefully, “just sharing our kids, although they’ll live with me most of the time. They’re young to have divorced parents and a split living situation,” he said with regret.

“Maybe it’s easier that way,” she said, trying to encourage him, “when they’re younger.”

“I was thinking about moving the family to the suburbs, but I won’t if I’m going to be single. I’d rather be in the city.”

“You’re going to have fun, Sam.” He was still younger than most men getting married for the first time. Being divorced at thirty-one, which he would be soon, wasn’t a death sentence. He had taken a five-year detour into marriage, and it hadn’t worked out. He still had a long life to live, and time to meet the right woman. And he loved his children and was devoted to them.

“At least I’ll see you while you’re in New York.” She was looking forward to it too.

She dropped him off at his hotel, he hugged her and got out of the car. “Thank you for cheering me up.”

“You do it for me all the time.” She smiled at him. He always had. And so had she. It was so damn hard being a grown-up, at any age.

—

Coco and Bethanie attended Leslie’s wedding. Bethanie was the flower girl and Coco the maid of honor. And as soon as Leslie returned from her honeymoon, they flew to New York.

They spent the first weekend in Southampton enjoying the hot weather. Bethanie loved it and so did Coco. She freshened up some things in the house, and moved them around, which made the house feel like hers, not her parents’. They went for long walks on the beach, built sand castles, collected shells, and put them on a table to dry. Sam came out for the day with his children. Tamar wasn’t with him. She had seen a lawyer, and he had hired one. They were working on a separation agreement, but were still living in the apartment together. He said it was very tense, and she had applied to law school at NYU and Columbia, after doing well on the LSATs, which didn’t surprise him. She was boring, but bright, and had been a good student in college.

Their children played in the sand, while he and Coco watched them. He had brought a babysitter to help with the baby and the others. Bethanie and Nathan were best friends, until they fought over a shovel, and Bethanie hit him with a bucket and Coco had to scold her and remind her to be nice.

“It starts early,” Sam said with a grin.

They made lunch for the kids and ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were left over. It was simple and fun.

“How’s your investor?” Sam was curious about him.

“He’s a really nice guy. He was a real estate agent, and loved what we were doing when a friend told him about it. He’s gay, and his partner is a decorator. It’s a great setup for them. They’re married and have two adorable adopted little girls. Only one of them is the investor, but they’re both really nice guys. They already have a great roster of potential clients, mostly corporations bringing people to New York from other cities, or internationally. That’s where we really shine.” Leslie had done most of the work for the past year when Coco was away, but before that they had both put a lot of effort into building the business, and Coco had invested the most money. It had really paid off for both of them.

They’d given Sam’s children an early dinner. He gave the baby a bottle, and knew they’d sleep most of the way home.

“I had a really nice day. I’m glad you’re keeping this house. It reminds me of when we were kids.”

“Me too.” She smiled nostalgically. “It reminds me of my parents mostly. They loved it here. They were so great together. Why can’t we find people like that?”

“They weren’t complicated,” Sam answered her. “Most people today seem to be. There are too many options and choices and wounded people running around. Like Ian, although he was an extreme case, and fame makes it all harder.” She nodded. He was right, except that Tamar wasn’t complicated. He just hadn’t loved her enough to marry her, or at all. She had always been a mistake.

“My parents were always perfectly clear about how much they loved each other. That never changed. It just got better,” Coco said with admiration, wishing she could find a situation like theirs. “They believed in each other.”

“We make odd decisions, and pick difficult people. Anything is acceptable now. You have to get it right in the beginning. I don’t think you can take an impossible situation and make it work, no matter how hard you try. None of your choices were the right ones, no matter how appealing they seemed at the time,” Sam said to her. “And neither was mine. It was never right with Tamar and I knew it, and it wasn’t that appealing, except to my parents. I should have followed my instincts. Instead, I tried to do the noble thing.” She nodded. He was right about that too. He was a smart and a good man and he was going to be fine, Coco was sure of it. Women were going to be crawling all over him when he was free, although the four kids might scare them at first, but he was a great dad, and a good husband, or had tried to be.

He left the house in Southampton with a wave, after he hugged her, while Coco and Bethanie stood in the driveway waving back. They had had a wonderful day.

On Sunday, Coco and Bethanie drove into the city. Monday morning she left Bethanie with Theresa, met with Evan, their investor, and got to work. The storefront office they had in SoHo was great looking, and Jack, his partner, had done wonders with it, to make it inviting. They worked hard, and she liked the staff they had hired. It suited their image, and the style of the brand. They were bright young people with lots of enthusiasm and energy and were going to be a credit to Leslie and Coco’s business. Evan and Jack were going to visit them in London in December, and bring the crew so the staff of the two offices could meet, and get to know each other, to make things run more smoothly.

It was a long week. They were officially going to be open in seven weeks. She wanted to go to the Hamptons again that weekend but it was pouring rain on Friday, so she didn’t. It was after seven when she got home, and Sam called her as she walked in the door. He sounded grim.

“Can I come over?”

“Sure. Something wrong? You sound pissed.” She looked in the fridge after they hung up, there wasn’t much there, but she could make him a salad if he was starving.

He arrived twenty minutes later, and he looked livid when he took off his dripping raincoat, and followed her into the den, which was her favorite room. The living room was beautiful but always felt too fancy. Her parents had loved the den too.

“What happened?” she asked him. He looked furious.

“You were right. My mother heard it from a friend at shul. Tamar’s been having an affair with the rabbi of the other synagogue I told you about. I love that when religious men, leaders of the community, go around sleeping with other men’s wives. It’s no better than priests having affairs. Apparently, it’s been going on for eight or nine months, ever since the baby. Supposedly, she went to him for counseling about our marriage, and they fell in love. He’s fifty-five and a widower, with no kids, and she’s only twenty-eight.”