The Cottage

“I love her too,” Jessie said honestly, “but I'm mad at her.” She had just turned sixteen, and she was in deep conflict with her mother. Jason remained more of a bystander, but it was clear that he was disappointed in her. And in truth, he was happier living with his father, and so was Jessie. “And I'm not going back to school there.” He hadn't even begun to broach that, but Janet wanted them back with her as soon as possible, and in school in New York in the fall.

In the end, he had to call Janet back to discuss it with her.

“I can't sell it, Janet. I'm trying, but the kids aren't buying. They don't want to come to New York now, and they're adamant about not coming to the wed-ding.”

“They can't do that,” she said, bursting into tears as soon as she said it. “You have to make them!”

“I can't drug them and put them on a plane in body bags,” Mark said, feeling frustrated with both factions. She had made her bed, and she was having a tough time lying in it. He wasn't feeling vengeful about it, or even angry. He was happy with Taryn. “Why don't you come out here and talk to them? It might make things easier for them,” Mark suggested sensibly, but Janet didn't want to hear it.

“I don't have time. I'm too busy getting ready for the wedding.” They had rented a house in Connecticut, and were having two hundred and fifty guests at the reception over the Fourth of July weekend.

“Well, if you care, your children aren't going to be there, unless you do something to change that. I've done everything I can.”

“Force them,” she said, finally getting angry. “I'll take them to court if I have to.”

“They're old enough that the court is going to listen to them. They're fourteen and sixteen, they're not babies.”

“They're behaving like juvenile delinquents.”

“No,” he defended them quietly. “They're hurt. They think you lied to them about Adam. And you did. He made it obvious to them that you left me for him. I think his ego was talking. But they heard him loud and clear.”

“He's not used to children.” She defended him, but she knew Mark was right.

“Honesty is a major message, and usually the best one.” He had never lied to his children, and until Adam, nor had Janet. She was besotted with him. And now she did everything he wanted, including antagonize her children. “I can't help you with this, unless you do something to help too. Why don't you come out here for a weekend?”

In the end, she did. She stayed at the Bel Air for two days, and Mark convinced the kids to stay with her. Things weren't resolved at the end of it, but they had agreed to go to New York for the remainder of the month of June. She had promised not to force them to go to the wedding if they didn't want to. She was sure that once they were there, she could convince them. And Jessica had told her in no uncertain terms that they were coming back to LA to go to school. And Jason agreed with her. Janet knew that she couldn't force them to do otherwise, but she told Mark that if she agreed, they had to set up a regular visiting schedule for them to come to New York for weekends, once a month, if not more often. He agreed, and promised to try to convince the children. They thought it was a major victory that she had agreed to let them continue living with their father, and so did Mark. And they left for New York the following week, in much better spirits. They were going to be gone for four weeks, and as soon as they left, Taryn moved to the guest wing to stay with him. Things were going very smoothly. She and Jessica were nearly best friends now. Jessica felt entirely different about Taryn than she did about Adam, and so did Jason. But Taryn had been honest with them so far, and hadn't broken up their parents' marriage, which was a definite advantage.

Taryn had never liked anyone's children before, and she was surprised to see how comfortable she was with Mark's kids. She found them respectful, and funny and loving and easy, and she was developing a deep affection for them, which they reciprocated freely.

“You know, if they're going to stay with me permanently,” he said to Taryn thoughtfully, a few days after they'd left, “I should look for a house. I can't stay here forever. We should really have our own place.” There was no hurry, but he said he would start looking sometime that summer. And if the house he bought needed remodeling, they still had the guest wing until February. It was a great arrangement, and he had to admit he'd be sorry to leave.

Talking about it, even tentatively, brought up questions about him and Taryn.

“How would you feel about living with us?” he asked her seriously. Life had worked out so unexpectedly for them. Five months earlier he had been devastated by Janet leaving him, and now he had found this wonderful woman, who seemed like a perfect fit, not only for him, but his children.