Jay stood at Rob and Abby’s front door for a full minute, working to steady himself.He finally rang the doorbell and waited.Inside, their lab, Blackjack, barked wildly.Jay prayed his unannounced visit hadn’t woken any sleeping children.Rob opened the door, his face shifting from surprise to worry in less than three seconds.
“Jay?What the hell?What are you doing here?”Rob asked.
“Slight change of plans.”
Rob motioned him inside.Abby rounded the corner, a toddler on her hip.Her face mirrored her husband’s.
“Jay?I thought you were in New York?”she said.
“Something’s come up.I didn’t feel like going home.I guess I should have called first, but?—”
“Jay, you never have to call,” Rob reassured him.
Abby left the two men alone in the living room.Rob offered food and drink, but Jay shook his head, flopping down on a chair without a word.Jay’s body language told a story—one of defeat.Abby returned a minute later with Jay’s favorite beer and sat on the couch beside her husband.
"You must be worn out,” Rob said.“You've crisscrossed Mother Earth how many times now?"
"I don't know."Jay sighed."I lost count."
He slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket.Seconds later, he placed a small box on the coffee table.
“She turned you down?”Rob asked with wide eyes.“What happened?”
“Calvin Butterworth happened," he said.
"Calvin Butterworth?"Rob and Abby said in unison.
"What does Calvin Butterworth have to do with Claire?"Rob shook his head.
"Remember I told you how he refused to see anyone after the accident?How he pushed everyone in his life away?And how he let go of the only woman he’s ever truly cared for—his biggest regret to date?"
Rob nodded."Yeah."
"Well, during our meeting I told him how my life had changed by letting go of my guilt and that I'd finally found true happiness with someone.Someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.I told him to focus on the one thing he had the power to reclaim."
"The woman he was involved with?”Rob asked.
"Exactly," Jay said.
"Only you had no idea that woman… was Claire," Abby said softly.
Rob shook his head."No.It can't be.You two met in Jamaica and she… I mean… you and she just…”
Jay took a pull of his beer, then said, "It's true.Neither of us had any idea.In fact, the way she spoke of the man she’d been involved with, I thought he'd died in an accident too.I could tell she wasn’t comfortable talking about it, so I didn’t push.I figured she’d tell me everything eventually."
"Fucking hell, Jay."Rob’s eyes grew wide.
"Wait a minute.I’m confused.Can you back up a few months because this doesn’t make sense?"Abby asked.
"Claire and Calvin were together for a couple of years.He proposed to her last Christmas, but she said no.She decided to take a job in London and didn't want a long-distance marriage.They had a fight about some text message and an emergency with a television show or one of the actors or something.He drove off like a bat out of hell and that’s when the accident happened.Hope must have been the first person on the scene, and then she…” Jay's voice trailed off.
"Let's just skip that part, okay?"Rob suggested.
"Calvin’s sister blamed Claire for his accident and threatened her with legal action if she ever tried to contact him again.Vowed to make Claire’s life a living hell if she didn’t walk away.Keep in mind this was Christmas morning.So, without a word to anyone, she packed up and moved to London.The last time she saw him Calvin was lying in ICU on a ventilator.”
"Damn, Jay, This is like something out of a movie,” Abby said.“It’s unreal.How did you finally figure this out?”
"Calvin called her,” Jay said.“He told her about our meeting with Dr.Larson.It was the first time Claire had spoken to him since the night of the breakup.He mentioned meeting me and that’s when Claire put everything together."
