Out of desperation, he went to Maine. Never in his life did he think he'd ever go there. Jennifer knew it and made fun of him. He had hoped to bring her home with him, but she refused. She was being difficult by refusing to come back to the apartment. Part of Sterling was glad. He needed a wife, but he didn't need to live with her. Appearances were the most important thing. Their business and their marriage were Dixon Designs. There was no separation between their work and personal life. When they went out, they were making a statement about the company.

Jennifer made him agree to tell Avery. He didn't want to tell anyone. As much as he loved his secret life, he preferred it to be secret. He blamed Jennifer for this trouble. He told her not to hire Trevor, but she insisted. Trevor interned for her when he was in school. Sterling was uncomfortable around him. On his last day when Jennifer was out, and they were alone, Trevor made a pass at him. Sterling tried to lie and tell him he didn't like it, but he did.

It didn't take long after Jennifer hired Trevor for their relationship to start. Sterling tried to resist. When Jennifer went to The Hamptons, they spent a lot of time together. Sterling thought he could live a double life. If Jennifer would just cooperate, he still could.

The entire day was bizarre, Jennifer was in the place she didn't belong. She looked the same, thank goodness. He was afraid he would find her in jeans looking common, but she was as beautiful as ever. Her beauty was like a fine painting. He admired it and the fact she belonged to him.

She angered him on purpose. They were always very selective about the clients they took on, yet she gave away free services. The thought of her talent being used in a tiny house was unacceptable. When Jennifer came home, he would get things back to how they should be. As the plane left the ground, he sighed. He was on his way back to civilization.

On Friday night, Megan invited her over. "It's poker night. I need some female company." She pleaded.

Having no other plans, Jen agreed. When she walked to Megan's, there were a few cars parked on the street. Megan greeted her at the door. A few men were talking with Peter as Megan ushered her upstairs to the master suite with a sitting area. "I hope you don't mind being up here?"

"No, it's fine," she replied. It was tastefully decorated. Her eyes lingered on the bed, and she teased. "So this is where the magic happens."

Megan blushed. "It's so much better than when we were younger."

Jen laughed. "I was teasing, not looking for a tell-all novel."

"Speaking of tell-alls, why are you really here?"

"For the Thompson house."

"I suspect there's more to it. I'm not one to pry, but I can tell you're unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy. I'm glad to have this time home."

"When you go back, is everything going to be alright?"

Jen could answer this any way she cared to, but seeing as Megan had experience with marital issues, she said, "No, probably not."

"Do you think you can work it out? That was my biggest mistake."

"Probably not. We could stay married for the sake of the business, but it would compromise my happiness."

"What is it you want that you're not getting?"

Jen thought about the best way to answer and focused on how she had been increasingly unhappy in her marriage, even without Sterling's infidelity and sexuality. Her desire for children was growing and Sterling was adamantly against having any.

"One thing is that he doesn't want children and I do."

Megan took a sip of wine. "I couldn't imagine my life without my kids."

"Where are they?"

"The twins are having a sleepover with my parents. Abbie is asleep." Finishing her wine she said, "Let's go downstairs. I like to distract Peter and screw up his game."

"Are they playing for money?" Jen asked, laughing.

"Yes, but it's okay."

Jen followed behind Megan. There were seven players, including Alex. She should have known. He had showered and changed out of his work clothes and was wearing a decent shirt. He had also shaved. Much of the time he had a few days of growth which she found sexy. There she admitted that he could look sexy, really sexy. He looked up at her and nodded. She smiled, but he didn't return a smile since he was concentrating on his cards.

Megan announced, "Every one this is my friend, Jen. Jen, this is everyone."

Most of the men murmured hello. She watched as Megan stood behind Peter and put her hand on his shoulder. The easy, natural way she touched him struck Jen. She thought she and Sterling had that once, but now she wondered if it was one-sided. Megan leaned in and whispered, and one man, a really built guy, called out.

"Hey no whispering lady!"

Megan laughed. "You don't know what I said."

The guy she recognized from The Landing said, "Knowing these two, it was probably very personal."

"Dan, is your wife still spying on us?" Peter asked.

"She's mad at Alex for putting your bedroom in the back of the house."

"Don't get me involved." Alex protested with a laugh.

When he laughed, his eyes sparkled. She looked around the room. They were friends and cared for one another. She didn't have a group of friends like that. In New York, the people she knew were superficial. Only Avery was a real friend.

Jen suspected the wine was going to Megan's head because when Peter got up for a beer, she followed him into the kitchen and pressed against him.

The big guy yelled, "Come on, you two act like you were separated for six or seven years! This isn't your honeymoon. The cards are waiting!"

Megan called out. "Hey John, I'd be careful. You're the one who's almost the newlywed." Everyone laughed.

Finally, another guy said, "Ms. Brenner, go away. You're ruining our game."

"Okay, okay," Megan said, as she grabbed some brownies off a plate.

Once upstairs, Jen asked who they were. "Just friends, John is Pete's close friend, but he's also marrying his sister. That was my friend, Matt who ordered us upstairs. He teaches math at the high school."

"I don't have friends like that. Things are so different here. People are real. In New York everyone is fake. Even me most of the time." Jen confessed.

"Are you your real self with your husband?"

"Mostly, but he's definitely isn't with me. The only thing is that I didn't realize it until recently."

"I'm sorry. If you want to tell me, I'll listen, but if not I understand completely. Sometimes it's just too hard."

"Thanks for the offer. I'm probably going back soon, but I'll come home again. Maybe I'll be ready another time."

"Will I ever get to meet Sterling?"

"Probably not. Did Peter tell you anything? Because he wasn't nice to him."

"That was it, but he said he remembered that you were happy, except that you missed your parents."

Peter had come to New York once for a conference. Did he notice more about Sterling? Perhaps she would ask him someday. They visited a while longer, and when they went back downstairs, the game had broken up. Jen hugged Peter and whispered, "She's had plenty of wine!"

Actually, Jen was feeling a buzz herself, as she approached the door Alex followed behind her. He opened the door and offered for her to go first by gently touching her back. She felt the touch again radiate through her body and instantly blamed it on the wine. As she started walking he followed her, because his truck was ahead.

"Do you want a ride home?"

"No thanks, I can walk."

"I'll walk you to the corner."

"You don't have to. I wanted to tell you I'll probably be leaving soon, but I'll keep up with your progress."

She walked away and felt him watching her. He really wasn't so bad.