Tom came back with burritos from around the corner. "I can't eat like this every night, I need to eat salad." Tom looked around and Avery whispered, "She's in her room. What did he say?"

"He wants to come for the weekend. He says that he needs to talk to her."

"Did he say anything else?"

"What else does he need to say? He's not coming to say goodbye."

"She cares for him but is hung up on still being married and the distance."

"She is still married, and the distance isn't ideal."

"I know I hate distance. I have to go out of town next week and will miss you every night. When is he coming?"

"I don't know he said that he'd text me."

Avery tried to lure Jen out of her room, but she refused. She was worried about her because she had hardly eaten anything. She handled Sterling's cheating better than this with Alex, but she had been home for the first time in years which softened the blow.

Tom received a text from Alex, he was on a flight arriving around five on Friday evening. Tom had given him his address and told him to meet him there. Avery was excited, but Tom wanted her to stay with Jen.

On Friday morning, the article appeared in the Times about the Dixon's pending divorce. Tom sent a link to Alex. Jen's phone started ringing and didn't stop.

Avery heard Jen yell. "I'll come in, but get Trevor out. Send him to measure for me, I don't care. I can't have him there."

Avery liked that Jen!

The response to the article was huge. Many clients called to see if they were alright. Some calls were for new business in response to the reference to her work. The publicist said they should be seen together at lunch or drinks with clients.

Sterling had arranged a lunch that day and two the following week. "I'm going to fall behind with clients."

"It'll be back to normal soon." Sterling sounded calmer than he'd been all day.

At lunch, Jen showed the client her proposal which she needed to do, but would normally have done without Sterling and the restaurant. It was well received and even though she hadn't had an appetite all week. She forced herself to eat, so no one would think the divorce upset her.

Things quieted down in the afternoon and she sat down in Sterling's office. "I think we made it through the worst of it. How much business did we get?"

"Five inquiries."

"That's something."

"I like having you back."

"I'm not back for good unless he works someplace else."

"We'll coordinate schedules. He doesn't like it, but he understands. The problem is, he enjoyed working with you and now he's not learning. That's not in our best interest."

"Come on Sterling, I saw him. I can't say it, but you were my husband. It's hard to wrap my head around."

"I know. I still cringe thinking someday you'll have a boyfriend."

"Someday I want a new husband and a baby or two." Sterling looked sad.

On the way out the door, Jen took a twenty out of her wallet, and gave it to Lexi. "Here have a drink on me. You deserve it."

"Thanks for coming in today."

"Have a good weekend." Jen smiled at her.

"You too!"

Not a chance, she was dreading two full days off. It was worse now that Avery had Tom. She had work to do, but an entire weekend of work was boring. Maybe she would binge-watch something. That she could never do with Sterling.

Avery was home without Tom and when Jen asked Avery said, "He's coming over. We have dinner plans. Here have a glass of wine."

"I'm going to change."

She put on cotton pajama bottoms and a tee shirt. She decided to leave her bra on only because Tom was coming over.

She could use the wine. Jen told Avery about her crazy day.

"I had a few calls from some friends. They were all concerned."

"I thought the press release was supposed to prevent this," Jen said with a sigh.

"It should prevent speculation and rumors." She looked at her phone. "Tom's here. Listen, you need to eat. He ordered way too much Chinese last night, eat it."

They must have been in a hurry the way Avery rushed out. Jen looked around the empty room and sighed. There was a knock at the door. No surprise Avery forgot something she left in such a rush. She opened the door, and it was not Avery.

Alex had been nervous since he decided to go to New York. What if she threw him out? The only thing that propelled him was she wouldn't draw a picture for someone she didn't care about.

Even he couldn't say why he was willing to break rule number one. Perhaps it was the knowledge of the depth of her husband's deception. Her marriage was never real. It had to have been a farce, and she deserved to be with a man who truly loved her. Every day they didn't speak was torture and he couldn't repair the damage unless he saw her especially since she wasn't answering his calls.

On Friday, he checked his projects and met with Marcy to see a house in town and to list his house. He grabbed lunch at The Landing. Rick was missing Jen too, but Alex couldn't share his feelings.

Rick told him he spoke to Mrs. Blake's son again. She was going into a nursing home. "I asked about the house and he said he would probably sell it since he lives in Arizona himself. I told him to let me know because I have a friend who has been looking to get a house down here for a while. He mentioned that it was run down. I said my friend likes run down."

"Rick I could kiss you!"

"Don't kiss me. Find a girl and have some babies for Alice. Megan's little ones are growing too fast."

"Abbie is still a baby."

He wanted Alice to be his children's grandmother. He didn't know how it would happen, but he wanted it more than a house on The Point.

He went home to shower and change. He parked in long-term parking with plenty of time to spare. He hadn't flown in a few years and would have been excited if he wasn't so nervous about his mission. They landed in no time, and he took a cab to Tom's apartment. He had been to New York once before for Tom's law school graduation, that time he flew down with Kate. When he arrived Tom took him upstairs to put his bag down and see his place. It was small but had more furniture than Alex's whole house.

"We can walk. It's faster. Do you have a plan?"

"Not really. I need to apologize and explain some things."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Being stupid."

Avery came down to the lobby. She gave him the apartment number and said, "Good luck!"

He rode the elevator up and paused in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked.