Semper Fi

Between Me and You

Kathy and Olivia settled into the café and ordered two coffees. They opted for a booth in the back and immediately set about to make themselves more comfortable but both were pretty nervous.

"So...you wanted to talk," Olivia said prompting Kathy who looked as if she didn't know where to start. She was aimlessly tracing the rim on her coffee cup.

"Yeah. I guess I just wanted us to have a talk without Elliot, the kids and everyone else. I know he can be pretty protective and want to handle everything himself but you and I both know over the years he hasn't always been the best at navigating emotional waters."

Olivia nodded in agreement.

"My first priority is and always will be my kids. I know that they love you, they always have. I just think this is going to take some getting used to from all sides. I mean you've always been their dad's partner and a friend of the family and now you are their dad's girlfriend it's just..."

"Awkward," Olivia said with a small smile.

"Yeah to say the least. I don't think it will be easy to convince them that nothing happened when the two of you were partners," she said looking at Olivia point blank.

"Convince them or you," Olivia shot back.

"All of us I guess."

"Kathy, I'm sure that Elliot has told you that nothing happened between us but if you need reassurance of that then let me tell you from my mouth. Nothing happened. I would never have interfered in your marriage or..."

"But you did. Whether you meant to or not Olivia you did," Kathy stated cutting her off. "Elliot's a lot of things but a liar isn't one of them. So in my head I believe that nothing physical happened between the two of you but emotionally..I can't help but feel like I lost my husband the day he met you."

The statement made Olivia recoil. As much as she wanted to believe that she had practiced so much restraint when it came to Elliot and patted herself on the back for never crossing that line and coming on to him, apparently the emotional damage had already been done.

"Kathy, I don't know what to say. I never meant to cause you or your family any harm. I've always encouraged Elliot to put his family back together and to call you when you were worried, and spend more time with the kids. I never tried to be a hindrance in any way," she said defensively.

"I know you didn't but the truth is it didn't matter. I appreciate all the times you talked some sense into him because he definitely needed it. I have had a tough time reconciling the fact that all this time I suspected something going on, I was right. I never wanted to be that insecure wife that couldn't handle her husband being close friends with a younger attractive woman."

Olivia took a deep breath and stared down at her coffee cup. She hated to hear her relationship with Elliot categorized in such a superficial way and she knew that Kathy wasn't the only person who would think like that. On paper she looked like the home wrecking best friend that was just looking for a way in to steal the husband away from the doting wife but in reality the situation couldn't be farther from the truth.

"I think it's a bit more complicated than that," Olivia simply responded.

"I know but in the beginning that's what it was to me. I was just this wife with no career taking care of kids and cooking and cleaning and waiting for her husband to come home. When he finally allowed us to meet I looked at you and immediately thought that you were everything that I wasn't. Strong, gorgeous, independent and it was so intimidating. I thought...why would he want me?" she said starting to tear up.

"Kathy you can't be serious. You are all of those things too," Olivia said handing her a napkin to dry her tears. Kathy's honesty forced Olivia to make an admission that she never thought she would say out loud. "When I first met you and saw you with Elliot and your kids I was so jealous."