Authors: Aleatha Romig
I MIGHT BE LATE. HAD AN ISSUE THIS MORNING.
THINGS ARE IMPROVING.
Claire knew he wouldn’t be happy about her
possible tardiness. Nonetheless, remembering the overwhelming
sickness, she decided Tony’s darkening gaze ranked below projectile
vomiting and keeping Amber’s toast down on her current list of
concerns.
Covering her now cold body with blankets,
Claire felt her stomach growl. How could she possibly be hungry
after what she’d just experienced?
AT 9:51 AM Claire eased
her Honda Accord into the parking lot of the
Patio Cafe
in Redwood Shores. She
wasn’t late. Her reflection in the rearview mirror frowned back
through the glass. Even the blush and lipstick didn’t disguise her
pallor. On the bright side, she’d kept Amber’s toast down, plus a
banana. And despite the paleness, she really did feel
better.
During her drive to Redwood Shores, Claire
fought the urge to turn around and miss this mandatory meeting.
Once again, it was fear which propelled her. This time it wasn’t
the fear of physical punishment. It was the fear of Tony showing up
at Amber’s. He was right; Claire’s concern for others was her
weakness. While she dreaded seeing him, she wrestled with fleeting
positive thoughts regarding her ex-husband.
She reasoned it was because of their charade
last night. During the evening, as much as she hated to admit it,
Claire actually relaxed and enjoyed Tony’s company. Guiltily, she
thought of the picture Harry printed: the one of Tony kissing her
hand after his speech. The look on her face exposed her momentary
ease and affability. No wonder Harry was upset.
Upset or not, Harry’s words still hurt. They
may have been brought on by a combination of jealously and liquor,
but that didn’t make them any less painful. How could Harry
honestly feel Claire’s affections could change so dramatically in
six hours?
The thoughts of Harry
turned to thoughts of Emily, John, and Courtney. Her magnitude of
missed calls and messages on her iPhone were mostly from Harry,
Amber, and Emily. There was also one from Meredith. Claire decided
that should wait until after she spoke with Tony. Her
work
phone held missed
calls and text messages from Courtney. Since she and Harry spoke
last night and Amber wanted to wait, Claire spent a good part of
her morning talking to Emily, John, and Courtney.
Apparently, Tony’s press release hit the
airways last night at approximately 7:30 PT. Emily and John saw it
around 10:30 in Indiana. Courtney said Brent read it on his news
feed about 9:30 in Iowa. Needless to say, they were all relieved to
hear from her this morning. That being said, once the relief passed
indignation reigned.
Courtney remained the most supportive. She
understood Tony’s persuasive nature and promised continued support.
Claire appreciated Courtney’s constant concern despite her stress
regarding her son’s upcoming wedding. Understandably, she and Brent
weren’t happy about Tony’s claims of ensuring Claire’s pardon.
Claire assured Courtney she didn’t believe him, and she’d never
tell him, or anyone else, who her actual saviors were. Even Jane
Allyson didn’t know.
Claire repeated her honest account of the
entire evening with everyone. There were a few omissions. Courtney
was the only one to hear about the kiss. And no one learned about
her dream – that wasn’t. She wasn’t ready to admit that reality to
herself.
After everything she’d been through, Claire
believed honesty, no matter how difficult to face, was her greatest
ally. Remembering the isolation of Iowa and being Mrs. Anthony
Rawlings, she vowed, despite the forced charade, she would not
allow Tony to distance her closest supporters. Publically, she
would do whatever was necessary to keep her loved ones safe, as
well as their businesses. Privately, she promised never again to
deceive the people around her.
Despite, or possibly because of, Claire’s
truthfulness, Emily was livid. A few times during their tense
conversation Claire considered hanging-up on her sister. After all,
Claire wasn’t feeling top-notch after the whole food poisoning
thing and having her sister’s condescending and accusatory voice
ringing loudly through her phone didn’t aid her recovery.
Walking along the sidewalk toward the cafe,
Claire lifted her face to the breeze. Wisps of loose hair blew
around her face as she inhaled. The fresh air coming off a small
inlet from San Francisco Bay was cool. Her blue jeans and blouse
were perfect for the late spring air. Yes, if she were in Indiana
or Iowa this late in May it would be much warmer. Nonetheless, she
was slowly acclimating to west coast weather.
Parked three cars down, Claire saw a gray
sedan with a man inside reading a paper. She hadn’t spoken to Phil
since San Diego. Now seeing him she decided with Tony near, this
wasn’t a good time to chat.
Phillip Roach was another
of Tony’s intrusions. Somehow over the past three months, she’d
come to accept him. Was she being
too
compliant
, as Emily said? Claire didn’t
believe so. She truthfully felt she was resisting Tony’s control
much better than she ever had. Not staying with him last night and
not allowing him to visit the condominium this morning were two
examples of her noncompliance. Claire contemplated her strength, or
lack of, as she stepped into the busy restaurant.
The large glass doors led directly to a
counter. The Saturday morning crowd filled the bustling cafe, with
people waiting to order food. The hum of voices filled her ears as
the various aromas filled her lungs. She tried desperately to
ignore the returning nausea as she made her way to a tall two
person table near the window. A ceiling fan above the table
provided a continual cool breeze, calming her queasiness. Moments
later, she glanced toward the doors and saw Tony walking casually
toward her.
Involuntarily she smiled. He looked so
laidback and informal, in jeans and a button down shirt. She
noticed how his crisp shirt was pressed and untucked. His hair was
perfect, and his face freshly shaven. Her eyes went back to the
jeans. Claire always liked Tony’s long legs in blue jeans. When his
dark eyes met hers, her breathing stopped. She immediately judged
his expression. His cheeks rose and a small smile came to his lips.
Claire exhaled with a sigh of relief. She didn’t want more
confrontations. If this charade was to proceed, she wanted to learn
the specifics and go on with her life.
Unexpectedly, he bent down and kissed her
cheek before taking the seat across from her. Claire’s eyebrows
rose suspiciously as she eyed the man across the table. He
responded with a mischievous grin and crooned, “Good morning,
Claire. It is nice to see you aren’t late.”
His pleasant greeting eased her tightly
strung nerves, she chuckled, “Yes, you see there was this man I
used to know. He was a real stickler for punctuality.”
“
Really? It seems as
though he must have been a good influence. His persistence appears
to have paid off.” Tony’s brown eyes glittered, reflecting the
sunlight through the windows.
“
I’m not sure about his
influence, and
insistence
would better describe it. But since you mention
it, persistence is something he’s definitely mastered.”
“
Hmm, sounds like my kind
of man. I’d like to meet him.”
Claire shook her head good-naturedly, “No, I
don’t think you’d like him.”
Tony’s eyes opened wider, “You don’t?”
“
No, he has real control
issues. You two would probably clash.”
“
Because... you
think
I
have
control issues?” This time Tony’s eyebrows rose.
Claire leaned forward, as if telling a
secret. Her eyes sparkled with the lightheartedness of their
conversation. “I hate to be the one to break it to you... but yes,
you do.”
Tony’s laughter filled her ears. Finally he
asked, “Don’t you want something to eat?”
“
No, not really, I ate
earlier.”
“
I’ll get us some coffee
then.”
Although she usually loved coffee, the idea
didn’t sound good on her recently emptied stomach. “Could you get
me an iced tea instead?”
Tony eyed her skeptically, “Sure,
unsweetened, correct?”
Claire nodded.
When Tony returned with their drinks they
began to discuss this public reconciliation. Although the cafe
bustled with patrons, their voices remained low and private.
“Claire, I’m pleasantly surprised by your accepting attitude this
morning.”
She sipped her tea, “Don’t mistake it for
pleasure. I don’t like being bullied into this situation. However,
I see signs of compromise. It gives me hope.”
“
Compromise?”
“
In your own way, you’re
trying to be accommodating. If you weren’t you would’ve tried to
stop me from leaving last night, or you would’ve insisted on riding
with me. I see that.”
Tony nodded, considering her words. Then he
asked, “Hope, what do you hope for?”
“
That this won’t last
long. That we can remain friends and be honest with the
world.”
As she spoke, clouds darkened his gaze. “I
see,” he took a drink of his coffee. “I hope... you change your
mind.”
“
See what I mean. That’s
progress. I honestly don’t intend to change my mind. However, I
will admit, when you aren’t being a controlling ass who’s
threatening my friends or my friends’ company,” she smiled coyly,
“you can be charming.”
“
Thank you, my dear.” He
snorted, obviously shocked by her candor, and replied, “When you
are being bold and cheeky, the spark in your gorgeous green eyes
makes my initial irritation fade. At that point, I see you for what
you truly are.”
“
Oh really, what am
I?”
“
Sexy as hell,” he leaned
closer. His words slowing to a sultry tenor, “And when you are
being reticent and genteel, I find you irresistible.”
She felt her insides quicken and her cheeks
blush, just like in the picture. “Well, then I guess I can behave
in any manner without fear of consequences.”
“
As long as you are doing
it with me, my affection will prevail.”
Claire shivered at the possible implications
of his words. Playfulness left her tone, “Tony, I don’t intend to
be with you all the time. I’m not moving back to Iowa.”
“
I’m a busy man, Claire; I
can’t be flying to California every other day.”
“
Then we won’t be seeing
each other every other day. By the way, when do you need to be
back?”
Dryly he said, “I have my own plane. I don’t
have a schedule to maintain.”
“
I’m aware of your plane.
I thought you might have meetings or a date or
something.”
The clouds returned, “I
won’t be having any
dates
with anyone except you. That was the point of the
news release.” His voice lowered as his tone hardened, “And neither
will you.”
She sat straighter, “This
is what we need to discuss. Define
date
.”
His hesitant expression glared -- his gaze
loomed shades darker than moments before. “A date is the going out
in public of a man and a woman.” He scanned the cafe. “I suppose it
could be a man and a man or a woman and a woman; we are in
California.”
“
Well, that happens in
Iowa also. But my point is two people can go out in public and be
friends, not dating.”
“
I would prefer you
didn’t.” Before she could choose the words to her reply, he
rephrased, “It would not be publically acceptable, so the answer
is
no
.”
Trying to keep her voice low, “I’m telling
you, not asking your permission.”
“
This is not
debatable.”
“
Then what is?” She leaned
across the table as indignation infiltrated her words, “Why are we
even here, discussing anything at all? If it is all predetermined,
just lay out the ground rules.” She tried to keep her voice low and
restrain her emotions. “That’s the way you operate. Things don’t
change!” Moisture stung her eyes as tears threatened her facade of
strength. She stared and waited for the explosion. Claire knew it
wouldn’t be overt. Their location was too public, perhaps a
whispered clandestine threat.
Although his eyes remained dark, the tips of
Tony’s lips moved upward. He reached out and held the hands that
lay on the table in front of him. “Yes, sexy as hell.”
Claire removed her hands, sat back against
the chair, and pressed her lips together.
His tone lightened with a change of subject,
“You know, I don’t think the cooler weather is good for you. You
look pale. You need sun.”
“
Thanks, I quite like the
west coast.”
Tony watched, waiting for more outbursts.
Finally he said, “I concede. Some things are debatable. I would
make you move to Iowa if I could. Don’t get me wrong. It isn’t that
I am incapable. It is that I want you there of your own free will.
So that move is debatable.”
“
Not debatable -- I’m not
going.”
“
Now you see. We each have
issues where we don’t want to budge. Let’s discuss public
events.”
Claire settled back and listened. Tony
talked about the different public events and business trips he had
scheduled in the near future. He offered transportation, private
accommodations, and money to purchase appropriate attire. He also
discussed acceptable behaviors while separated. In many ways it
reminded Claire of sitting in his office, listening to the ground
rules of living in his house. The memories made her feel uneasy.
Slowly she felt her pulse increase and the temperature of the room
increase. The breeze from the fan remained but was no longer
refreshing.