Consequences(159)

Her husband remained pleasant and attentive during the party, but his expression as he opened her door let her know that this subject wasn’t closed. Claire pondered that thought. Wasn’t it really the same subject as earlier? So shouldn’t it be closed?

Each time she exhaled she noticed the faint white crystals which formed and hung in the air. She straightened her posture and squared her shoulders; she was ready. The windows were clear and she could hear Tony and Brent’s voices, his door would open at any moment. With each passing minute her demeanor moved from anxious to indignant.

All she had wanted to do was see their wedding pictures. Why was that such a big deal? After all, it was her wedding. The fact the pictures were available online shouldn’t matter. Once on the road, the only sounds were those of the tires on the snow and the hum of the heater. Claire waited. After a significant silence Tony spoke. “Do you remember I told you I received e-mails from Emily and she’d like you to call?”

“Yes, and you said I could call her tomorrow.” Claire felt a sudden panic.

“I was just wondering—your memory seems to be failing you.”

“May I still call my sister?”

“Yes, I keep my word.”

Claire exhaled. This Tony was more indirect than the one she was accustomed to. Maybe that was the advantage of being his wife—she’d been looking for that perk. “Thank you.” She glanced toward her husband, his jaw muscles defined as he clenched. He was waiting for her to approach the subject. Reluctantly she did. “What did you think of our wedding pictures?”

“I think you were absolutely stunning and I’m a lucky man.”

That wasn’t the response she anticipated. Yes, she was annoyed that this was a big deal; however, her intuition told her to back off. “I’m sorry about encouraging Bev. My curiosity got the better of me.” Apologizing seemed like the best option—even if it only sounded sincere.

“It isn’t just what you did. It’s what you said.”

Claire couldn’t remember what she said, so she asked. “What did I say?”

“You said you forget who I am.”

“I forget that marrying you is newsworthy—I love you for you. I forget that you are Anthony Rawlings—to me—you’re Tony.”

His grip intensified on the steering wheel and she felt his tension radiating through the interior of the car. “I’ve told you over and over, you must remember who I am. If you forget who I am, you’ll forget who you are, and the significance of your behavior.” It was a different version of the appearance speech. He was right—he’d said it over and over. She listened—replied at all appropriate times—and was thankful it was only the abridged version.

Tony returned to work on the January 1—from his home office. He had a lot of things to do. Apparently, he had tried to keep up-to-date while in Fiji, but someone kept him distracted. With him working in his office and her free to do as she pleased within the house, Claire soon realized how event filled the last month had been. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the sensation of solitude.

Claire arrived at Tony’s office before lunch to make her call. She expected the limitations lecture. Surprisingly, he didn’t give it. He dialed the telephone, turned his back and worked on his computers while Claire waited to speak. John answered. She prayed John wouldn’t say anything to upset Tony. “Hi, John, it’s Claire, is Emily there?”

“Hi, Claire. Welcome back to the United States. You are back, aren’t you?”

“We are, we returned on December 30.” She was sending out mental signals, put Emily on the phone!