Consequences(192)

Love ya, Em

Claire read it, sighed, and wrote on the top: Patricia, please respond and then moved on to the next. She sensed Tony’s eyes penetrating her consciousness. He’d read it. She didn’t need to discuss the contents, she wasn’t requesting anything. Lifting her gaze she saw his eyes and answered, “I don’t want to deal with it, okay? I’m too excited about our trip.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that’s fine. I just thought you might want to see her and John while we’re in New York before our trip. It sounds to me like a celebratory dinner for your esteemed brother-in-law is in order.”

Claire looked at Tony in disbelief. “Are you suggesting we meet them this weekend before we leave for Europe?” She watched for his reaction—there was none. He continued reading on his laptop and making notes on his iPad. “Please don’t tease me.”

His smile appeared genuine. “I’m not teasing. If it’ll make you happy as we head out on our European adventure, I can suffer through a few hours of Mr. Wonderful.”

She got up from the table and went to him on the sofa. “Really? Can I please call her and see if they’re available?”

“Yes,” his hand touched the hem of her light pink sundress, “however, I can think of something I’d like to do first.”

Claire reached for his laptop and set in on the floor. Climbing on his lap she giggled, “Really? I can’t think of anything—” Her world tilted as he pushed her onto the sofa and followed on top of her. The rest of her sentence—as well as dinner—and the phone call would need to wait.


They arrived in New York on Thursday night and planned to leave Sunday for Paris. Tony thought Claire might need to shop before their trip, but she assured him she’d done enough research to learn she could do plenty of shopping in Paris, Italy, and Switzerland.

Tony laughed. “That even scares me, Mrs. Rawlings. I believe you’re getting too good at this shopping thing.”

They arranged to meet John and Emily Saturday afternoon at a restaurant in Newburgh, a scenic little city on the Hudson River, midway between New York City and Troy. Tony admitted their apartment could lend itself to a longer visit than he wanted. Claire knew this was difficult for him and appreciated his honesty. Besides, she liked the idea of a public setting. Tony would never do or say anything in a public place to jeopardize his image. She knew no matter how the dinner progressed, she would reap the consequences, negative or positive; however, seeing Emily and John for the first time since their wedding was worth Tony’s chosen aftermath. She could endure the night—tomorrow they were leaving for Europe.

When they stepped outside their New York City apartment, the air between the tall buildings hung heavy and moist intensifying the July heat. Automobile exhaust filled their lungs as the motionless air refused to transport the odors away. The summer sun penetrated the dark lenses of her sunglasses, causing Claire to squint after exiting the dim cool lobby. Although, she used to like the city, she now thought pensively about the tranquility of the Iowa countryside.

During the hour and a half drive, Tony worked on his latest project while Claire appreciated the tinted windows and air conditioning of the limousine and tried to read. She had packed many books for their trip; between flights, drives, and waiting for Tony, she anticipated significant amounts of downtime. Though she tried to read, the words on the page didn’t make sense. She read and reread, but her thoughts were miles ahead at the restaurant. It had been seven months since they had been together. She wanted it to go well; however, she overwhelmingly feared it would not.