Consequences(212)

Yosemite was as beautiful as she’d heard. The famous stone mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and giant sequoias thrilled her. Her love of nature overpowered her recent unsettled sentiment toward her husband. With the stunning surroundings and his amorous temperament, she could forget his other persona, or at least, she could compartmentalize it away—and focus on this Tony.

On her birthday, after climbing a steep trail to the base of Nevada Falls, Tony surprised Claire with a picnic lunch he’d hidden in a backpack—complete with blanket and bottle of wine. She wanted to hate him, his behavior and rules—at times she could, but other times—he could be so romantic—tender—and affectionate.

After they ate, he handed her a burgundy velvet box, and cooed, “Happy birthday, Claire”—displaying his devilish grin, he added—“I remembered no black velvet boxes.”

She shook her head—thinking damn, he’s good. She accepted the box and opened it, to discover a stunning pair of diamond stud earrings. She had a fleeting memory of earrings long ago—ones her parents had given her for her high school graduation. They weren’t near as big or impressive. Momentarily, she wondered where they were.

“Thank you, Tony, they’re amazing.” Her words were sincere and appreciative. The diamonds glistened in the rays of sunlight and truly were the prettiest diamond earrings she’d ever seen. The only prettier diamond would be the one on her left hand.

Tony tenderly kissed her. “Happy birthday, love, I’m glad we’re here.”

She nodded—so was she.

On Tuesday afternoon, Eric waited for them in Fresno with Tony’s jet. They arrived home late Tuesday night. The time difference worked better traveling west.

Although the clock read after 10:00 PM, Claire decided to press her luck. “Tony, I’ve had a wonderful birthday. Yosemite was beautiful and my earrings are stunning”—she was wearing the earrings, her journey necklace, and her new diamond watch from Europe—“I have one more birthday request.”

He hugged her close. “And that would be?”

The past few days had been good. She momentarily hesitated, but decided to proceed. “I’d like to talk to my sister.” She looked up into his eyes, what color were they?

He sighed. “Let’s go to the office and call before I change my mind.”

She lifted herself on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you.” She was barely able to contain her excitement at the ability to call. The fact it was on speaker was expected. When Emily answered, she sounded sleepy. Claire apologized, told her she had just gotten home from out of town, and wanted to call—Emily quickly recovered. They chatted for nearly fifteen minutes before Claire realized her time had expired. Of course, Claire apologized for not calling sooner—things were so busy with the auction. She told Emily about the Hollywood party and about Tony’s surprise birthday trip.

Emily thanked them for the donation to the school district. It’d been made anonymously, but she guessed it was from them. She also told Claire she was worried about John. As the deadline approached he spent too much time at the office. He was currently there even though it was after 11:00 PM. He would probably be gone before Emily woke in the morning. Apparently, some auditor reviewed their information: their hours worked, hours billed, fees recovered, etc. John hadn’t disclosed everything to Emily, but she had a bad feeling. Something didn’t feel right. She promised to keep Claire informed if she got the chance to talk to her. Claire told her she would try. She said goodbye and Tony hit disconnect.

Hugging her husband she whispered, “It’s been a great birthday. I might not be as tired as I thought.” Both of their smiles were genuine.