After eating he handed her a burgundy velvet box. “Happy birthday, Claire.” Displaying his devilish grin, “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. Her parents gave her diamond stud earrings for her high school graduation. They weren’t near as big or impressive. 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. They were truly 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 am glad we are here.” So was she.
On Tuesday afternoon Tony’s plane and Eric waited for them in Fresno. They arrived home late Tuesday night. The time difference worked better traveling west. Although the clock read after ten, Claire decided to press her luck. “Tony, I’ve had a wonderful birthday. Yosemite was beautiful and my earrings are stunning.” She wore 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 would 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. 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 that 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 eleven. 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 the disconnect button.
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.
Perspective is the most important thing to have in life.
—Lauren Graham
Chapter 44
Claire straightened the three stacks of papers. She once again had a voice in her e-mails. Besides the “Patricia, respond” and “Ask Tony” piles, she sometimes made a “Correspondence” pile, her written answer to someone’s correspondence, or like today, an unsolicited outgoing e-mail. Sometimes they were sent as she wrote them; other times they made changes. It was all part of the deliberation and negotiation process. Today’s unsolicited e-mail was to Emily. It’d been written and rewritten about six times. Pacing around the suite, she wondered if she worded it well and, more importantly, if Tony would allow her to send it. John’s deadline was November 1; today was the fourth, and she still hadn’t heard anything. Claire was hopeful that the note could be sent; after all, Tony was the one that suggested she call on the first. She, of course, jumped at the chance; but no one answered. The last two nights she continued to try, still no answer. She was worried.
With her revelation that her subconscious and conscious were sharing the same concerns and her newfound time around the house, Claire practiced self-therapy sessions continually. Perhaps her concern about John was a defense mechanism, worrying about someone else for a change. Mostly she concerned herself with the man she’d married. The loving persona was back in many ways, complimentary, caring, and compassionate. Control was always an issue. He expected obedience and submission. As long as she complied, no consequences occurred. She spent endless hours spinning that into a positive paradigm. If it were truly positive, would spinning it take hours?