“I saw a park not far away. Would you like to walk?”
Claire nodded. Truthfully she wanted to go home, but walking was better than staying in that cafe. Tony gently grasped her hand. Conceding the loss of her appendage, their fingers intertwined. The casual contact radiated familiar warmth through her body. They began walking toward Bridge Parkway. Across the small inlet they entered a haven of nature. Trees surrounded a large grassy plane with picnic tables and benches overlooking a lagoon. Scattered about were signs indicating a summer concert season. Everything pointed to warmer weather and blue skies for the future.
While they talked about their agreement, they also chatted -- not about anything in particular, just things. Surprisingly, it felt good and easy. As long as the conversation avoided Harry, Amber, and her incarceration, Claire found herself speaking without weighing each word. They laughed at children on the playground equipment and watched a man set-up a camp to fish in the lagoon.
Claire tried to remember the last time she’d spent such a normal day with her ex-husband. It had been a long time. When Tony looked at his watch and saw that it was after two, he asked Claire if she were up to eating lunch.
“I think I can handle it, as long as there’s no bacon,” she said with a smile.
They walked back to Tony’s car and drove to a small diner with outside seating. When the waiter brought the menus, Claire perfunctorily left hers lying on the table. She couldn’t contain her surprise when Tony glanced her way and said, “Since you haven’t been feeling well, you’d better look and see what sounds appetizing.” It was the first time she’d ever ordered her own meal while with him. Maybe things do change?
By the time he took her back to her car, they’d made some compromises and found some common ground. In two weeks she would join him in Chicago for meetings and dinners with investors.
Standing next to Claire’s car, Tony asked, “May I kiss you good-bye?”
“Is it a requirement of the news release and mandatory to keep my friends safe?”
“No,” he leaned nearer, “it is because I would really like to kiss you.”
She found herself on the precipice of a very slippery slope. Her figurative footing was difficult to maintain. While her mind debated, her body leaned into his chest, and her face tipped upward. His strong arms encased her, his hands found their way to the nape of her neck, and his fingers entangled her hair. They may have been in a parking lot, or perhaps the moon. At that moment, neither one knew. The rest of the world disappeared.
Driving toward Palo Alto, she couldn’t remember who finally pulled away from the embrace. Whoever it was, the other conceded. She did remember the sensual allure emanating from his eyes. Even in the car, the image reddened her cheeks.
Oh shit! What have I done? Claire asked herself as she contemplated her next assignment.
Perseverance is not a long race;
it is many short races one after another.
- Walter Elliott
Chapter 39
Text message sent: May 25: 4:41PM – To: Anthony Rawlings
MS NICHOLS RETURNED SAFTLY TO HER PARKING GARAGE. MS MCCOY NOT HOME. NO SIGN OF ANYONE ELSE
Phil waited for a response. Either he would spend the evening monitoring Claire Nichols, watching the front door and parking garage, or he’d be done for the night. After the late night, last night, watching Harrison Baldwin drive the 101 toward San Francisco and turn around and go back to Palo Alto, he hoped this night was done. After so much time on Mr. Rawlings’ payroll, could Phillip Roach be getting soft?
*****
After her afternoon with Tony, Claire returned to a quiet condominium. She wandered from room to room looking for Amber; instead she found a note on the kitchen counter:
I’m running errands – will be back soon.
I’m having dinner with Keaton. Maybe we can talk
tomorrow? Hope you’re feeling better. There is a
message on the house voice mail for you – Amber
It gave Claire hope. Optimistically they would all work this out. She still didn’t know what to think about Harry. While out with Tony, Claire checked her phone a couple of times -- not one call or text message from Harry. Of course, he knew where she was and who she was with.
Thinking about Amber on a date with Keaton made Claire happy. Amber may argue the term date, but Claire recently listened to the Rawlings Dictionary. According to that very reliable source, a date was the term used to define the act of two people going out into public together. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was so ridiculous. Somehow she would need to modify his definition.