Evelyn felt tired of the company cocktail party, but she was careful to give no indication. Mason took his image with his company seriously, and she needed to present a picture perfect supportive wife. She made sure to stay away from any alcohol. Mason, she knew, would only have one drink, which he would nurse the entire time.
Greg, Mason’s best friend and colleague, seemed a little less concerned and was on his second drink. However, he showed no signs of being affected by the alcohol.
Both Mason and Greg had dressed with precision, with not a thread out of place. Mason preferred dark suits, which brought out his handsome, dark complexion. He had raven black hair and piercing blue eyes. Women loved him, but he was the most loyal gentleman-like man she had ever known. That was what had won her over to him. Whether in private life or public, he exhibited he was a devoted husband and a gentleman.
Greg liked gray suits with a splash of color, either through the shirts he wore, the handkerchief in his breast pocket, or his ties. This evening he sported a maroon tie that matched a college ring he wore on a middle finger. He had come stag, saying he was between girlfriends. He had sandy blond hair and blue eyes and always wore a smile on his face. Evelyn couldn’t keep track of his girlfriends and had never seen one. Her first impression of him made her think he enjoyed being a bachelor and playing the field.
Evelyn kept her attire simple and dressed in a modest black cocktail dress with a string of pearls and pearl earrings. She knew she looked good in just about anything she wore. Her auburn hair, even if messy, complimented her clear, almost perfect skin and green eyes. She needed little makeup to augment her looks.
Greg gave Mason a subtle elbow. “He didn’t get it.”
Evelyn glanced in the direction they looked. Another colleague appeared as if he was trying to brown nose with one of the executives. He was over emoting.
“Promotion?” she said, chancing a guess.
Both nodded.
Evelyn didn’t ask any more. She knew the reason. The colleague they glanced at was gay. At least that was what Greg had said once. Despite the world was becoming more tolerant of that sexual choice, this company, with older executives, felt no tolerance. If a person made it known of their homosexual tendencies, that was a death sentence for any promotions.
Evelyn bit her lip to keep from saying any more. She took a sip of her drink to disguise any feelings she had on the matter.
Greg bumped a shoulder against Mason, who moved away, looking annoyed.
“When are you leaving, Evelyn?” Greg said.
“Tomorrow morning. Early.” She was heading to a customer to teach a two-day class to forty of their engineers that were coming in from all around the world.
While the class didn’t start until Friday morning, the customer wanted to have a dinner meeting with her on Thursday. The only plane to get her to Chicago in time left early on Thursday morning.
Evelyn hadn’t been the one originally scheduled to teach the class, but a timing issue arose, and she stepped up to volunteer. At first, she thought Mason would complain that she would be away, but he didn’t. He thought it was a good move for her career. She had remained neutral on the subject, not letting him know that this wasn’t a move to further her place within her company.
“How are the lovebirds?” Cal Fee, the president of Mason and Greg’s company, approached them. He shook hands with Mason.
“Absolutely wonderful,” Mason said.
“How long has it been now?”
“Six months and we’re still on our honeymoon,” Mason said with a laugh.
Evelyn smiled big and gently hugged Mason’s arm.
“You are a perfect couple. Excuse me.” Cal walked off.
“I’m invisible,” Greg said in a murmur.
“You need to get married,” Mason said. “This is a family oriented business.”
“We financially advise old folks what to do with their money,” Greg said in deadpan. “Most of the time, we tell them to leave it alone.”
Mason seemed to ignore him and slowly moved them to join another group. She knew it was all posturing to look like they enjoyed everyone’s company. However, Mason always selected a group with an executive, and a married one at that.
Evelyn knew Greg had been with the company longer than Mason. In fact, it was Greg who recruited him to the city and brought him onboard. Yet, it was Mason who earned the promotions, raises, and bonuses. And since marrying her, had moved upward even more. She found it interesting that Greg never exhibited any signs of envy or jealousy.
The group gaped open to allow them to join. Evelyn practiced the art of listening, finding she didn’t have to participate in the conversations. Mason knew how to keep a group talking, especially when the focus was on the executive. Most of the conversation was about the executive and his wife. They liked to boast. Evelyn kept smiling while holding her glass. Her drink was long gone and her glass was now dry. She felt tired of standing, but kept from fidgeting. Finally, Cal said his good night, which was a signal for the gathering to break up.
Mason said goodnight to everyone nearby, but they made a wide circle of the room to make sure to say goodnight to a few other executives. Greg trailed behind him, but once they left the building, he headed off to his own car. Mason ushered her to their car. He opened the door for her. Anyone watching would probably think he was making a big deal out of being a gentleman, but this was how he always was.
“A good night,” he said, once he had slid in behind the wheel.
Evelyn had never heard him say anything bad about the company or any of the employees. He didn’t like to say anything negative about people. She followed his lead, since she didn’t know enough about any of them.
“At least we know Wednesday night cocktail parties end early,” she said.
“That’s good for you. I know you have to get up early.”
“Yeah. And I still have a little packing to do. Just the last minute stuff.”
“Will you have time to do any sightseeing?”
“No. I’ll be tied up pretty much all the time. This type of class never ends early. And they want dinner meetings every night.”
“You’re good at what you do. They know that.”
He paused at a red light and placed his hand on hers to give it a squeeze. She smiled. Mason removed his hand when the light changed to put it back on the steering wheel. The heat of his hand seemed to dissipate too quickly. She felt the need to rub her hand.
The rest of the drive home felt quiet. Evelyn had always been comfortable with their silence, but tonight, she felt slightly agitated.
“I can tell you have a lot on your mind,” Mason said when he pulled into the garage and parked beside her car.
“A two-day class is intense,” she said.
“You always know how to prep.”
“I guess that’s what makes me good.”
He laughed.
She smiled.
The garage door rumbled down as they made their way into the house. The door opened into their kitchen.
Evelyn loved the house. They had purchased it right after they were married. The huge kitchen contained all the luxuries a person could want. A large island with built in cabinets and surrounded by stools, provided the perfect area for entertaining guests or chatting with close friends. She loved the combination of green and brown colors.
The kitchen spilled out to a grand dining room that was also open to a massive living room. Mason loved art. Against one wall hung a huge abstract metal sculpture. Beneath it sat an antique love seat. The sculpture looming over it, seemed to discourage anyone from sitting there. However, despite that, this room felt warm with the combination of dark wood and light blues.
“I need a drink. Of water,” she said.
“I’m heading up. I know there will be emails to read.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and disappeared up the stairs.
Evelyn watched him go as she stood in the living room. A cacophony of browns, greens, and reds surrounded her, but somehow the colors worked to create feelings of contentment. The room beckoned to her to sit on the couch or the chaise lounge chair, which was her favorite. The sight of the chaise lounge made her feel sad.
Across from the stairs were the double doors to the front door foyer. They were closed, since neither Mason nor she used that door. Only guests came in or out that way. Mason and she even went through the garage to pick up packages or get the mail.
Beyond that was a den or office area. They had it filled with boxes. Neither of them could figure out what to do with that room. Mason kept saying she should use it for an office, but she liked her lounge chair in the living room.
Evelyn returned to the kitchen. Not only did she feel thirsty, but she felt hungry, too. While there had been food at the cocktail party, she felt it was only polite to have one or two bites. Those who stuffed themselves seemed to get a glare from the executives. She couldn’t understand why. The company had already paid for the catered food. It would just go to waste if not eaten.
Feeling like she wasn’t going to sleep much, she opened a soda and poured it into a glass with ice. From the fridge, she took out sliced ham and cheese to make a sandwich. She sat at the island, eating absentmindedly. Her mind ran through everything she needed for the next couple of days.
She had placed her suitcase in her car already. The only items she needed to pack were her toothbrush and hairbrush after she used them in the morning. She had a large carry-on bag that would double as her purse. However, she knew she wouldn’t need to carry it around once she was at her hotel. Evelyn didn’t think she would spend a dime during the entire trip. The customer had already paid for her plane tickets. They had arranged for her hotel, so she would never see that bill. She also knew they had arranged for a car to pick her up at the airport. Her only need for cash would be if she needed to tip anyone.
Evelyn drank the last of her soda before putting the dishes into the sink. Mason was good about loading or unloading the dishwasher. They had a housekeeper, Helen, that came once a week, but only on days Evelyn was around. Mason always said he didn’t want to suddenly get surprised by Helen coming into the house, and that he wanted her there when Helen came. She couldn’t tell if it was because he didn’t trust Helen or just didn’t want to deal with any cleaning decisions. Because Evelyn was traveling, they had nixed any cleaning dates for this week and Helen would come next Saturday.
She moved into the dining room and stared at the sculpture. A glass covered the sculpture, not really to stop any dust from getting on it, but to block anyone from touching it. It was Mason’s pride and joy. She wasn’t sure why. The artist was obscure. She thought he had mentioned it was a gift from an old friend, but that was all she knew.
Evelyn stepped into the living room. From there, she could hear that Mason was in the shower. She settled on the couch to wait, knowing that when he finished, she would have the bathroom to herself and she could take as long as she wanted. The wait wouldn’t be long. Mason never took too long when he showered at night. His morning routine usually took longer because he had to shave.
As she had thought, he finished before she could even read her second email. She heard his soft footsteps coming down the stairs. He was stark naked, which wasn’t unusual. She stood to receive his goodnight hug and kiss.
“I’m going to bed,” he said. “Don’t stay up and fret too much. You’ll do great.”
He wrapped his arms around her. She could feel he was extra warm from his shower.
“You are so beautiful.” He kissed her neck. “You were the most beautiful woman at the party.”
She chuckled. “I think you’re slightly biased.”
“No. I’m totally right.” He kissed her neck again, released her, and trotted back upstairs.
Evelyn felt the warmth from his lips on her neck turn ice cold. She sat back down on the couch, knowing he would be asleep minutes after his head hit his pillow. After reading one more email, she went up to shower and get ready for bed. She slid in next to him, feeling his warmth and hearing his rhythmic breathing. For a moment, his warmth and breathing irritated her, then her irritation changed to a pleasant warm memory that eased her to sleep.
She next heard the ugly sound of the alarm going off. It ended a nightmare. She felt tense.
Mason rolled over to embrace her. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Yes, I came up shortly after you. Besides, I can always nap on the plane.”
“I doubt that. I know you too well. Once you’re up, you’re up.”
“Yeah, I am.”
He released her and rolled out of bed to head for the bathroom. Evelyn watched him go. He had such a sexy, lean, muscular body. She sat up in bed and swung her legs over to put her feet on the floor. The morning would go fast, and she knew she had no time to linger. As soon as Mason was out of the bathroom, she went in.
She dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, so she could travel feeling comfortable. Barring any loss of her suitcase, she planned to change into business attire when she reached the hotel. She felt unfortunate that she had to dress in a suit for the customer dinner gathering.
Evelyn threw her last items into her carry-on bag and trotted down the stairs.
“You look comfy. Do you have your suits?” Mason said.
He only wore a pair of shorts, which made her think he might go out for a run. If he wasn’t going outside, he would run around naked in the house.
“In my car already.”
“You are efficient. Here. I made you coffee to drink on the way.”
“Thank you. You are such a dear.”
“Let me walk you out.”
Evelyn swung her overnight bag into her car and set down the coffee into the front cup holder. When she turned around, Mason embraced her.
“You be careful,” he said.
She wrapped her arms around him, feeling like she was memorizing his touch and smell.
“I will. I’ll text as usual.”
“Thank you.”
“Shoo. You’re barefoot. I have to go.”
He gave her a kiss on the lips, but stayed where he was until she backed the car out of the garage. As the garage door dropped, he waved. She waved back.
Evelyn felt on edge. She focused on getting to the airport and parking her car in long-term parking, since that was the cheapest. Not that she needed to worry about costs. Her company would compensate her for the expense.
She felt surprised to find she hadn’t even touched the coffee. It was something she couldn’t take with her. She dumped it out beside her car, so it wouldn’t spoil and stink up her car while sitting there for the next couple of days. The sun could heat up a car during the day, even though the spring weather wasn’t that warm yet.
She checked in her suitcase for the flight and received all of her seat assignments. Going through security didn’t seem to be such a hassle, although she did have to remove her shoes. She remembered not to wear anything metal. Her laptop and phone went through without issue.
After security, she recombobulated herself and headed for her gate. Since this was an early flight, she didn’t expect any delays. There were no incoming flights to mess things up. She had one layover in Atlanta. It was two and a half hours long. She had the feeling her flight would be late and she would feel rushed.
However, her flight boarded early. It was a full flight and everyone was there. Before she knew it, the plane rumbled down the runway and left the ground.
Her flight to Atlanta felt only long enough to drink a small cup of coffee. To her surprise, it tasted better than what Mason usually brewed.
During her layover in Atlanta, she watched children playing on a exhibit that played music. The children had to touch areas on the ground to play the notes. She mused about her and Mason’s five-year plan to have children. He was more focused on his career than she was. She could do her work from home, which would allow her to stay home with children. Not that they needed the money. Mason pulled in some serious paychecks. They both had investments and savings.
When she reached Chicago, a man stood by the baggage claim, holding a sign with her last name.
“Looking for me?” she said.
“Your first name, please?”
“Evelyn.”
“How do you do, Evelyn? I’m Fredic. I’ll take you to the hotel once your baggage comes.”
“Thank you.”
They waited twenty minutes for the carousel to deliver her suitcase. He carried it out where they waited again, at where cars and taxis were picking up people.
“The car is coming,” he said.
Since no one could park very long at the pickup area, the company car’s driver was driving around in loops. She saw it pull up. They had plastered the company’s name all over it. The man loaded her suitcase and opened the back door for her. He sat up front with the driver. During the drive, she sent a text to Mason that she had landed.
At the hotel, he took her suitcase to the front desk. He bid a quick goodbye and left before she could even think of giving him a tip.
Since it wasn’t the usual check in time, the front desk was empty. She had to wait a moment before a clerk came out to help her.
“Here’s your room card key. You are all set,” he said after verifying who she was by checking her ID.
“Thank you. Do you have a business center?”
“Yes, we do. Doug here will show you. It’s on the way to the elevators.” He gestured for a young man to go join her.
Evelyn followed Doug to the room that contained phones, computer screens, and cozy sitting areas that were semi-private.
“How do you keep those computers clean?” she said.
Doug laughed. “Yeah, used to be a pain, but no more. They’re all just dumb boxes. As soon as you log out of it, nothing is saved. So if you’re downloading viruses, you’re not going to infect anything here. All behind a firewall.”
“Good to hear. Not that I’m planning that.”
“It’s usually the kids who have swiped their parents’ room key to get in.”
“Thanks. This is a quiet place. That’s all I’m looking for.”
Evelyn rode the elevator up to her floor, thinking the setup was almost too perfect.
