“You’re welcome,” he said. “Would you like more wine?”
When she nodded, he filled her glass again, and they talked for a while about the complicated software program he was doing for a new startup company in Florida. “I may have to travel down there for a week or so to meet with them. They seem to need a lot of handholding.”
“That’s great. I just finished the Waller home. Rex can start the breakdown of the Harris house without me; we’ll take a vacation. We haven’t seen much of each other lately. I miss you.” Ashley felt like this could be the answer to the lagging zest she’d been feeling in their marriage lately. To hell with a puppy. Time away alone was what they needed.
“That won’t work,” he answered so quickly it startled her.
“Why not?”
“I’m telling you, hon, this group is needy. I’d be gone all day and night. It would not be the getaway vacation you’re imagining.”
“I’m imagining time alone with my husband, who I never see enough of since G & J’s Renovations has become so sought after thanks in no small part to the wonderful social media you’ve provided.” She leaned into him then and ran her fingers down the front of his T-shirt letting him know exactly what she was thinking.
“And I’m telling you, there won’t be any more time there than there is here. Instead of you always being away, it will be me. There’s no sense of you making the trip and being frustrated that I’m not around. I’m sorry, hon; it’s just not a good idea.”
She pulled her hand away as if stung by a bee. Well, that’s about as assertive as Brody ever got. This client must be a real ball buster.
“Maybe, you should consider dropping this client. I’ve never seen you this stressed. We certainly don’t need the money.”
“No,” he raised his voice. “No, the project is the first real challenge I’ve had in a while. I like it, but they are a startup, so they’re worried about every detail and expenses and don’t exactly know what they want. So, I need to get there, speak to each of the right people, figure it out, and deliver something spectacular. For my satisfaction, more than anything else, can you understand that?”
Actually, she did. She’d had some really demanding and some really clueless clients. They made the work both more difficult and more challenging, but when it was complete and everyone, including herself, was happy with the final product, it gave her the greatest satisfaction of all.
“Absolutely. I get it. You’re right. I wouldn’t be of any use to you there. Rex can use me. You go; do what you need to do and get back when you can. I’ll miss you and these delicious meals. I hope I don’t have to resort to fast food.”
He laughed then, and she could see a weight lift from him. “That’s not going to happen on my watch. I’ll leave plenty of things labeled in the freezer. Just take one out each morning before you leave for work. And I’ll be back by Wednesday at the latest.”
“You sound like you’ve already got this planned. When are you leaving?”
“In two days,” he answered and took the last sip of his wine.
“That soon?”
“I need to,” he said. “Are you coming to bed?”
“Yes, as soon as I clean up. Thank you for dinner,” she said.
He turned and went upstairs, and she rinsed her plate and opened the dishwasher that she had emptied that morning. There were two plates and two wine glasses already in it. Strange, she thought. Why would he have used two different plates? Glasses throughout the day made sense, but dinner plates were odd. Maybe he used one for lunch.
When she got to their bedroom, Brody was fast asleep. So much for candlelight and excitement, she thought.
Chapter Three
Two days later, Brody took off for Florida without much fanfare. He packed his own things as he always did, but decided rather than have her drive him to the airport, he’d have a Lyft driver; Ashley left early for work and kissed him goodbye. He promised to call or text when he arrived safely in Miami.
“I am so jealous. I could use some time away from sawdust and sledgehammers for sure,” she whined.
“I know, hon, but this is going to be all meetings and computers, which you know you hate, too.”
They kissed with the longing only lovers who would be parted could share, but as per usual, Brody was the first to break the kiss. “Got to get finished, or I’ll miss my flight,” he insisted. “Be sure to set the house safety alarm each night that I’m gone. It’s times like this I wish we had a dog.”
“Funny, I was just thinking a dog would be a nice addition to our family just the other day. Let’s talk more about that when you get back. I think we’d both like that. Company for you during the day and an excuse for us to take long walks and hold hands like we used to do.”
“Yes, when I get back. Now, scoot or Rex will be sending out a search party for you. I love you. Have a great week. Don’t let the clients get you down,” he said as he hustled her out of the kitchen, turned, and cleaned up the few fragments of breakfast that were left behind. He certainly didn’t want to eat airport food. Their morning’s omelets he’d cooked to perfection were far healthier and would stick with him until he arrived in Miami. He wouldn’t even need the snack the airline would no doubt offer.
As Ashley drove to the new site on Belleview Street, she was missing Brody already. They’d made love the night before with him entering her from underneath and behind as he often liked to do and obliging because it felt so very hot. Then they’d drifted off to sleep with talk of taking a vacation to some unique place one day soon, so they could both put their work behind them. Not a work/vacation, but a real vacation that they’d both enjoy; perhaps somewhere where they’d see some really historical sites, perhaps a trip on a riverboat down the Mississippi River or to Tennessee to really get into the country music scene they both enjoyed, or perhaps drive through Amish country in Pennsylvania and then hit Gettysburg and President Buchanan’s and Eisenhower’s homes. They were both into those things. Or they could go to an island spot and just soak up the sun and the water for a week of doing absolutely nothing. She could get into that. She wondered if Brody could.
Just before she got to her job site, she thought how like him to be on her wavelength and be thinking about getting a dog just as she’d been considering it. From the beginning it had been like they’d been BFFs. She would pursue the subject with Brody when he got home. At night, she’d start looking for rescue dogs. From what she’d heard, too many dogs were exterminated in kill shelters for her to even consider buying a pup from a store or a designer dog from a breeder. No, she wanted a rescue, a dog that needed her as much as she needed it. She just hoped Brody agreed to that philosophy too. They’d never discussed it.
As she pulled onto the property of Professor Kimberly Harris and her wife Patricia Caswell-Harris, who liked to be called Professor Harris and Pat respectively, Ashley could see Rex and a skeleton crew already there.
“Sorry I’m late. Brody’s off to Florida today, so we lingered over breakfast a little too long.”
“No problem. I’m just going in for the final walkthrough to be sure we’re all on the same page. Then the ladies plan to take off for Professor Harris’ sabbatical in Rome for two months. That’s all the time we have, and this is a big one. And it seems she rules the roost and is rather set in her ways, so listen up.”