“We cannot hide forever darling.” She told him gently.
He looked at her pleadingly. “I know but I don’t want their thinking to taint what we have. I will tell them, but I just need a little more time.”
She nodded. “I understand and getting away for the holiday weekend sounds like a great plan.”
“There is just one thing though!”
“There are bears. That’s the deal breaker darling. I am not going to inhabit the same space as those scary creatures.”
He pretended to consider, a smile tugging at his lips.
“Alan?”
He burst out laughing. “You should see the look on your face. You are serious aren’t you?”
“As a fricking heart attack.” She told him earnestly. “And you did not answer my question.”
“No bears, a few chipmunks and squirrels and maybe raccoon's but no bears and if there were, believe me when I say I would slay all of them for you.”
“It’s supposed to be dragons.” She told him with a slight smile.
“What?”
“The term is slaying dragons.”
“That too!” He grinned at her. “There is no cell service.”
“You mean I will not be able to check my emails, or get calls from my very persistent agent? Bring it on!”
“Okay,” he shifted so that he was lying against the pillows and pulled her down on top of him. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Since coming into the bedroom?” she kissed the tip of his straight nose. “No. I am feeling neglected.”
“And we cannot have that.” His hands wandered over her naked back. “I love you darling.”
“I love you too my husband. Will I have to cook?”
“We could stock up on easy meals on our way there. There is a very large microwave in the kitchen.”
“And here I was thinking that you would do the manly thing and go and hunt our dinner.”
He chuckled, shifting her so that she was between his thighs. Very soon conversation would be impossible between them.
“I could try my hand at fishing.”
“Are you any good at it?”
“Passable – a little, maybe.”
“Okay, easy meals will do, and I can maybe rustle us some grub now and then.”
“I will help.” He promised.
“Damn right you will,” She whispered as she lowered her lips to his.
*****
“He is hiding something.” Deidre murmured as she rubbed the cream into her hands before capping the bottle. “I told you that I went into his office unannounced and he was talking to a woman. You should have seen the look on his face. I have never seen that look before. He was talking to a woman and apparently feels strongly about her.”
“Maybe it’s Rachel.” Her husband turned his head to look at her as she made her way towards their bed. The lights from the lamp illuminated her white skin shown to advantage in the rose silk nightgown she had on. Her thick blonde hair was piled on top of her head, revealing her long graceful neck.
“I asked him because I was somehow hoping that it would be, even though he left her at the function on Saturday with some flimsy excuse.” She climbed in and settled into his arms, a frown marring her usually smooth brow. “What if she is married?”
“Who Rachel?” he asked her teasingly.
She punched him in the chest lightly. “I am serious Daniel. Our son is being cagey and very uncommunicative.”
“We could always have someone follow him.”
She lifted her head and looked at him in horror. “And if he found out, he would never forgive us. He blew off the ball and that is a first.”
“Maybe he is sick of the same damn people every year. I know I am.”
“You never said.”
“It is your thing darling and I endure it because of you. I am not exactly enamored of talking shop to a bunch of men who uses the opportunity to tie down a business deal. Maybe our son thinks the same way. Remember last year?”
Deidre nodded unhappily. “Giles Zukerman cornered Alan and roped him into a conversation about the stock exchange and the havoc the government was causing wealthy people.”
“He did not stop talking until I realize what was happening and rescued the poor boy.”
“I have not sent an invitation to Giles.”
“Maybe you should, he is going through a very nasty divorce.”
“Is that his third?”
“Fourth and this one is really putting him through the ringer.”
“And I bet he will not learn.”
“Men like Giles never do.” Her husband told her wryly.
“Back to our son…. I am worried darling.”
“Why? Alan has never given us any reason to mistrust him and besides that, he is a grown man.”
“We don’t see him.”
“He has other interests. We are just his parents.”
“He does not invite us over and has not been back since he left.”
“After the fiasco the last time, I think he is giving himself time to recover.” Her husband smoothed his hand down her back. “I am sure that there is nothing to worry about. When he feels like it is time to come clean, he will.”
“I told him the same thing.” She said with a pensive smile. “What if he is involved with an African American?”
Her husband looked at her startled. “He knows how we feel about that.”
“But that does not mean he feels the same way. Remember how defensive he was when he brought up the subject?”
“He has always been.”
“He was more so that night and there is something else.”
“What?”
“I smelled a woman’s perfume when we got there.”
“I did not smell anything.”
“That’s because you don’t have the nose for that sort of thing. When we were first married, I lived in dread that you were going to cheat on me. I would hug you so that I could tell whether or not you had been with someone else.”