Barbara Dunlop - An After-Hours Affair

As she stared at the three sets of house plans taped to the wall in the mostly bare, airy room on the second floor of Cole’s house, Jenny tried to forget about the debacle two days ago, when Mitch had offered her the ring.

Mitch’s joke about going steady had driven home for her just how quickly and how thoroughly she’d fallen under his spell. In the split second it had taken for her to come to her senses, she’d realized how desperately she wanted go steady with him, to have him be an ongoing part of her life.

“Time’s up,” Emily said from beside her. “They’re shaping the foundation tomorrow. Are you going with your heart or your head?”

Emily had been the one to insist that they continue to consider all three sets of plans.

Jenny’s heart was leading her toward the whimsical French country house. But she’d trusted her heart last night, and look where it got her.

What started off as a relaxed romantic interlude had ended in awkwardness and embarrassment. She’d all but fled from Mitch’s house, and then this morning, he’d abruptly left town with the lamest of excuses, some vague story about paperwork and the football team.

“I’m going with my head.” She moved to stand in front of the two-story, three-bedroom, telling herself she’d be happy there.

Emily came up beside her. “Funny. Lately, I’m leaning toward my heart.”

Jenny forced herself to smile, not wanting to inflict her mood on Emily’s happiness. “Did he ask you yet?”

“Tonight.”

“He gave you advance warning?”

“He says he found the right ring. And we have reservations on the rooftop at Chez Jacques. I can fill in the blanks.”

“You’re going all the way to Houston for dinner?”

Emily waved a dismissive hand. “There’s a helicopter involved. Millionaires are crazy.”

Jenny leaned into Emily’s shoulder, determined to be happy for her good friend. “That’s fantastic.”

“It is,” Emily sighed. “You can’t even imagine how smart he is. He gets calls from New York and D.C., Switzerland and Brazil, movers and shakers in the high-tech world, politicians, even movie stars. They want his advice. They want to be his friend. And he’s funny, wickedly funny. But he’s not geeky. He’s not even short.”

Jenny couldn’t help but smile at that. “He magically stopped being short? Imagine that.”

Emily gave her hair a little toss. “Five-eleven’s not short. I was giving him grief about it on the dance floor, when I was asking about Emilio.” A blush formed on her face. “Man, was Cole ticked off about that. Anyway, he’s making a point, and I realized he was towering over me. And then I realized how much sense he was making, and how much I respected his opinion.”

She rolled her eyes. “Listen to me. I sound like a dork. Back to your house.”

“You’re not a dork.”

Emily pointed. “So, this one.”

“This one.” Jenny nodded. “Definitely.”

“I would have bet you were going to go the other way.” Emily cocked her head at the French country house. “I was beginning to think-”

“Mitch left this morning,” Jenny blurted out.

Emily drew back in obvious surprise. “Huh?”

“Not that I didn’t expect it. It was bound to happen sooner or later.” Jenny had given away her insecurities two nights ago, probably panicked Mitch. Why couldn’t she have just joked right back? Why did she have to freeze up like a schoolgirl?

“What do you mean, he left?”

“He went to D.C.”

“On business?”

“He said it was football business.”

Emily searched Jenny’s expression. “And?”

“And, I think he lied.” Suddenly dizzy, Jenny braced a hand against the wall.

Emily reached for her. “Jenny?”

“I’m fine.”

Emily took her arm and helped her to one of two armchairs in the corner of the large rectangular room.

“What the hell is going on?”

Embarrassed, Jenny eased down into the chair. “Same old, same old. I’m crazy about him, and he’s just having a good time. I thought I could handle it. I really did.”

“Did he say that?”

Jenny shook her head. “Two nights ago…well, he joked, and I kind of freaked, and this morning he left. And I don’t know what that means. And I’m trying not to care. But I do care.” Her chest hitched. “I really do.”

Emily crouched down next to the armchair, placing her hand over Jenny’s. “I’m so sorry I went on about me and Cole.”

“I’m sorry to be such a wet blanket.” Jenny felt a sting in the back of her eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know why I’m so emotional.”

“PMS?”

Jenny laughed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a simple explanation? In fact, now that she thought about it, maybe that was the explanation. She did the math in her head.

She usually got her period on a Saturday. Was it this Saturday? It had been nearly three weeks since the wedding, and before that-

Her stomach crashed into a free fall.

“Jenny? You just turned white as a sheet.” Emily tightened her hold.

Jenny struggled not to panic. “Do you have a calendar?”

“Sure. In my phone.” Emily produced the phone and pressed a few buttons with her thumb, holding it out for Jenny to see.

“Which weekend did we go to the Albatross Club?”

Emily turned the phone so that she could see the calendar. “That had to be the twelfth. Because it was a pay week for me.”

A roar sounded in Jenny’s ears. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, no, what?”

“Oh, frickin’ no. ”

“What?”

“I had my period that weekend.”

“And?”

“And, I’m just doing the math.”

“But-” Emily’s eyes went wide, and her mouth formed a perfect circle.

Jenny stood up from the armchair and took two staggering steps backward. “It can’t be. No, no, no.”

“The night of the wedding?”

Jenny made an inarticulate exclamation.

“You must have used a condom.”

“We did. We did. ”

“Then the mathematical odds are in your favor.”

“Right.”

Emily was right. Jenny forced herself to calm down. What she needed now was more information.

At the interview in D.C., Mitch had been offered everything Cole predicted and more. It was a significant and meaningful job, with a laundry list of perks and a chance to work with kids all over the nation. If he had to leave professional football, there was no better way to do it than this.

So why was he hesitating?

Why had he asked the White House Senior Advisor for a few days to make up his mind? It wasn’t geography. He’d never planned to stay in Royal long-term. And if he wasn’t with the team, it didn’t matter where he lived. The salary was great, plus he’d built up an almost embarrassing nest egg through appearances and endorsements over the years.

So, it wasn’t the money. It was Jenny. It always came back to Jenny. He didn’t want to leave her.

He paused in the lobby of the Rathcliffe Hotel, gazing unseeingly through a shop window. First he only saw a reflection of the lights behind him, then slowly his eyes focused on the shiny jewels in the display. Against a backdrop of autumn maple leaves, gold necklaces, platinum bracelets and colored stones of every description were arranged on crystal stands.

He found himself staring at a round diamond solitaire, set in platinum, with tiny emeralds at each side.

“Nobody buys an engagement ring in a hotel gift shop,” came a familiar voice.

Mitch shook himself back to life and turned to see Jeffrey. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re playing in Baltimore tomorrow night.”

“And that brings you to this hotel how?” Mitch resented Jeffrey’s sudden appearance. He really wanted to be alone.