Robert awoke with a start and realized his own snoring had awakened him. There was a stack of greenbar computer reports on the floor next to him and another pile laying open on his chest. His reading glasses were perched precariously on the end of his nose so he could read through the bifocals at this angle. He glanced over at the fireplace where the fire had burned down to ash-covered coals. Susan’s chair was empty and the TV was no longer showing the opera she had been watching when he drifted off.
Usually she would tug him to bed when he fell asleep on the sofa, but she hadn’t been herself lately. The first semester the twins had been gone had been busy and she hadn’t seemed to feel the ‘empty nest’ syndrome the women’s magazines she read were always talking about. The girls called home frequently—daily it seemed from looking at the enormous long distance bills that came in the house. But this semester had been different. They had all been together at Christmas, of course, then the girls had joined a group of their friends skiing in Colorado and Susan had drawn him off to Arizona to that timeshare she’d bought. They’d played golf, dined and played cards with their friends and thoroughly enjoyed a week in the sun.
Then they’d returned to cold and windy and dark Chicago. It seemed to snow endlessly and the girls had returned to their busy life at school where they were no longer learning their way around and needing their mother’s input. They hadn’t called in three weeks. They hadn’t written. Susan had called them each weekend, and had managed to catch Melissa in once and Helena twice. This weekend she’d had no luck at all. When she finally got someone on the hall phone this afternoon the girl had reported that their dorm door was closed and the message board said that Helena was with a study group at the library and Missy’s board said ‘be back for classes on Monday—don’t worry.” Which meant they were both worried. No telling what Melissa was up to.
Susan was missing her girls and worrying about them. Robert had been buried in green-bar reports for the last four weeks. Everything for this drug would be sent off to the FDA in a matter of weeks and he would be at loose ends for a while.
The television caught his attention as the main character whined about missed opportunities in life. “All I wanted was to make enough money to go to Fiji and open a hot dog stand. The sun, the beaches, the women…”
Fiji, the South Seas. That would be a good place to escape to during a winter evening. He drowsily thought about lying in a beach chair under a palm tree and having drinks delivered to him by a beautiful barefoot native girl. Wasn’t that where the women wore those sarong-things? Without any top? Maybe he could get Susan to ‘go native’. He could picture her all golden tanned and topless. Yeah, Fiji. He’d call the travel agency on Monday morning. It would be just the thing.
Robert was pretty sure that his family kept the travel agent in business all alone. Between his business trips to Washington and conferences around the world and Susan’s trips to Texas with the girls and without as well as vacations, he was well known to the Sunrise Travel Agency. Rita had been invaluable planning that vacation to Egypt when the girls were ten as well as several side trips he and Susan had made to archeological digs whenever there was one that interested her close to a conference he was attending. Rita was very enthusiastic about Fiji as a romantic getaway. He didn’t mention topless women in sarongs to her, but did say he wanted something exotic, private and romantic. She suggested one of the private islands, within water taxi distance of the shopping areas, but with private bure, which she explained were cabins. There were some she knew of with with high woven bamboo ceilings and polished hardwood floors. That sounded like exactly the thing. She offered scuba trips, but Robert declined. Robert consulted his calendar, gave Rita the dates he wanted to go and began scheming to get things packed without letting Susan know what he was up to.
He decided to enlist her friend, Katherine’s help. They were planning dinner at the country club with Kat and Ron and their friends Monica and Charlie for the next Saturday night. The flight to the West Coast left at nine that night. They would catch a direct flight to Nadi the next morning. He dialed the phone and Katherine answered almost immediately.
“Kat?”
“Robert! If you’re looking for Susan, she just left.”
“Actually, that’s good to hear. I need to talk to you about something and don’t want her to overhear.”
“Really? That sounds interesting.”
He explained about the trip and what he needed from her.
“I swear, Robert. The day she met you, I should have tripped her and grabbed you for myself. That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Sorry, Kat, but I was already a goner by the time I actually managed to speak to her.”
“Probably. Ah, well. I’ll have to settle for my decidedly unromantic Ron. Perhaps with you pulling this, I can shame him into taking me to Mexico for a week or so.”
“So you’ll help?”
“Of course I will. And I’ll recruit Monica too. We’ll keep her too busy on Saturday afternoon to go home so you can get packed and meet us for dinner.”
“That’s great. Thanks, Kat.”
Saturday arrived and by the time Robert got home from his golf game at noon, Susan was out with her friends. He pulled the suitcases out of the basement and packed quickly. He found their passports in the desk drawer in his study, put them in an envelope in his carry-on with the airline tickets which he had kept hidden in his briefcase. With everything tucked in the trunk, he showered and dressed for dinner. On the way to the club he stopped at the florists and picked up the roses he had ordered. He had only ordered two roses, since Susan wouldn’t want to carry a dozen roses on the airplane, but he attached a box containing a gold charm bracelet with two charms to the ribbon, one an airplane and one a palm tree. He carefully made out the card: “To my darling Valentine: fly away with me tonight to a tropical island where we can spend the week loving each other.” He waited for the ink to dry and attached it to the bouquet.
He drove up to the clubhouse in time to drop off the flowers with the hostess at the restaurant before Ron and Kat’s Cadillac pulled up. He opened the back door for Susan while the valet opened the front door for Kat. Charlie and Monica arrived before they got to the bar.
They settled in for a round of drinks before dinner then headed for the restaurant. It was decorated with red and white carnations, hearts and doilies for Valentine’s Day. They had barely sat down at the table when the waiter arrived at the table bearing the roses.
“Mrs. Thompson?” The waiter looked at the three women, waiting for one of them to reply.
“I’m Susan Thompson,” Susan said with a smile. “Are those for me?”
“Yes they are.” The waiter handed them over and Robert slipped him a bill with a nod while Susan was admiring them.
“Just two, Robert?” Ron teased. “Kat makes me sleep on the sofa if she gets less than a dozen.”
Kathrine gave her husband a mock slug. “I do not. But the ones you brought me today were lovely, dear.”
“Yes, I saw them,” Susan said as she took the card out of the envelope. “They were lovely, Ron. These are beautiful too, Robert, thank you.”
“You haven’t looked at the card yet,” Charlie said. “Maybe they’re from a mysterious secret admirer.”
“They can’t be,” Charlie’s wife Monica declared. “Or Robert would already be eyeing every other man in the room to identify the threat.” All at the table laughed. Robert had always been protective of his lady love and their old friends knew that.
Susan read the card to herself and looked up at Robert. “What’s this? Fly away with me tonight to a tropical island?”
Robert pulled the tickets for the plane from his inner coat pocket and laid them on the table in front of her. “I’ve already made the reservations.”
“Reservations for where? The Caribbean?”
“I was thinking, Fiji.”
“Fiji! That’s… that’s”
“On the other side of the world!” Monica finished for her friend. “Oh, Susan, how romantic.”
“Our flight leaves at eleven this evening.”
“Eleven! But I haven’t packed!”
“Your suitcase is already in the car. Kat helped me decide what to bring for you.”
“Kat helped?” Susan turned to her friend. “You knew? And you didn’t say anything?”
Katherine looked like the cat who ate the canary. “He asked me to keep a secret, honey. I just couldn’t resist.”
“I think this is about the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. He’s taking you to the south seas for Valentine’s Day!” Monica was overwhelmed. “Charlie, isn’t that the most romantic thing you’ve ever hear of?”
Charlie looked over at Ron. “I think it’s amazing how he’s always raising the bar on gifts for the girls. They just get us trained to get them roses for Valentine’s Day and he pulls something like this.”
Ron shrugged. “We’re not even in his league, old man.”
“Well, after twenty years, you two better be able to come up with flowers for the odd occasion,” Kat scolded. “You could take some pointers from Robert here. A trip together isn’t so over the top.”
“I took you to Hawaii just last month!” Ron exclaimed.
“Oh yes, I was just thrilled to visit Hawaii with a thousand other urologists and their wives. You can imaging the sparkling dinner conversation.” Kat replied.
Monica giggled.
Susan was still overwhelmed. She had her hand to her chest and was simply staring at her husband.
“You loved the luau!” Ron objected.
“Not as much as you loved the hula dancers,” Kat countered.
“Sus? If you don’t want to go, just say so,” Robert said softly, ignoring the conversation that drifted around him. “Or we can go someplace else if you’d rather.”
“No, I just—this is wonderful, Robert. It’s a wonderful surprise.”
“Aren’t you going to open the box?”
Susan looked down at the velvet box on the table by the roses. She opened it and smiled at him as she saw the gold charm bracelet and charms. “Oh, Robert, they’re lovely.” She pulled it from the box. She showed her girlfriends then let Robert help her fasten it on.
“You’re other one was getting full,” he said with a wink at the charm bracelet on her other wrist. He’d been buying charms for it ever since they got married for her birthday and any time they traveled. The girls also had charm bracelets like their mother’s. She leaned forward and kissed him softly.
The waiter arrived to take their order and the dinner conversation remained centered on the trip to come.
Within hours they were tucked together on the plane in first class. The stewardess handed them pillows and blankets. It was late and most people on the flight would be wanting to get some sleep before they reached LA. The flight would stop briefly there, then continue to Hawaii. They would change planes there for Fiji.
Susan snuggled up against Robert’s shoulder, preferring him to the tiny little pillow from the airline. He put his arm around her and whispered his love for her in the darkened cabin of the airplane.
They barely awoke during the stop in Los Angeles and drifted back to sleep quickly once they were in the air again. They would be in Hawaii when they woke up. Robert held her close to him and she was perfectly comfortable, drifting through a dream where they lay on a hammock on a beach, the roaring of the airplane engines became the sounds of the surf crashing against the beach. Robert’s hand rubbed up and down her thigh, arousing her. A slam brought her awake as someone in the front of the plane loudly closed the bathroom door. Her eyes opened and she realized that part of her dream was quite real. Underneath her blanket, Robert’s hand had moved up her thigh under her skirt, his fingers gently stroking her. She wriggled and elbowed Robert in the side.
He let out a gasp and sat up with a start. “What? Where?” he asked, taking in his surroundings. “Susan? Something wrong?”
“Yes, there was something wrong. Do you know where your hand was?”
He looked at his hands. “The end of my arm?” he asked.
She leaned to him and whispered in his ear. “Under my skirt! Way under my skirt. Where your hand shouldn’t be while were in the middle of all these people.”
Robert looked around. There were three others in First Class. All were soundly asleep. “Well… it’s not like they’re watching or anything. Besides, I was asleep. How was I supposed to know what my hand was doing?”
“Well, you should know. And you need to keep your hands to yourself while we’re on the plane,” she scolded.
He gave a melodramatic sigh. “Here I am, taking you away on a romantic vacation and you won’t even let me touch you.”
“Once we get there, and are in private, you are most welcome to put your hand right back there. But for now, hands off!” She scooted to the other side of her seat.
They were somewhere in the dark over the Pacific when Susan woke up. By her wristwatch it was nearly nine a.m. central time. She looked over at Robert who was already awake and staring out the darkened window. He turned and met her eyes and they exchanged a smile.
Susan shifted in her seat and asked him quietly. “Did you pack a toothbrush in my carry-on?”
His eyes went wide. “Carry-on? I didn’t pack you one.”
“But Kat handed me a bag at the airport.” She pointed at the overhead compartment and Robert remembered lifting his own small case, then hers, into place.
“Kat must have packed it.”
Susan could hear the stewardess rattling around in the small kitchen ahead of them. She wondered if there was coffee yet.
“Want me to get the bag down so you can check?” Robert offered.
Susan nodded.
Nearly everyone else in the cabin was still asleep. As quietly as possible, Robert pulled down the bag and handed it to her. It was a brand new bag, but matched her luggage perfectly. Of course, Kat had traveled with Susan often enough to know what to select. Susan gave Robert a smile of thanks and he headed for one of the small bathrooms. Susan opened a small zipper compartment on one side and found a plastic holder with a new toothbrush, her brand of toothpaste, and a comb. There was also a note:
“You lucky thing! Thought these things might come in handy on the flight and as sweet as your hubby is, he just doesn’t pack like a woman would. Have a great time and make sure I get all the juicy details when you get home, Love Kat”
Susan smiled and collected the comb and toothbrush along with the evening bag she had taken to dinner last night so she could freshen her makeup. She decided to explore the rest of the bag. A larger zippered compartment held two magazines, a Southern Living for her and a corvette magazine for Robert. There was also a trashy romance novel called “South Seas Seduction” which made Susan smile. A note taped to the cover suggested three page numbers ‘in case you need suggestions’. Susan put her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The cover was typical of bodice rippers, with the woman swooning, clothing in tatters, the man with ridiculously luxuriant hair leaning over as if his lips were aimed at her bare neck. Tropical flowers surrounded them and a steaming volcano threatened in the background. Susan put the book back, wondering just what was on those page numbers. She would check later. There was also a deck of cards in the pocket. It was a long flight. Those would come in handy later today.
In the largest compartment was a makeup kit. Underneath was something silky and white. Underwear? A nightgown? Susan decided to check on that later, she didn’t feel like putting on a pre-breakfast lingerie show for first class.
She gathered up the items she needed, left the bag on her seat and headed for the bathroom.
They arrived at the airport in Suva, the capital of Fiji. A polite young man was holding a sign with their name on it. He greeted them with in a soft voice with a british accent and told them the resort’s private plane was waiting to take them to the resort.
“We’ve been in the air for a long time,” Robert said, putting his arm around Susan. “I think we’d like some dinner before heading out.”
“Certainly,” the young man said with a smile. “Although the trip is less than an hour and we can have dinner waiting for you in your bure when you arrive. There is a menu on board. Our chef is one of the best in the islands.”
Susan leaned against her husband. “It would be nice to change and freshen up first.” She was still wearing the dress she had worn to dinner on Saturday night. It was soft wool knit in basic black, a bit warm for the South Pacific. “I don’t mind waiting another hour for dinner. It would probably take almost that long to find a restaurant and order here. Their guide nodded in agreement.
The resort was lovely and peaceful. The bure assigned to them had polished wood floors and woven bamboo walls. A ceiling fan spun lazily above them and mosquito netting draped from a frame over the bed to protect them at night. The porch had a day bed nestled in the foliage and they had an incredible view of white beach lining a blue lagoon. The island was completely owned by the resort and each bure had its own view of its own beach. Flower bordered trails wound from each bure to the main lodge with a sitting room, restaurant, and bar.
Susan ordered dinner to be served in their sitting room 45 minutes after their arrival and let Robert take the first shower while she unpacked. She wanted to see what he had thought to bring along.
He had done quite well, packing clothes similar to what they would wear in Arizona: shorts, light cotton shirts, swimsuits. He remembered underwear, sandals, walking shoes and even packed her smallest case with an assortment of earrings and a few necklaces. Her cosmetics case held her regular items. There was a pair of light-weight pajamas and a robe for him, and a flimsy nightie and a terry bathrobe for her. She delved back into the case that Kat packed and eyed the white lacy peignoir. She took that to the bathroom and took her shower while Robert shaved and dressed.
She was just brushing her hair when their food arrived. Robert let the waiter in and set up the dinner for them. She arrived in the filmy gown and Robert’s mind was no longer on food, but she insisted they eat. Once they were done, Robert placed the covered tray with dishes on the porch as he had been instructed and they retired to the bedroom.
It was dark when they woke, but Robert had plenty of ideas on how they could relax each other and return to sleep. When they woke again it was early morning and Robert was ready for a walk on the beach.
The resort was quiet and relaxing, and they enjoyed the honeymoon-like solitude. They ate when they wanted, slept when they wanted, and loved each other often. Robert arranged for them to ride the resort’s horses every afternoon and Susan thoroughly enjoyed herself.
One afternoon clouds built up into a thunderstorm and they spent the afternoon in bed. Susan reclined on the pillows, completely relaxed and at ease as Robert trailed kisses down her body. She tangled her fingers in his blonde hair as he paid close attention to her most sensitive areas. Her mind wandered through the events of the last few days, amazed that less than a week ago she’d been sitting in traffic waiting for a snow plough to clear the road ahead of her. This idyllic paradise seemed worlds away from her real life.
Her real life… where she was wife and mother... For the first time in this whirlwind vacation Robert had cooked up she thought about the girls.
“Oh, My God!” She sat straight up, pulling Robert’s hair as her hands moved to balance her.
Robert looked up at her. “Sus?”
“Robert! The girls have no idea where we are! They’re probably worried.”
For a moment Robert looked completely confused. Then he realized what she was talking about. “The girls? What do the girls have to do with what we were just doing?” He moved to a kneeling position in front of her.
“Robert. We should call them. They must have a phone up at the lodge.” She looked around the room, searching for a phone and ignoring the torrents of rain pouring from the tropical sky outside the little cottage.
“Susan! In case you didn’t notice, we were making love about thirty seconds ago!”
“Robert, this is important. They might need us. They’ll be worried.”
“No. They won’t. And why are they more important than you and I?”
Susan moved to get off the bed, intent on dressing and finding a phone. “Oh, Robert. Don’t be so melodramatic.”
“Honey, the girls know exactly where we are.”
“They do?” Susan stopped, a pair of khaki shorts in her hand.
“I called them the day before we left. Managed to catch Missy in the dorm room getting ready for some big date. Of course when I told her where we were going she was ready to drop everything and come with us.”
Susan laughed at that. “She would be. She’s always ready to go someplace exotic.”
“I told her that she wasn’t invited.”
“What did she say to that?” she came back to sit on the edge of the bed. Robert sat up and leaned against the headboard.
“She predicted we’d be bored. Maybe she’s right. Are you bored, Mrs. Thompson?”
Susan blushed, realizing what she had interrupted. “No, I’m not. Really,” she assured him. Then she looked away, looking out the window to watch the raindrops patter off the lush tropical vegetation. “Not here.”
Robert stayed put on the other side of the bed, watching his wife closely. “But at home…” This was the conversation they needed to have; he knew that.
“At home…” She sighed. “Robert, I’ve spent nearly two decades being their full-time mom. I feel… lost.”
“You do other things.”
She shrugged. “I participate in little fund raisers for this charity and that. I keep busy. But it’s… it’s…” She searched for the words. “It’s not what I want to be doing, instead, it’s something to do.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know!” She gave a frustrated shake of her head, then stood to pace. “I really don’t know. If I knew, I’d just do it.”
Having his nude wife pace restlessly around the room was distracting him, but right now he was certain that he couldn’t let his physical needs distract him. He gazed up at the ceiling fan.
“Did you ever think that maybe we should have adopted a few more children?” She asked quietly, stopping to fix them each a drink at the wet bar.
“We were always so busy with the girls, I can’t say that I gave it much serious thought.” He frowned. “Did you ever suggest it?”
She shook her head, “No. I thought about it sometimes. Dr. Saddler suggested it right after the operation, but I was so caught up in grief from losing the baby, I dismissed it completely.”
Robert thought back to that horrid time. He had authorized that surgery, terrified of losing her along with their unborn child. “We did talk about it… once. When we were in France, that summer.”
Susan handed him his drink and scooted next to him on the bed, settling into his protective embrace. “And I wanted no part of it. It was still too soon.”
“Then we came home and you recovered and the girls took all your attention and I don’t think the subject ever came up again.”
“Where did the time go? All of a sudden they’re grown and the house feels so completely empty.”
“It is quiet, but I have to admit, it’s nice to finally be able to have a conversation with Missy without screaming.”
“She had settled into college well, hasn’t she?”
“Not that I think she’s being challenged or anything. Her grades were good, but the courses she chose,” Robert shook his head.
“You promised not to criticize her. She gets to make her own choices. That’s what’s been keeping the peace.”
“You’re right. And Missy isn’t the topic of the conversation. You are.”
“I can’t help it. I think of them first. I guess I always will.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I hate seeing you so lost, so unhappy. Do you want to go back to work?”
“Back to work? You mean to the museum? Those jobs are for the young. Or at least someone who’s cognizant of all the latest methods.”
“Has ancient studies changed so much?”
“You’d be surprised.” Susan was quiet for a moment, sipping her drink. “I visited there last month – not asking for a job, mind you, but just checking out the situation. I’m not unaware of the problem, but I didn’t realize that you had noticed.”
He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Of course I noticed. I thought you would snap out of it, and we had such a great time over Christmas and New Years. But it seemed to be worse when we got back to Chicago.” Something occurred to him. “After you visited the museum?”
She shook her head. “I knew what I would find. I think it was being with the girls in December. Going shopping with them again, having dinner. Seeing how happy they both are on their own, and how happily they went back. Chicago isn’t their home any more. And I realized it probably never will be. Missy was the most vocal about that. She’s aching to travel and explore and find excitement. She loved the ski trip and is already talking about going to Europe this summer. And Helena. Her eyes just light up when she talks about medical school. She has a decade of school ahead of her and it excites her. And none of that will be here. They’re both just… gone.”
She spread her empty hands as if releasing a bird into flight.
“Honey? You’re not thinking about adopting now?”
Susan shook her head. “No, no. If I could do it over, I would adopt another child or two around the time the girls started school. We certainly could have afforded it.”
“And we’d be gearing up for those busy high school years once again,” Robert could imagine it. Perhaps they could have adopted a boy, although a girl would have been fine too. Sporting events, clubs, music lessons, dances, dating. The girls’ activities had seemed endless and they had both been run ragged.
“We could have done it,” Susan assured him. “But it’s too late to start now.”
Robert nodded his agreement.
The rain had stopped. They watched the sun come out. The white sand glistened on the beach.
“Want to go for a walk?”
“How about a ride?”
Robert nodded. Susan was certainly enjoying the stables here.
She moved to call the stables for horses. Robert headed for the closet to dress.
It was a great afternoon for a ride. They had vowed to continue the conversation over dinner. Robert was as puzzled as Susan over a direction for her future. Robert had no intention of retiring for another two decades at least. Susan had effectively been fired from her career as a mother. He was glad they were talking about it. This trip had been a terrific idea. They rode across a beautiful meadow, dark volcanic mountains towering above them, brilliant blue waters lined by the white beach ahead of them.
Susan was enjoying the moment. With a look to Robert for permission, she cantered ahead of him, trying out the various gaits of the thoroughbred. Robert enjoyed the view, but kept his own mount at a placid walk. His horse had other ideas and tried to pick up the pace to remain with its companion. He fought for control and the stubborn animal twisted underneath him.
He wasn’t sure what made Susan glance back, but she turned her horse and hurried back to his side just as he slid from the saddle and landed on the thick grass. Susan was already heading toward him. He could see her urge her horse into a gallop as he sat up.
Unhurt but surprised, he was already sitting up as she pulled her horse to a skidding stop and leaped off.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course. Nothing hurt worse than my pride.” He stood, mostly to reassure her that he was all right. He put his arms around her. “Honey, why don’t you ride for a while, and I’ll just watch.”
“Oh, no. I don’t have to.”
“Nonsense. You were enjoying yourself, and I’m just not talented enough to keep up with you. Besides, I’m happy with the view as long as you’re in it.” He moved his hand down to pat her butt.
“You are a dirty old man with a one track mind.”
He just laughed and kissed her. “Go round up my horse, cowgirl. Then put your own horse through its paces.”
His horse had wandered away to crop the grass. Susan laughed and walked over to collect its reins and return it to Robert. Robert led the horse over to a pile of rocks and settled himself on it. Susan rode around the field, enjoying the chance to put the horse through its paces without having to keep an eye on Robert and make certain he was still seated.
By dinner-time Robert was feeling a little sore, not that he would admit it to Susan – not unless it might get him a private massage later tonight. He sat across the table from his beautiful wife whose diamond earrings sparkled in the candlelight. She smiled, still glowing from the afternoon in the saddle. He thought back to the girl she had been before their marriage, taking him to the ranch for the first time and proudly showing off her animals to him, the barn and house full of her ribbons and trophies. The answer came to him and seemed so completely obvious.
“Enjoy yourself this afternoon?”
“All except worrying about you when you fell off.”
“We can ride again tomorrow if you like. But this gringo needs a slower pace.”
She graced him with a smile and he raised his wine glass in a toast to her.
“Sus? You used to show horses a lot before we got married didn’t you?”
“You know that, Robert.”
“Why don’t you get involved with that again?”
Robert watched as Susan opened her mouth two or three times trying to think up replies about how impossible that would be. She wasn’t coming up with anything. Finally she said, “I’d spend a lot of time away.”
Robert could tell by the tone of her voice that she was tempted.
“I’d have to spend a lot of time in Texas at the ranch.”
“Your parents would like that.”
“And you wouldn’t mind?”
Robert shrugged. “I want you to be happy. I’d rather have you happy when you’re home than home all the time and bored.” He didn’t add that he’d seen enough women at the country club lose themselves in drink or worse when they were bored. He took her hand. “I’m working long hours. You know that.”
He watched as Susan thought it over and could see that she was warming to the idea. With a smile, she said, “Of course, I’d have to buy a horse or two.”
“You’d enjoy that, I’m sure.”
Her eyes were glowing with pleasure now. She shifted and her toes caressed the back of his calf. He grinned at her. Now this was the kind of mood he’d been aiming for. Yes, this vacation was definitely having the desired effect. He couldn’t wait for dinner to end.
