Truth

information. She couldn’t help but grin. “Not as well as I’d hoped.” Claire glanced at a clock, 11:16. “I really do need to get ready for my lunch date .” There was no reason to emphasize the last word, but she did. “If we’re done, I’d like you to leave.” Her voice no longer held the urgency from before. While the ability to direct his movements empowered her, the memory of destroying the evidence subdued her.
    “ I would like to ask you one more thing?” She nodded; her strength to fight him was waning. “Who was the expected recipient of that dazzling smile?”
    Claire’s mind spun. What smile? “What are you talking about?”
    “ When you first opened the door, your smile was earth shaking. Who were you expecting?”
    “ A good friend.”
    Tony raised his eyebrows, but Claire didn’t respond. She didn’t have to. She’d answered his question, the first time he asked. She didn’t owe him anymore. Truthfully, she no longer owed him that.
    Claire stood, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the door.”
    Tony stood, “I will not give-up my quest.” Though his tone was friendly, his words were both a promise and a threat; they both knew it.
    The living room and hall continued to stretch making the walk to the door endless. Finally they reached her destination.
    “ Please give Catherine my love.” As she reached for the door handle she continued, “ If you have truly changed, as you claim, you will respect my decisions. If that is the case, you are wasting your time.”
    “ I have invested much more.” He paused, “One last thing,” his words slowed, “do not share your unsupported theories -- with anyone.”
    Claire straightened her neck, once again facing off with her ex. “I’m sorry. It’s too late for that.”
    He reached for her hand. Her thoughts were forming too slowly to react with enough speed, to save it from his clutches. He lowered his lips to soft skin as his fingertips brushed her palm beneath. Waves of warmth radiated throughout her body. Before releasing her captured appendage, he warned, “Be careful. You don’t want to disappoint me.” He dropped her hand as his dark brown eyes peered into the depths of her soul.
    She maintained eye contact, “That – is no longer my concern. Good-bye, Tony.”
    He nodded, turned and strode toward the elevator. She watched his tall, elegant body disappear down the hallway.
    It took her a minute; finally, she shut the door and collapsed with her back against the hard wooden surface. Her Emily phone fell from her camisole. The sound of shattering, refocused her thoughts. The small black devise lay helpless on the shiny marble floor. Dropping to her knees, she retrieved the phone. Opening its cover, the screen was black. Not registering the implication, she remembered Tony’s eyes. When he left, were they black, or had he kept them under control? Could he really change? Could she ever forgive him?
    She tried to focus. The phone would not turn on.
    Closing her eyes and absorbing the coolness of the marble floor, she fought to think. Each thought was epic and yet minuscule. She needed to get another phone. She also needed to call Harry. It was too late for lunch; she was too drained. Maybe she should nap, and later she’d face life’s decisions.
    Dragging herself to the living room, she found her iPhone, so heavy. She managed to complete her unfinished text to Harry. Focusing, she read what she’d started an hour before: it talked about missing him at breakfast and being sorry for her behavior the night before. She just hadn’t pushed send before Tony arrived. She added: WOULD YOU JOIN ME FOR DINNER? And hit send .
    Her bed seemed too far away. Yawning, Claire noticed the soft inviting sofa. Nestling onto the indulgent, cool leather she reached for a throw pillow and inhaled his scent. The brief exhilaration morphed to disappointment, questioning her future. Would Tony ever let her go? What exactly did he mean by his comment not giving up his quest ?
    Waking at two in the morning was not a good idea. Sudden exhaustion engulfed her. Claire was so tired. The large glass windows filled the room with sunshine. She glanced toward the mountains in the distance, appreciating their beauty, as their purple haze filled her vision with color. Dreamily, she observed the sky above. The amazing clarity reminded her of a Midwestern sky, crystal blue with light fluffy wisps of clouds. She wondered when the high pressure system