Chapter 2

Lizzy and Sylvia fought their way through the maze of people leaving the arena. A few other women congratulated her on being that night’s ‘bed of roses” girl.

“That is quite an honor, you know.” Sylvia informed her.

“Apparently.” Lizzy nodded, looking rather amused by the whole thing.

“Oh, come on, Lizzy. You have to admit, he made you sweat.” Sylvia challenged.

“That he did. He seems very good at that.” Lizzy confirmed, nodding again.

Sylvia squeezed her arm affectionately, “I am SO happy for you. You really needed this night.”

Lizzy could not argue with her. It had felt so good to get out and have fun. Social occasions usually revolved around Brian’s work functions or neighborhood BBQs or kid centered activities. To let herself go and feel 16 again, even if for just a few hours, was priceless.

Back at the parking garage the two friends parted ways for the night.

“I will call you next week. I am at least getting you out for a nice lunch, ok?” Sylvia ordered.

Lizzy nodded in affirmation and kissed her friend goodbye. “You got it! And thank you, Sylvie, I really had a great time.”

“Don’t thank me, it was wonderful to see you let loose and have some of your own fun, for once.” She said and left with a wave.

Finding her car quickly, Lizzy unlocked the door and sank into the soft leather seat, letting out a sigh. After the exhaustion of the day, and excitement of the evening wear off, she had to admit she was spent. The notes from the CD left in the player drifted through the SUV as she started the engine. The tunes would keep her going until she got home and collapsed into bed. Humming to the now familiar tunes, she smiled as she sped along the highway towards home.

She let herself in the door leading from the garage to the kitchen. The light above the stove had been left on and a plate of cookies lay on the counter. Emma must have been baking again, she thought. She went to the fridge and poured herself a small glass of milk, took one cookie and sat at the granite island. She recounted the nights events while savoring the sweet treat. She had to admit she had a wonderful time. She vowed to take Sylvia up on her lunch date offer next week. Why should Brian be the only one that ever did anything for himself, she thought as she eyed his tennis racket and duffel back placed by the side door. Likely that meant he would be gone before she was even up, off to the club with his buddies. Being a Saturday, and Lizzy working despite that fact, he would have to be back in time to take the Emma to her morning soccer game. She jotted a quick note and laid it on top of the duffel bag as a reminder.

She climbed the stairs quietly to the master bedroom. Brian was softly snoring, not a care in the world. She went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she padded back into the bedroom, and changed into yoga pants and a tank top. She let out a deep sigh as she crawled under the cool sheets. Knowing morning would come bright and early, she closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her. But all she could see when she closed them was the deepest pair of blues eyes staring back at her.

Lizzy woke to the shrill sound of the alarm clock. She woke from a sleep that left her feeling drugged. It was the first night in a long time she could remember sleeping so deeply, not recalling a single dream. She did, however, remember the haunting pair of blue eyes that had watched her as she slumbered. She looked at the clock, mentally figuring her time. She had an hour to dress, eat and drive to the train station for her 10 a.m. meeting in Boston. Brian’s side of the bed was left messy and cold, as he had left an hour earlier for his tennis match. Taking a second to rub her eyes, she bounded for the bathroom, already feeling rushed. After a quick shower, she dressed in a simple pair of black cropped pants, ballet flats and a gray button down ¾ length sleeved blouse. She pulled her hair back in a simply sophisticated low bun, and slipped a pair of silver hoops in her lobes. Not feeling as awake as she appeared, she went to the kitchen for a quick cup of coffee and a bite to eat. She flipped the coffee pot on and spotted her note. Jotted below her late night penning was, Will do. She crumpled the note and tossed it in the trash under the sink and proceeded to the fridge where she grabbed blueberries and yogurt. The house was still quite, but she could hear the floor creaking slightly from above, signalling that David was up and about. Even at sixteen the teenage sleep patterns had not quite hit him yet. He was likely on his way out to play pick up basketball with friends at the park.

As she finished her quick breakfast, she heard footsteps coming down stairs and turned to see David, in sport shorts and a t-shirt, sneakers in hand. He greeted his mom with a quick kiss on the cheek as he bent over to her, despite the fact she was sitting on the tall bar stool. He had long ago surpassed his mom’s 5 feet 4 inches.

“Hey mom. How was your night?” He inquired, pretending to be interested.

Smiling at his efforts, she answered, “It was really nice. Did me a world of good, we had a really good time.”

“Awesome! I am going to the park, be back later. Guess I will see ya, you working?” He asked, eyeing her outfit as he put on his sneakers.

“Yep, I am heading into the city for an interview. I will be back early afternoon.” she told him, waving as he headed out the back door.

“Ok, later, mom!” David nodded as he jogged around the side of the yard and out of sight.

Emma would likely be asleep for another hour, and Brian would be back shortly. Putting her bowl in the sink, she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and then her purse, heading out to the garage.

Not wanting to fight with the weekend traffic in the city, she decided to take the train in. She could spend the time working on interview questions. After parking the car, she caught the train just as it was leaving the station, glad she didn’t have to wait around long. She fished a notepad out of her computer bag and jotted some thoughts down as the train lurched toward the city. She had been hired to write a serious of articles on local charities in Boston. The editor of the Globe, Donald, was trying to raise awareness of the less fortunate and homeless in the city, and to inform people of ways they could help. He had worked with Lizzy on other projects, and thought her empathetic writing style would be just perfect for his vision. She had happily take on the job. This morning she was to meet with a well known figure that was very familiar with charities as he ran his own charitable foundation, so she had been told. Having no idea who she was meeting, Donald’s office manager had set up the meeting, forwarding the information to Lizzy. Not loving when she had to work on a Saturday, she had hesitated at first, but decided it might be nice to let Brian play house for one weekend day.

The trip had went quickly, she realized, as the train pulled into the station. The hotel she was meeting the gentleman at was just two blocks away. She gathered her things and exited the nearly empty car. Enjoying the feeling of the morning sun on her, she crossed the street with other pedestrians as they were honked at, paying no attention to the DON’T WALK signal. She arrived at the hotel, noting it’s impressive exterior. This guy must have bucks, she thought, as she checked in at the front desk. She was due to interview him in the penthouse he was staying in. The front desk attendant phoned the room and gestured to her to go up after giving her the room number, on the top floor of the hotel. The elevator attendant smiled at her as he held the door for her to exit once they reached the top floor. She nodded and went to find the penthouse. Following the signs, she came to a stop in front of Penthouse #5. Leaning her head toward the door as if to listen for anyone inside, she then gently knocked. Hearing a faint, “Be right with you.” she turned her head as she looked around the expansive hallway, the walls decorated in paintings that could have easily been original works of art of famous artists long gone. Hearing the door open behind her, she turned around and was greeted with the exact same pair of blue eyes that had stared her down as she had drifted off the night before.

Chapter 3