The Perfect Husband Page 7

  We walked out of the restaurant. ‘Thanks for inviting us,’ Jackie said, hugging me and then Eric.

  Bruce shook Eric’s hand. ‘Yes, thanks again for dinner,’ and then he hugged me.

  ‘See you soon.’ I waved goodbye to Bruce and Jackie, and Eric and I walked to his car.

  ‘I really like Jackie and Bruce,’ Eric said as he opened the car door for me. ‘They’re fun.’

  Eric got into the car. ‘Is there anywhere you’d like to stop on the way home?’

  I shook my head. ‘I figured we could go home and watch one of the movies you sent.’

  ‘That sounds like a perfect ending to a perfect night.’

  When we got home, we changed into more comfortable clothes. Eric put on sweatpants and a T-shirt and I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a top.

  ‘Which movie do you want to watch?’ I laid them on the coffee table so he could pick.

  ‘That one.’

  I picked up Citizen Kane and put it in the DVD player. ‘Have you seen this before?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I’ll warn you it’s sad, but it’s one of the best movies ever made.’ I snuggled on the couch beside Eric, burying my head into his chest.

  ‘What makes it so sad?’

  I looked up at Eric. ‘Orson Welles plays a character unable to feel empathy for other people. He craves and demands attention from the entire world, abusing both his wealth and his power. He’s a narcissist who goes into rages when he doesn’t get what he wants. And he dies alone.’

  ‘You know what?’ Eric said. ‘I don’t want to watch a sad movie. Do you mind if we watch something else?’

  We watched Roman Holiday instead.

  Chapter 13

  ‘Tell me I’m insane to even consider moving after only three months of dating,’ I told Jackie when we met for our usual Thursday night at Tony’s.

  Jackie sipped her rum and Coke. ‘You’re not insane; you’re in love. I hate that you’re moving, but I’m glad that Eric compromised and is willing to move also. One hour away is better than two.’

  ‘That’s for sure. And an hour commute is better than a two-hour commute’

  ‘When you’re in love, you make things work,’ Jackie said. ‘Besides, I always have an extra room if you need to stay over.’

  I pulled out my cell phone to show Jackie some of the homes we were scheduled to see that coming Saturday.

  ‘They all look beautiful,’ Jackie said. ‘Do you have a favorite?’

  I shook my head. ‘I’d like living in a housing development more than in the country, though. It’s nice being close to the store and the doctor’s and dentist’s offices.’

  Jackie grabbed some peanuts from the bowl on the bar and threw them in her mouth. ‘Does Eric think he’ll have trouble selling his home?’

  ‘No.’ I laid the phone on the bar counter. ‘The sale sign went up yesterday and he already had a showing today.’

  ‘Wow! That’s fast. He could sell his home before you two buy a home.’

  ‘I know, but that’s better than the other way around.’

  Our tacos came and we dug into them. ‘Either these tacos are super yummy tonight or I’m super hungry,’ Jackie said.

  I laughed. ‘Me, too.’

  We finished our tacos and placed another order. We were hungry.

  Jackie grabbed some napkins from the dispenser on the bar and wiped her fingers. ‘Are you planning to spend the night after touring the homes?’

  ‘Yes. Eric made a hotel reservation. He thought it would give us more time to check out the area.’

  ‘He thinks of everything, doesn’t he?’ Jackie said. ‘Does he have any faults?’

  ‘I’m sure he has,’ I said. ‘I just haven’t seen them yet. Sometimes I squeeze myself to make sure I’m not imagining all the great things that have happened since meeting him. It’s like being on a rollercoaster and inching up the lift hill. My heart is pounding so fast I think it’s going to pop out of my chest. I get to the top and I look over the rail. I want to turn back but I can’t. It’s too late, so I just throw my arms in the air and enjoy the ride. And when it comes to the end I’m glad I couldn’t push the stop button and I want to do it over and over again. It’s all just so perfect. He’s perfect.’

  ‘No guy’s perfect,’ Jackie warned.

  ‘I know, but you know what I mean. He’s as close to perfect as I’ve ever had.’

  ‘Well, I hope we’ll still be able to meet up at Tony’s, at least occasionally.’

  ‘Of course. I wouldn’t give up our girls’ night for anything.’

  ‘Did you ever get the complete story on his ex?’

  I nodded. ‘Yes. Eric told me he found her having sex with her boss at her work Christmas party.’

  ‘Ouch! That had to hurt.’

  ‘I’m sure it did. And get this, he caught them because he got guacamole on his shirt.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yeah. Eric said he booked a room at the hotel where the party was held so they could drink and not have to worry about driving home. After getting some guacamole on his white shirt, he went back to the hotel room to change and found them in bed. He immediately left for home and a co-worker brought Lisa home the next day.’

  ‘So, if it wouldn’t have been for the guacamole, he wouldn’t have found out.’

  ‘Exactly.’ I sipped my drink, weighing whether to ask Jackie the question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. ‘Jackie, do you think my relationship with Eric is moving too quickly.’

  ‘Maybe a little, but I’ve also never seen you this happy. Ever. And I want you to be happy, but I don’t want you to get hurt. I guess I’m just protective.’

  ‘True, you are. I remember the time an older girl bullied me on the playground. We must have been about eight at the time. You marched over and whacked her a good one.’

  We laughed.

  ‘Yeah, and she never bothered you again after that,’ Jackie said.

  ‘True. And I’ve always appreciated how protective you’ve been of me. Not having siblings, you were the one who always had my back. And I’m grateful for that. I just can’t explain how Eric makes me feel. It’s like I’ve known Eric for years as opposed to a few months. Nothing has ever felt so right. I look forward to his cheerful morning texts and our two-hour chats at night. I honestly can’t imagine life without him.’

  ‘Well,’ Jackie said. ‘It doesn’t look like you’ll have to.’

  The bartender returned with more tacos and refreshed our drinks. By the time I got to my apartment, the moon was high in the sky – buoyant, bright and big.

  After getting home, I called Eric just like I promised.

  ‘So how was your time with Jackie?’ he asked.

  ‘Great.’

  ‘Did you meet any guys there?’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. ‘Look, Eric, you have nothing to worry about.’

  Eric sighed. ‘Sorry. I just get a little jealous when I think about you being in a bar filled with guys who would like nothing better than to get in your pants! I’m not there to protect you or to show them you’re mine.’

  ‘Ah, that’s so sweet. Thank you for loving me, for making me feel so special. You’re the only guy I want.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Absolutely. If you weren’t, do you think I’d have agreed to move in with you?’

  We talked for about five minutes and then I crawled into bed. I felt guilty I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Izzy lately. I think she was feeling a bit neglected, so when she jumped up beside me, I petted her until I fell asleep.

  I didn’t feel like going to the gym the next morning, but I forced myself to go. I’d missed too many gym days lately and my clothes felt a little tight. I was working out on the elliptical when an old high school classmate walked up. Jeff was in incredible shape. He and his wife usually worked out together.

  ‘You look like you’re working ha
rd,’ Jeff said.

  ‘Trying to. I can tell I haven’t been here for a while. Where’s Alice?’

  ‘She and her sisters went on a sister trip.’

  I smiled. ‘That’s great.’

  ‘Yeah, I told her to go. She thought maybe I’d be upset because she was going on a cruise without me, but I thought it was great.’

  We chatted some more about our upcoming reunion before Jeff left. Jeff and Alice started dating in sixth grade. I can still remember the day Jeff, a string bean of a boy with boat-sized feet, passed a note to me to hand to Alice. They sat on either side of me in adjacent rows. Alice read the note and marked it with her pencil and handed it back to me.

  ‘Miss Post,’ our teacher, Mr Billet, said. ‘Would you care to share that note with the rest of the class?’

  I slid down in my seat, hoping he’d forget about the note and move on. But he didn’t. He waddled back and stood in front of me, his three-hundred-pound body practically smothering me.

  I looked up at him. ‘Uh, well. It’s not my note.’

  He held out his hand, his sausage fingers motioning me to turn over the note. I had no idea what the note said but I knew it was a private message. I’d considered tearing it up and swallowing it, but the thought of having to swallow that much tablet paper made me gag.

  Jeff stood. ‘It’s my note, sir.’

  Jeff always said sir and ma’am. His father was in the military and he was known for being extra polite.

  Mr Billet looked at Jeff. ‘Then perhaps you’d like to read it to the class? Better yet, write it on the chalkboard.’

  I couldn’t see Alice’s face, but I was sure it was as red as a raspberry. Jeff walked up to the blackboard and wrote:

  Alice, will you be my girlfriend? Check a box:

  Yes.

  No.

  I’ll think about it.

  The class laughed. Mr Billet walked to the front of the room and stood beside Jeff. ‘So, class, what do we think Alice’s answer was?’

  There was silence.

  ‘Miss Post, what do you think Alice’s answer was?’

  I looked over at Alice, who was slouched down so far in her seat the top of her forehead was in line with the top of the desk.

  I took a deep breath. ‘I have no idea.’

  Mr Billet turned to Jeff. ‘Would you like to know what Alice’s answer is?’

  Jeff shook his head yes.

  Mr Billet handed Jeff the note. ‘Go ahead. Open it.’

  Jeff slowly opened the note, just far enough that he could read it.

  ‘What’s it say?’ Mr Billet asked.

  Jeff looked back at Alice, who now was sitting straight up at her desk and staring at him.

  ‘Well, if the cat got your tongue, write it on the board,’ Mr Billet bellowed.

  Jeff picked up a piece of chalk and drew another little box and wrote next to it: Never. Then he checked that box.

  The class laughed. It was only years later that I learned Jeff had made up the answer. He didn’t want to embarrass Alice by checking the yes box.

  I’ve never forgotten this story. So, when I found a note Eric had tucked into my purse last weekend and read it, I burst into tears. It said:

  Will you be mine? Check a box:

  Yes.

  No.

  Maybe.

  I checked yes.

  Chapter 14

  Eric and I ate breakfast at a small café around the corner from the real estate office where we were meeting Kathleen, the agent showing us the properties. Kathleen knew I was a real estate agent and had agreed to take a smaller commission. We had planned to visit five homes, so I knew it was going to be a long day.

  I sipped my coffee. ‘Stop staring at me and eat your eggs.’

  Eric jabbed a piece of breakfast sausage with his fork. ‘Sorry, but it’s been a week since I saw you.’

  I rolled my eyes. ‘More like five days.’

  Eric looked at his watch. ‘Actually, five days, fourteen hours and…’ He looked at his watch again. ‘Twenty-three minutes.’

  I shook my head. ‘You’re impossible!’

  We finished breakfast, Eric paid the bill and we left to meet Kathleen. The first house we toured was a traditional brick colonial in an upscale neighborhood. I loved everything about it, but Eric wanted a property that had a little more privacy.

  He looked out the bedroom window. ‘We’re just too close to our neighbors. I can practically see into their window!’

  I shook my head. ‘But you lived in an urban row house, smack up against neighbors on either side.’

  ‘I know, I know. I sound crazy. But I guess I was just hoping for a little more space. Something that was a little more private. Something different.’

  Kathleen showed us two more houses in nearby developments. All of them were gorgeous and in move-in condition, but I could tell they didn’t have the privacy Eric had in mind.

  The fourth house was a modern log cabin situated on two acres on the edge of a state park. It was only a few years old and it was enormous: five bedrooms, three and a half baths, a dream kitchen and a huge great room with a floor to ceiling stone fireplace.

  ‘Just imagine,’ Eric said, ‘all of the wildlife we’d see.’

  I knew he’d already made up his mind. He loved the property. I didn’t like the idea of being so far from town. Right now, it took me five minutes to get to the grocery store. It would take me about thirty if we moved here. Plus, it would add about fifteen minutes on to my work commute.

  We walked outside onto a stone patio that was covered with a retractable awning. The owners had a large rectangular table that sat six at one end and an all-weather wicker sectional patio set on the other.

  Eric walked over and sat on the sectional. ‘Does the patio furniture stay?’

  Kathleen looked at the sales sheet. ‘No, but you can always ask for it if you make an offer.’

  Eric patted the cushion next to him. ‘Try it out.’

  I walked over and sat beside him. ‘It’s comfy.’

  ‘Couldn’t you just imagine sitting here at night looking up at the stars?’ He looked up at the sky. ‘It would be amazing.’

  Just then a deer meandered out of the woods and into the clearing. Several seconds later when the deer realized she wasn’t alone, she darted away.

  ‘That’s something you don’t see in the city,’ Eric said. ‘Or a housing development.’

  I sighed. ‘But there are a lot of other advantages to living in a development.’

  ‘Name one.’

  ‘When you live in a development, you have neighbors close by who can help you and everyone looks out for one another. Once when Scott and I were on vacation, our neighbor noticed a strange car in our driveway. She investigated and discovered it belonged to our cleaning lady. Neighbors do that sort of thing.’

  As soon as I’d mentioned Scott’s name, I noticed a slight change in Eric. His smile disappeared and he pulled back his shoulders and pumped out his chest, as if he was preparing to fight.

  Kathleen checked her watch. ‘Well, you certainly don’t have to decide right this minute. We have one more house to see. Why don’t we go there?’

  The final house wasn’t in a development but located on a windy country road. I got out of the car. ‘What’s that smell?’

  Kathleen pointed in the direction of the field across the road. ‘I believe your neighbor raises cattle and pigs. It looks like they’re spreading manure.’

  I scrunched my nose and turned to Eric. ‘Doesn’t that bother you?’

  He nodded. ‘It’s a bit strong.’

  We looked at the house but ruled it out pretty quickly.

  Kathleen drove us back to the office. We agreed to discuss the homes and get back to her the next day.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t have any other questions?’ Kathleen asked.

  I held up the papers she’d given me. ‘I think we have everything we need to make a decision.’

  After checking i
nto our hotel, I plopped on the bed. ‘I’m totally exhausted. Mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes?’

  ‘Me, too,’ Eric said, taking off his sneakers. ‘It’s been a long day. We’ll talk later.’

  Eric and I fell asleep within minutes of hitting the mattress. An hour later, I woke up and found Eric sitting at the desk looking over the papers. He heard me stir and turned around. ‘You really don’t think you’d be happy living in a home where you can see deer and other wildlife in your backyard?’

  ‘It’s not that I wouldn’t be happy, but there are clearly disadvantages, most notably an extra fifteen minutes on to my commute.’

  I crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. When I returned, Eric was gone. There was a note on the desk. Be right back. Had to get something out of the car.

  I picked up the papers he’d been looking at and noticed Eric’s satchel on the floor leaning against the desk leg. For a split second, I considered looking inside it. Eric’s obsession with his bag made me a little uneasy. What was in it that he had to be so secretive about? I’d tried bringing it up once or twice, but always had to let it go because he was so vague.

  I reached down to touch it when the room door opened and I jumped. I thought my heart would pop out of my chest.

  Eric walked in carrying a big box wrapped in pink paper and topped with a white bow.

  ‘I have something for you.’ He sat the gift on the bed.

  ‘Eric, I told you to stop buying me things,’ I playfully scolded him.

  ‘It’s not much. Just a little something.’

  I sat on the bed and opened the gift, pulling out a beautiful black dress with a lace neck and sleeves and a hook closure with keyhole back. ‘It’s beautiful.’ I ran my hand over the fabric and gushed.

  ‘Did I get the right size?’ Eric asked.

  I looked at the tag. ‘Perfect!’

  ‘There’s something else in the box,’ Eric said.

  I shook my head. ‘You thought of everything.’ I held up the strappy black shoes and black purse.

  ‘I thought you could wear it to your high school reunion.’

  I nodded. ‘I see.’