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50: Perfection
“Well? How was it?” Andrew asked after the movie. Exiting their box seats, they followed the stream of people leaving the theater directed to the Capitol’s lobby and out of the building by smartly dressed ushers spaced at regular intervals along the path.
“Look!” Peter interrupted before anyone could answer, jumping up and down and waving. “There’s our usher! John! Bye!”
Hearing his name, the young man searched the faces around him. Spying the bouncing exuberant Peter, he smiled and waved back.
“I’m hungry. Can we have lunch here?” Peter asked as his father captured his hand to keep him from getting lost in the crowd.
Andrew glanced down at his son. “I have no idea where you ever got such an appetite. You ate your popcorn. You had half of Sarah’s M&M candies and a soda. All within the last two hours during the movie.”
“It is lunchtim
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World of Tomorrow 51: Battlefields
“You’re still looking a bit groggy this morning,” Lily commented as they stood in the Trust’s lobby, waiting on the executive lift. “What did you do after the movie yesterday?”“We took the children to the Fair, but for their sakes, we weren’t there late.”Before them, the lift chimed its arrival, its doors opening to receive them. As they boarded, Evelyn studied her reflection in the elevator’s mirrored walls, noting the grayish circles lingering under her eyes, while Lily selected the buttons for their floors. “What time was that?”“We left immediately after the fireworks finished.” She faced Lily and shrugged. “Still haven’t caught up on my sleep, I guess.”Lily peered at her. “You’re not feeling poorly again, are you?”“No. Nothing since that day.”“Good. I’d prefer we don’t have to go through that again.”The lift stopped at the nineteenth floor, chimed, then the doors opened.Giving Evelyn a quick hug, Lily hurried out, waving as the doors closed. “I’ll see you at the fountain at
World of Tomorrow 52: Apology
Evelyn buried her tear-streaked face against his chest, listening to his emotion-roughed apologies.“I’m so sorry, Evelyn. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m a fool for imagining anything so stupid and a bigger fool for saying it out loud.” His words rasped with the barely-checked passion behind them.Through his fine clothes, she felt the heat of his body, the strength of his arms around her, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Unintentionally, he’d hurt her before, but that pain was nothing compared to what she felt now.“I let my temper get away from me. I got carried away, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I love you and I can’t do without you. Please,” he begged humbly, brought to his knees by his own folly, “forgive me.”In her wildest imaginings, Evelyn had never guessed how mercilessly he could batter a tender soul, how horribly he could shatter a loving heart. She’d heard the rumors, of course. She’d known the ruthless brutality he was capable of with his acerbic words
World of Tomorrow 53: Proposal
“Good morning, Evelyn.” Andrew strode through the door, pausing only long enough to bend and press a quick peck on her full lips. Though she kissed him back, he could still feel the distance between them since their argument last week, and he was growing desperate searching for a way beyond it.He’d drastically underestimated the amount of work associated with getting the baseball game broadcast off the ground and the monster of a project it had become had devoured nearly every minute of his time since. Agonizingly, it had left him little to make full amends.“Good morning,” she replied with a sweet smile, but behind her eyes, silvery-blue today, there was no mistaking the cautious way she regarded him. “I’ve left your messages on your desk with a fresh cup of coffee and Mr. Whalen has called already this morning and asked that you return his call as soon as possible.”“Wonderful. Is there still a hole in my schedule at three this afternoon?” He bent at the waist, hovering over her as
World of Tomorrow 54: Mystery
Even after the soothing strains of the music died and only the faint scratchy hiss of the gramophone’s turntable filled Andrew’s office, he and Evelyn swayed together. The ring he’d purchased still rested between their clasped hands, but there was no rush for either of them to change a single thing. Her head rested against his broad chest, and he nuzzled kisses into her hair. “You’ve been distant because you thought I wasn’t going to do what I said,” Andrew said softly. “Or is there something else still bothering you?” Lifting her head reluctantly, Evelyn met his eyes. “I’m sorry I doubted you,” she replied remorsefully. “It’s just—things had gotten so out of hand last week. I could understand if you had doubts.” He gave a tight shake of his head. “No doubts. A rather unfortunate bit of bad timing. With all the extra work, there’s been little chance to make amends. If I’m good for a singl
World of Tomorrow 55: Commotions
Evelyn had no idea how long it took for the insistent persistent banging on her apartment door to wake her. She had no idea what time it was, only that bright sunlight beat against the drawn curtains, illuminating her bedroom in a soft warm glow.Exhausted still, she became aware of the irritation’s source with an annoyed and pained groan. It was echoed in a low grumbled curse from the solid warm body of Andrew wrapped around her.“Oh, go away.” Her voice was sleep-rough and barely recognizable as her own.Beside her, Andrew’s response was less cordial. “It’s too damn early for this kind of nonsense.” With a frustrated groan, he rolled away from her, thrashed about to disentangle from the blankets, then sat up on the edge of the mattress with another rough groan.“Where are you going?”Rustling through their discarded clothes, Andrew retrieved his tuxedo pants from the floor, yanking them over his long legs before standing to secure them at the waist. He cursed again as the banging con
World of Tomorrow 56: Unexpected Surprises
Biting the tip of her thumb, Evelyn studied the contents of her suitcase. “Three day suits, plus what I’m wearing. Evening gowns. Stockings and undergarments. Robe and slippers. Toiletries and make-up. What am I forgetting?” Before she could think on it more, the apartment door opened and Lily strolled in, waved and smiled. “You do know you only have an hour before the train leaves, don’t you?” “You do know you just waltzed right into my apartment without so much as a knock, don’t you?” Lily flashed her an impish smile and shrugged. “What else am I supposed to do? You constantly complain when I do knock, and now you’ve got Andrew doing it too.” “Lily, you don’t knock,” Evelyn laughed. “You make a nuisance of yourself, but never mind. I need your help. I just know I’m forgetting something.” Closing the door behind her, Lily came to stand at her side. “Day and evening clothes?” “Have them.” “Underwear and stockings?” “Have them.” “Sleepwear? Oh, don’t bother answering. I’ve alre
World of Tomorrow 57: Realizations
The train had long since reached speed and the cityscape faded into rolling landscape. Evelyn leaned against Andrew with her feet tucked under her watching the greenery through the wide window as he read through the Times she’d bought to sneak onto the train.“What’s happening in the world?” she asked to re-engage him.“Some not so good things I’m afraid,” he replied with a sigh, but nuzzled a kiss into her hair. “A journalist in Europe reported Germany is aligning along the Polish border with a significant number of armed troops supported by hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles and field guns. And in Philadelphia, an amateur golfer is being held for involuntary manslaughter. Apparently, after he hit his ball into a sand trap, he swung his niblick wide in a fit of temper and it slipped his grip, striking a nearby caddie in the temple. The caddie died a couple hours later in the hospital of deep cerebral lacerations.”“Oh my word. Maybe I don’t want to know after all.”“I’m happy to tell
World of Tomorrow 58: Understanding
Andrew knew. He knew the instant she’d asked him about Justin’s motivations for marrying her best friend what Evelyn had been thinking. Not that he blamed her—in her position, he’d have thought the same thing. Long before now, in fact. With their meal finished and the dining car growing crowded and noisy, they took their leave, drifted silently through a quiet, nearly empty lounge car, then through the corridor of the first sleeper car before crossing into their own. There was no sense denying—either to himself, or to her assuming she’d press, which she wouldn’t—that he’d thought it. In fact, he’d thought she might be carrying his child two months ago, after that ridiculous row with his mother when he’d almost lost her. When she’d fainted and spent the night in the hospital. The mere notion had made him giddy, had made him feel like more of a man than he’d ever b
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