The house glowed from the decorations for Christmas and the grand event. Carlos stopped in front of the house, where a grounds worker busily cleared the walk for Ms. Claire and her guest. Emily reached for her door. Claire touched her hand and she hesitated. Carlos got out and went around and opened their door and then opened the door to the house.
Once inside Catherine greeted them. Claire happily introduced two of her favorite people. Emily sensed an exceptional relationship between Claire and Catherine.
Catherine informed them that their dinner could be ready at any time. Mr. Rawlings was delayed due to weather. He would be home late and they should eat without him. Claire thanked Catherine and told her she would show Emily to her room, let her freshen up, and they would return in fifteen minutes.
Emily and John were given a room down the hall from Claire’s suite. It was a room with one of the doors that Claire was surprised to see many months ago. These were bedrooms that were rarely used by anyone and kept immaculate just in case they may be needed. It was a suite about half the size of Claire’s, with a queen-sized bed, bedroom furniture, a sofa and chair, a small gas fireplace, attached bath, and walk-in closet. There were large windows that looked out onto the backyard. However, all that was visible now was the top of a very large tent.
Claire showed her the room and told her that Carlos would have her luggage there soon. Then she showed Emily to her own suite. It was just a few doors away in the same corridor. Emily tried to be polite, but she could only say “this is beautiful” so many times. She asked about Tony. Was this his room too?
“No. He has his own room on the first floor.” Claire smiled. “But he does visit.” She could sense Emily’s surprise that Claire and Tony didn’t share a bedroom. Tony had just earned a few points in Emily’s book.
They ate dinner in the formal dining room. As they finished, Tony arrived home. He behaved as politely and graciously as possible. He kissed Claire and hugged Emily, told her how happy he was that she arrived safely in spite of the weather. Luckily, the snow was scheduled to stop tomorrow and the forecast was clear for the weekend. Then he turned to Claire. “But you know those weather reports, you can never trust those meteorologists.” She playfully threw her napkin at him and he smiled. When he sat, Catherine brought him his dinner. The ladies had coffee while Tony ate.
After dinner Tony offered to take the lead on a house tour. Secretly Claire was delighted. She had been concerned about the magnitude of a tour. It was much easier to defer to Tony. Emily said she loved their home and asked if maps were available at the guest relations desk. Tony and Claire laughed, saying it wasn’t that big. She would know her way around in no time.
Tony added, “However, it did seem to take Claire a few weeks before she found her way around.” His statement caught Claire by surprise. However he didn’t notice, as he was watching for Emily’s reaction. Her obvious lack of understanding satisfied his unasked questions.
Her mask secure, she said, “Well, I finally learned the secret. Everything is connected to the main house, and if you need anything just ask.” Her response received a twinkling eyed smile from her fiancé.
Emily retired after the tour, promising to be more fun tomorrow. However, after a day of work, travel, and the magnitude of her surroundings she was exhausted. Claire hugged her and told her how happy they were that she was there.
It wasn’t long after Claire readied for bed that Tony joined her. Claire couldn’t help but inquire, “Explain that comment, please.”
Tony laughed. “My dear, I was just checking your reflexes.”
“Well, you nearly caused whiplash.”
“Perhaps there are other reflexes that we could investigate?”
John’s hearing adjourned at noon on Friday. He offered to fly commercial, but the earliest he would make Iowa City would be after 10:00 p.m. Tony graciously provided a company plane that allowed him to arrive in Iowa City by three thirty. Emily prepared him for the house and its amenities. He repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Tony and Claire for the flight and told them that their home was stunning.
It was a beehive of activity, with people everywhere making last-minute adjustments and preparing for the event. They were