Warnings: This part has M/F. Questionable consent. This is part 2 of 4.
Tom accepted a new client the very next day, a commercial one, which kept him busy from dawn until dusk. He did not enter the house for a week straight.
Natalie’s health recovered, slowly but surely. She took two more days off work, then a half day, then slid back into her regular working schedule. The baby was sleeping now, and she could hear the relief in her son’s voice through the phone. She slept in her own bed and luxuriated in a few free nights, needed by no one.
Then, she turned her attention to the Tom problem.
That Friday, she picked up a roast, one of the suggested pairings of wine, and some local organic in-season vegetables from Whole Foods on the way home. She texted Tom the menu and invited him to join her for dinner at the dining room table.
He texted back a terse message stating that he was finishing up at the job site, and didn’t know when he would get home.