Edie waited in the living room downstairs, pacing back and forth, wondering what would happen next. As soon as Stuart ca downstairs, she anxiously walked over to him. She was so full of questions, she didn’t know which one to ask first, and they began to roll out one after another. "How did it go? Is Aaron all right? Has everything been resolved?"
Stuart seeing the real concern in her face, spoke very carefully. "Stop worrying! It’s all been taken care of. Let’s go ho." When Stuart spoke these words, he seed to speak them indifferently. Then he grasped Edie’s hand and started toward the door. He was holding her hand the whole ti, and the sweat and grip were tighter than usual. The mory of the conversation still vexed him.
Edie looked at him with a worried expression on her face. "Don’t close yourself off to . Tell what happened," she said, sounding concerned.
Stuart answered quickly, "I don’t want to talk about it. All I want you to do is go ho and have you by my side." He turned and stared straight ahead, emotionless. Then he squeezed her hand even tighter than before.
Edie knew sothing was weighing on his mind. "What are you so afraid of?" she asked. He never answered and kept staring ahead. She pressed her lips, shoving to the back of her mind all the questions she wanted to ask him. She wasn’t going to force Stuart into talking to her if he didn’t want to. She knew he had secrets from his past that he couldn’t tell her, but she didn’t care as long as it didn’t interfere with their relationship. He had so many virtues that Edie never understood until now. She respected his strength and character, and more than that, and she loved him. ’Everyone has secrets, and everyone needs their own space. He’ll open up to in ti,’ Edie thought.
After getting into the car, Edie looked at Stuart and noticed he still wasn’t in a very good mood. "Would you like to drive?" she suggested.
Stuart knew Edie was worried about him, and he struggled to keep all of his emotions buried inside of him. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "The rules for driving in Britain are much different than the United States," he explained. "For example, you need to sit on the right side."
"Potato, potato. Tomato, tomato. I’m a woman driver. I’m sure I’ll be easily forgiven if I make a mistake," Edie replied.
"You never cease to amaze ," Stuart smiled.
Edie was sowhat relieved to see him smile, but she knew the agony and tornt he was going through. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sadness. "You look so tired! The decision had been made. I’m driving," she said.
Stuart burst into laughter. He took his hand and rubbed her head, ssing up her hair. "I’m fine. Stop worrying about ," he said in a low voice.
Edie gave a quick nod, but said determinedly, "Okay, but I’m still driving."
When they arrived ho, it was noon and neither one had eaten. "You must be hungry?" Stuart asked.
"Yes, I’m starving! I’ll go get the maid," Edie said.
Stuart took Edie in his arms. "I think I’ll make us sothing," he said as he cleaned off the counter and set Edie on it. "Here I have a tomato," he said, putting it in her mouth.
Edie watched him scurrying about the kitchen, preparing the food. "Are you making spaghetti and atballs?" Her eyes widened when she asked him.
"Of course! I know it’s your favorite," Stuart replied.
After he was finished cooking, Edie was about to jump down off the counter, but Stuart stopped her. "Allow ," he said. Then he picked her up and gently sat in the chair. "Taste it and tell what you think."
Edie’s face began to get a little red. "You’re treating like a queen. I’m not used to that!" she said with a tone of embarrassnt. She took a bite and said, "Mmm. You could be a top chef in any restaurant."
Stuart relaxed when he saw the look of satisfaction on her face. "I’ll cook whatever your heart desires," he said in a deep and charming voice.
After they were finished eating, Stuart started to clean up, and Edie tried to help him. "No, I’ll do it. You go upstairs and get so rest."
Edie shook her head and replied. "No, I’m staying with you. Let help you?"
"If you’re so determined to stay with . I want you to sit down and relax," he said in a soft voice.
His words touched Edie, and her eyes lit up as she watched him. "I’m a very lucky woman to have you for a husband." Then she looked at her phone to check her ssages and emails.
Just then, Stuart’s phone rang. He glanced at the number and beca a little nervous. ’Oh, no! It’s him," he thought to himself. He looked at Edie, but she was still looking at her phone and didn’t seem to suspect there was anything wrong. He quickly reached over and turned on the tap. The noise of the water covered the sound of his voice. "Has everything been taken care of?" Stuart asked in a very low voice.
"Yes, sir. This is the first ti I’ve worked for you. It was done discreetly," said a distorted creepy voice from the other end. "I let her go, and she has no idea what happened to her. I destroyed any evidence that could have implicated you. That was a gift to show my appreciation. I look forward to working with you in the future." He paused and continued. "Welco ho!"
"This has never been my ho," Stuart said in a cold and cutting voice.
On the other end of the phone, the man sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. In his right hand, he held a long, unlit cigar, which he gently rolled between his fingers. None of the other rooms had any lights on, and all the curtains were pulled shut. He was surrounded by darkness. He flicked his lighter and fired up his cigar. He rotated it slowly over the fla, then blew a great cloud of fragrant blue smoke at the ceiling.
He laughed at Stuart. "How can you say such a thing? Don’t you know we’re the sa?" Hearing the sound of water, he stopped talking. "Do you have a shower?" he asked, sounding confused.
"No! I’m washing dishes," Stuart said in a cold tone.
Suddenly, there was nothing but silence on the other end. "You’ve never washed a dish in your life. Why are you doing it now?" he asked, and suddenly, he thought of sothing. A grin appeared on his face. "Does this have sothing to do with your beautiful wife?"
Stuart’s body began to tremble. "Don’t you touch her, or I’ll kill you," he replied in a sharp tone.
The man wasn’t alard by Stuart’s threats or his fierce voice. He just leaned back in the chair and sighed.
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