“That is true. I am considering the possibility that it was worth it, after what I am currently witnessing.” He watched her expression as he spoke. “And we have no deadline for completion of our contractual agreement.”

Claire didn’t know if she should be happy that he seemed impressed, and she did think an estimated timeline would be nice, but she didn’t mention that either. Instead, she said, “Then apparently, the glitches have been resolved.”

Claire felt she appeared respectful enough to avoid confrontation but impertinent enough to demonstrate resilience. She saw the light brown gleam around his irises, somehow knowing he wouldn’t explode. She would learn to read him. They continued to eat.

Claire let Anthony do most of the talking. He discussed more of the house rules. She could roam the house. However, in anticipation of more glitches, she was not permitted to go outside or consider leaving the property. His office and the corridor of his suite were off-limits. Her schedule would be hers for most of the day, unless told otherwise by him or Catherine. He didn’t work from home that often, but when he did she would be required to be nearby and available at all times. On days he went to the office his only requirement would be that Claire be back in her suite by 5:00 p.m. to receive evening instructions. He was a very busy man and wouldn’t be home every evening to dine with her. However, on the nights he intended to be home she would receive instructions for time of dinner, apparel, and other plans he may have. If he were in town, she would receive instructions as to his intentions regarding visiting her suite and the estimated time of his arrival. She verbally responded to all of his rules.

The young lady with the food came back to clear the dishes and brought a carafe of coffee with two cups. Claire’s headache was improving with food but the coffee would be helpful. Anthony told her that he and Ms. Claire would be having coffee on the sunporch. She thanked him and left with the coffee. Claire didn’t remember a sunporch from the tour.

She walked beside Anthony as they left the office. Located in the rear of the main section, through the archways behind the grand stairs, and past the sitting room, they stepped down into a room made completely of glass. Claire felt faint as her eyes adjusted to the sunshine and she inhaled the fresh spring air. The room was decorated with brightly cushioned rattan furniture as well as tropical plants. Anthony sat on a loveseat and Claire on a chair. The sides of the room opened to allow a cool fresh breeze. Her bogus composure disappeared as the sensation of the fresh spring air blew her hair and she listened to the faint sounds of nature.

When she was a child, her dad, a policeman in Indianapolis, knew how much Claire loved the outdoors. Each spring he would take her to one of the many state parks. They would spend the weekend together hiking, fishing, talking, and wandering. Her grandfather, his father, had been FBI. It was ingrained in them to be cautious. On those weekends he let Claire believe she had control over their plans and the direction of their adventures. Remembering their activities she smiled, knowing he did most of the steering and all of the protecting. The aroma of the fresh spring air brought the memories of those adventures soaring back to Claire’s consciousness.

Just off to the side of the sunporch she saw a large pool. The water was covered with a large tarp, furniture was absent from the deck, and fountains were nonoperational. Though not in season, it definitely had potential for a wonderful place to spend her Claire time once the weather warmed.

As they sat and sipped warm coffee with a cool breeze, Anthony informed Claire that he would be leaving for three days on a business trip. His businesses were all over and traveling was an important part of his work. He would leave later in the afternoon as his meetings were scheduled to begin very early in the morning. He planned to be home Wednesday evening. She would be informed if his plans changed. “Anthony, what do you do?”

“Do you truly not know who I am?”

It frightened her to bruise his ego but erring on honesty was always best. “I’m sorry if I should, but I don’t. I thought at first that your name sounded familiar, Anthony Rawlings, but I have tried for over two weeks, and I admit I don’t know.”

He leaned back on the loveseat and offered a brief synopsis of himself. He called himself a businessman who had built his fortune from nothing. The beginning of and bulk of his success came with the Internet, he and a friend created one of the first Internet search engines. He later bought out his friend’s part of the company, had diversified his holdings, and has done pretty well.

Claire chuckled. “You made your fortune, because this,” looking around the expanse of his mansion, “is more than doing pretty well, with the Internet? And the only technology in your home is in your office?”

“Perhaps I want my home to be an oasis from my business life.”

Claire pondered that for a moment. “I understand. My grandfather and my father were both in law enforcement. They saw things that people should never have to see. Sometimes my grandfather would be gone for months at a time doing undercover work. Actually, I remember a story from when I was young where he was gone for around two years. My father was home each night. But anyways, my dad didn’t want home to be anything like work. I couldn’t even watch COPS on TV. I think it was like you were saying, an oasis.”

Anthony went on to ask about Claire’s family. She said her grandparents passed away before she graduated high school. Her parents were tragically killed in a car accident during her junior year of college. She did have a sister and brother-in-law in New York State. Fleetingly she wondered when she would talk to Emily again. With the breeze and the sound of birds, Claire casually went on talking. She asked Anthony about his family. As soon as her question left her lips she saw his eyes darken. She calmly added, “But if you don’t want to say anything, I don’t need to know.”

Perhaps it was her quick observation or the realization that she could read him, but his eyes lightened. “My parents are also gone. It was an accident when I was twenty-four. I have no siblings, and my grandparents are also gone.” The serenity returned as they both offered each other sincere sympathies at their loss. Claire’s coffee was gone and she didn’t know what else to say or discuss. She could see Anthony watching her as she stared out to the pool area. Beyond the pool was the backyard. The corner of it could be seen from her room but not the pool or porch. Past the yard were trees. From the second story she knew they went on forever, but from this vantage they created a gray veil around the yard. Soon little starts of green would transform the bleak veil into a colorful curtain. Claire really enjoyed spring.

Anthony excused himself and said he needed to prepare for his trip. She was welcome to stay on the porch or go elsewhere in the house. He would look for her before he left. He smiled what appeared to be a real smile. “I am pleased that the glitches have been resolved. I have plans for our agreement.”

The smile seemed right, the unspoken portion of his statement made Claire shiver. After he left, she looked down at her arm and saw the goose bumps that rubbed her sleeves. She told herself the cause was the breeze.

Claire returned to her suite recognizing that with the ability to roam she didn’t feel the need. Besides, she was tired. Sleeping late can do that to a person. However, her gut told her that yesterday’s glitches were more likely the cause of her fatigue. Her body felt stiff, and she thought about a nice long bath in the beautiful garden tub as she entered her room.