“For what?”

“For showing me what I have been missing. I have been so goal oriented, so driven, I have missed so much.” She scooted closer and offered him his sandwich. “I’m really not hungry yet, are you?” His hands were exploring her collar bone, causing goose bumps to rise on her arms.

“I think I can wait.”

The hours of daylight had almost reached their peak. The summer solstice was near. Between exploring the lake, shore, wildlife, and one another, they found themselves still on the shore as the sun began to set. It was all right. Claire knew that this time there would be no punishment or accident when she arrived home. This time she was safe. They sat and watched the crimson ball as it bled a cherry glow across the sky, slowly fading behind the line of shadowed trees at the far end of the lake.

  There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. —Epictetus

 Chapter 39

Claire’s education regarding the responsibilities of Mrs. Anthony Rawlings continued during the summer months. She now had the responsibility of entertaining Tony’s business associates. As a bachelor, these gatherings weren’t expected. However, now with a wife by his side, Shelly felt this personal touch benefited Mr. Rawlings. “They” hosted multiple dinner engagements. On the Fourth of July, they held a large barbeque/pool party for many of Tony’s associates at the estate in Iowa. Guests included those she’d met briefly at her wedding and those that she’d never met. Tony introduced her to everyone, and she remembered names and faces remarkably well. Her job description remained the same as it had been fourteen months earlier: be perfect. To accomplish her goal, she needed to be beautiful, polite, contented, and appreciative. Now there was another requirement: be a most gracious hostess. Surprisingly, Claire didn’t find these new duties difficult. For most people to pull off a dinner, barbeque, or pool party would require planning, cleaning, cooking, setting up, and tearing down. For Mrs. Rawlings, that wasn’t the case. Everything happened without her input. Invitations went out, RSVPs counted, meals planned, house or apartment cleaned, food prepared, tables and decorations set, the food served, and miraculously everything cleaned by the next day. She needed only to be present, ever attentive to her guests, and most importantly attentive to her husband.

The first entertaining experience occurred at their New York apartment. They hosted an intimate dinner party for ten. Claire’s nerves were shaken prior to the hors d’oeuvres. Perhaps it was Tony’s pep talk about appearances, responsibility as his wife, and the unacceptability of public failure. However, wearing the clothes he chose, hair styled as he suggested, and appearing as dutiful as she could muster, the evening progressed surprisingly well. Her talent for remembering names, faces, facts, and the intuition to know when not to interrupt business talk yet understand when to augment small talk, succeeded in making everyone feel comfortable. After the guests left, Tony gently wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, “You were magnificent.”

It made all the difference. From that point on, when she learned of an impending gathering, she had but one solitary goal—to please her husband. On some occasions they would be at opposite sides of a room and she would look up from a conversation to observe his eyes. The presence of brown rimmed pupils would strengthen her resolve to perform her role to perfection. Rarely would she discover the black voids. On those occasions she would excuse herself from her current activity and attempt to learn the source of his unhappiness. Once discovered it would be her responsibility to right the wrong. Assuming this responsibility of Mrs. Anthony Rawlings familiarized her with many of his associates and made her feel less alone. She met the people Tony dealt with on a daily basis. In reality she may have been a beautiful accessory but she believed she provided an important asset to his public relations. The added bonus was that she continued to amaze Tony by excelling at whatever obstacle was put before her.

A week before they needed to be in France for Tony’s meetings, he informed Claire they would spend a few nights in New York City before their trip. He could work from the NYC office and it would decrease their travel time to Paris.

Claire’s research discovered many sights she anxiously anticipated seeing in France. They would arrive in Paris, where he had two days of meetings. She wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Muse’e d’Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Arc de Triomple among other places. She told Tony multiple times how excited she was that she was involved in planning their activities. Next, he promised her two nights in the south of France, one of his favorite destinations. He had special plans for this destination. She had read about Cannes, the French Riviera, and Monaco, but willingly trusted his decisions.

Next, they would be off to Italy. His meetings there were in Rome and Florence. They would have the opportunity to visit museums and monuments in both cities. Her two requests were the Vatican and the Galleria dell’ Accademia, the museum that housed Michelangelo’s David. Tony promised that David didn’t have anything she hadn’t seen before.

He wanted her to see the island of Sicily. The water, he said, was beautiful. The blueness rivaled Fiji. He mischievously smiled and let her know that nude sunbathing was an acceptable practice there. Claire didn’t like the idea of nude sunbathing with multitudes of people. After a naughty smirk Tony agreed. He didn’t want others seeing what he alone had the pleasure of viewing whenever he chose.

His last meetings were in Switzerland. He needed to be in Genève and Interlaken. He explained that if she enjoyed the beauty and splendor of the Rocky Mountains at Lake Tahoe she would marvel at the Swiss Alps. They were magnificent. He knew she would love all that nature had to offer in Switzerland.

As Tony spoke about their trip he expressed his desire to spend more time in Europe. “I want to show you so many places. We aren’t even planning for Venice. A gondola ride is one of the most romantic adventures. And what about London, don’t you want to see Buckingham Palace?”

“We have forever to visit those places.” As he spoke about cities and sites, his eyes danced with enthusiasm. His excitement to share something with her meant more than the trip itself.

The Tuesday before their scheduled departure they sat in her suite, with Claire reviewing e-mails and Tony working on his laptop. She only needed to discuss the e-mails that she felt deserved personal follow through, of any kind. She read each one and eventually came to one from Emily. She’d expected to see it. The last one had been about a week ago. This one contained new information. It wasn’t just the “I want to see you” text.

  To: Claire Rawlings clarawl1084@rawlingsind.com From: Emily Vandersol johnemvan@aol.com Date: July 19, 2011 Re: Hi.   Hi, Claire, How are you and Anthony? We are doing very well. I’m on summer break, which you know. Would be great to see my little sis, but anyway, know how busy you are. How have those dinner party things been going? Still cracks me up. You being the one hosting parties! Would never have guessed it. Anyway, didn’t you say you two were going on vacation? I heard something on the television about you being on another private island. Really? Have you been gone? I never know what to believe. But I wanted to let you know John and his associate just had a big win in court recently. They made a huge impression on the partners. Not to mention some big money for them too. We’ve been invited to multiple dinners and John has had some “lunches” with a few of the partners recently. It is looking like all his hours and hard work will be paying off soon. Would love to hear from you. Please give Anthony our love. How is Iowa? I have some time, maybe you and I could visit in person? Or are you too busy for your big sister. (I’m trying guilt.)   Love ya, Em