Exhaling, Claire lifted her face toward the sea and closed her eyes. Renegade strands of hair stuck to her moist warm skin. She pried the wayward tendrils from her neck and relished the growing, refreshing breeze. When she opened her eyes, the softest hues of chocolate brown filled her vision. Surprised by Tony’s closeness, Claire lifted her chin causing their noses to touch, and with a giggle she asked, “What?”
“Don’t let Phil fool you; you’re beautiful.”
She pursed her lips together and reached for his cheek. The slight stubble tickled her fingertips. “I’m glad you think so”—It was then she noticed his position—“Why don’t you bring that other chair over here? Why are you on the ground?”
“Because, Mrs. Rawlings, I wanted to be on one knee when I gave this to you.” From his pocket, Tony produced a platinum band embedded with diamonds. It was nearly identical to her original ring.
“Oh, Tony! It’s beautiful. It looks just like my first one.”
“Hopefully, one day, we can get back to Iowa, and you can have both of them.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Do you know today’s date?”
She watched as recognition overtook her husband’s expression. “I hadn’t realized,” Tony replied. “I’d say Roach’s arrival couldn’t have been better timed!” He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “Happy third anniversary, my love. I seem to acquire more and more regrets, but without a doubt, the fact that we aren’t still in our first marriage is one of my greatest.”
She framed his face with her petite hands. Before looking into his eyes, she took a moment and admired the sparkling band above her engagement ring. “It’s beautiful and somehow—believe it or not—I think this is better. We can have both”—she tried to explain—“Those people—the ones we were when we married three years ago were in a very different place than we are today.”
His devilish grin emerged. “I’d say they’re about half a world away.”
Kissing his lips, she replied, “Literally and figuratively.”
Their journey wasn’t complete. If their relationship had been a poker tournament, unquestionably, they’d not been dealt the best cards. When faced with the same odds, as Tony and Claire, many players would have folded and walked away. They hadn’t—they’d continued to play. In the process they’d grown and changed. At one time, they were opponents, strategizing against one another, now they were teammates, yet their tournament wasn’t over. It was too early to declare the winner. They both knew there were more cards to be revealed.
When Phil joined them for dinner, he looked much more relaxed, and told Tony and Claire all about Catherine and her quest to learn more and more about Sophia. “She seems different than when she hired me to send you the packages.”
It amazed Claire how casual he was with both her and Tony about what he’d done. Maybe it was true, honesty made even the most absurd circumstances less bizarre.
Phil continued, “I took a few pictures of her with Sophia. Ms. London looks different to me, don’t you agree?”
He showed his phone to Tony first. Claire’s husband’s countenance changed before her eyes. His posture straightened and the veins in his neck became visible. When he continued to stare without speaking, Claire asked, “May I see?”
Phil moved the phone to her line of vision. The golden flecks in Phil’s green eyes danced as he murmured something about once seeing a picture on Claire’s phone. Her mind immediately went to San Antonio. Thankfully, Tony was too lost in his own thoughts to process what they were saying. She reached out and covered Tony’s hand with her own. The diamonds embedded within the bands of her wedding and engagement ring sparkled behind the beacon of the engagement solitaire.
“She does look different,” Claire confirmed. “Her hair is shorter and darker, but there’s something else—I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Confidence,” Tony replied, his tone restrained. “She looks like she did when my grandfather was alive. I’d say she feels very confident in her future. I’m sure she thinks that I’m hiding out somewhere, and she’s safe to sit back and enjoy spending my money.”
“Can she do that?” Claire’s voice raised an octave.
Phil was the one to answer. “The way Mr. Rawlings’ estate is set, Ms. London has access to a very nice trust fund designed to help her manage the estate; however, the provisions are rather non-restrictive. How she chooses to spend the money won’t be questioned.”