Chapter 8 #3
After cake, Dot opened her gifts, slowly, very slowly.
People were getting up to rest their legs, go to the restroom.
This was an eighty-year-old woman after all.
Or was she seventy-five. Angela still didn’t know.
Angela paid attention when Dot opened her gift; she seemed to like it.
Robert and Angela got to chatting with the folks at their table.
There were two other children. Although they were slightly older than Madison; they quite enjoyed her.
Angela and Robert left a little early; not long after dinner, wishing Dot a happy birthday and thanking Michael for the evening.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Michael said softly.
He was exhausted. The day had been a long one; first with all the business with his mother, then the planning and preparations and finally, catching up with old acquaintances.
He had barely had any time to think of Angela.
But now looking at her as he said goodbye, he couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked.
He couldn’t help but stare at her just a little too long.
He gave Robert a firm handshake; the man who was marrying the woman he was in love with.
On the way home, as Angela sat dazed, looking at the fields pass by, she couldn’t stop thinking about Michael; the way he had looked at her as they said their goodbyes. His gaze had made her knees weak.
“That Dot is an interesting lady,” Robert said, his eyes focused on the road. “She’s not so bad.”
“She was on her best behavior tonight,” Angela explained.
“So, she lives with her son? He owns that big mansion, I understand?”
“Yes.” She didn’t want to talk about him.
“What’s his name again?”
“Michael. Why all these questions?”
“Do you find him attractive?”
Angela was taken aback. “Well...he’s all right I suppose. Not really.” A little white lie never hurt anyone.
“His wife is gorgeous.”
“Yes, she is,” Angela agreed and did not correct his inaccurate assumption.
As Angela sat down opposite Dot, book in hand, she got right down to business. “I had a great time at your party.”
“Me too. It was quite fabulous, wasn’t it?”
“It sure was. Michael did a great job organizing it.”
“Michael does a great job with everything. He’s a perfectionist.”
Angela had never quite thought of him like that; she pondered this for a second. Yes, maybe he was.
“Did Michael meet your fiancé?” Dot asked, smirking.
“Yes.” Yes, Robert did meet the man who, just the night before, passionately kissed his wife to be. Thank you for renewing the guilt. “Anyway, not to change the subject but I’d like to discuss something.”
“Yes sure...” Dot said as she sipped her cup of tea, intrigued. What could Angela possibly have to discuss.
“Unfortunately, I will not be going to the cottage with your family next weekend.”
“But Angela, I need you there.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You can’t leave me there with Michael and the two kids. I need an ally. We can read our stories.” Dot was laying on the guilt – thick.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“But why?” Dot asked.
“No reason. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Dot looked away. “You promised. I’m very disappointed in you.” She had completely succeeded in making Angela feel like a selfish evil woman; looking out solely for her own interests.
Dot rang the bell as she always did when she needed Ellie. Angela couldn’t get over the gall of the woman; treating her employee like a dog. Although because of her age, she could get away with it.
Ellie promptly appeared.
“Ellie, could you go fetch Michael for me. We have something to settle. Tell him it’s urgent,” she urged, her gaze piercing through Angela who wanted to crawl under the cushion. The last thing she needed was for Michael to get involved.
Michael came to the study within seconds.
He gave Angela a quick nod.
“Ellie tells me you want to speak to me; says it’s urgent,” he said, addressing his mother, knowing very well this was probably not life and death.
“It seems Mrs. Angela has changed her mind. She’s not coming to the cottage.” Angela saw in Dot’s eyes, despite the anger and the crude behavior, a bruised heart. She was supposed to be her friend after all, and she had promised. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so terrible.
“Angela is a grown woman, Mum. She must have a reason,” he told Dot, looking at Angela, knowing very well the reason. The intensity of his gaze made her hot; she just wanted to get out of there.
“She didn’t give me a reason.”
Michael looked down, knowing he had played a part in this too. “I’ll leave you to your reading,” he said as he started to take a step back, but stopped.
“I’m not in the mood, anymore. You can go,” Dot told Angela, acting like a six year old petulant girl. Even for Dot, this was insane; had she gone off the deep end?
“C’mon Dot, we were right into it. You love this book.”
“Go.” She pointed towards the door, not making any eye contact.
“You better go,” Michael told her. “Actually, I think we need to talk,” he said as motioned her out.
Dot turned to look behind her, her lips slowing curving into a mischievous smile.
“Maybe I should go. I feel so bad,” Angela told Michael as they made their way to his office.
“Is this because of the kiss? If it is, don’t make it into something bigger than it was. It was just a kiss,” he said, not quite looking at her, as he walked into his office.
Just a kiss.
Maybe she had overestimated the importance of it. To her, it was everything but to him, maybe it was just a kiss, a spur of the moment thing.
“I wanted to talk to you about this,” he said, grabbing a large flat package wrapped in brown paper. He too, wanted to get something off his chest. “Why did you bring it back to me? It was a gift.”
“Because, like I said… it’s inappropriate, Michael.”
He rolled his eyes; she drove him crazy. “Can’t you just stick it in your basement? I just want you to have it,” he insisted, walking towards her.
“I wish I could keep it, but I can’t,” she said, not quite able to look at him.
“It was just a gift. I’m encouraging the local art scene. I buy people gifts all the time. Maybe, you’re just thinking a little too much about my feelings for you. You’re a friend.”
The words stabbed her.
“So I’m just a friend? You’re not attracted to me?”
“Well... I am,” he admitted, exasperated. That much was obvious. “But that’s just it. I’m infatuated with you. That’s all. I have no interest what so ever in a relationship. I never plan to go near you again,” he told her as he sat down and fiddled for something in his desk.
It was settled then. She felt, at once, both relieved and deeply saddened. “Well, in that case, since neither of us are interested in a relationship… maybe it’s not a big deal if I go to the cottage. We’ll just avoid each other as much as we can.”
“Exactly”, he said, picking up the phone, a subtle sign instructing her to get out.
And she did.
Michael sat at his desk, wondering why at forty-two years of age, he was acting like a teenager.
He had lied. He has just said the words to make life easier, and to protect his ego, maybe.
He also didn’t want to get in the way of his mother’s and Angela’s relationship; Angela had been the first friend Dot had had in quite a while.
Angela considered what Michael had said; it had all been in her imagination. She felt nauseous at the thought. His words had stung more than she could have imagined.
But after a few days of harping over the conversation in her mind, she had come to terms with the reality of the situation. It was actually a blessing; it certainly made her life easier. She would go to the cottage and Dot would be delighted.
There was no reason not to go. She admitted to herself that despite her attraction to him, there was no concern since he obviously wasn’t serious about her.
But just to be extra cautious, she would nonetheless keep her distance.
She called Ellie and told her she would be coming.
Ellie e-mailed her directions, a packing list and instructions to call the cottage line when she got close to the marina.