Free Perfect Strangers by Samantha LaCroix Page B

kitchen and started cleaning up.
    When he was finally done he came into the living room, hovering a few feet away from the chair.
    "Umm, I finished cleaning the kitchen," he said, and Veronica looked up from her book.
    "Great," she said.
    "Did you ... want to watch some TV?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I missed most of the game, but … we can watch whatever you want."
    "No, I think I'm okay," she said, and Greg seemed to deflate a little.
    "Oh, okay," he said. "Well, I guess I'll be in the TV room then."
    "Okay," Veronica said, and she went back to the book before he left the room. As he turned and walked away she glanced up at his retreating back. She watched him walk, shoulders down, out of the room and a minute later the sound of the television came on, sports announcers telling the viewers at home what the score was. Veronica dropped her gaze back down to the book again and kept reading.

Chapter 11
     
    The next morning Veronica awoke alone again in her bed. She blinked and stretched, glancing over at the clock: 9:41. She'd slept later than she had anticipated. But at the same time, she felt more rested than she had in years. Throwing the covers off of her, she donned her dressing gown and went downstairs to the kitchen.
    The kitchen looked tidy, and there was a note on the table:
     
    "Hey honey,
    Didnt want to wake you but I made you some breakfast. Its in the oven.
    Love, Greg"
     
    Veronica put the note down, smiling lightly, and opened the oven. Inside was a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon on it. She took it out and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. As she munched on her food she thought about what she was going to do today.
    She probably wasn't going to do any chores, that was for sure. But there was another walking meeting at noon. The image of Jason staring at her beside her car flashed in her mind and she shook her head to clear it. She needed to figure things out between them. They hadn't spoken since the water tower (of course, how could they?) and she needed to set things straight with him before either of them got hurt.
    She wanted to apologize, that was the main thing. She'd led him on and that was wrong of her. He had probably already had ideas about what was going to happen at the water tower, and she did nothing to stop it. Besides, she was married . So it wasn't like anything could come of it anyways. It was a one-time mistake and something that she needed to take care of before anything bad happened.
    Veronica popped the last bite of toast in her mouth and got up. She washed the plate and went to go take a shower. When she was finished she put on some music and did some menial cleaning, more out of habit than anything else, until it was time to leave.
    When it was a quarter to noon, Veronica got on her shoes and coat and left to go to the meeting. This time the group was gathering at a conservation area just outside of town. They been there before, and each time Veronica felt as though she were lost when they walked through it. It was a beautiful area, full of trees and small clearings, and today would be a gorgeous day to explore it.
    She drove to the site and turned into the parking lot. She scanned the cars to see if Jason's was there, and her stomach did a somersault when she saw it. She parked on the opposite end of the lot and left the car, trying to think of other things as she walked toward the group.
    Nancy was close to the rear and she greeted Veronica. The two women briefly hugged and Veronica gave a casual look around, trying to spot Jason. She saw him standing near the front of the group, leather jacket on, attention entirely focused on the book he was reading.
    Veronica watched him. The noise around her dulled to a buzz as she studied his face, the way he stood. He raised his hand to his mouth and licked his thumb, slowly turning the page, eyes scanning over the lines of text. Veronica heard her name as though from far away, and then a hand on her arm brought her back to the present.