mean! Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine but I was worried you might have needed this.” Tara pulled out Clem’s mysterious CD from her shoulder bag. Clem smiled.
“Oh, honey. That’s okay. No, I don’t need that. I’ve already copied it onto my hard drive.” Clem turned to his guest. “Hank, this is my wife, Tara.”
“Good evening, Tara. Hank Britney, pleased to meet you,” the older man smiled warmly, extending his hand to shake Tara’s.
“Hank’s one of our biggest clients.”
“Used to be the biggest till the new guys came to town. Very thoughtful of you, Tara. Not many wives would go to so much effort just on a hunch.”
Tara smiled weakly and shrugged. “No big deal. I just thought it might’ve been important.”
“Care to join us?” Hank suggested.
Tara would loved to have joined them both especially as she was all dressed up for the evening and now in serious need of a stiff drink. She felt incredibly silly barging in on them like some jealous wife who thought her husband might be cheating on her. Fancy that! But Clem wouldn’t want her to stick around. Tara figured if she sat down the conversation would be geared to include her and then the whole point of Clem meeting this Hank Britney character would be wasted. Tara looked at Clem for some clue that he might want her to join them.
“Looks like we’re short of a chair,” Clem said which was enough of a hint for Tara to leave.
“You two carry on. Love to join you both but I’m meeting Lorraine and her new flame at McCormicks,” Tara lied. “Gotta get going. Nice to meet you, Britney. Sorry, Hank!”
“Likewise,” Hank smiled.
Tara pecked Clem on the cheek and departed. She couldn’t get out of the place quick enough. She felt so ridiculous. How could she have been so wrong? It was Lorraine’s fault. That bitter, twisted woman had screwed up Tara’s usually very levelheaded thinking. Her anger was now directed away from her innocent husband and focused on Lorraine as she hurriedly exited Bella Luna.
As Tara waited outside and waited for the valet kid to bring her vehicle, her blood rush subsided and she collected her thoughts. Clem was just having a business dinner. He wasn’t having an affair after all. She was happy. Okay, that was all rather embarrassing and unnecessary back inside the restaurant but her worst fears were not realized. Tara was hugely relieved. That was the first and last time she would ever let Lorraine warp her thinking. Clem was a good, hard working husband and she needed to remain supportive through this difficult time for him. She would not be so easily manipulated again. Tara was mad at herself for listening to Lorraine in the first place. That woman was damaged goods when it came to the male gender. Her instincts were always wrong and she was wrong again this time. She wanted to call her right then and there and tell her she’d figured it out all cock-eyed but Tara knew she was in too much of an emotional state and might regret what she’d say.
Back in the sanctuary of her travertine tiled bathroom, a calmer Tara soaked in her Jacuzzi tub with its air jets gently pumping out bubbles, merlot in hand. She hummed along to the soothing tones of a Nora Jones CD playing softly and tried to mellow out before Clem got home. She’d been soaking for nearly an hour and was ready to get out but was just too relaxed and warm to move.
“Hey, you.” Clem threw his tie in the closet and walked over to the tub causing Tara to snap out of her meditative state.
“Oh, hi, honey. I’m sorry, that was so dumb of me tonight.” Tara said quietly, still feeling guilty for thinking Clem might be cheating on her. Not that Clem any inkling of Tara’s motivation for showing up at Bella Luna. Or did he?
“Sorry? What for? Hank Britney was impressed. He thought you were my secretary at first. Even Justine’s not that efficient.”
“I was worried I’d made you look like some forgetful idiot,” Tara lied.
“Oh, honey. That’s okay. No, I don’t need that. I’ve already copied it onto my hard drive.” Clem turned to his guest. “Hank, this is my wife, Tara.”
“Good evening, Tara. Hank Britney, pleased to meet you,” the older man smiled warmly, extending his hand to shake Tara’s.
“Hank’s one of our biggest clients.”
“Used to be the biggest till the new guys came to town. Very thoughtful of you, Tara. Not many wives would go to so much effort just on a hunch.”
Tara smiled weakly and shrugged. “No big deal. I just thought it might’ve been important.”
“Care to join us?” Hank suggested.
Tara would loved to have joined them both especially as she was all dressed up for the evening and now in serious need of a stiff drink. She felt incredibly silly barging in on them like some jealous wife who thought her husband might be cheating on her. Fancy that! But Clem wouldn’t want her to stick around. Tara figured if she sat down the conversation would be geared to include her and then the whole point of Clem meeting this Hank Britney character would be wasted. Tara looked at Clem for some clue that he might want her to join them.
“Looks like we’re short of a chair,” Clem said which was enough of a hint for Tara to leave.
“You two carry on. Love to join you both but I’m meeting Lorraine and her new flame at McCormicks,” Tara lied. “Gotta get going. Nice to meet you, Britney. Sorry, Hank!”
“Likewise,” Hank smiled.
Tara pecked Clem on the cheek and departed. She couldn’t get out of the place quick enough. She felt so ridiculous. How could she have been so wrong? It was Lorraine’s fault. That bitter, twisted woman had screwed up Tara’s usually very levelheaded thinking. Her anger was now directed away from her innocent husband and focused on Lorraine as she hurriedly exited Bella Luna.
As Tara waited outside and waited for the valet kid to bring her vehicle, her blood rush subsided and she collected her thoughts. Clem was just having a business dinner. He wasn’t having an affair after all. She was happy. Okay, that was all rather embarrassing and unnecessary back inside the restaurant but her worst fears were not realized. Tara was hugely relieved. That was the first and last time she would ever let Lorraine warp her thinking. Clem was a good, hard working husband and she needed to remain supportive through this difficult time for him. She would not be so easily manipulated again. Tara was mad at herself for listening to Lorraine in the first place. That woman was damaged goods when it came to the male gender. Her instincts were always wrong and she was wrong again this time. She wanted to call her right then and there and tell her she’d figured it out all cock-eyed but Tara knew she was in too much of an emotional state and might regret what she’d say.
Back in the sanctuary of her travertine tiled bathroom, a calmer Tara soaked in her Jacuzzi tub with its air jets gently pumping out bubbles, merlot in hand. She hummed along to the soothing tones of a Nora Jones CD playing softly and tried to mellow out before Clem got home. She’d been soaking for nearly an hour and was ready to get out but was just too relaxed and warm to move.
“Hey, you.” Clem threw his tie in the closet and walked over to the tub causing Tara to snap out of her meditative state.
“Oh, hi, honey. I’m sorry, that was so dumb of me tonight.” Tara said quietly, still feeling guilty for thinking Clem might be cheating on her. Not that Clem any inkling of Tara’s motivation for showing up at Bella Luna. Or did he?
“Sorry? What for? Hank Britney was impressed. He thought you were my secretary at first. Even Justine’s not that efficient.”
“I was worried I’d made you look like some forgetful idiot,” Tara lied.
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