When the working day was over, Julia hurried home. She spent more than an hour choosing a suitable dress for the date: she had not had such an occasion for a long time. She did not want to look too flashy, but she really wanted to show Mason she was not just a working machine.
Mason appeared – forty five minutes late, when the disappointed Julia had already taken off her earrings and her shoes and was sitting there in her gorgeous dress feeling very stupid and very irritated. (She was actually trying her hardest to stop at these two emotions and not to go further into feeling humiliated or deceived, which would have been a little premature, anyway.)
“I’ll kill him,” she said aloud, going to answer the door.
The first thing Julia saw was a beautiful bunch of flowers Mason handed her. “Oh you look stunning,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“U-huh.”
“No,” Mason said hastily, “it’s about Matt. I mean Mrs. Whitcomb for some reason could not come. And Mrs. Parker couldn’t either. And so Mrs. Whitcomb asked a Mrs. Cobb to baby-sit, and you know though she guaranteed that Mrs. Cobb was a most reliable nanny I just could not leave my son with a stranger. I had to double-check – fortunately it appeared that this lady has worked previously for someone I know personally, so--- I’m sorry, Julia.”
“You might have phoned,” Julia pointed out, hiding her nose in the flowers.
“That, I might, but--” then he saw the clock on the wall. “No, it can’t be THAT late.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Oh.”
Mason looked so unhappy Julia almost forgave him.
“Well,” he said at last. “I''ll do my best to make it up to you.”
“Ok,” she grumbled, putting on her shoes. “I promise I’ll be pouting all evening now. Try and put up with this kind of date.”
Of course Julia did not hold her promise: she started laughing at Mason’s jokes on their way to the Orient Express.
*
Julia had feared it could turn into a very awkward evening, with neither Matt nor work there for them to hide behind.
Happily, it appeared to be rather fun. Mason seemed relaxed and at ease, and they drank a little champagne, danced a little, even, and talked a lot. Occasionally Mason would pay Julia a compliment.
Looking at Mason, Julia was thinking that in the last few months he’d become her most intimate friend and – her blood raced when she found herself in his arms. He seemed more in control of his emotions; as usual.
Close to midnight, Mason drove Julia home. He opened the car door for her and gave her his hand, and took her to her front door. Here he kissed her, on the lips, but very gently and briefly.
“Thank you, Julia. That was a wonderful evening.”
“Thank you, Mason. That was a wonderful evening,” she echoed. They laughed. “Come in, will you. I’ll fix you a night cup.”
He hesitated. “I think I need to go home. Matt--” Then he reconsidered. “Ok, let me use your phone.”
Mason phoned home to find that Mrs. Parker, his regular nanny, had taken over. “I just don’t know that Mrs. Cobb well enough,” he explained. “Now I feel much better and I can stay, I guess, I mean for a little while.”
Julia smiled inwardly. He was being very tactful.
She brought in a tray with whatever she could find in her kitchen. Mason chuckled.
“What, Julia? Have we left the Orient Express too early, are you still hungry? We can always go back, you know.”
“No I am not hungry, I just--”
She gave a smile, as while she was talking Mason reached out and snatched a bit of her ‘feast’.
“Help yourself.”
“Thank you.”
He was sitting down on her sofa, and she was standing there watching him, keeping her distance. “What are you thinking about?” she asked in a while.
“Frankly?”
“Yeah – if you think I can handle it.”
“I was thinking your eyes were particularly shiny today, and I wondered what YOU were thinking about, because right now they’re downright starry.”
“You kidding?”
Mason shook his head. “Nope. Your turn?”
“Frankly?” she said.
Her heart was throbbing so violently she was afraid he’d hear it.
“Oh yes. I guess I can handle anything; I’ve had a lot of practice. So?”
“Thinking how you said the other day you’d do anything for me to stay; I was just to name it.”
He looked suddenly uncomfortable.
“You take it back?” she mocked.
“No. Within reasonable limits. What is it, Julia?”
“And you mentioned you wanted me,” she went on. “So that makes it fair enough, and simple enough, – the way I see it.”
Mason nodded, his mouth suddenly dry; he never took his eyes off her.
“I really would absolutely love it if you stayed with me tonight,” Julia said softly.
/Olga Lissenkova/
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