Chapter Twelve

The two young women had been on the look out for men who were gong places and in need of wives to go along with them.

“If we’re going to fall in love, and surely we are, why not fall in love with wealthy men,” Suzan had said more than once to her girl friends. It made perfect sense to both of them. That was how Suzan had met Chad Williams, a few months ago. He had been one of several men Suzan had dated while engaged to Joe.

Suzan was now seated at their favorite table, back in a dark, quiet corner, waiting for Chad to arrive. It seemed to her that her plan had finally worked out to her advantage. Her friend was still in her relationship with her boyfriend, unmarried, but still looking for another man in all of the right places to no avail.

Chad had asked Suzan to meet him there for a dinner date with a more excited tone in his voice than usual. Suzan had her suspicions about what the meeting was about. Their dating life had taken a slow and methodical route since she was already living off and on with Joe. She had managed to keep a day or two open each month to see Chad.

She felt bad about what she was doing at first but she was a practical woman if nothing else.

Some who knew her might have said more than once, “that she was too practical and cold and not loving enough,” but that might have just been jealousy rearing its ugly head. Suzan’s feelings of guilt if she ever had any, soon abated.

Their meetings soon became a habit and a routine of sorts but sometimes with several days and even weeks in between. Chad didn’t like the arrangement but soon understood that was the way it was going to be for the foreseeable future. Months passed as they, do and little had changed.

Joe was a great guy but Suzan knew his short comings would never change. Suzan had tried to change to some degree, but it had been impossible and she now understood that. Joe was no different than her in that regard.

Chad was already nearly where Suzan wished Joe was. She was on a strict time line and Joe wasn’t interested in the same things that she was or so she now thought. She used her biological clock as her primary excuse when she thought about what she was doing.

Chad was already a partner at a large his brokerage house owned by his father and making great money, Their dates were proof of that. They did whatever they desired on those few times each month when they were able to get together.

Chad had an idea that Suzan was still connected to someone else in a serious relationship but he couldn’t imagine that she was already engaged. After sometime, her schedule made one thing obvious to him. There was another man. Chad was a sharp man and no fool.

She had caught his eye in this very place a year ago and he would not be deterred. He understood what the odds were that she didn’t have a past. He had no idea of her present circumstances but truthfully that would not have stopped him from seeing her even if he knew the truth.

Suzan had made it clear to Chad that she was single at the beginning of their relationship. But his suspicions grew as time passed and she was more difficult to pin down for a date than most single women he had dated. Experience had told him otherwise.

She had just placed her martini on it’s napkin when she saw him enter the room. He seemed not to be his happy and charming self. He had a look of worry on his handsome face. The glance from those sharp, green, eyes almost seemed to pass through her as if looking deeply for “the real her,”or so it felt. It unnerved her. He smiled when he spotted her. He looked great in his very expensive suit, as always.

Tonight it was his grey, Italian one. He had dozens of suits. Suzan had seen him in most of them. His English hand made shoes shined brightly from the lights hanging overhead.

Chad was six foot-two, on the thin side, but muscular. His broad face was tanned year round and smooth shaven. He looked exactly as one would expect a wealthy professional to look like. He walked up to Suzan, leaned over and kissed an offered check and sat down across from her at the round table covered in a crisp white table cloth.

They now sat in front of each other in semi darkness. The room was large, lined in dark wood paneling and rather quiet for the number of people randomly seated around them. Suzan was now waiting to make, perhaps, one of the biggest decisions of her life, or so she hoped.

Would she leave Joe, a known quantity of some merit, for a possibly much more secure and better life with someone else she didn’t know quite as well, but who now possessed all that she might ever yearn for?

She had been ten minutes early, as usual. Chad was right on time as always. “That was one more point in Chad’s favor,” Suzan thought. Chad was on time, as always.”

“I see you beat me here again Suzan.” “Yes Chad, you have get moving pretty early to get ahead of me.” “Don”t I know it Suzan?”

Chad loved that Suzan was always running early. He hated those slugs who never got anywhere on time. It’s why the world passes them by, no doubt,” he often thought, walking behind some guy on the street in no hurry to go anywhere.

He noticed the drink sitting in front of Suzan and turned. He caught the eye of Fernando and waved a hand at him.

He and Suzan had been coming here often enough for Fernando to now know what they wanted to drink. Fernando looked back at Chad with a look that put Chad at ease. It said, “It’s on it’s way as soon as possible.” Chad liked that. That was a comfort for Chad to see. He didn’t like to be kept waiting for most things. Suzan was the exception to that rule.

Chad liked the known factors in life more than most. His work in stocks and bonds offered him little of that stability that he craved in life.

“I’m glad you were free to met me tonight.” “You know I’m always here for you Chad.”

Chad wasn’t so sure of that up to this very moment. That had been truer over the last few months for some unknown reason however and he was happy about that. “Perhaps she is finished with whom ever else she had been seeing along with me.” He smiled and wondered just how true that was. He wondered if he would regret this decision he was making tonight in the years to come. He had love mixed with anger churning in his stomach. Love out weighed anger at this moment.

Chad didn’t ask any unwanted questions but had noticed a subtle change in Suzan in that she had been more available as of late.

“Well Suzan, I really need to talk to you tonight.” “Why, what’s going on?”

“I don’t want to lose you. I know you aren’t always open with me about everything going on in your life. I’ve tried to to respect your privacy but I have come to a decision.”

Suzan was slightly startled by what Chad said. “Was their high flying relationship crashing at this very moment?” she couldn’t help but wonder for a split second.

“Really, what might that question be? I think you might be being a little overly dramatic dear.”

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You don’t know the half of it.

More tomorrow.