Nancy shook her head as she read Maurice’s report. He had jumped into the proposed marketing change over head first, though his recommendations were a bit of a stretch. She shook her head as she finished and looked up at him.

“I think we need to shelf this.”

Maurice held his hands up. “Respectfully, I disagree.” He started pacing. “You gave me this, so I did my due diligence. I’m telling you, we need to be at the front of this.”

Nancy got up and walked around to lean on the front of her desk.

“This was only to test the waters.”

“Yes, and the waters are only going to get warmer and more populous,” he said, pointing at her. “Imagine the brand recognition if we’re at the forefront of this internet wave.”

Nancy folded her arms under her chest. “This is a big spend on something nascent."

Maurice stopped and gave her an incredulous look with both eyebrows up.

“I seem to remember someone in this room saying, ‘Look ahead. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Plan for the next decade and beyond.’” he said before striking a pose with his finger pointed to the sky. Nancy squinted at him but before she could reply, he continued, “Look, in ten years, this is going to be everything. Jas and Yev have journals on the internet that they share with other people. My sister emails her friends instead of calling them.” He came over and leaned on the conference table opposite her. “This isn’t going away. It’s only going to get more pervasive.”

“I hear you,” she said. “My ask is, do we need to spend this as a construction company?”

It was his turn to squint at her. “You and I both know that isn’t what you see down the line. The grand picture you want to paint needs a grand audience. This will be the way to do that.”

Nancy took a deep breath and focused on him. Maurice crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at her. Their stand off continued until Nancy’s mobile buzzed. She broke her stare and turned the phone over to see who was calling.

“Let’s take a break,” she said, looking back to Maurice. He nodded, got up, and walking out to his desk.

“Hey, handsome,” Nancy said as she walked over to the window and stared out at the midday hustle and bustle below.

“Hey, I know this is super last minute, but can you do dinner tonight?”

“I have that lobbying dinner with the governor and state reps tonight. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, damn it. That’s right. I figured it was a long shot.”

“Well, now I’m curious. What did you have in mind?”

“My mom’s coming by. I was going to introduce you.” She could hear the grin in his voice.

“Oh."

There was a pause before he said, “That didn’t sound like a good ‘oh’. Was this a bad idea?”

“No. It’s not a bad idea. This just feels like a big step,” she said, leaning against the window.

“Are we... not to that point?”

She sighed. “I don’t know! I’d like to meet your mother. Maybe give me a bit of a heads up first?”

“Oh! Sorry!”

“Don’t be sorry! It’s sweet you want to include me. It’s just bad timing. How about we work on scheduling a second attempt when I come Friday?”

“Umm, yeah. That’ll work. I guess I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.”

Nancy closed her phone and let out a content sigh as she looked down to the small dots of people walking the streets below.

“That was adorable,” Maurice said from behind, making her jump. Nancy spun around and glared at him, leaning on her table with his arms folded.

“Don’t you have something better to do than eavesdrop?!” she said, pointing at him.

Maurice held his hands up and pushed off the table.

“Not more important than this,” he said as he came forward and took her arms in his hands. “I just want to say, we’ve known each other for a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this... content. I don’t know who is making you this happy, but I’m happy that you’re happy.”

Nancy pursed her lips in an attempt to not smile, which made Maurice get that dumb grin on his face. She refocused and put her chin up a bit.

“Thank you, Maurice.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said and released her arms. The big smile on his face didn’t leave and she could tell he was holding back. A second later he said, “You should totally tell me who it is though.” Nancy’s one eyebrow creeping up gave him his answer, so he threw his hands up. “Fine!” He turned to walk back to his desk. He shot her a grin over his shoulder and said. “I’ll let the marketing team know you’re on board for the internet overhaul.”

“I agreed to no such thing!” she said as he ducked out her door.

“Thaaanks!” he yelled from outside.

“Damn it, Maurice! Get back in here!”

Ikher met his mother at the curb. She locked her car and tucked a hand in his arm as they turned to go up his steps.

“Hey Mrs. CY!” Janine’s voice called out.

They turned to see Janine walking over from her house holding her daughters’ hand, both of them bundled from head to toe against the cold.

“Good afternoon, Janine!” Ikher’s mother called out and waved before sucking in a breath. “Oh my! Is this the famous Ainsley I keep hearing about? How are you miss?”

“Hello!” Ainsley yelled and waved with her free hand before she ran over to Ikher with her arms out. “Ikher! Up!”

He picked her up and positioned her on his hip. “Hey kiddo.” He poked her in the stomach, which made her giggle.

“You look so warm in your coat!” his mother said, tugging on Ainsley’s boot. “Are you going somewhere fun with mom?”

“Yeah! We going to the liber-rary.”

“I love the library! I hope you have fun!” his mother said before turning to Janine. “Excellent job mom. I always approve of little ones reading.”

Janine shook her head. “Yeah, she burns through books. I’m gonna have to pay the library rent as much as we’re there swapping them out. What’re y’all getting up to?”

“Just dinner tonight. Too cold for anything else,” his mother said, looping her hand into her son’s arm after he put Ainsley down.

“Aww, that sounds nice! I wonder when I might get to try your son’s cooking? I know he’s busy with his lady friend and all but his neighbors need some love too,” Janine said with a wicked smile directed at Ikher, who’s eyes grew huge as his jaw tightened.

His mother’s eyebrows raised as she turned to look at him. “My son hasn’t offered you a meal? That’s interesting."

Ikher swallowed and looked between Janine and his mother. “She’s been over for other stuff."

“And yet you’ve never cooked for her. Or her daughter. I see we have a lot to talk about tonight,” she said with a pat on his arm. Ikher close his eyes, take a deep breath, then glared at Janine who had the biggest smile on her face.

“Well, we’re gonna get going! Y’all have fun!” she said, winking at Ikher. She and Ainsley waved and then walked back to her van. Ikher and his mother went inside where he started their dinner. His mother was reading on the couch.

“I like her,” she said, breaking her silence after some time.

“Huh? Who?” Ikher asked over his shoulder.

“Janine.”

“Oh yeah, she’s fun,” he said, turning back to his vegetables. “When she isn’t getting me in trouble or sneaking up on me.”

His mother let out an amused chuckle before she closed her book. She rested her head in her hand and looked at him. “So what’s this about a lady friend?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been... kind of seeing someone,” he said, not turning around, but he heard his mother’s very audible sigh.

“Does she know that you’re ‘kind of seeing her’? Or is she another one that just comes around whenever she wants to?”

“Okay, I am seeing her. And no, she isn’t like Candace,” he said as he slid the veggies into a pan and turned up the flame.

“That’s good. That girl wasn’t mature enough for you.” His mother waited, but when he didn’t say anymore, she chucked a pillow at him.

“What’s that for?” Ikher asked as he picked up the pillow.

“Give me some details. What’s this lady friend like? What’s her name? Is she your girlfriend? Do you like her a lot or is it just lust?”

He laughed as he brought the pillow back to the couch. “Her name’s Nancy. I like her a lot and I’m pretty sure she likes me.”

She smacked his hand and wagged a finger at him. “Stop going through life in cruise control. If you like her as much as you say, then you shouldn’t have to guess about how she feels about you.”

“Ya know, she kinda reminds me of you,” he said as he looked down at her.

His mother cackled. “She made you suffer and chase after her like I did your father?”

“Nooo, not like that,” he said as he walked back to the kitchen and leaned on the counter. “She’s super smart and can be scary intense. I think she’s above my level sometimes.”

“Nothing wrong with aiming high. Your father aimed high and got me,” she said with a wink.

Ikher chuckled and pulled the fish from the oven. His mother got up and came over to help with plating their dinner. She poked him in the side, making him look at her.

“Do I get to meet her?”

“Yeah! She wasn’t able to make it tonight, but she’s coming over Friday and we’re gonna try to schedule something.”

“I look forward to it,” she said as he grabbed their plates and set the table.

They were most of the way through their meal when he looked up to find her staring at him. He looked around, worried.

“What?”

She pointed at him with her fork. “Have you been visiting my friend?”

“Huh?” he said before realizing she meant the willow tree. “Oh! Yes! I go back at least every other day and give it a hug and chat it up.”

“Excellent!” she said with a big grin before taking a drink.

“That tree is cool. It’s always so warm,” Ikher said as he dove back into his food.

He didn’t notice, but his mother froze mid-drink. She observed him for a few moments before she put her cup down and pushed her food around on her plate.

“What’s that now?” she asked, watching him from the corner of her eye.

“What’s what?”

“About the tree being warm,” she said with a glance up at him.

“Oh, yeah. It’s warm whenever I touch it. Even at night. I think it holds in the warmth from the sun really well.”

“Hmmm, that’s possible,” she said, pushing her food around again. “Do you ever... hear anything when you touch it?”

Ikher’s mouth screwed to the side as he tried to remember. “I don’t think so,” he said, and his mother exhaled. “Should I have heard something?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a smile. “You say it’s warm all the time, so I was just worried you might have an allergic reaction to the bark or pollen or something. Didn’t know if you were getting a ringing in your ears or anything,” she said, gesturing with some broccoli on her fork.

“Oh nah. It’s not that kind of warm, I don’t think,” he said. His brows furrowed, and he tapped his fork to his chin. “I don’t think I’m allergic to anything.”

“I don’t think you are,” his mother said. “You come from excellent stock.” She smiled, looking at him for a moment before sighing and going back to pushing her food around her plate.

Ikher let out a very dramatic sigh and shook his fork at her. “Are you gonna eat that or play with it all night, young lady?”

His mother squinted up at him and made a show of putting a forkful in her mouth.

Five hours of conversation and debate with multiple people had taken its toll. Nancy could feel her eyelids drop with the hypnotic passing of the freeway lights. She tried to shake it off by turning on the radio but could only find annoying pop music. Flipping her phone up in the console holster, she picked his number.

Ikher’s voice popped from the speaker. “Hey, Nance! How was your thing?”

“Tiring,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Nah. I just got out of the shower.”

“Oh, good! I’m driving home and need some conversation to keep me awake. How was dinner with your mother?”

“Good! She was sorry she missed you.”

“We’ll make sure I see her next time.”

“Hey, can I ask something?” There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Of course.”

“What are we?”

“What do you mean?” she asked with a glance at the phone.

“Like, are we dating? Or...” Ikher trailed off. Nancy tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed, but before she could reply he continued. “I’m asking because my mom asked if you were my girlfriend.”

“What did you say?”

“Umm, I said that we spend a lot of time together and I like you a lot and I think you like me a lot.”

“And what did she say?”

He laughed. “Well, she hit me and said that I shouldn’t be so uncertain about things.” His tone went back to concerned. “So I guess this is me trying to be certain,” Ikher said, sounding very uncertain.

Nancy took a deep breath and smiled. “Everything you told her is right.”

“So... you’re... my girlfriend?” he asked.

Nancy thought about it for a second and sighed again as she stared out at the highway. “I want to say yes, but this is so complicated."

There was some silence before he asked. “You mean with your husband?”

Nancy nodded. “Yes, I like what we have, but I’m married, and I know that isn’t fair to you.”

More silence before Ikher spoke again. “Do you love him?”

“No,” Nancy answered immediately.

“Does he love you?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. If I had to guess, I would say no,” she said as she turned off the interstate.

“Nance, why are you still married then?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, letting her head go back to the headrest as she waited for the light to turn. “Pride, I suppose. He isn’t happy. I’m not happy. But neither of us will admit defeat.”

“You know, you say it’s not fair to me, but honestly, I’m not even a real factor in that. Your situation isn’t fair to you. Or to him. If I wasn’t in this, you two would just be... existing. Is that all you want?”

Nancy blinked and her jaw dropped a bit before she burst out laughing.

“Nance?”

“I’m here,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you, I promise. I’m laughing at myself.”

“ …okay.”

“Out of all the futures I planned and saw for myself,” she said as she turned into her neighborhood. “I never thought my boyfriend would lecture me on how my marriage isn’t fair to me and my husband.”

“I just want what’s best for you,” he said, and she smiled as she could see him doing his nonchalant shrug in her head. She pulled up her driveway and put the car in park.

“You’re so sweet,” Nancy said, resting her head on her hands holding the steering wheel. “I don’t deserve you."

“Hey, now, you just called me your boyfriend. You can’t do that and then get rid of me.”

Nancy smiled and exhaled. “Can I confess something?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t think I’ve had a boyfriend before.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes, the more I think about it, I haven’t.”

“Get out.”

“No, I was very shy growing up. Right when I was around dating age, my brothers died. I was so focused on finishing school, I didn’t have time for boys. Then I got married so that I could take over the company.”

“You didn’t date your husband?”

“We had sex in college, but there was never any relationship.”

He laughed. “Hold on now. I thought you didn’t have time for boys in college?”

“Okay, I didn’t have time for a relationship in college,” she said. “I had, friends who were good for, releasing pent-up frustrations.”

“Ah, friends with benefits.”

“Yes! That’s a good term for it,” she said as she laid back against the headrest.

“Wow. So, you never had a guy awkwardly ask you to a dance or write you shitty poetry?”

Nancy laughed. “I did not. Though it sounds like I didn’t miss much.”

“Yeah, I guess, but that’s still a shame."

“You’re sweet, but you don’t need to write me shitty poetry if that’s what you were planning.”

“I wasn’t!” He chuckled. “I’m terrible at poetry, so it would’ve been real shitty.”

Nancy sighed. “All right, I’m home safe and sound thanks to you.” She pulled the phone from the console holster and grabbed her purse. “I’m going to forage for something to eat and go to bed.”

“Sounds good. Seeing you Friday, right?”

“Absolutely. I’ll call you tomorrow when I get a spare moment.”

“Awesome. Goodnight, girlfriend,” he said with a smile she could hear through the phone.

“Goodnight, boyfriend,” she replied with a big grin of her own and closed the phone.

Nancy took a deep breath and let her head drop back to look at the stars for a moment. How could things be so simple and so complicated at the same time? She looked at the long shadows the street lights threw off her home. No lights on meant everyone must be asleep.

Inside, she noticed a folded note from their butler, William, on the side table. He had left her a meal in the fridge. She was very thankful for her luck in securing him just as he was moving to town. She dropped her purse, hung her coat, and made her way to the kitchen.

The grilled chicken lettuce wrap was an oasis of substance and flavor compared to the desert of alcohol and finger food at the rep ‘dinner’. She sat at the kitchen island, savoring the meal when she heard Jared talking to someone.

His voice was light and jovial, laughing and enjoying the conversation. He rounded the corner to the kitchen and jumped when he saw her sitting there, mouth full, looking at him wearily. His conversation halted as his body stiffened and mannerisms changed.

“I’ll let you know about those files. Let me let you go,” he said into the phone, attempting to sound normal and boring. Nancy sighed and finished chewing as he hung up.

“Hey, didn’t hear you come in,” Jared said, tucking his phone into his back pocket as he walked over to her.

“Didn’t want to wake anyone,” Nancy said after swallowing and reached for an olive. “You could have finished your call.”

“Wasn’t that important,” he said, waving his hands. “How was dinner with the reps?”

“Tedious, but necessary,” she shrugged as she pushed the remaining olives around the plate.

“I get that,” Jared laughed. “Well, I’m going to turn in. Don’t stay up too late,” he said, rapping the island with his knuckles.

“Shower and sleep are the only things in my future,” Nancy replied.

Jared nodded and left the kitchen back the way he came. She watched him go and then looked down to her plate. He was probably having a good night chat as well, and everything changed when he saw her. He never sounded like that on the phone with her, even in the beginning.

After her meal, she walked through the very empty house and up the stairs to her bathroom. This late, the dark rooms and corridors made the house seem empty. It was empty in a lot of ways, she realized as she entered her bedroom.

She couldn’t get Ikher’s words of ‘just existing’ out of her head as she showered. At this point, it was undeniable that she and Jared were both happier seeing other people. Their situation had always been more contract than relationship, and most contracts weren’t permanent.

Perhaps it was time she and Jared go their separate ways.