Maxine had given him a Hermès tie and a matching pocket scarf. He put them on for dinner that night. It was a comfortable relationship for both of them, not too serious, with plenty of room for them to continue to pursue their own careers and lives. Maxine didn't know how much things would change if she slept with him. She couldn't imagine him staying at the house with her children, and Charles had already said he would never do that. He would have been too afraid Daphne would kill him in his sleep. And besides that, he didn't think it was respectable to sleep with her with her children around, and Maxine agreed.
She left the city at noon, and was planning to be away until New Year's Day. And she expected to be in Vermont by six o'clock that night. Charles called her on the road twice, to make sure she was all right. It was snowing north of Boston, but the roads were clear, although it got heavier when she got to New Hampshire, and by then she had heard from her children. Daphne had called her the minute they landed in Aspen, and sounded frantic.
“I hate her, Mom!” she whispered. Maxine listened and rolled her eyes. “She's awful!”
“Awful how?” Maxine tried to keep an open mind, although she had to admit, some of Blake's women had been pretty dicey. Maxine had gotten philosophical about it in the last five years. They never lasted long anyway, so it wasn't worth getting upset about, unless they did something dangerous for the children. But they were too old for that now anyway, they weren't babies.
“She has tattoos up and down her arms!” Maxine smiled at the vision.
“So did the last one, and on her legs, and that didn't bother you. Is she nice?” Maybe she was being rude to the children. Maxine hoped not, but she didn't think Blake would let that happen. He loved his kids, even if he liked his women.
“I don't know. I won't talk to her,” Daphne said proudly.
“Don't be rude, Daff. It's not nice, and it'll just upset your father. Is she being nice to the boys?”
“She did a bunch of dumb pictures for Sam. She's a painter or something. And she wears this stupid thing between her eyes.”
“What kind of thing?” Maxine envisioned her with an arrow and a suction cup glued to her forehead.
“You know, like Indian women. She's such a fake.”
“You mean, like a bindi? Come on, Daff, don't be so tough on her. So she's a little weird. Give her a chance.”
“I hate her.” Maxine knew Daphne hated Charles too. She was hating a lot of people these days, even her parents. It was of the age.
“You probably won't ever see her again after this vacation, so don't waste a lot of energy on it. You know how that goes.”
“This one's different,” Daphne said, sounding depressed. “I think Dad loves her.”
“I doubt that. Dad's only known her for a few weeks.”
“You know how he is. He gets all crazy about them in the beginning.”
“Yeah, and then they go up in smoke and he forgets them. Just relax.” But she wondered after she hung up if Daphne was right and this one would be the exception. Anything was possible. She couldn't imagine Blake ever marrying again or staying with the same woman long term, but you never knew. Maybe one day he would. Maxine wondered how she would feel about that when it happened. Maybe not so great. Just like her children, she liked the way things were. Change was never easy, but maybe one day she'd have to face it. In Blake's life, and her own. That's what Charles was all about. Change. It was scary for her too.
The trip took longer than she expected because of the snow, and she got to Charles's place at eight o'clock. It was a small, neat little New England house with a peaked roof and a rustic fence around it. It looked like something on a postcard. He came out to greet her as soon as she drove up, and carried in her bags. There was a front porch with a swing and two rockers on it, and inside there was one big bedroom, a living room with a fireplace and a hooked rug, and a cozy country kitchen. She was disappointed to note that there would have been nowhere to put her kids, if it ever came to that. Not even a guest room where she could have crammed all three into one bed. It was a house suitable for a bachelor, or at most a couple, and nothing else, which was how he lived. And he liked it that way. He had made that clear.
The house was cozy and warm when she walked in, and he set her bags down in the bedroom, and showed her the closet where she could hang her things. It was an odd feeling being alone there with him. It seemed a little premature since she had never slept with him, and now they would be sharing a bed. What if she decided not to sleep with him? she asked herself. But it was too late now, she was there. She suddenly felt very brave coming up, and shy as he bustled around showing her where things were. Towels, sheets, washing machine, the bathroom, of which there was only one. And everything in his kitchen was immaculate and neat. He had cold chicken and some soup waiting for her, but after the long drive she was too tired to eat. She was happy sitting by the fire with him and a cup of tea.
“Did the children get off all right?” he asked politely.
“They're fine. Daphne called when they got to Aspen. She's a little upset because her father brought his new girlfriend along. He had promised not to this time, but he just met someone new, so he brought her with him. He gets a little overenthused in the beginning.”
“He's a busy guy,” Charles said, sounding disapproving. He was always uncomfortable when she mentioned Blake.
“The kids will adjust. They always do.”
“I'm not so sure Daphne is going to adjust to me.” He was still worried about that, and he wasn't used to the hellish fury of teenage girls. Maxine was much less impressed.
“She'll be fine. She just needs some time.”
They sat and talked by the fire for a long time, and the scene outside was one of sheer beauty. They stood on the porch, looking out at the fresh snow spread out all around them. It was magical, as Charles put his arms around her and kissed her. And just as he did, her cell phone went off. It was Sam, calling to kiss her goodnight. She gave him a kiss, said goodbye, and then turned to Charles again, and she could see he was unnerved.
“They seem to find you, even here,” he commented drily. “Don't you ever get time off?”
“I don't want to,” she said softly. “They're my kids. They're all I've got. They're my life.” It was precisely what he was afraid of, and why they frightened him so much. He couldn't imagine detaching them from her.
“You need more in your life than just them,” he said softly. He sounded like he was volunteering for the job, and she was touched. He kissed her again, and this time no one called, no one disturbed them. She followed him back inside, and they took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. It was faintly embarrassing and kind of funny, and Maxine giggled as she got into bed. She was wearing a long cashmere nightgown with a matching robe over it, and socks. It was hardly romantic, but she couldn't imagine wearing anything else. He was wearing clean striped pajamas, and she felt like her parents as they lay in his double bed side by side.
“This feels a little weird,” she admitted in a whisper, and then he kissed her, and it didn't feel strange anymore. His hands slipped under her nightgown, and little by little they took their clothes off under the covers and tossed them to the floor.