Chapter 25

Julie lay motionless under the covers until she heard the front door close, followed shortly thereafter by the sound of Mark's car starting. She relaxed a bit at that point, but remained in bed for several more minutes. It's strange, she thought. In some ways, I'm being as sneaky as he is. At this point, she regarded the notion of Mark being involved in something underhanded to be an inalienable truth, and she was chomping at the bit to run last night's happenings past Beth. And she needed to wait until she was sure Mark was off to work before picking up the phone.

The cool sensation passing over her as she lifted the sheet reminded her that she was naked. "Now, what happened to my clothes," she grumbled.

Quickly, Julie found a pair of shorts right alongside the bed. Her underwear, however, was nowhere in sight. Looking around a little more, she finally located the wayward pair of panties ... behind a high-backed chair, against the wall, clear across the room. She recalled Mark undressing her with gusto at the start of the early-morning romp. He must have hurled those panties in an act of lustful aggression. "My God," Julie exclaimed, breaking out into a smile, "he's an animal!" Running that idea through her mind a little more, the impish smile faded quickly into a look of blank misgiving.

Tired of over-thinking, Julie paddled into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. She turned on the water, allowing the warm, anesthetic deluge to chase the questions from her mind.

Late that same afternoon, she was slaving away in the kitchen. Still wearing the blouse and skirt she had worn to school, she was striving to whip up a dinner for two on short notice. Mark – wonder of wonders – had just called to let her know that he intended to have dinner at home this evening. Julie had wracked her brain to come up with a suitable meal with a reasonably short preparation time, and had settled on pasta with basil pesto, grilled chicken and a salad. She had just finished setting the table when she heard Mark's car pulling into the driveway.

Upon entering the kitchen, Mark greeted her with a kiss, one with a degree of warmth that surpassed any in recent memory. It brought back recollections of happier times, and Julie's spirits lifted somewhat. They sat down to eat, and made small talk. Julie could feel reservations creeping back into the recesses of her mind. This all seems too staged, she thought.

"Oh, by the way," offered Mark, interrupting her brief reverie. "I have two business trips coming up this month."

Julie raised her eyebrows in response. "Two?"

Mark nodded, maintaining eye contact, the look on his face reflecting nothing but earnestness. "They're sending me up to Boston for a regional meeting on Wednesday the 14^th. The meeting finishes up on Friday."

"So, you'll be home that Friday night?"

"Well, you know I have cousins in the Boston area. I talked to one of them on the phone today, and he wants to get together on Saturday. I also decided to save the company a little bit of money by driving up there instead of flying. They'll reimburse me for the gas, of course, but it's still a lot cheaper than a round-trip air fare. Figure on me being back late on Saturday."

He wants to drive? He hates driving long distance! Alarm sirens were going off in Julie's mind, but she wanted to hear the full story first. "And the second trip?"

"Back out to San Diego on Wednesday the 21^st for a medicinal chemistry class. A few of my colleagues have taken the class, and it's been quite helpful for them. The class meets Thursday and Friday. Again, I should be back late that Saturday."

Julie held his gaze for a few seconds. If he's lying, she thought, it isn't showing in his expression. She was tempted to probe a little more, but without any tangible evidence of wrongdoing on her husband's part, she didn't have a leg to stand on. And one more time, she opted to let it slide.

A few hours later, following yet another torrid session of lovemaking, Julie lay in her husband's arms. First thing in the morning, I'm calling Beth, she thought, before pausing to consider just how reflexive that particular action had become. No. I've been bugging her way too much lately. Let's just drop it for now.

Mark's mind, meanwhile, was also churning at a dizzying rate. The Boston trip was a complete fabrication; it was nothing more than a cover-up for the trip to Quebec with Lauren. The San Diego trip, of course, had nothing to do with a chemistry class. He'd be attending "school" at the "University of Adelita," a trolley jaunt and a cab ride away from his alleged final destination. Even though he'd cleared his plans with Julie, there were several worrisome factors that weighed on his mind. These trips, which he of course would need to fund himself, would cost a pretty penny. He would be using up most of his remaining allotment of vacation time for the year. He'd already purchased the ticket to San Diego, and the return trip was on Sunday, not Saturday as he'd just told Julie. He would have to come up with a credible excuse for extending the trip by one day.

But he was good at creating excuses. Wasn't he?

It was Friday morning. Mark unlocked his office door and stepped inside. As always, he drew the blinds shut. His mood was as upbeat as it had been in some time. Ted had finally arrived home yesterday, which had brought about a profound shift in the Baxter household priorities. Father, mother, and son had spent a good chunk of the evening talking about Ted's college experiences. This, of course, meant that touchy marital matters were shoved into the background. Distraction, in this case, was Mark's friend.

Then, he reflected on that point a little more. Have things really degenerated to the point where I'm viewing my son's presence as a distraction? He shook his head, and just to drive that thought from his mind, glanced at the calendar on the office wall.