***Willow Pond***

Jonathan had just hung up the phone when he heard Jennifer coming. She was cussing and talking to herself.

She had a big load of laundry in her arms, and kept dropping socks and shirts.

"That's it! If we ever renovate this house, we WILL get a laundry chute! I don't know how Max put up with this all those years…..he took….care of us…".

She looked sad as she finished saying that, as she realized that she and Jonathan were both remembering Max.

He didn't say a word, he just came over and took the laundry from her, and tried to help her out. They got it onto the table in the laundry room, and then he went and retraced her steps and picked up the ones she dropped.

They sorted the laundry together, in silence, and she started a load for him.

After she got the washing machine going, she turned to him and embraced him.

"Thank you for helping, darling. Sorry for my little rant".

"Your little rants are cute, darling. I love it when you get fired up, especially when it's not towards me".

"I thought you loved it when I got fired up towards you".

"That's different, that's not because you are mad at me".

"Good point".

She went upstairs and started packing her suitcase, and he sat with her on the bed while she did.

"Patsy, the cleaning lady will be here Tuesday".

"Tuesday? I thought she came Thursdays."

"No, darling, she comes every other Tuesday. We pay her $300 each time. The gardener comes Wednesday, and we pay him $1250. Pool man comes Thursday, darling."

"How much do we pay him?"

"$500. He only comes once a month".

He nodded.

He was jotting all of this down.

"Do all of them have the gate code?"

"Yes, they do. And I leave Patsy's check on the piano, and the pool man's check and the gardener's check, I put in envelopes and attach to the clip right outside the kitchen door".

"Got it".

She got her suitcase all packed, and then she started packing her travel bag.

"Darling, remember you have a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon. If your mouth is hurting afterwards, the soup you like is in the pantry and the basil that I add to it is in the spice cabinet. If you are still hungry, the lasagna might be a good thing to heat up for dinner, if you can stand chewing since it's soft. And the pain reliever is in the cabinet above the coffee pot, or up here in the bathroom, second drawer on the left on my side of the vanity".

"Ok darling".

She finished packing that, and then went and sat down at the desk. She began writing out checks, and paying some bills.

About 30 minutes later, she was finished.

"Darling, these envelopes here need to be mailed out tomorrow. I paid all the bills, so you won't have to worry about it. Pile one needs to be mailed out, pile 2 is the checks for Patsy, the gardener and the pool man".

He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Darling, I have stayed here without you before and survived. It will be ok, I promise. You will only be gone a few days. It will be over before you know it".

"I know, I just keep thinking I am forgetting something that will be happening while I am gone is all. I just don't want you to worry about anything".

"The only thing I am going to worry about is you."

He kissed her tenderly, and held her close.

"How much time till you have to be at the airport?"

"4 hours."

"What else do you have to do?"

"Shower, change clothes, and print out my tickets".

"Great. We have time for one more surprise".

"I love surprises!"

"I know. Now close your eyes".

She closed her eyes and he got a blindfold and put it over her eyes.

"Jonathan, this is silly".

"Just hang with me, babe".

He went and got something out of her closet, and then returned to her.

"First, we have to put on your special costume."

He took her clothes off her, and slipped a negligee on her.

"Jonathan, what I am wearing? What are we doing?"

"Soon, darling. All will be revealed soon".

He picked her up, and carried her all around the room, up and down the hall, in and out of the bathroom, and then back to their bed.

She was laughing as she held on for dear life to his neck.

"Darling….darling….what is going on?"

He sat down on the bed, and then slowly, laid her on him, as he laid back on the bed.

He started to kiss her neck, and felt her body relax.

"Ahh…. I think I know where we are, now".

"Oh you do?"

"Yes. I do".

"Nope, you're wrong. You lose".

"Jonathan!". She felt his face with her hands and kissed him.

"I am going to miss these lips the next few days".

"And I will miss yours".

He laid her on the middle of the bed, and then got on top of her, and continued to kiss her neck and jawbone.

She found his hair and ran her fingers through it.

She wrapped her legs around him, as he joined their bodies together, and cried out in ecstasy as he took them both over the edge of desire together.

His lips crushed hers as they both came down from the high.

She slowly slipped the blindfold off.

"That was amazing. We should have blindfold sex more often".

"That can be arranged".

"Thank you for my surprise, darling".

She kissed him a few times, and then got up and headed for the shower.

He straightened up their room, and took her suitcases downstairs and put them by the door.

She put on some yoga pants, flip flops and a long-sleeved t-shirt after her shower, and threw her hair up into a clip. Low maintenance was her travel mode, always.

"What are your plans for tonight, when you get to Seattle?"

"I plan on heading to the hotel, and then grabbing something to eat and crashing at the hotel".

"Sounds good."

As soon as she was ready, they went downstairs and she printed off her travel documents, and then he loaded the car, and drove her to LAX.

***LAX***

He pulled up to the unloading bay, and got her bags out of the back.

She got out of the car, and embraced him.

"I am going to miss you, darling".

"I am going to miss you, too".

He kissed her passionately.

"Call me when you get settled into your hotel room".

"I sure will".

"Did I say I was going to miss you?"

"Yes, but you can say it again".

He stared into her beautiful whiskey brown eyes, and lightly kissed her lips.

"It's probably only going to be 4 days or so, but I am really going to miss you".

They shared a few more passionate kisses.

"Excuse me, you need to move your car or you will be ticketed. Goodbye time is over".

Jonathan chuckled, and gave her one last kiss.

"I love you, Red".

"I love you too, Jonathan Charles".

She tweaked his nose, and kissed him again, and then headed to the bag check.

Jonathan blew her a kiss as he drove away.

***Three hours later***

Jennifer landed in Seattle, and waited for her bag at the baggage claim.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, she grabbed her bag and took a taxi to the hotel.

She got checked in, and asked the hotel receptionist about the best place to grab a bite to eat so late.

"Right across the street, is a 24-hour deli. They deliver here, with no delivery charge. I can give you a menu and some coupons".

"That sounds heavenly".

She looked at the menu, decided on her order, and placed it from the front desk, and then headed up to her room.

Her suite was absolutely beautiful. She had a lovely balcony that would be great for breakfast, and had a wonderful view at night. Her bathroom was just as big as her and Jonathan's, if not bigger.

She got settled, and then sat down on the bed and called Jonathan.

He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, darling".

"How is your hotel room?"

"Nice, spacious, lonely without you".

"Just going to be a few short days, darling. But our bed is lonely without you tonight, too".

"Did you eat dinner?"

"Yes, I had the breakfast casserole".

"I knew you would eat that first, you love that".

"Darling, what is your secret recipe for that stuff you put in my coffee?"

"I made a jug of it, and there's plenty in the fridge".

"Yes, but darling…what is in it? I might have to make more this week".

"Why on earth would you have to make more? There is enough for 2 weeks in there, darling".

In her head, she was telling him "1 large carton coconut milk, ½ jar coconut oil, ½ bottle pure vanilla".

"How was your flight?"

"Fine. First class, but since it was only 2 ½ hours, it was over quickly. I read a book, and then we were here".

"Did you find something to eat?"

"Yeah, I ordered from the deli across the street. The receptionist recommended it."

"Great. Well, I miss you. Now tomorrow, when you meet with Jack Hanson, I want you to be careful darling. Stay on your toes and trust your instincts. He's shrewd but pretentious, and he's not going to just let you interview him without trying to get something from you in return".

"I will be fine, darling. I promise."

"I know, I just can't help but worry. He doesn't have the best reputation, and he isn't known for being easy to work with. I would hate for him to give you a hard time".

There was a knock at the door. She went to the peep hole and looked out. It was her dinner.

"Darling, my dinner is here. Hang on".

She put the phone down, and then paid the delivery guy, and thanked him.

She picked the phone back up.

"Ok, darling. I'm all locked into my room, and I am going to eat, and then go to bed."

"I love you. I wish you were here with me, I miss you to the moon and back".

"I miss you too, darling. I love you, you know that".

"Call me in the morning?"

"Sure."

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

After she ate her dinner, she changed into one of Jonathan's pajama tops and headed to bed.

She had spritzed it with his cologne when she packed it, so she was able to fall asleep easier with him sort of next to her.

***The next morning***

Jennifer was up early, and showered and dressed. She was about to walk out the door when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, darling".

"Hi darling. Sleep well?"

"Yes, but only after I sprayed some of your perfume on your pillow".

"Really? That's funny, I kind of did the same thing with yours".

"What do you mean?"

"I brought one of your pajama tops to sleep in, and I sprayed it with your cologne before I packed it".

"Great minds think alike".

"How was your coffee this morning?"

"Amazing. Wish I knew what your secret concoction was".

"You will just have to figure it out, darling".

She loved the cat and mouse games they played.

"What time are you meeting with Hanson?"

"9. So, I better get going-I am gonna grab some breakfast in the lobby and then head to his office".

"Have a good day, sweetheart. Call me tonight?"

"Will do. And Jonathan?"

"Yes darling?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, Jennifer".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

She headed downstairs, and surveyed the contents of the breakfast bar.

They had a coffee bar that had everything you needed to make your own coffee or latte or whatever you wanted, and a rather expansive breakfast buffet.

She made her coffee the way she loved it, and then grabbed some fruit and toast.

At 8:40, she was in a taxi headed to Jack Hanson's office.

She never noticed that she had a shadow, watching and following her every move.

***PremierWealth LLC***

Jennifer took the elevator to Jack Hanson's office, and checked in with his secretary.

"Yes ma'am, Mr. Hanson is expecting you".

She was shown into his office. He was tall, broad shouldered, and had a tan like George Hamilton. She was always really good at reading people. Her gut instinct told her right away that he liked to put on a show. She didn't get that genuine feeling about him that she had gotten about Jonathan when they first met.

"Hi, I am Jennifer Hart, pleased to meet you".

"Hello Jennifer, I am Jack Hanson. Thanks for doing this".

They shook hands, and then he showed her to a chair.

"Please, have a seat".

"Mr. Hanson, typically on assignments like this, I observe first. I am just part of the background. I will spend the day here with you, watching what you do, and then we can do the family time tomorrow, if you like. After that, I will spend time in the hotel writing the article and putting it together, and then if I need to ask you any additional questions or gather any additional information, I will come back and do that. So, you might see me taking notes today-don't be alarmed. I am known for copious amounts of research, I feel it's better to have too much than not enough".

"That sounds fine. I would like to look over the article before you submit it to your publisher though, if that's ok".

"Certainly. And I never print anything that is inflammatory or untrue".

"So, tell me something- how is old Jonathan? It's been a few years since I have seen him".

"I wasn't aware that you and my husband knew each other".

"We don't "know" each other, but we have some mutual business contacts. And I am sure you know that your husband is a force to be reckoned with in West Coast business. We are all just struggling to keep up with him".

"That's very kind of you. He definitely has a good head for business".

She got out her legal pad and a pen.

"Ok, so what does your schedule look like today?"

"Well, I was thinking we could start with a tour of the facilities, and then you can sit in on my meeting later, with the board. This afternoon, I am buying a company, and we will have a press conference for me to sign the paperwork".

"Sounds perfect".

She found an out of the way spot for her things, and took her legal pad and pen with her as they began the tour.

He showed her everything, all their different offices, the large conference room where they had meetings, the theater where he could link into a meeting literally anywhere on the globe.

"You just plug your laptop into this portal, and use the ethernet cable to connect it to the table. We pull the meeting up on the big screen, and we can see and hear them and talk to them that way. We have microphones at every desk, and the speakers are loud enough for the room to hear everything, or we can use headphones, if you are the only one in here. When you pull up a document on your laptop, if they are connected, they can work on it in real time with you".

"This is amazing! I love this".

"It really is helpful. I might have a meeting with someone who wants me to manage their wealth. And let's say their son has power of attorney on their accounts, but he lives in another state. We can do a meeting like this, since most all of the big cities have these meetup rooms, and he can hear me tell him why this is beneficial, ask me any questions he has, and then sign the documents electronically right there. It cuts out waiting for FedEx or UPS to get the papers to him, him signing them, and then mailing them back".

"I am impressed. Imagine how much more business can be conducted this way. If all the businesses used this, we could advance much faster, in all areas, like medical technology, cosmetics, politics, the possibilities are endless".

"Exactly. I didn't invent it. But I filed the patent on it, and I introduced it to the business world".

"Does this theater set up have a name?"

"Yes. We call it Global Expand".

They finished their tour, and ended up back at Jack's office.

"Mrs. Hart, this is my secretary Danielle. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask her".

"Jennifer, please. And I certainly will."

They went back to his office, and Jennifer took a seat in the background to observe him.

She took several pages of notes. She still felt like he was putting on an act where she was concerned, but like most acts in a play, they all have to end sometime. She just had to be patient.

***Later that night***

Jennifer came back to her hotel, and ordered dinner from the deli across the street.

She was freezing, and couldn't wait for a grilled cheese and bowl of tomato soup. She also ordered a piece of grilled chicken.

She changed into some comfy clothes, and picked up the phone to call Jonathan.

"Hello?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, darling. How was your day?"

"Interesting. He really is a fascinating person, darling. He gave me a tour of his facility, which is state of the art, or close to it. And he has this theater, I swear you need one. Do you know what I am talking about?"

"No, not really".

"It's this theater, and you connect a laptop to it. So, let's pretend that you are buying his building. So, you would connect in your theater, and he would connect in his, and there's a huge screen where you can see him and hear him and he can see you and hear you. And you can pull up the documents on your laptop, and you could electronically sign them, and he can work on them with you in real time. So, it basically cuts out the middle man when you have to fly to sign the papers or mail them and wait for each other".

"Darling, what exactly did he tell you about this theater?"

"That it wasn't his invention, but that he filed the patent on it, and is responsible for placing them in all the major cities. And Jonathan, before you say anything, I want you to know I haven't done research on him yet. Today was just me following him around".

"Fair enough. Darling, I am not accusing him of anything. But I am saying that the accusation has been made that he didn't come by the paperwork for filing that patent honestly."

"What do you mean?"

"Another businessman from Chicago had that idea, and had flown out to a business convention that both Jack and I attended several years ago, here in Los Angeles. He was trying to get people to invest in it, so that he could file the patent and get it off the ground. And Jack listened to his pitch and I listened to his pitch. And I was sold. I invested in his business. When he left that night, after the convention, he was mugged at his car, and the only thing that was stolen was the paperwork that he would need for the patent. It had

the vision statement, the mission statement, all that. And if you pull the paperwork on the current patent on it, you can see that the paperwork is exactly the same except instead of saying "Brent Tomlinson", it says "Jack Hanson".

"I see."

"Did he tell you what the name of the theater was?"

"Yes".

"Was it Global Expand?"

"Yes, it was".

"I am telling you, he's cunning and ruthless. But he puts on this act of being pretentious. He has called me several times and wanted to partner with me, but I refuse to do business with someone so unethical."

"I don't blame you".

"I miss you, darling".

"I miss you too."

"What's on deck for tomorrow?"

"Spending the afternoon with his family. I sat in on a board meeting this morning, and he was aggressive. You know how you let everyone speak- he doesn't. It honestly felt like he was telling everyone how to vote. They all seemed afraid of him, too".

"Well, hopefully, you can get your article written, and then get back home sooner rather than later".

"That's my plan, darling. You know I don't like being away from you anymore than you like being away from me".

There was a knock at the door.

"Hang on darling".

She answered the door, paid the delivery guy and then picked the phone back up.

"Ok I'm back".

"What did you order tonight?"

"Grilled cheese, grilled chicken, and tomato soup".

"Sounds good, but that's what you eat when you are sick. Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, I am just freezing. It's been cold all day".

"Wish I was there to warm you up".

"Me too. How was your dentist appointment?"

"Fine. He gave me some numbing meds and I am not too sore".

"Perfect".

They chatted a little longer, and then they hung up so that she could eat.

"I am going to research him and the company tonight, darling. I might call you back if I have a question. Can you have Stanley investigate his financial practices for me?"

"Sure".

"I love you".

"Love you too, Red. Miss you so much".

"Miss you too, Jonathan Charles".

She blew him a kiss and hung up the phone.

***Across town***

Jack Hanson was driving home. He was engaged in a conversation on his cell phone.

"Yes, she came by the office today. I gave her the tour, and told her that I wanted to approve the article before she submitted it. So, we will simply switch our article with hers, and then carry out our original plan to make Jonathan Hart pay through the nose".