Envelope 39

Author's Note: Okay everyone, it's time for Don to sorta go on a date. I say sorta because, well, you'll see—it's only a situation he could find himself in. It's been over 5 years and we need him to start the process of moving on. Review and let me know what you think!

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"Jesus Christ, let's get some ice on that," Don said as he helped his friend hobble over to an outdoor chair. He'd been demonstrating a flip off the playset to amuse Agnes and Kit and it went well the first three times but the fourth time he'd landed hard on his ankle and smacked his face down on a toy that had been laying nearby.

Aram was holding his head that was bleeding and Don was supporting him.

"Stay here," Don said as he walked quickly into his house. "Agnes, don't let your brother climb."

Don grabbed some ice and some paper towels and ran outside to his friend.

"Here," Don said as he handed Aram a wad of paper towels to put on his head and dropped a sports ice pack on his ankle.

"Oww," Aram said as it made contact.

"Poor Uncle Aram," Kit said as he patted Aram's hand.

"I'll be okay little guy," Aram said with a tense smile.

"Will you need surgery?" Agnes asked, excitedly.

"No, probably not," Aram said as he pulled back the paper towel and Don looked at his head.

"You won't need stitches for that, but it's going to look pretty ugly for a few days," Don said with a smirk.

"Good, ugly I can take," Aram said with a sigh.

Don crouched down and pulled back the ice pack. "You probably twisted it."

Aram felt him move it and feel his ankle.

"Shit," he said.

The kids gasped.

"Sorry!" He said quickly.

"It's okay, you guys know sometimes adults say words when they are in pain," Don said as he looked at his children. "Not words we repeat."

Agnes nodded obediently and Kit looked at him mischievous. Don knew, without a doubt, the boy was repeating the word in his head to remember it for a later time.

"Like when you said bad words when you picked up Kit after you had surgery," Agnes said.

"Surgery?" Aram asked him. "When did you have surgery?"

"Not a discussion for now," Don said as he eyed the kids.

"Daddy was very sore and had to have ice, but not on his foot," Agnes said.

"Enough Agnes," Don warned her. "Go and play but no jumping off like Uncle Aram, okay?"

She nodded and walked back to the play structure and Kit followed her back to his trucks strewn all over the ground.

"What surgery?" Aram asked as soon as they were gone.

"Aram, it's…"

"You're not sick or something are you?" He asked as he grabbed more paper towels to soak up the blood.

Don looked at his kids and then back at his friend.

"I had a vasectomy," Don said quietly.

"Snipped?" Aram asked his eyebrows shooting up. He winced at the pain of his head moving.

"Look, I have slept with a couple of women in the last year and it's just…a release, no relationships," Don said, not sure how he should talk about the part of his life even he didn't completely understand. "And I realized I should probably….you know, take care of things because my life is complicated enough."

"Who have these women been?" Aram asked.

"It's only been like 2 times, it's not like…"

"I'm so happy for you, I was worried that…well, I was worried," Aram said as he looked at the wedding ring still on Don's finger.

"Well, it's weird, but good," Don said uncomfortably.

"The same woman or…?"

"God no," Don said. "Both different. One-time things."

"And," Aram started as he shifted and readjusted his ankle. "How do you meet them? Do they know it's just…?"

"Bars," Don said. "They assume I'm married from the ring and I don't correct them, because it's not about getting involved for me or for her. I make that clear."

"Wow," Aram said with a smile and a wince. "I'm…that's great Ressler. I know it's been …well, I'm just really happy that you are…"

"Getting laid?" Don asked with a chuckle. "Yeah, so am I."

"It's been 5 and a half years," Aram said as he looked at Christopher loading a truck with rocks.

"I know," Don said sadly.

Aram's phone started to ring from it's spot sitting on the porch railing.

Don went for it and read "Linnea?" off the screen.

"Shit!" Aram said as he stretched out his hand for the phone that Ressler promptly answered.

"Hi, Aram is right here," Don said into the phone before he handed it to his friend.

"Uncle Aram swore!" Agnes called in a sing-song voice from her spot at the top of the monkey bars.

"Shhh, he's on the phone," Don said.

He picked up the bloody towels and walked back into the house with them and to find the first aid kit.

Don walked back outside to see Aram still on the phone arguing with someone.

Don opened a beer for each of them and handed Aram one before he sat the first aid kit down on the ground and pulled up an Adirondack chair and watched his kids play. He heard snippets of the conversation, Aram describing his injuries, and then giving Don's address before hanging up.

"Who's that?" Don asked.

"My cousin Linnea," Aram said before he took a good drink. "Swedish Embassy?"

"Right, the one that gets you into all those diplomatic parties," Don nodded, his memory finally jogging. "She's coming here?"

"She is nearby and offered to take me home," Aram said.

"The kids and I could have…" Don offered.

"No, I think she wants to check out my injuries for herself," Aram said annoyed.

"She protective of you or something?" Don chuckled.

"Something like that," Aram said. "She used to babysit me."

"Really?" Don asked.

"She's 55 maybe 56 now," Aram offered. "Her parents moved to Washington when I was younger and she was 15, she was a lot of fun, but they moved back to Sweden after a few months."

"She always lived in Sweden?" Don asked.

"Recently? Until a few months ago," Aram said as he tried to roll his ankle around.

"Ahh," Don nodded.

Don patched up Aram's head and got them a second beer. His ankle was quite swollen, and he'd need to be off it for a few days.

Zlatko popped his head out. "Don, woman at the front door."

"What's her name again?" Don asked as he got up to walk around the side of the house toward the gate.

"Linnea," Aram called.

Don opened the gate and walked around to the porch.

"Linnea?" He asked the caramel-skinned woman standing on the porch in slacks, a flowy top, and flats.

"I'm looking for Aram," she said.

"Yeah, we're around back," Don said as Kit ran up beside him and Don grabbed him to keep him from going farther.

He scooped the boy up and he burst into a fit of giggles.

Linnea nodded and walked down the stairs and followed him into the yard.

"I'm Don," Don said as he shut the gate behind them.

"Linnea," she nodded. Remembering that this was the single dad with the ex who was a fugitive who Aram spent a lot of time with. He was also Aram's boss.

"You work at the Swedish embassy?" Don asked her as they walked up the side of the house.

"I have a 5-year placement with them in Washington," Linnea said. "You're FBI with Aram? You have the kids he talks about?"

"Yeah," Don said as they rounded the corner and hung Kit upside down while he laughed . "This is one of them, the other one is skipping."

They rounded to the back of the house and Linnea gasped when she saw Aram.

"What happened to your head?" She asked as she approached Aram, concerned.

"A flip, a toy, the ground, it's all there," Aram said as his cousin leaned down in front of him and examined his head wound.

"And your foot? Ankle?" She asked.

"Ankle," Don supplied.

"It'll be fine," Aram said.

"You can't go like this," she said.

"I'll be fine, and besides Ingrid…"

"You can flirt with her another night," Linnea said as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

"Let's get you home," she said before she noticed the beer. "Or did you want to finish your beer first?"

"Pain killer," Don supplied.

She turned and looked at him for the first time and assessed him. He was clean cut, looked in shape, was wearing a typical dad outfit of jeans and a button-up shirt, but could clean up nicely.

"Do you have a tux?" She asked.

"What?" Don asked.

"No, Don…"

"Do you have a tux?" Linnea asked again as she looked him up and down.

"What's this about?" Don asked.

"I have tickets to a $2000 plate dinner tonight for the Nobel Prize selection committee and…"

"You need a date?" Don asked her, annoyed.

"I have a plus one and my plus one is…" She said as she pointed to Aram.

"This is not, I can…Ingrid…" Aram said.

"Can you come tonight? The food will be good, drinks will be flowing, a lot of intelligent conversation, and a lot of beautiful woman."

Don looked at her confused.

"I need to know," Linnea asked.

Don looked at his kids, Agnes swinging from a pole and Kit smashing trucks and thought of what his nights were usually like. Movie, pjs, stories, bed, and him cleaning up before he watched a TV show or game he'd recorded before he went to bed himself. An adult night out with good food and booze with Nobel prize people at a fancy dinner sounded a hell of a lot different and he was trying to embrace some different in his life. A life beyond 'dad'.

"Aram, can you stay with the kids if I get Sheila to help?" Don asked his friend.

Aram's face fell. He was not going to be able to flirt with Ingrid tonight.

"Yeah," Aram nodded.

"I'll come by at seven with a car," Linnea said.

Don nodded.

"So, I guess you don't need a ride home?" Linnea asked her cousin.

"Nope, just settling in here for the night," Aram said, disappointed he was not going to be with Ingrid again. He was getting close to a date, he could feel it.

"I'll see you at seven," Linnea said to Don before she let herself out.

"She's your cousin?" Don asked Aram as he sat down next to his friend.

"I know, right? Commanding," Aram said. "If she was in charge of an army they would always win."

Don laughed and pulled out his phone, he needed to make a couple of calls to get the kids taken care of for the night.

At 6:47 Don was having doubts about whether he should be doing this.

He was standing in front of the washroom mirror freshly shaved, dressed in his tux, hair fixed, and feeling like he was completely out of his league. He fixed his tie to try and straighten it.

"Here," Liz said as she leaned in and fixed his tie.

They were in their office and had literally gone from her apartment, where he'd stayed for the night, to work where he had a suit and shirt hanging there that he could change into before everyone arrived. He's stripped down to his boxers and got dressed while she asked him, teasingly, about how long he danced in the ballet.

"Two years," Don said. "Eventually, my dad won."

"He won?" Liz asked.

"He didn't want me dancing," Don said.

"And what did you want?" Liz asked.

"I liked it enough, but I also liked my bug collection, it was no different," Don said, non-committally.

Don looked at her focusing on his collar and tie and smiled down at her.

"I could get used to this," he said.

She smiled back at him.

"Are you okay about this morning?" Don asked her.

"She was fine," Liz said dismissively. "Agnes probably didn't give it a second thought."

"And about us…" Don started.

Liz's hands froze and she looked up at him, scared of what was going to come out of his mouth next.

"I'm in," Don said with a smile. "For everything, you, me, Agnes…all of it."

Her eyes got a little watery and she pulled his tie loose again and yanked his face down to hers kissing him passionately and with buried emotions that were just starting to unearth.

"I'm in too," Liz said when she pulled back.

He smiled at her. "Liz, I…"

Don's phone beeped and he looked down at it.

"Aram just swiped in downstairs," he said as she reached for the bag of bagels and their coffees and walked out into the larger workspace, turning on a light.

Don walked after her and was standing innocently out in the large works area waiting to innocently encounter Aram with Liz and not make it look like they had slept pressed against each other, or he had just changed into a suit in their office.

"Tie," Liz hissed as the elevator arrived.

Don looked down at the tie she had fixed and then pulled apart and reached for it to fix it as Aram walked toward them turning on more lights.

"It's just a favor," Don said to himself as he turned away from the mirror. It wasn't a real date, he hadn't had one of those in years. The two women he'd slept with since Liz was gone were bar pick ups that lasted only a few hours and then he never saw them again. This was just a different version of that, but instead of sex he was getting fed and some adult conversation that didn't involve cases.

"Ressler, you look handsome," Aram said as Don came down the stairs.

"I feel like an idiot," Don said as he fixed his tie again.

"You look nice daddy," Agnes said as she looked at her father. "Like a Prince."

"Thanks sweetie," Don said to her. He picked up Kit and gave him a kiss before telling him to listen to Sheila and Aram.

Don went to Agnes and kissed her before he quietly said "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Agnes nodded and hugged him. "Have fun!"

"Thanks," he said before he walked over to Sheila. She was now only taking the kids 3 nights a week after school as she was getting ready for her upcoming wedding but would come and watch them for a night here or there when Don needed her, which he was ever-grateful for.

"Agnes and I are reading Harry Potter and she's got the book in her room with the chapter marked, but she only gets one chapter, she's going to try for more," Don warned her.

"Hey!" Agnes called out.

"Kit gets to choose 3 books and when the door to his room closes after books, unless he has to pee, which he shouldn't because he's done with liquids for the night," Don explained. "He's not allowed to come out or it just becomes a big game for him and then he gets wound up and doesn't get to sleep until midnight and will be a crank all day tomorrow."

"Got it," Aram and Sheila said.

"The security team have an eye on everything else," Don said. "But if anything goes wrong or you need me for anything…"

"We won't," Sheila said assuredly.

"But if you do…"

"We'll call," Sheila nodded, knowing that the man just needed the assurance.

"Aram, how long do these things usually go?" Don asked.

"Two, or three am," Aram said. "They're European."

Don took a deep breath, he hadn't been up that late unless it was because of a feverish or puking child or a child with diarrhea, a nightmare, or who peed the bed or one of his kids scared of thunder.

He noticed a car pull up out front and turned to them, he looked petrified.

"Have fun Don," Sheila said with a smile. "You deserve some."

Don nodded and walked outside to the car.

Linnea was in the car waiting for him in a beautiful emerald green dress.

"You look stunning," Don said as he looked at the woman, hardly believing she was ten years older than he was.

"Thank you," Linnea smiled at him. "You look handsome."

Don settled into his seat.

"So, what is this event about exactly?" Don asked.

Linnea explained about the committee that decides the Nobel prizes and that they hold events throughout the year to draw attention to the prize, but also hob nob with intellectuals from around the globe and discuss some of the issues facing our world.

"And what do you do at the embassy?" Don asked.

"I'm the Ambassador," she said.

"Excuse me?" Don asked, choking out his words.

"I'm the Ambassador for Sweden in the United States," Linnea said. "Sorry, Aram didn't tell you?"

"No," Don said as he shifted in his seat.

"Which is why my plus one is so important," Linnea said.

"Makes more sense now," Don smiled at her. "Well, I hope I do your plus one justice because my life is mainly about children's shows, volcano science projects, and parks right now."

Linnea laughed at his joke.

"I will remember that if I need to advise on any situations with parents," Linnea smiled. "So, you have a girl and a boy?"

"Five and a half and eleven," Don said.

"And your wife died," Linnea said.

"We weren't married, but yes, five and a half years ago," Don said.

"The ring?" Linnea asked.

"Uh, is that going to be a problem as your plus one?" Don asked as he nervously touched it.

"No," Linnea smiled at him. "Not with Europeans."

Don laughed at her joke.

"And you are Muslim?" Don asked.

"Non-practicing, but yes," Linnea said.

"That must have been interesting rising in the ranks of a very blonde haired, blue eyed population," Don noted.

"You have no idea," Linnea smiled.

"How does one get to be an Ambassador?" Don asked.

"I was a judge," Linnea said.

"Okay, if Ambassador wasn't intimidating enough, judge just adds to that," Don joked.

"Ambassadors are political, and appointed," Linnea remarked. "I have worked hard for this position, but I was also appointed because the current government favors me."

"And it's a five-year deal?" Don asked.

"Yes, barring any major international issues that I cause," Linnea joked.

"And what do you do after being an ambassador?" Don asked, truly interested.

"Some go into politics, others take on another ambassadorial placement, others work for corporations in the private sector," Linnea noted.

"And are you thinking of any of those things?" Don asked.

"As I'm only 5 months into my first ambassador posting and it's in one of the most powerful nations in the world, I'm trying to focus on this right now," Linnea said. "But probably another posting."

Don nodded. He may be an AD for the FBI and interact with the Embassy crowd on occasion, but it was a world he knew very little about.

"I hope I don't cause an international incident tonight," Don joked.

"Aram has been coming with me to everything, so you will be talked about," Linnea said.

"No husband?" Don asked.

"I married young and divorced young," Linnea said. "By twenty-four."

"You were married by twenty-four?" Don asked.

"Divorced by twenty- four," Linnea chuckled. "It's not for me."

"Marriage?" Don asked.

"Relationships," Linnea said. "I find my life is too complicated for them."

Don nodded. "I am going to have to agree with you there."

She looked at him intrigued.

"I'm and AD for the FBI, have a 5 year old and an 11 year, around the clock security because of some choices Liz made before she died…it's complicated," Don chuckled.

She laughed with him.

"How old are you?" She inquired.

"Coming up on forty-five," Don replied. "You? Or is that r…"

"Fifty-seven this year," she smiled at him.

"I would never have guessed it," Don said honestly.

"Swedes rarely look their age," Linnea smiled.

"All the fresh air?" Don asked.

"Something like that," she said back.

"You were born there?" Don asked.

"Yes, spent many of my years until university back and forth between there and my father's placements at various universities in many countries, but Sweden was always home, and I returned there for university and, until now, haven't lived anywhere else."

"And how do you like DC?" Don asked.

"It's what I expected and not," Linnea said thoughtfully. "Very political, very fast paced, more so than Europe. But, not as…thoughtful?"

Don smiled at her. "You mean more reactionary than contemplative?"

"Yes, that's it precisely," Linnea said excitedly.

Don smiled at her.

"And you, born in the USA as the song goes?" Linnea asked.

"Detroit," Don said. "More north, more factory working class."

She smiled at him. "You joined the FBI right away or…?"

"I went to state college," Don said. "Nothing as exciting as you bouncing around the world."

"And you like the FBI?" She asked.

"I do," Don said. "It's familiar after all these years, but every day is unpredictable."

Linnea laughed at his description of his work.

"That's how I described being a judge," she said as she smiled at him.

"I think they have a lot in common," Don smiled back.

The driver said something in Swedish and Linnea replied back.

"We are here," she said.

"Where are we?" Don asked.

"The National Portrait Gallery," Linnea said as their car came to a stop.

The door opened and Don stepped out, offering his hand to her to exit the car gracefully. There were a couple photographers taking pictures and others arriving around them. It looked swanky and Don swallowed hard, this was not his crowd.

Don noted that as soon as they got inside there was an entourage that approached Linnea calling her Madam Ambassador and confirming information with her in Swedish. Don held back and looked around at the large paintings and the gaggle of people speaking Swedish and decided that this was probably his first and last embassy event.

"Ready?" Linnea asked as she walked over to him.

"Sure," Don smiled at her.

He offered her his arm and she took it as they approached some doors.

The doors opened and they walked inside to a crowd of people who Linnea immediately navigated through, offering her greetings, and introducing Don seamlessly. She was good at this and Don could see why she was an Ambassador. Once they circulated around the room and Don met more people than he could possibly remember, everyone was seated at their tables and Don found himself sitting across from Linnea but too far away to speak with her. He had a former Nobel prize winning scientist on his left and the wife of a Senator on his right. The Senator's wife got up to speak with people at various tables more than she sat and ate, but he and the scientist got along incredibly well. His current work involved reconstructing useable DNA from scraps of genetic material and Don found it fascinating. He looked over at Linnea frequently and noted that she was happily talking with many people.

Dinner was perfectly cooked, so many courses he was feeling the weight of the food in his stomach, and over two hours long. With two little kids at home, he was used to dinner being 15 minutes and that included the flinging of food Kit liked to do against his father's clear directions.

After dinner there was a speech given by a prominent professor who spoke about the connections between Nobel prizes and work that happens as a result of them. Again, Don felt like it was the first adult he'd heard speak so eloquently in a long, long time.

Don noted that Linnea was sitting and talking with a bunch of people so he made his way to the bar and joined a conversation with a group of men talking about hockey. It was easy to join, and he was welcomed into their discussion. It was weird standing with a Senator, the husband of the Ambassador to Canada, and a famous author talking about team line ups but also nice to see that no matter who you were, you could find common ground.

The band started and a woman who he thought he saw earlier with Linnea asked him to dance. It was Ingrid and, although interesting, she was a little too forward and inquisitive about his relationship with Linnea. He wanted to tell her the truth and say he'd known her for about 10 minutes before they spoke on the car ride here, but knew that would be embarrassing for his date. So, he chose to use his FBI training and be elusive with his answers and ask more questions than he answered. He escaped her after one dance, and she invited him to sit with some staff from the Embassy.

"Ready for a drink?" Linnea said as she placed her hands on the back of his chair and leaned in. He was invited to sit with a bunch of people who worked at the Swedish Embassy and they had been impressed he was an FBI AD. He could tell that a couple of the younger staffers had googled him and Liz from the way they were looking at him, but they were too polite to ask.

"Yeah, I'd love one," Don said as he stood and walked with her to the bar, stopping for her to talk with people along the way.

They walked out onto the terrace and the night was perfect for midnight in the spring.

"You do this all the time?" Don asked her.

"It's part of my job," Linnea said.

"Wining and dining as a job," Don chuckled.

"I know it seems less important than chasing criminals, but it serves a global purpose," Linnea said defensively.

"I'm not negating that," Don said as he leaned on a stone wall. "I have seen with my own eyes the power of negotiation as well as wining and dining to avoid me capturing criminals."

"Oh," Linnea said as she leaned her back against the wall.

"You thought I was being critical?" Don asked.

She nodded her head. "I apologize for jumping to the conclusion."

Don smiled at her.

"I think a lot of deals go down at events like these," he said as he looked up at her.

"They do," Linnea said.

"And there are people in that room lobbying the committee to choose their Nobel candidate?" Don asked.

"It's part of the process," Linnea said.

Don nodded.

"Doesn't the FBI work much the same?" She asked.

Don chuckled. "You mean people vying for spots? Yeah, yeah it does."

"And it's a system that works," Linnea said as she took a drink of her cocktail.

"Most of the time," Don said as he stood up straight and leaned with his back against the wall next to her.

"Are you glad you were placed in Washington?" Don asked.

She turned and looked at him surprised.

"What?" Don asked.

"Only my sister has asked me that," she said with a smile. "Everyone else assumed I was pleased."

"And?" Don asked.

"I wanted Asia," Linnea chuckled.

Don smiled at her. "You did, did you?"

She nodded and laughed.

"Well don't tell anyone at the embassy or they may ship you to Russia as punishment," Don chuckled.

She leaned her shoulder against his and bumped him.

"Aram has told me some things about you, and you are different than I expected," Linnea said as she looked sideways at him.

"I don't think I want to know what Aram…"

"He said you were the best FBI agent he knew," Linnea interrupted him. "And the type of father he hoped he would be one day."

Don grinned, "Well that's not so bad."

"No," Linnea said.

"So, I'm different?" Don asked. "Because that's pretty much…"

"I watched you at dinner," Linnea admitted boldly. "You have a way about you that makes people want to talk to you. I saw you with Dr. Neagoe."

"Really interesting guy," Don smiled.

Linnea nodded.

"I'd like to know what you meant when you said I was different than expected," Don said as he turned to look at her more fully.

"You were involved with a fugitive," Linnea said.

Don swallowed hard. "Yes."

"And yet you are an FBI AD," Linnea said.

Don looked at her confused.

"I like the paradox," Linnea said. "You are an FBI AD who didn't follow the rules and fell in love with a woman despite her being on the other side of the law. You say you grew up with factories and working class, but you discuss science with a Nobel Prize winning scientist for hours and don't seem to falter. You are a loving father, but seem at ease in a world that is the opposite of children…."

Don furrowed his brow.

"I like paradoxes," Linnea smiled.

"Aren't you one yourself?" Don asked. "A non-traditional, unmarried, non-white woman representing a country that is probably the blondest in the world?"

Linnea laughed.

"I'm an anomaly in the world of Ambassadors and the world of Sweden," Linnea laughed.

"Your staff is interested in why you brought me," Don said.

"I like to keep them on their toes," Linnea smiled.

"I want you to know I haven't shared any details about how we're basically complete strangers," Don said with a smile.

"We are, now?" Linnea asked.

"No, I guess not now," Don smiled back.

"Good," Linnea smiled at him.

Don nudged her shoulder. "Want to dance?"

She nodded and they walked inside.

And at 2 am Linnea's car with Don inside pulled up outside his home. She had been dropped off at the Embassy residence first and kissed him on the cheek before going inside, thanking him for accompanying her and asking him if he would consider another event. He agreed, she was interesting and the world she moved through as well. It was something different, and he was embracing different.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Sheila said she watched Don walk inside. "You enjoyed yourself?"

"It was…interesting," Don said. "It's been a long time since I was at something that fancy. It was a nice change. Were the kids okay? I checked my phone throughout the night, and no one called…"

"Yes, everything was fine, all in bed snug as bugs including Aram," Sheila said as she rose off the couch. "I do think I need to get my own copy of Harry Potter now though."

"Aram? In bed?" Don asked.

"Yes, his ankle was killing him, so I gave him some pain killers and he's sound asleep in your bed, so unless you plan to cuddle, I suggest you sleep down here," Shiela said a she gathered her coat. "I'm glad you had fun. Will you be seeing the lovely Ambassador again?"

"You knew she was an Ambassador?" Don asked, surprised.

"I googled her," Sheila offered. "And Aram shared."

"I found out in the car," Don huffed as he undid his tie. "She's asked if I want to accompany her to something else coming up and I said I would."

"Nice to see you out and about," Sheila said. "An older woman, huh?."

"It's not like that," Don said. "She's nice, and we get along, but I'm just helping her out, and getting some time away from the kids."

Sheila smirked at him knowingly, she had spent too much time with this man, she could read him. If he didn't know he was now dating the Ambassador, she wasn't going to be the one to tell him.

"Thanks for helping with the kids," Don said.

"Anytime," Sheila said. "I love them."

Don smiled at her and closed the door behind her after she left.

He felt his phone buzz and looked down. It was a text from Linnea thanking him for the lovely evening and asking if she could send him a date for another event if he was free.

Don smiled and replied that he had a great time and he'd love to go with her to her next event.

He loosened his pants, untucked his shirt and lay on his couch pulling a throw blanket over his body and quickly drifted off to sleep.

To be continued….