Chapter 2

Neither of them wanted their sweet embrace to end. It had been far too long a drought. And the extravagant feeling of once again sharing kisses was heaven.

But John reluctantly extricated himself from Marlena's lips and arms. Kissing her fair cheek, he whispered, "To be continued, Doc." They both laughed shakily.

Taking Marlena's hand in his, he led her to the door, swung it open, and approached his secretary.

Now, Evelyn had been secretly wishing she were one of the hummingbirds that often hovered by the feeder outside John Black's window. It was obvious these two had tremendously significant history together that she knew nothing about. Seeing her boss and this beautiful woman hand in hand, she was stunned by their glowing faces, and she marveled at the love she saw passing between them like live current.

What in the world, she wondered, could ever have kept these two apart?

"Mrs. Kaine," John boomed, a big smile on his handsome face, "Let me introduce Dr. Marlena Evans - my wife." He turned to Marlena, "Mrs. Evelyn Kaine, my trusty right hand."

Evelyn, even more gobsmacked, fought to remain coolly expressionless.

John didn't worry about her reaction. He lifted his wife's hand to his lips and kissed it, then rattled out, "Doc, I have a few things I have to do here. The grapes are about to be picked, and I have several groups I've got to meet with today to make that happen. I want to show you this operation, but you shouldn't have to be bored with details. Will you let me leave you in Mrs. Kaine's capable hands for a couple of hours?"

Drawing a quick breath, he added, "Did you check into a hotel? You know you can stay with me and Tommy! We've got plenty of room." He thrust his watch up to see how late he was running and sped up his speech even more. "Okay? I promise you a wonderful dinner later!"

Before Marlena could utter even a word, he touched her lips with his and vamoosed down the hall and into the stairwell.

Once he was out of earshot, the two women burst out laughing together.

"I've never seen him so hyper," Evelyn observed.

Marlena chuckled. "I have."

Still humming from this encounter with John she suddenly needed to sit, and conveniently, there was a plush chair within two steps. She sank down, trying to remember everything that had just cascaded out of John's mouth. She gave Evelyn a shy smile, "It's a very long, complicated story." She added, "You knew I was the woman in the photo with John and the children, didn't you, when I first entered?"

Evelyn, seated again too, nodded. "I was pretty sure." She hastened to assure, "But I don't know anything else. Mr. Black never spoke of the people in that photo."

A shadow of sorrow crossed Marlena's face. John was not the type to keep his life so rigidly compartmentalized. She knew she had been the cause of his inconsolable silence. But, she was too ecstatic to dwell on her sins of the past right now. She smiled and noted, "John isn't usually so formal - I'm surprised he and you use last names."

"Oh, he's just deferring to me. When I took the job, I explained that in the executive offices where I'd worked, such formality was encouraged due to the number of VIPS who visited those offices. Maybe it's not so necessary here, but he does meet with - and sometimes wine and dine - some big names in politics, commerce, the entertainment industry, etc. Not a lot, mind you, but now and then." Evelyn knew he had dated some women over the years specifically to attend such functions.

Evelyn continued, "And he told me he needed all the tips he could get about the executive suite because he'd never been a company president before."

A more sly smile crossed Marlena's lips this time. "That's true, so far as he or any of us knows."

That's an enigmatic statement, thought Evelyn, but Marlena said, "Would you mind if I called you Evelyn and you called me Marlena? I think we will probably get to know one another quite well."

"My pleasure. Marlena." Then Evelyn asked, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"Actually, since I was not certain how this conversation would go, I don't have lodgings yet." Wryly, she admitted, "I wanted to be unencumbered and go immediately back home if necessary."

"May I ask where home is?"

"Salem, Illinois."

Evelyn wondered if it was okay to make conversation. "Were you born there?"

"No, in Colorado." She volunteered, "I was a twin - and I have twin children. The two younger ones in that photo, Eric and Samantha."

"Those are lovely names." Evelyn noticed Marlena did not say the kids were John's. "It's a beautiful photo of all of you."

"Yes, it is." Marlena's mind drifted to that day when Caroline Brady snapped that picture of them in front of the pub. All five of them were grinning. They were about to take off on a little vacation together, and everyone was in fine spirits.

Abruptly back in the present, she said, "I suppose I'd better find a place to stay. Perhaps you can make a hotel recommendation?"

"Well, it sounded to me as though Mr. Black was offering his home to you."

"I'm not sure…"

Evelyn got up and went to a large aerial photo labeled Main Grafton Winery. She pointed. "This is the building we're sitting in. Mr. Black's house is here. You can see it from the window in his office, and it is only a quarter of a mile away. Right up in the first little hill behind the valley. He usually walks there and back, but there's a paved road, for cars too. He's right. There is plenty of room. Six bedrooms. I've stayed there on occasion with Tommy when the regular housekeeper/nanny had to leave. Once in a while the house is full with business guests, but since Grace passed away, he hasn't done much entertaining there."

The phone rang and Evelyn returned to her desk to field it. Marlena looked closely at the map. She realized the walls held maps of other vineyards that belonged to Grafton Wineries too. It was quite an extensive operation.

When Evelyn returned, she said, "You won't be imposing. And you might want to see where he lives." It was a kind statement, not an intrusive one, and Marlena appreciated it.

"Perhaps I should."

"This office will be officially closed in a few minutes. I can take you up there and introduce you to Peggy Hampton, who takes care of the house and Tommy."

"Does she live there?"

"No. When Tommy was younger, she spent some nights there, but he's sleeping through till morning a lot now. Peggy generally goes home when Mr. Black finishes work."

Marlena couldn't resist asking, "Did you know Grace well, Evelyn?"

As she puttered around the office making sure everything was shipshape to lock up, Evelyn smiled warmly. "You saw her picture, right? She was an enologist here, and her knowledge of wines and chemistry in general was prodigious. She was widely respected in the industry, and Mr. Black was very pleased when she agreed to come work here. They spent a lot of time together that was at first purely business. But something changed - I'm not sure what, but perhaps it was that she finally disclosed her cancer situation - and they got married soon after. Tommy was born just twelve days before she passed away."

Feeling sorrow for them, Marlena asked, "What was she like personally?"

"Grace was kind of serious, and Mr. Black enjoyed making her laugh, which he could. She had great sensitivity and always tried to put everyone who came in contact with her at ease. She was a wonderful listener. She could focus on someone and make them think there was nothing she wanted more than to hear their life stories. And it wasn't an act. She really wanted to know. She did not brood about her own misfortunes. She took life as it came and tried to make the world around her a better place."

As she was recounting and remembering, Evelyn felt the sadness of Grace's passing again. "She was only 36 when she died."

"I'm so sorry. She sounds like a wonderful person, and definitely a woman who would be good for John."

"Yes, they were good for each other." Evelyn gave Marlena a thoughtful look and decided to be bold. "I take it that you and Mr. Black were married long before. You haven't seen each other in years. But you're still married? I know this is none of my business, but he would not have married Grace if he'd known that. So, he - and you - didn't know?"

As they left the office, now locked, Marlena nodded. "As I said, it's a very long and complicated story. But, yes, there were unique circumstances that prevented us from knowing that we were still married. Not knowing this has been a source of great suffering for him, and for me. And for the children involved too. John found out today, so he hasn't had time to consider all of the ramifications. I've known a little longer, but I don't know exactly how we will move forward yet either.

Marlena unlocked her rental and Evelyn slid into the passenger seat. As they drove slowly up to John's house, Evelyn said, "My husband, Martin, says this to me sometimes, 'Planning and living are two different things. God laughs at our plans, so don't do a lot of planning, but do a lot of living.' Seems like you two deserve to do the living part now. Maybe not worry about being too cautious."

As they pulled up before the front of the house, Marlena stopped, and turned to Evelyn. Touching her shoulder lightly, Marlena said softly, "Thanks, Evelyn."