*Another "obscure" couple you haven't spent a lot of time with. Tim and Victoria. Not to be cconfused with young Tim, who was named after him. :) One chapter to go after this one. You DO realize I'm going somewhere, right? By the way, if you want to see Victoria's dress, check my Facebook page, Legacy of Loyalty.
Timothy looked at his watch, hoping to find a miraculous passage of time. Instead he was faced with the fact that only three minutes had elapsed since the last time he'd checked. The man groaned inwardly, though he maintained a steady smile for the couple across the table from him.
He hardly knew the NYPD Lieutenant he'd been seated with. The most he could remember about the man was that he was a divorced father of three, and the new woman currently on his arm was at least twenty years his junior.
Tim kept eye contact with his coworker, even though he'd run out of things to say since before the last time he glanced at his watch. The Lieutenant's pink-bubble-gum frocked date was friendly – a little too friendly for Timothy's liking.
"Your wife will be joining us sometime this evening, I presume?" The balding man across from him cast an appreciative glance at his companion, oblivious to the reality that she'd been staring at Tim ever since being seated.
Tim ignored the smugness in the man's tone. "She'll be here soon. Victoria had diplomatic business run over this afternoon, but she ought to be here any time." If there's a God in heaven who loves me, she'll get here.
"Oh, is she like from England?" When the perky blond addressed him, Tim was forced to look at her. "That's where they use all the fancy titles, right? 'Lord' this, and 'Duke' that...If she's a diplomat, what does that make you?"
He blinked rapidly while trying to figure out if the young woman was joking. He guessed not, so he kept a straight face when he replied. "It's more of a job than an assigned title. And she's an American citizen. She did spend a number of years in Australia with her former husband, who was a diplomat to that country. But she resides stateside now, and works out of the Embassy."
"But what does that make you?" she persisted. "If she's a diplomat, that is."
This girl is not getting it. "It's her job," he emphasized. "And I'm only a Captain myself, so I'd say she outranks me." Tim ended on a light note, hoping it would suffice to answer her question.
"Oh. Well, did you ever go with her to Australia?"
He shook his head. "Nope, I've never been there. She was stationed there with her former husband."
"And what happened to him? Did you sweep her out from underneath the guy?" the woman asked coyly.
Tim's mouth dropped before he could stop himself, and it took a beat to recover. "Her first husband was killed."
The blond's lips down-turned in a pout, then brightened. "Ended better for her though, didn't it? She's lucky to have you."
"I don't know if I'd call her lucky..." Tim was weary of the conversation and pretending to be cordial.
Lieutenant Armstrong stiffened across from him, then straightened up in his seat. "I think...your wife might be here."
Tim looked over his shoulder gratefully, but then did a double-take. With the number of events Victoria attending for diplomatic purposes, he'd had many opportunities to see the woman dressed up. It still didn't prepare him for the vision waiting when he turned around.
Victoria was practically floating toward them on a cloud – at least, that was how Tim perceived her. The first thing he focused on were the soft waves of auburn hair that cascaded to her shoulders; a sharp departure from the typical "up-do" for an event. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen her with her hair down, besides when getting ready for bed or taking a shower. His gaze slowly traveled down the lacy bodice of her gold gown, which flared out to a satin skirt. He stared at the woman unabashedly until she was within a couple feet of them, and then climbed to his feet so fast he nearly toppled his chair.
"I'm so sorry," she said before he could speak. "Jenna helped me get ready as quickly as possible."
Tim gazed at his wife for another long moment. "Is that who I have to thank for this privilege?"
Victoria's expression remained uncertain, as if she expected him to be irritated with her tardiness. He shook his head, offering a reassuring smile. "What I mean is, you look absolutely stunning." His fingers traced the outline of her jaw, smoothing an auburn tendril that drew him like a magnet.
Unease broken, Victoria laughed. "Jenna said you would like it this way. Been years since I thought letting my hair down was a good idea. My mother would have said it makes me look older."
"Your mother would have been wrong," he corrected.
"So I married a 'hair man' too. Is that what you're telling me?"
"It's the whole package. You were worth waiting for, but I'm really glad you're here. The people I've been sitting with, you have no idea..."
Some sixth sense warned Timothy to shut up an instant before the balding man stepped around him to greet Victoria.
"Mrs. Long, it's a pleasure."
She smiled graciously and offered the Lieutenant a hand. The officer had the nerve to hold on for what Tim deemed a few seconds too long, and he was burdened with the sudden desire to assert his dominance. Blue eyes barely had the chance to narrow before his wife reclaimed her hand and hooked an arm through Tim's.
"I'm sorry I left you gentlemen to fend for yourselves."
"Well, we weren't completely helpless," Armstrong told her. "I'd like you to meet Bianca, my girlfriend."
The blond woman circled the table with a sugary smile that dripped of condescension. "Yes, I've been keeping them entertained."
"Thank you for that, dear," Victoria said pleasantly. "It's nice to meet you."
Tim pulled out his wife's chair with resignation. He had no desire to stay at the table, but Victoria's body language suggested she was settling in.
"It must be hard working so many long hours for the Embassy." Bianca's sympathy was almost believable. "It wouldn't leave much time for a personal life."
Victoria glanced at Tim with a knowing smile, then turned to the girl. "I manage. My life is busy, but there are ways to make time for the people who matter. What about you, Bianca? What are you involved in?"
"I'm looking at going back to school." The young woman's tone was indifferent. "I've had some success with modeling, but you can't depend on beauty forever. Sooner or later, it all starts to go. Models have such a short shelf life."
Tim marveled at the genuineness of Victoria's smile.
"If it's something you enjoy, you don't have to write it off. A beautiful young woman like you, I can see how you'd do well. There are a number of models who continue to book jobs long past what the fashion industry calls 'prime years'. But you should never stop learning either, so going back to school is a nice option too."
"I love the fashion industry. You could say it's my passion, but..." Bianca faltered, a surprising vulnerability suddenly shining through. "I know a lot of those people aren't real. You can never tell when someone is honestly your friend, or only using you."
Victoria reached across the table to pat her hand. "You'll meet people like that in any industry. Everyone has opinions, and they're not all going to favor you. None of us have that luxury. You have to decide what you want based on your heart, and not on what anyone else says or does."
Bianca's eyes dropped to the table top. "Yeah. I hear you."
The group lapsed into silence for a few seconds, and Tim used the opportunity to clear his throat.
"If the two of you will excuse us for a few minutes, I'd like to steal my wife for a dance."
The Lieutenant waved him on. "Someone ought to – may as well be you."
Timothy scooted back from the table like a child set free on the last day of school and tugged on Victoria's arm a little too hard. "Sorry," he muttered as he swept the woman away. "Not trying to manhandle you."
She chuckled and raised her eyebrows impishly. "My daughter had the nerve to suggest you might."
Tim laughed, startled. "Maybe in the confines of our own condo." But even as the words escaped him, they felt like an overstatement. The beautiful woman beside him was akin to an angel that deserved to be treated with gentleness in turn.
"I take it you've been cooped up at that table long enough," she teased.
"Oh, it's been awful. That girl is so shallow and superficial. If I had to spend another ten minutes with her, I might have choked myself."
His wife laughed, but he wouldn't have called it an exaggeration. "I don't think she's worth that, sweetheart." Victoria laced hands around his neck and allowed him to guide her onto the dance floor.
"You have no idea some of the terrible things she's said tonight, but I won't bother repeating them."
The woman's forehead creased. "It's often said that people are products of their environment. She clearly harbors a lot of pain under the pretty surface."
Tim sighed. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Look at an obnoxious, unkind soul, and find a way to have compassion on them?"
She hesitated for so long he was nervous he'd offended her. "I guess because we all have an ugly part deep down. Some people just aren't good at hiding theirs, or don't care to. Every person alive harbors a type of negative emotion. You can choose to feed that darkness, or search for the goodness. I've always preferred to unearth the positive qualities a soul possesses...even if there seem to be few."
She leaned against his chest, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. "It's never a good idea to stop at the surface level," the woman continued. "You would miss a lot if you did. Consider our two daughters, for instance. Jenna was a surly, insolent foster kid, who'd been shuttled between so many homes her records were in shambles. Callie was a runaway and a heroin addict, but that's only the outside. You and I both know how much lay underneath...even in their lowest emotional state. The treasure within a human soul is worth seeking out."
Timothy shook his head. "You are a rare and beautiful woman, Victoria. And I'm very lucky to have you."