Braxton--In the Hot Tub

It’s clear over dinner that Julia is distracted, though I can’t say why. I decide we should finish eating before I start asking questions. But I will ask her. After all, I spent so much of last night too worried to mention to her something she already knew all about, so it’s ridiculous for me to try not to discuss what’s going on with her. I need to know what’s bothering her, just as she wanted to know what was bothering me the night before.

As soon as we finish our dinner, I say, “We should go spend some time in the hot tub.” My muscles ache from being so rigid all day at work, on edge, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Since I heard nothing from my lawyers today, it is unsettling to think I may spend the next several weeks or months just waiting for a phone call that might not come.

“Okay,” Julia says. “That’s a good idea. I have something I’d like to talk to you about, and it will be less stressful if we can chat in the hot tub.” She smiles that beautiful smile of hers,