Heart of Stone

Lunch

Eloise froze, not expecting the question. She looked up at him, unsure how to answer, when she heard Alexander's office door open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and his eyes were like dark pools as he looked at the employee.

"No, LouLou is not my wife." Alexander said coldly.

Richard was immediately struck with how stupid he'd been. He had assumed, incorrectly, that the woman Alexander had been seeing was his wife. It was well known that he wasn't exactly the romantic type, he was never seen with any women, but shortly after returning to the states he was seen with this woman. He had thought it only made sense for him to pick up his marriage, but he had been wrong. Perhaps he needed to stop assuming he knew Alexander Pearson and keep his mouth shut.

Richard's mind was blanking as he tried to keep from panicking. Alexander was already unhappy with him from the comment he'd made in the virtual meeting where he'd seen LouLou and he didn't want to upset him further. He ran his fingers through his hair a bit nervously, trying to give an apologetic smile.

"My mistake, Mr. Pearson. I shouldn't have assumed." His voice nearly trembled as he spoke. "I've seen you together, so I just thought...well, you look like you belong together."

Alexander's dark gaze stayed trained on the employee; his expression was cold. Richard decided to change the subject, hoping he could get himself back on solid ground.

"LouLou, I'm terribly sorry about that." He gave her an apologetic look. "I had a thought...if it's alright with you, Mr. Pearson, I noticed she brought the floral arrangement for that get-together you're having, perhaps we should invite her as well? It could be a great opportunity for her to network her business, foster some good relationships, and she could see how appreciative we all will be for the flowers and cake."

Alexander's unreadable expression shifted slightly at the suggestion. Eloise glanced at him, hoping he didn't feel pressured to invite her now. The tense set of his shoulders had put her slightly on edge, but she noticed he'd relaxed a bit at the mention of it.

"If LouLou would like to come, she is more than welcome to." He said, his dark eyes settling on her with a softness they didn't have before.

After Eloise had returned home and showered, she sat outside at her glass table sipping tea once again with Luna at her feet. She sat curled up in her chair, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. A bottle of dark nail polish sat before her on the table, and her toes shone burgundy in the fading sunlight. The small and simple self-care ritual had set her nerves at ease a bit, because as she sat there contemplating her beautiful gardens, she prepared herself to respond to Alexander's message.

She had thought over and over again on what she would say, and what would be appropriate to say as his wife that he's never met, versus LouLou who was his girlfriend. A part of her felt a bit of shame, feeling at this point that she was being deceptive, but she had never meant to be. Regardless, she knew it was time for this to come to an end. She would agree to meet with him and explain it all in person, hoping he wouldn't hate her for it.

She took one last sip of her hot tea and placed the mug down gently on the table. With trembling fingers, she picked up her phone and unlocked it, opening the message on her social media. She read it over one more time and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. She began typing.

"Hi, Alexander. I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to me. I apologize as well for being so busy, but I'm sure you know what that's like. I finally spoke to your mother, and she said you'd reach out with a day and time. Let me know what works best for you."