The Retreat Ch 09 1

The Retreat

Chapter 9

Sara wasn't much of a cook. Most of what she made at home for herself, when she didn't order takeout, was pretty basic. It was difficult to mess up Ramen after all. After poking through the cupboards and fridge, trying to decide on what to cook, she settled on Spaghetti. She had found the noodles, and a jar of Spaghetti sauce, and figured it would probably be the easiest to make.

The pots and pans weren't hard to find. They were tucked neatly into a lower cupboard next to the stove. She pulled out one of the larger pots, filled it with water, set it on one of the burners, and set it to boil. She wasn't used to cooking with gas but figured it wouldn't take as long to boil as it would on a normal stove.

While the water was heating, she grabbed a large skillet and began to brown some hamburger she had found in the fridge. Next, another pot with the Spaghetti sauce was set up and beginning to heat. Sara also had found a loaf of frozen garlic bread in the freezer and had set the oven to preheat.

This wasn't so bad. I suppose it helps when you have all the things you need beforehand though

she thought.

It wasn't long before the water began to boil and she tried to measure out the right amount of noodles. It didn't seem like enough, so she added some more and tossed them into the water.

The next thirty minutes or so were spent stirring and watching everything. She wasn't exactly used to this, but she didn't want anything to burn or be ruined. She at the very least wanted to make a good impression.

Sara had just finished straining the water from the noodles when she heard a car door shut.

That must be him

she thought, and quickly dumped the noodles back into the pot. She turned around as the door opened and watched as he came into view.

Well, at least he's handsome

Sara mused as she eyed him up and down.

Dave was tall and lean. A bit of gray tinged his think brown hair, his blue eyes seemed highly intelligent, and seemed to notice things other people missed. Then it hit her. She knew him! She hadn't met him in person of course, but had certainly seen his face on TV.

The Vice President!?

She wailed inside her head.

"Honey, I'm home!" Dave called cheerfully as he hung up his jacket and set down his briefcase.

Sara couldn't move and couldn't respond. She was in too much shock. She knew The Retreat had catered to wealthy and powerful people, but the Vice President of the United States had taken her completely off guard.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Dave joked as he walked into the kitchen and saw Sara standing there frozen.

It took her a moment to recover and remember she was supposed to be play-acting as a loving and doting housewife.

"Honey! Your home!" she said awkwardly and stepped forward to give him a hug.

Dave just chuckled as he gave Sara a big hug and a squeeze.

"It's okay, I would be shocked too," he whispered in her ear in a friendly tone.

"What's for dinner?" He said stepping away and peering over the stove.

"Um...Spaghetti," Sara sputtered.

I'm not handling this very well

she thought, then took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Spaghetti and garlic bread," she repeated, feeling more confident.

"It's almost ready. Why don't you go wash up, then you can set the table," she said, turning back to the stove and fussing over the pots.

"Yes dear," Dave laughed, then gave Sara a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the kitchen to comply.

Sara used his absence to calm herself down and remember what she was supposed to be doing. By the time Dave had returned, she was feeling much more relaxed and confident enough to better play her role.

Neither of them said anything as Dave set the table, and Sara had transferred the noodles and sauce into some large bowls and set them on the table. They both sat down and Dave began piling his plate with the noodles, glancing over at Sara and giving her a wink.

"So how was your day dear?" Dave asked, pouring a ladle full of sauce over his noodles.

"Oh... um... it was good. I took a little walk and talked to my mother. You know how she can be," Sara said with a laugh that sounded a bit forced to her ears.

"She and Dad are planning a trip to Florida soon, but she's worried that Dad's gout will flare up," Sara continued, trying to improvise and think of something else to add.

Dave just nodded along as Sara rambled, and dug into his dinner. Sara continued to spin out a silly tale of her "mother's" shenanigans as she made up her plate. It wasn't long before she was running out of things to say.

Dave looked up and began looking over the table with a puzzled look on his face.

"What wrong hun?" Sara asked, feeling confused and worried that her idiotic ramblings might have upset him for some reason.

"I thought you said we had garlic bread," Dave said, sounding a little disappointed.

"THE BREAD!!!" Sara shouted and jumped up from the table, rushing to the oven.

The bread wasn't exactly burnt when she pulled it out, but it was most certainly too crunchy to be served.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Sara apologized, feeling like a complete idiot.

"It's okay dear," Dave said reassuringly, getting up and giving her a hug.

"It's not that big of a deal. Besides the Spaghetti is amazing as it is. Come sit, and have some dinner. You can continue telling me all about your mother and her bunions," he said with a wink and a laugh.

Sara couldn't help but smile and re-joined him at the table. Dave certainly was a charmer and knew how to make people feel at ease.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful. She spun out a tale of her day, and Dave listened attentively. Dave regaled Sara with silly jokes and anecdotes of his day. Both of them knew not a word of it was true, but they both were enjoying each other's company and the fiction they both were a part of.

After dinner was done, and the kitchen all cleaned, they moved to the living room. Dave suggested they watch a movie, and then they both spent the next few minutes trying to decide what to watch.

They finally settled on some old western movie neither of them had heard of.

This is nice

Sara thought as she sat snuggled up against Dave, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Both of them just sat and watched the movie in silence. It didn't feel as awkward and uncomfortable as Sara thought it would be. It was pleasant just to be snuggling with someone and not having anything to worry about.

"Yelp. It's time for bed," Dave said, standing up and stretching when the movie was finished.

"You go on ahead. I'll be up in a minute," Sara said, biting back a yawn.

"Sounds good," Dave said, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, and headed upstairs.

Sara watched him as he left, and let out a large sigh when he was gone. Playing house was going to be a bit more than she had anticipated. She was enjoying it so far but wasn't sure if she would be able to keep it up for a whole week. Dave being the Vice President of the United States didn't help things either. She wondered if Gail knew who the client was when she had briefed Sara earlier.

She shrugged and made her way upstairs, there wasn't much she could do about it anyway.

Dave was already in bed when she entered the room. The light was already off, except for the bedside lamps, which made the room She stripped down, pulled the nightgown she had laid out earlier over her head, and climbed into bed beside him.

"Thank you," Dave said, turning to face her as she got settled into bed.

"For what?" Sara asked, puzzled.

"For making me feel normal again," Dave said with a grin, leaning forward to give Sara another kiss on her forehead.

"Good night dear. Sleep well," he said, then rolled over and turned off his light.

Sara just lay there staring at him for a moment, then on impulse leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Sara rolled back over and turned off her light. She understood what was going on now. He was one of the most powerful men in the world. Surely the stress and obligations of such a position hardly allowed for any sense of normality. All that pressure and scrutiny would be difficult to bear for anyone. Wanting something normal for a bit would certainly seem enticing. She thought she understood the not demanding of expecting sex too. A man in that position could probably have any number of women whenever they wanted. He was also handsome enough to pull it off without the prestige of his title behind him.

Sara smiled to herself and tried to get some sleep.

This is going to be a very interesting week

she thought as sleep began to take hold of her.