Eric awoke first. He carefully exited their nest and entered the bathroom where he started the shower. He left the bedroom and found his suitcase where they'd both dropped them the prior evening in the foyer, then returned with it. He noticed the empty bed. He removed a small tote from his case, then looked into the bathroom.
"Boo!" Peggy shouted when she saw him, attempting and succeeding to mildly startle him from the shower. "Thanks for getting it hot for me!"
He placed his toiletry bag on the countertop and stepped into the doorless glass-walled enclosure with her.
"Good morning," he said, offering her a kiss. "How'd you sleep?"
"Very,
very
well. You?" she asked.
"You bet I did. Do you have stuff in your kitchen with which I could cook you breakfast?"
She chuckled. "You? Cook for me?"
"Why not?"
"There's probably enough to get by," she answered before a healthy smooch.
"Good. As soon as I'm finished in here, I'll go whip us up something yummy."
They enjoyed the warmth of the shower together for about ten minutes before he exited. He shaved at one of the two sinks, ensuring he left it as clean as he found it. After he'd dressed, he made his way to the kitchen and explored the contents of the pantry and refrigerator.
He found bagels in the fridge along with a tub of cream cheese and a carton of blueberries. He took a small saucepan from the overhead rack, put the berries in it, covering them with a little water and a measure of granulated sugar before placing it on the stove to simmer. He crushed the berries with a fork as the water began to warm.
He sliced two bagels and toasted them. As the fruit simmered, he gave it a light dusting of cornstarch. The juice-rich mixture thickened as the sugar and starch mixed with it. He extinguished the fire underneath the pan when the bagels were perfectly toasted.
He plated the bagels and spread them evenly with cream cheese. He spooned the blueberries into a dish just as Peggy joined him in the kitchen.
"Whoa. What smells so good?"
"Blueberry spread. I like it on pancakes or waffles. It's especially tasty against the tartness of a cream cheese schmear."
Peggy brought a plate and the dish of blueberry spread to the island which had several bar-height stools on one side. She pulled one out, sat down, and sampled the combination.
"Ooh, this is delicious," she said as she chewed the crispy, chewy bagel with a dab of the warm topping.
His phone rang.
"How are you, Doctor Shields?" he asked after the man identified himself.
Peggy's eyebrows arched in recognition.
"The board has done all I've required. I'll instruct my attorneys to transfer custody of the escrow account by end of business today," Eric said.
"Sorry, I don't have an answer for that.
"I would imagine she's anxious to hear from you.
"Of course.
"Absolutely. Pleasant morning to you, too, Doctor Shields," Eric said before he disconnected the call.
He looked at Peggy with a subdued expression.
"Where's your cellphone, sweetie?"
"In the bedroom. Why?"
"You might want to go get it. I think you're about to get a call."
"Oh?" she said, leaving her stool. She had barely walked thirty feet when she heard it ringing. She ran to the bedside table and saw an unknown number on the display.
"This is Doctor Foreman," she answered, slightly and briefly winded from her sprint.
"Good Morning, Doctor Foreman, this is Duane Shields. I trust you made it home safely?"
"I did, Doctor Shields, thank you for asking. It's a pleasure speaking with you again."
"Doctor Foreman, I'm calling because I don't want moss to grow under our feet before we put this information in your hands. This will all, of course, be emailed to you, but I'm calling to inform you that, after discussing the matter into the wee hours last night, the board of directors has unanimously decided to request your service as the Director of Research we discussed with you at length yesterday. You would be reporting directly to the administration, but also dotted-line to the Chief of Surgery. We are tendering an offer of $469,500 per year, plus benefits."
Peggy almost choked on her own saliva. It was almost twice her current salary.
"That's very generous, Doctor Shields."
"I'm aware, and the salary is contingent on the assumption you'll choose to continue practicing surgery along with your directorial work."
"I understand. When would you like my decision?" Peggy asked.
"
Like?
I'd
love
it if you accepted right now, but I understand if you need a few days to consider it."
"Thank you for understanding. I will give you my answer within two days."
"Very well. Thank you so much. And, um… Doctor Foreman?"
"Yes, sir?"
"We were all incredibly impressed. I, personally, cannot wait to see what you're capable of."
"That's very kind, Doctor Shields, but please don't get ahead of yourself."
She heard him laughing. "I understand. Thank you for your time. Have a great day," he concluded and disconnected the call.
She breathlessly stood in her room for several moments.
"Eric!" she yelled. "Baby! They made me an offer!"
"Yeah?" he whispered from her doorway, startling her. "Of course they did." He smiled broadly, opening his arms to her as she rushed to him. He gave her a warm, congratulatory hug.
"Oh, god," she said, brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?"
"It's all but official," she said, the full weight settling on her. "They made the offer!" she shrieked again.
He laughed. "Yeah!"
"That means I'll have to give all this up," she said, suddenly somber again.
"Why?"
"Because, if I take the job, I'll be moving to Oklahoma."
"So? Why do you need to give up anything? Hell. I wouldn't want to get rid of a place like this," he said, walking with her back to the kitchen.
In the light of day, the place looked much different than the prior night. Skylights streamed with sunshine. The entire place had a different character; vibrant and spacious instead of subdued and intimate as it had before.
"This is so confusing. I've got friends here. This has been my home for a long time."
"All good reasons to maintain roots, right? If you take the job, you might not be here a lot or often, but, if you're anything at all like me, just the existence of it within your grasp can help maintain some normalcy."
"Like you and your ranch?" she asked.
"Yeah. When I saw the land, I fell in love with it. It took me
months
to convince the seller… um, your father… to sell some of it. I
love
my place. It's where I consider my home to be, though I don't get to go there but maybe six or seven full weeks out of a year. I guess that might change since I'm no longer day-in, day-out at Reiter-Marlin, but I think you get my point."
