Late on the Friday afternoon, a week after her second disastrous date with Milt, Heidi was in the school superintendent's office with Bob Samuelson, the school district business manager, going over the budget for her department.
"Heidi, it's really late, I'm sorry I kept you this long," Bob said.
"That's all right, Bob," she replied. "I don't have any plans for tonight. But what about you? Isn't your wife expecting you?" She had often heard Bob talk about his wife and from the tone of voice he used, she believed he was deeply in love with her.
"My wife's out of town, so I guess you could say I don't have any plans, either," Bob replied, smiling. His look brightened. "You know, we're almost done here. As a way of making up for keeping you this late, could I offer you dinner?"
"Ah...I...I guess that would be all right," Heidi replied.
"How about eating at my place, that OK?" Bob asked hopefully.
Heidi hesitated a minute before replying. Bob was good-looking, a bit older than she, and he was married. And, it seemed, happily married. She decided having dinner with him at his home would be all right. After all, they were both adults, why couldn't they have dinner together?
Bob's invitation had another benefit, too. It would be a reason to decline Milt's continuing invitations. She'd told the assistant principal as gently as she could that she no longer wished to go out with him, but he kept asking. And when she ran into him in the hall, he stared at her with such a sad look it upset her.
"You've been married a long time, haven't you?" Heidi asked Bob as they drove toward his house.
"Yes," he replied. "Twenty-five years."
"What's she like?" Heidi asked. She wondered about his wife, who she'd never met.
"What's who like?" Bob replied.
"I'm sorry, I meant your wife," Heidi said.
Bob looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, it's hard to put into words," he said at last. "She is, perhaps the most self-assured person I've ever known. She seems to understand people better than anyone I've ever met, is caring, understanding, yet very self-contained."
Bob's tone as he spoke of the woman he was married to once again told Heidi how deeply he cared for his wife.
"That isn't all," he continued. She's also a marvelous lover."
Heidi was startled that Bob would talk about this side of his married life so openly, and without being asked. His openness unnerved her.
Bob, apparently unaware of Heidi's discomfort, continued to talk about his wife and their love life. "She has a level of sensuality I never encountered before I met her," he said, "and haven't since." He paused a minute and looked at Heidi. "I hope you don't mind my saying this, but I've been wondering about you ever since I met you. There are times you make me think of Joanna. I've often thought you might have the same potential for passion she has. I have a feeling you are an incredibly sensuous woman."
Heidi felt herself blushing. She didn't know what to say. She had a feeling Bob was paying her a very high compliment, yet she found that compliment, and the fact that he'd given it to her, disturbing. Why had he brought up the topic of sex? Was it just that he was a very open person, or... Maybe it would be best to steer the conversation away from sex. "Do you have any children, Bob?" she asked.
Bob smiled and nodded. "One," he said. "A daughter, Amy. She's away, visiting a friend."
Heidi was silent, lost in thought, trying to imagine what it would be like when they got to his home. She found herself growing more and more anxious the closer they got, and began to fear she'd made a mistake by accepting his invitation.
Bob turned onto a side street a few miles from the center of town, just a few blocks from where Heidi lived. The neighborhood was populated by people who had were quite successful. She lived there because that's where she lived with her husband, a lawyer, who gave her the house, and a generous lump-sum divorce settlement, in lieu of alimony.
Bob pulled into the driveway of a huge colonial mansion that made Heidi's house look like a shanty, pushed a button on the sun visor, then drove into a bay of the three-car garage attached to the house, and shut off the motor.
"Well," he said, "we're here."
"Yes," Heidi said. "You have a beautiful house." She swallowed hard. Now what? She was still disquieted by his comments about her potential sexuality.
They got out of the car and Bob led Heidi into the house. She noticed there was a red sports car sitting in one bay of the garage, the other was empty.
Bob saw her looking at the red car. "That's Amy's car," he explained as they walked through a breezeway, into the house.
"Oh," Heidi said.
Inside, the house was as lovely as it was outside. The furnishings were either real antiques or very good reproductions, and the home was obviously well cared for. It looked very comfortable. Heidi began to relax a little. She noticed wonderful cooking smells. "Something smells delicious," she said. "I thought you said your wife wasn't home. Who's cooking?"
"We have an excellent housekeeper and cook," Bob said. "I called her and asked her to make something for us. I'm sure whatever she made for us will be fabulous."
"You have a housekeeper and a cook?" Heidi asked. How much did the school district pay him, anyhow?
"Only one person, who fills both roles," Bob said, grinning. "And in case you planned to ask, we're not decadent. She's doesn't live here, anyhow. We feel the expense is worth it, what with both of us working."
Heidi felt herself blushing. "Oh," she said.
