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Didnt want to wake you but I made you some breakfast. Its in the oven.
Love, Greg"
Veronica put the note down, smiling lightly, and opened the oven. Inside was a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon on it. She took it out and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. As she munched on her food she thought about what she was going to do today.
She probably wasn't going to do any chores, that was for sure. But there was another walking meeting at noon. The image of Jason staring at her beside her car flashed in her mind and she shook her head to clear it. She needed to figure things out between them. They hadn't spoken since the water tower (of course, how could they?) and she needed to set things straight with him before either of them got hurt.
She wanted to apologize, that was the main thing. She'd led him on and that was wrong of her. He had probably already had ideas about what was going to happen at the water tower, and she did nothing to stop it. Besides, she was married. So it wasn't like anything could come of it anyways. It was a one-time mistake and something that she needed to take care of before anything bad happened.
Veronica popped the last bite of toast in her mouth and got up. She washed the plate and went to go take a shower. When she was finished she put on some music and did some menial cleaning, more out of habit than anything else, until it was time to leave.
When it was a quarter to noon, Veronica got on her shoes and coat and left to go to the meeting. This time the group was gathering at a conservation area just outside of town. They been there before, and each time Veronica felt as though she were lost when they walked through it. It was a beautiful area, full of trees and small clearings, and today would be a gorgeous day to explore it.
She drove to the site and turned into the parking lot. She scanned the cars to see if Jason's was there, and her stomach did a somersault when she saw it. She parked on the opposite end of the lot and left the car, trying to think of other things as she walked toward the group.
Nancy was close to the rear and she greeted Veronica. The two women briefly hugged and Veronica gave a casual look around, trying to spot Jason. She saw him standing near the front of the group, leather jacket on, attention entirely focused on the book he was reading.
Veronica watched him. The noise around her dulled to a buzz as she studied his face, the way he stood. He raised his hand to his mouth and licked his thumb, slowly turning the page, eyes scanning over the lines of text. Veronica heard her name as though from far away, and then a hand on her arm brought her back to the present. She turned and saw Nancy looking at her.
"I asked you how you were doing," Nancy said.
Veronica forced a smile.
"Oh, I'm okay," Veronica lied. "How about you? How're your kids?"
Nancy started talking about her children's marks in school but Veronica wasn't paying attention. She wanted to turn away but knew that she couldn't. In the middle of Nancy's spiel, Doug called out to the crowd.
"Okay everybody, I think we're all here and ready to go!" he said.
The group started moving forwards and Veronica grabbed a chance to look Jason's way again. He was tucking his book back into his jacket, seemingly unaware that Veronica was even there. Nancy was still talking and Veronica nodded politely every now and again, still not paying attention.
There was no opportunity to go up to speak to Jason while the group moved as one. An hour into the walk they all stopped to take a break, having reached a picnic area with tables and outhouses. The group dispersed as small pockets formed, some sitting at the picnic tables, some waiting in line to relieve their bladders.
Nancy wandered off to talk to other people, leaving Veronica on her own. She watched as Jason leaned up against a tree, pulling out his book and turning to his marked page. She could feel her heart starting to pound again. Taking a deep breath, she tried walking casually over to him, stopping a few feet away.
"Hi," she said. Jason looked up from his book and seemed completely unsurprised.
"Hello," he said in reply.
"What're you reading?" she asked, indicating the book in his hands. He glanced down at it for a second.
"Watership Down," he said.
"Oh, I've never read that. Is it any good?"
The ghost of a smile appeared.
"Yeah, it's good," he said.
Neither one spoke for a second. Veronica tried smiling but it felt strange on her face. Finally she said, "Look, um, can we talk? About what happened the other night?"
The smile vanished from his lips.
"Sure," he said, marking his page and stowing the book away.
"Um," Veronica tried to begin, turning her head to clear her thoughts. But as she did she saw Nancy, on the other side of the clearing, looking at her. Veronica quickly looked away. She looked up at Jason and he partially raised his eyebrows. "Mind if we talk somewhere private?" she asked. "I don't feel comfortable here."
"No problem," Jason replied, and he got up off the tree. The two walked away from the crowd, down one of the paths that branched out from the clearing. They didn't speak as they walked, and when they were far enough away that they couldn't see or hear the others, Veronica finally broke the silence.
