Originally, Garret had hoped to be in Coulson before Thanksgiving. Yet, now it looked as if he might not make it until Christmas. It was amazing that it had taken him less than twenty-four hours to move from Coulson to Chicago. Yet, it would take him over seven months to return.
Garret sat at his desk sorting files when his intercom buzzed.
“Mr. Coulson, Ms. Spencer’s here.”
“Send her in,” Garret said into the intercom, and then he dropped the files unceremoniously into a heap and stood up.
“Afternoon, Garret.” Karen Spencer breezed into the office. She wore a green jump suit; her short, red hair fell in curls around a small, heart-shaped face. She was a petite woman, barely five-foot-two, and when Garret held her in his arms, he often thought about placing her on a box to give her a little extra height.
“Still sorting files?” She frowned at the pile on his desk, leaned up, and kissed his cheek, then fell back into a chair as if she was exhausted.
“Rough day?” Garret teased. He walked around his desk and sat on its edge as he faced Karen.
“Shopping. Life’s hell,” Karen said in dramatic exaggeration. She looked back at the files and asked with a serious tone, “So, you’re really moving back?”
“I’m really moving back.”
“You’ll miss me,” she said softly, her eyes a little sad.
“Yes, Karen, I’ll miss you.”
“You know what they say, Garret. You can’t go home again.”
“That’s what they say.”
“But you’re going anyway?”
“I’m going anyway.”
“You’re going to miss the restaurants in Chicago. You’ll never get a decent Italian meal out West,” she teased.
“You’ve got a point, Karen. Chicago has the best restaurants,” he conceded, then added, “It’s not really Chicago. I just don’t like the city. Never have.”
“You know, Garret, you’re too young to retire,” Karen insisted. She would miss Garret.
“I’ll still be on the board. Anyway, you’ve been nagging me for years to stop working so much.”
“That’s just because I wanted you to come out and play.” She grinned, then added, “So, did your loyal secretary decide to transfer with you?”
“No, her family is here. Anyway, since I decided to retire, I really don’t need a full-time assistant.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Garret.” She stood up and walked over to him. He opened his arms and pulled Karen into his embrace.
One of the lessons Garret learned from his experience with Alexandra was that a woman could be more than a bed partner, more than a conquest. She could be a miracle. He had never taken the time to know a woman before Alexandra. That realization was a bit of a contradiction, considering the number of women he had slept with before Alexandra had come into his life.
He had met Karen a year after moving to Chicago. She was the first woman friend since his initial friendship with Alex. He had come to trust Karen, and after a while, he’d told her about Alexandra. She was the only person, other than Russell, whom he had ever discussed his affair with. For several years, Garret and Karen had been platonic friends.
During this time, Garret met and dated various women. Unlike his pre-Alexandra relationships, his attitude toward women was radically altered. In spite of this, Garret had been unable to find a woman who could replace Alexandra. Eventually, he had stopped looking.
After Karen’s husband decided to leave her for the clichéd younger woman, she began sleeping with Garret. It was a comfortable relationship for both of them. It offered friendship, companionship, and sexual release. Yet, Garret was not in love with Karen. Karen was not in love with Garret.
Garret could honestly say, in his entire life, he had only made love with one woman.