Breaking Perfect

“Mason said you have to go to the store later?”

“Yes,” Liberty answered. “I have a few things to pick up. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

“Not at all, but don’t feel like you have to. I’ll be fine.”

“I need to pick up a few things if I’m going to be here for a while.”

She smiled. Glad he decided to stay. Placing her fork on the edge of her plate she said, “If you would rather just make a list I could pick up whatever you need. You’re our guest after all.”

He put his fork down on his empty plate and faced her. Their thighs touched and she didn’t move away from the contact, not wanting to offend him. “Libby, are you trying to get rid of me?”

“What? No,” she quickly answered, then noticed the teasing creases in the corner of his eyes. She smiled. “I just didn’t want you to feel like you have to do chores while you’re here. I usually take care of all that kind of stuff.”

“I noticed. Mason’s very lucky to have a wife like you who knows how to really take care of a man.”

Heat spread in her chest at his complimentary words. Usually only Mason’s praise had that effect on her. “Thank you, Sean.”

They looked at each other a moment longer and then Sean stood. “What would you like me to do before we go?”

“Um…” She suddenly felt distracted. Where had her mind drifted off? “If you just want to get yourself ready I should have this cleaned up and be ready to go in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

After Liberty tidied up the kitchen she ran up to her bedroom to slip on a pair of shoes. Gazing in the mirror, she fussed with her unruly curls. Her fitted khaki pants stopped just at her hips exposing a slight span of smooth belly beneath her white tank top and lemon yellow cardigan. She went to her closet and found her gold slippers with three stones over the toe. About to walk out the door, she stilled as her gaze caught her reflection one last time. She wanted more. She wanted something pretty.

Liberty moved to her jewelry box and sorted through the neatly arranged gems and stones. In the next drawer down she found her less formal pieces. A bright turquoise necklace with chunky blue pearls caught her eye. She smiled and quickly donned it. When she looked back at her reflection she was pleased. She was still smiling when she left her room and almost crashed into Sean.

He caught her by the shoulders and a small jolt of electricity snapped through her. “Hey, ready?” he asked as he steadied her and stepped back.

Liberty felt suddenly flustered. She shook her head. “Sure. Would you like to drive? Mason usually does when we go shopping together.”

“Ah, do you really want to sit in my dirty truck?”

“No, silly, we’ll take the Escalade.”

They went down to the foyer and Liberty handed Sean the keys to the Cadillac.

“Are you sure? I’m not on your insurance policy.”

“It’s okay. I trust you.”

She held the door as Sean stepped onto the porch then turned to lock it behind them. He was already in the garage by the time she caught up. He was waiting by the passenger side of the Escalade holding the door for her. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”

She smiled and stepped up on the footboard to climb in. Sean shut the door and came around to the driver side. After he adjusted the mirrors and seat settings they were on their way. On the drive to the store they talked about North Carolina and Libby pointed out various tourist traps and trendy places to visit.

“What made you guys move here?”

“I needed to get away from my mother and Mason wanted the same. He doesn’t much care for my mother, but sometimes we visit his family. Probably not as often as we should.”

“But why the Carolina’s?”

“It’s beautiful, quiet, free. You should see when the wild horses cross. It’s breathtaking. We came here on our honeymoon and I wanted to come back. Mason applied for a transfer as soon as we returned. It took about six months, but that was fine because we had to wait for the house to be built. We drove back and forth every other weekend to check on its progress. I was amazed at how quickly things can get done when you have the money to pay the right people.”

“Mase certainly has that.”

“Yes, but he isn’t snobby about it. He does a lot for charity. Last month he spearheaded a fundraiser for one of his patients who lost her husband and medical coverage all in one month and then was diagnosed with cancer. He raised forty thousand dollars for her, ten of which he donated himself.”