Cross Roads

While reflections ran through her head, there was a knock at her door. Alarmed, she first went to the window and saw Jim, Templeton’s right-hand man. She whispered under her breath, “This ought to be good,” as she opened the door to greet him.

The man tipped his hat to greet her, and apologized for such a late visit. “My dear lady, I couldn’t help but see your lights on, and I am sincerely sorry for my absence of manners by this late visit.”

“What do you want from me, Jim?  I’ve had a long day, so I don’t have a lot of patience for idle talk at this hour.” She stood there, blocking the door, leaving him to shiver in the cold night.

“Mr. Templeton requests the honor of your company, if you would be so good as to accompany me on the way back to his place of business.”

She was amused at the formal way he spoke to her, but didn’t want to look too eager to accept his invitation. “Why, that Mr. Templeton, isn’t he the nicest man? You go tell him that I’m honored and will join him shortly. Thank you and good night, Jim.” She closed the door, feeling like she’d maintained her status over him. She peered through her curtains and watched him leave before racing to change her outfit and redo her makeup and hair.