Farewell to Seduction

Sunday night Kyle took Toni to Coffs to get her car; she had to work on Monday at the clinic. Alone in her car following Kyle’s taillights she went over in her mind the day she’d just spent with Travis. He’d all but asked her to marry him, have his children. She could see it all clearly living at Glenridge, it would be perfect. He already loved her he would be true to her that she knew. She felt like she was so close, one more step and he would be hers. She got on fine with his family, especially his mother they would be friends. She liked Travis very much; he would be so easy to love. She still got that nervous flutter in her chest when he was near her…was that love? Was she already there and hadn’t recognized it?

She was letting him make all the moves although there had been times she wanted to reach out and touch him. He would have welcomed it she knew but something held her back. She’d pushed all thoughts of Richie to the back of her mind, but he was there.

Kyle stopped around the bend from the gates to Glenridge and walked back to her car.

“Toni wait up a minute and let me make sure the paps are gone.”

“Okay.” The fear was back, fear of what, what difference did it make now she’d already been painted with the brush. Why not do what she’d been accused of, would it matter in the end. If he didn’t know already it wouldn’t be long before Richie knew where she was, that would be the final nail, he’d think she left him and went to Travis. But she hadn’t, not really it was just a bizarre set of circumstances that had led her here. Kyle was coming back and blinked his lights for her to follow him.

She parked her car up next to the guest house and went inside. The maid had been in there today; her dirty clothes had been laundered and folded. Is this how she wanted to live? It was seductive, the whole place including Travis. She was in danger of being seduced the longer she stayed here, the more time she spent with Travis, something inside her fought it and held her back. She shouldn’t be here…she couldn’t stay. Tomorrow, tomorrow when she went to work she would pack her bag and put it in her car.

She’d just finished dressing in her scrubs the next morning when Travis knocked on her door.

“Going to work I see.”

“Yeah.”

“What is it Toni?” He sensed it right away.

“I’m…not coming back Travis,” She looked up into his eyes and watched them change, shuttered now.

“You’re going back to him.”

“I…I don’t know. I’m sorry…I.”

“No, no don’t say it.” He lifted his chin slightly and wouldn’t look at her, “Good bye, Toni.” He turned and walked slowly back down to the house.

Toni put her bag in the car walked back inside and left Travis’s cell phone on the coffee table and drove away from Glenridge.