I arrived at my cabin in Vermont on Friday evening. Elsie texted me the day before to say she’d be interested in visiting Vermont. I offered to pick her up from Burlington Airport, but she insisted that she wanted to rent a car and drive down.

I hadn’t expected her to accept my offer of a weekend away. I thought I was just taking a wild chance by even saying it to her. When I got the text, I felt victorious though. It was working. I was breaking her!

The caretaker of the cabin, Peggy, was waiting there for me. I asked her to make sure that the kitchen and pantry were all full, and the rooms were cleaned and dusted. After that, I asked her to leave me alone for the weekend.

The next morning, I woke up early and went for a walk. Elsie hadn’t given me a time for her arrival. The walk was the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on my thoughts.

The last few days in LA were busy. I’d missed a lot of meetings and had to catch up on them. Ralph was on the phone with me several times, trying to figure out the progress of the new recruit. I kept telling him I was working on it. It was too early to give up and it seemed I was finally making some progress.

I thought about Elsie on my walk. What else was there to think about? Had she accepted my invitation because I helped her find her niece? Was she doing it out of gratitude? Was it possible that she hated me a little less now?

I’d invited her to my cabin on a whim. This wasn’t a part of the plan. When she told me that she wanted to talk to me again, I realized that I still might have a chance. I wasn’t going to give up this opportunity.

When I returned to the cabin after my walk, I saw the car first.

“Hello?” I called out and Elsie appeared from around the back of the cabin.

“Sorry, I didn’t know where you were,” she told me.

My eyes skimmed over her. She was in a floral printed dress with a slim belt at her waist. Knee high flat boots covered her long slender legs. She seemed to have curled her hair today, because it looked wavy around her shoulders.

“I was just out for a walk. I didn’t know when you would arrive,” I told her as she approached me.

“This place is lovely. It’s so quiet and serene,” she said with a smile as she looked around.

“Yeah, it’s the perfect getaway,” I told her, and our eyes met.

“I bet your life can get pretty hectic,” she added.

Strangely enough, Elsie wasn’t being as aggressive with me as she usually was. Had something changed? Could it be possible that she was considering my proposal?

“Can I help you with anything?” I asked, peeking into her car. There was only one small bag inside.

“I’m not staying very long. I have tickets for flights tomorrow,” Elsie said, when she saw me looking at the bag.

“Of course,” I replied politely and led her up the porch and into the cabin.

Elsie seemed impressed as she looked around the place.

“Coffee? Scotch?” I offered with a smile, as we walked into the living room. She dropped her bag to the ground and headed for the mantle above the fireplace. There were photographs of me in frames, with acquaintances and some celebrities.

“They’re not exactly family photos,” I said when I saw her peering at them.

“I can see that,” she murmured.

“My decorator told me that photographs on the mantlepiece add warmth to a room. I didn’t have any others,” I explained, and Elsie looked at me with a smile.

“I’m not judging you, Jared,” she told me, but I knew she was. She was wondering how I lived my life without an actual family. The answer was simple—I lived an uncomplicated life with no strings attached.

“Was Emma okay when you took her back?” I asked, while Elsie walked around the room admiring the various art pieces and decorations on the wooden walls.

“Yeah, she was fine. She got punished by her mother, but she’s okay,” Elsie replied.

“Do you want something to eat? Are you hungry? We have a fully-stocked pantry at our disposal,” I told her, and Elsie looked up at me, her eyes shining brilliantly.

“I’m not hungry, but I wouldn’t mind going for a walk. I know you just came back from one…”

“Let’s go. I know the perfect trail!” I suggested. Elsie smiled and she followed me out of the cabin and past her parked car.

“I can’t remember the last time I went for a walk like this. I’ve had a very busy couple of years,” Elsie said as we walked beside each other down a woodland trail. I looked over at her, at her profile…walking with her like this brought back memories. I looked away.

“Well, then you definitely deserve this weekend,” I told her, and she smiled.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see.”

I led the way down the path and she followed me in silence. I was relieved to find that Elsie was in a better mood, less inclined to fight with me. I might be able to convince her after all. Maybe she had forgiven me, and we could have some sort of friendship again.

Who was I kidding?

Our friendship was ruined. We had sex…we were intimate twice. I was inside her. She came while my fingers were in her pussy.

What kind of friendship was that?

The truth was that any hope of picking up where we left off ten years ago was now ruined. The only thing I could do was hope that she would accept the job offer. Maybe we could build a professional relationship. Maybe that would work?