The Perfect Husband: A nail biting gripping psychological thriller. Buffy Andrews
‘Good morning!’
He sounded way too chipper for this early in the day.
‘I just wanted to thank you again for a terrific night.’
‘I should be the one thanking you. I really had a great time.’
‘I was wondering about that game of horse.’
‘Horse?’
Eric reminded me of the basketball challenge. ‘So, are you ready to lose?’
I laughed. ‘The only person who’s going to lose is you.’
‘You sound pretty sure of yourself.’
‘I am.’
‘Sounds like we need to settle this once and for all. Can you play this afternoon?’
‘Uh, yeah, I guess.’ I was shocked he wanted to see me again so soon, but the attention made me feel special. ‘But do you really want to drive back here again today?’
‘Absolutely,’ Eric said. ‘I don’t suppose you have a basketball court where you live.’
‘Actually, we do.’ My apartment complex had tennis and basketball courts. ‘But I don’t have a basketball.’
‘I’ll stop and pick one up,’ Eric said. ‘Does early afternoon work for you?’
‘Perfect!’
I immediately called Jackie to tell her about my Sunday afternoon basketball date.
‘Good lord, he’s driving here again today! He must be smitten.’
I glanced around my living room. ‘Guess this means I need to clean this morning.’
‘He’s coming to your apartment?’
‘Yeah, I figured we’d play here. We have those newly refinished basketball courts down by the pool.’
‘Okay, but be careful.’
‘Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to let anything happen that I don’t want to happen.’
Izzy rubbed her snowball head against my leg as I hung up the phone, so I picked her up.
‘Looks like we’re getting company, Iz. You’ll get to meet Eric before Jackie.’
She purred and I put her down so I could eat breakfast. I hadn’t planned on spending my morning cleaning, but I hadn’t known I’d be having company either. I never dealt well with the unexpected, but I was trying to change that.
I wanted to be more spontaneous like Jackie. A memory popped into my head of when Jackie and I were planning a girls’ trip to Las Vegas. I had researched the trip for days and came up with an itinerary that was nearly hour by hour.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ Jackie had said. ‘We’re going on this trip to relax, Shel. Ditch the itinerary.’
‘All of it?’
‘Keep a list of things you’d like to see, but part of the fun is what you discover along the way. I know you’re an organizer and a planner. I know you feel uncomfortable not knowing everything in advance. But that’s what makes life an adventure.’
I smiled at the memory. I knew Jackie was right and I was trying to live my life a little more carefree. I hadn’t been entirely successful but agreeing to see Eric when I hadn’t planned to was part of learning to go with the flow. Jackie would be proud. I threw in a load of laundry and dusted and vacuumed my apartment. Then I moved on to scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen floors and watering my peacock plant.
The plant had silver and green markings on its upper leaf surfaces and reddish purple underneath. It always amazed me that a plant could have two sides and look so totally different depending on your perspective. I guess if I think about it, people can be like this, too. Maybe it’s simply a part of nature.
A couple of hours later, my apartment was cleaner than it’d been in a long time and I jumped in the shower. What should I wear for our basketball date? Pink nylon running shorts with mesh liner or a pair of denim shorts? I pulled out a white T-shirt that would go with either. In the end, I opted for the running shorts because I thought they at least gave the illusion I knew what I was doing. I smiled to myself. It had been a long time since I’d cared this much about my appearance.
I Googled ‘basketball horse’ to brush up on the rules. It had been years since I’d held a basketball, so I was certain I’d be the first to spell ‘horse.’ But then again, Eric could be just as out of practice as I was.
I glanced inside the refrigerator and found several eggs, a bag of carrots, six bottles of water and a few cans of beer. I didn’t have time to run to the grocery store so I figured if playing horse went well and dinnertime neared, I’d suggest ordering pizza and having it delivered.
I jumped when I heard the doorbell. My stomach started to flutter again. I felt like a teenager. Where were these feelings coming from? When I opened the door Eric, dressed in black running shorts and a white T-shirt, smiled and handed me a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.
‘Hello, beautiful.’
‘Thanks. Please, come in.’
It didn’t escape my attention that he’d brought my favorite flower, just one of the many questions he’d asked at dinner the night before.
He followed me to the kitchen and I retrieved a crystal vase in the cupboard above the stove. He put his leather satchel on the chair and spun the basketball on his finger. ‘Ready to lose?’ he smirked.
‘We’ll see about that,’ I teased back.
Eric scanned my apartment. ‘Nice place. Do you like living here?’
I arranged the sunflowers and greens. ‘It’s okay. Sometimes I think about buying a bigger place. I’d like a little more room.’
‘Would you ever consider moving out of the area?’ he asked.
I sat the vase on the table. ‘Probably not. I mean, my job is here. Why?’
Eric shrugged. ‘No reason. I just wondered if you’d ever consider moving. Seems like you could do your job anywhere, right?’
‘Yes and no. I could sell real estate anywhere but I’d have to get to know the market first. For example, the housing market here is different than the housing market where you live, even though we’re only two hours away.’
‘Oh, I see. Guess I didn’t realize that.’
I grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and we headed for the basketball court around the corner from my apartment. It was a sun-kissed day, without a cloud in the sky, and the slight breeze made being outside comfortable.
‘Looks like we have the courts all to ourselves,’ I said.
Eric tossed me the basketball. ‘Let’s practice first.’
I dribbled the basketball. ‘It’s been so long I thought I might have forgotten how to dribble.’
‘You’re doing great. Now take a shot.’
I stopped dribbling and took a shot. I was about ten feet from the basket and it bounced off the backboard. Eric got the rebound and passed the ball to me. ‘Try again.’
I inhaled deeply and tried to remember all the things I’d long since forgotten about form. I squared up to the basket, making sure my feet pointed towards it and my hips were in alignment. I kept my shooting elbow in tight to my hip. I raised the ball above my head so my shooting arm formed an ‘L’ and bent my knees. I could hear my gym teacher say: Let the ball roll off your fingertips as you snap your wrist. Your left hand only guides.
I visualized the shot, imagining a nice high arc like a rainbow. I concentrated on my form and released the ball, watching