Escape

Chapter I - Run (Now)

It was going to be a busy Saturday for Hannah Horan. An early rise in the Spring morning for her daily jog, a quick shower, a hearty breakfast, grocery shopping and cleaning the house were all on her to-do list. She had to be finished with her errands before 5:00PM that night.

Hannah and Niall were having their best friends over for dinner. They all met in college, varied grades of course. And they considered each other closer than family.

"I'm not sure, Niall." Hannah couldn't think of her work schedule at the moment. Double checking that the house was ready before their guests arrived was priority.

"How can you not know?" Niall's voice allowed his wife to realize his frustration. Because he sat comfortably in the recliner with his eyes glued to his iPad. Something else captured his attention other than their conversation.

"I have to check with my boss first. I can't just take off." Hannah worked at When In Rome, a five-star restaurant in the middle of exciting New York City. Her commute was perfect. It was just under an hour from their home in the suburbs.

Hannah was the assistant manager and a chef, not the head chef, though. Her dream of owning her own bistro in the heart of her favorite city came to a devastating halt. Because Niall, her husband of almost two years, decided it wasn't the best option for them.

"You need to ask your boss now before someone else takes that week. We pitch this thing to Croogan in a month. I need to make sure you're here to meet with the contractor during that time." Niall was irritated. The renovation to build a high-performance home theater was his dream. And it was taking longer than he wanted.

His statement made Hannah's blood pressure rise. Niall knew she didn't want to spend their money on that. And she didn't even bother bringing up the fact that she wanted to start her own bistro. It would've been pointless. The renovation was what he wanted to do. And that was the end of it.

Hannah continued tidying the living room, going back and forth rearranging the pillows from the sofa and the chairs. She was nervous-excited.

"Niall, please. They'll be here any minute. You should get the grill going." As Hannah made one last sweep through the living room, she walked over to Niall's make-shift office and proceeded to clean up the area.

Niall chewed off a piece of fingernail on his pinky that was bugging him and rolled his eyes. He was irritated.

"I'll talk to Liz on Monday, Niall." Hannah offered that as another way of saying she didn't want to keep talking about it. It was a quarter till.

Elizabeth was Hannah's boss and the owner of the restaurant. She was a great boss and on more than one occasion, a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Not only was she her boss, but they were good friends.

"Fine." Niall threw his hands in the air, surrendering only for the moment. That was something he wasn't used to doing. He always won. But he walked away because it would be discussed at a later time. And Hannah knew that.

Hannah let out a breath and went to see if everything was ready on the patio. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The air still had a hint of cold with the promise of warmth on its way. And the sun shone its rays through a few stratus clouds. It was her favorite type of day.

The backyard was Hannah's spot; a getaway, figuratively and literally. A porch swing on the patio overlooked the backyard where she spent time reading and relaxing.

In the middle of the backyard was comfortable seating around a newly installed fire pit. It was for the many Summer nights Hannah and Niall would enjoy their evenings, or at least Hannah would. Niall never cared for the outside that much. And it was a surprise to Hannah when he allowed her to spend their money on that.