The Spy Who Loved Me

Chapter 20

"Well, I'll be damned" Ethel muttered with disbelief as she popped a small handful of roasted peanuts into her mouth. It was beyond her understanding how Michael had successfully changed Richard's stubborn mind. Of course, it was what she wanted, but it had seemed far from feasible knowing Richard. She absently let her fingers trace the along the panels of the city bench she and Michael sat on. "How did you ever manage to get him to agree?"

He blew out a long whistle and stroked his chin. "It came with a stealthy price, Eth." He shook his head, recalling the difficult battle that had only occurred just a half-hour earlier. Ethel turned her head sharply and shot Michael a questioning glance.

"How much money are we talking about?" She raised her eyebrows cautiously when he didn't answer right away. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and focused his attention two squirrels chasing each other around the large tree in front of them. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and rubbed the back of his neck impishly.

"Let's just say that I'm now covering all the expenses for the entire shindig." He raised his hand to intercept Ethel's reaction. "That's in addition to covering the financial losses from setbacks in the schedule." He tossed the last peanut to the squirrels and crumpled the brown paper bag into a tight ball. "I'll leave you to imagine just how much that will cost. My pocketbook trembles every time I think about it" he joked halfheartedly. "Forty-five grand..." He winced at the dismally expensive figure.

Ethel pressed her fingertips against her lips and stared at him in silence. She was touched. "You offered all that money to Richard? For me?" The cadence of her alto voice inflected with surprise. Guilt gnawed at her conscience, reminding her of the terrible human being she truly was. If Michael knew the entire truth, the truth about her affair with Richard, he probably would've never committed such a selfless deed for the likes of her.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "I'd give you the Moon if you asked for it. Just say the words, and it's yours!" He pulled her close so that they were cheek to cheek. He inhaled the scent of her hair deeply; it reminded him of summer lilies scattered amongst the valleys of the countryside, blessing the earth with their precious perfume.

"It's impossible to give someone the Moon, Michael..." she reminded him with a playful side eye.

"People do crazy things when they follow the beat of their heart, my dear" he expressed surely, planting a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're even real, Michael. You're just too good to be true" Ethel whispered gently, brushing a stray tendril of hair from his forehead and twirling it around her finger. Deep down inside, they had both been trying to resist the natural course of their sentiments. She lacked the trust to give her heart, and he was bruised from experiencing the loss of one love. They smiled at each other, a burden was lifted from each of their hearts. The feelings they held were inevitable.

"Will you forgive me for my behavior this morning?" he questioned calmly, but there was desperation in his eyes...almost like the look a child begging for their favorite toy.

Ethel fiddled with the collar of her blouse and cleared her throat. "What's the new timeline for show?" She abruptly changed the subject, not giving the Michael the satisfaction of a response to his plea.

Michael sighed and stared at her for a long while.

"Olena" he chuckled at the sound of the name on his tongue. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, staring off into the distance once again. "She was a very dear friend of mine" he reflected somberly. "She was really the only friend I had throughout my years as a child, adolescent, and young man."