The dreary afternoon did nothing to brighten Jennifer's already dampened mood. The plane ride from London gave her a long time to ponder her relationship with David. David Kendall had been a mainstay in her life on and off for the past two years, and it was becoming more and more difficult to deal with their already strained relationship. Her traveling had been a sore point with him, but there was little she could do. As a freelance writer, she had no choice but to spend most of her time traveling. He wanted a commitment, and she wasn't ready for one. Why, she really wasn't sure.

The cab pulled up at her apartment on East 74th Street. The drizzle had grown to a heavy, steadier rain and she was anxious get upstairs into the comfortable brownstone she had purchased several years ago. After retrieving her luggage she climbed the steps and unlocked the massive mahogany door and entered into the foyer. The answering machine was flashing furiously. David, she thought, and walked right by it.

She went into her bedroom, undressed and headed for the bathtub, where the warm sudsy water eased her fatigued body and mind. She was looking forward to her trip to the west coast. Allison Rogers, her editor, had invited her out to her ranch in Santa Barbara for week to review the galleys for her new book, and for some rest and relaxation. Yes, California would be a nice change in weather, she thought, and maybe she would come to a decision about David.

The sun was shining brightly in Los Angeles. "Mr. H.", Max called out, "you'll be late for your meeting."

"I'm coming Max," Jonathan called out, as he rushed into the kitchen, gulping down some coffee.

"Don't forget, Mr. H., you have dinner tonight at 8 p.m. with Lisa."

"I know Max, did you make the reservations?"

"Sure thing Mr. H., already taken care of."

"Don't wait up Max."

Jonathan got into his black, BMW and drove out the the condo complex. He had been seeing Lisa Sherwood on and off for more than a year, and although enjoyed her company, he sensed that the relationship was definitely coming to a crucial stage. Somehow he felt restless about it, but couldn't really pinpoint his exact emotions. He met Lisa when she was doing some public relations work for his firm. She was attractive, energetic, and intelligent. It seemed though that she wanted their relationship to take a turn right to the altar. All she talked about lately was the fact that they weren't spending enough time together. It's going to be a long day, he thought.

Jennifer awoke to the sound of the telephone. It was almost l0 a.m., and this could be only one person, she thought. She answered it reluctantly.

"Hi, " said the cheery voice on the other end, "did I wake you?"

"Yes you did, David." Jennifer began to get that unsettled feeling in her stomach.

"How was London", he asked.

"Fine" she replied.

"So can we get together later?" he asked.

"David, I have a ton of work to do and I still have jet lag from my flight, and besides I'm leaving for Santa Barbara in a few days."

The silence at the other end of the phone was deafening, but when finally spoke, she could hear the terseness in his voice. "Jennifer, this is becoming a real problem and we need to work this out."

"I know David" she said. "When I get back, I promise we'll work it out".

"Fine" David said curtly. "I'll talk to you when you get back."

She heard a click and put down the receiver. Jennifer went into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove for some tea. She had known David for two years. She met him at a friend's wedding. What was wrong with her, she thought. He was handsome, kind, and certainly successful. He was the one of the partners in successful Madison Avenue law firm, and extremely devoted to her. As of late, though, the time they had been spending apart was putting a strain on their relationship. Yes, she thought, a few days in the warm California sunshine would certainly do her good.

It was 7:00 p.m. and the traffic on the I-5 was horrendous as usual. Jonathan dialed Lisa from his cellular phone. "Hi" he said, "I'm stuck on the freeway, I'll be a little late".

"Fine" she said. "I have some calls to make anyway."

Jonathan replied, "see you in a bit" and hung clicked off the phone.

Lisa sat in her bedroom, somewhat despondent. She was desperately in love with Jonathan, but she sensed he did not feel the same way about her. Whatever it takes, she thought, I am not going to let him get away.

I really don't feel like doing this tonight, Jonathan thought, as he sat in a massive traffic jam. Sometimes LA was too much to handle. He had promised Lisa he would have dinner with some of her friends from college, and he knew she had been planning this for months, or he would have canceled. She was not pleased with the fact that he was going to Santa Barbara for a week. He was in the process of closing a deal to purchase a ranch that raised prize race horses, and was planning on visiting Tom Stratford, a friend from college. Tom was CEO of Stratford Publishing, a company that was a major player in the publishing world. Lisa never shared his passion for horses, so he was planning on driving up there alone and staying at a secluded place the Santa Barbara Resort, right on the ocean, and Jonathan had been operating at full throttle for the past several months. I really do need to get away, he thought, as the traffic finally started to move and he made his way to the exit ramp and drove onto the restaurant.

At 6:00 a.m., Jennifer awoke and slowly walked over to the window. It was so early and the horns of the taxi cabs blaring had already started. She went into the closet and started packing. She remembered Allison telling her something about a dinner party given by one the publishers that Allison had been working for, so she needed something formal. Jennifer decided on a midnight blue dress she had bought at Saks a few weeks ago. The bodice was a bit revealing, but it really accentuated her figure and brought out the highlights in her deep auburn hair. She began packing her jeans, casual shirts and all the rest of the items she would need, trying to visualize her activities day by day.

"Mr. H" Max called out from the kitchen, "what time are you leaving?"

"I'll be on my way in about an hour", Jonathan called out. He wanted to get there before dark, but he was exhausted from last night. The dinner with Lisa and her friends went fairly well. She was definitely not happy about him leaving, but he felt he needed to be by himself for a while.

"Did you pack my tuxedo Max?" Jonathan asked. "Tom said something about a dinner party with some of his authors."

"Sure thing, Mr. H, everything is ready to go, " Max replied.

About an hour later Jonathan got into his car and drove away.