matthew barton (godofwater) wrote in onceuponadream, @ 2011-03-18 10:19:00 |
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It might be surprising to some, but there was a part of Matthew that did feel a little.. off about being left by his wife. To say that Alexandrea had been a difficult woman to live with would be a massive understatement, but there was a time when Matthew had truly loved her - a part of him still did - and they had a newborn son, one who Matthew was now left to raise on his own. After weeks of focusing solely on work and little Allen, Matthew was in desperate need of a little time to himself. Annabel had graciously offered to keep his little one for the evening and he was taking full advantage by treating himself to a night out. He hadn't planned anything elaborate - just a few drinks at a nearby bar. The bar was crowded as he arrived and Mathew scanned the room for a few minutes looking for a place to sit once he had a drink in his hand. There was a space next to a redheaded woman who looked to be near his age if a little younger and though a part of him felt guilty, he made his way over to her, thinking he wouldn't hate the company. "Good evening," he greeted her with a smile. He vaguely recognized her, although he couldn't remember from where. "Do you mind if I join you?" Evelyn sat with her back straight and legs crossed. Her coat was draped neatly over the back of her chair while her clutch rested in her lap. It was not obvious to anyone around her, but her thoughts were restless as she lazily stirred the drink in front of her. Despite the fact that she had ordered a very dry martini, the bartender had added a splash of vermouth. She had never been fond of vermouth, and she was trying to decide whether she was going to request that the drink be remade while simultaneously making a mental list of the things she would need to do the following day. A mechanical smile moved over her features when she was pulled from her thoughts, and she automatically returned the greeting. The expression on her face warmed slightly when the handsome man requested to join her, though, and she shook her head dismissively as she answered, "I do not mind in the least. In fact, I would enjoy the company." Like Matthew, Evelyn vaguely recognized the man standing in front of her. She knew that he was in some way connected with her employer's wife, unfortunately, she could not recall his name. Mark.. Michael.. Mitchell. Assuming her memory was not completely failing her, she was certain it began with the letter M. Once he was seated, she extended her hand and introduced herself, "Evelyn Huges." It always bothered her when she could not remember something, and she hoped that he would do the same. "Matthew Barton," Matthew said, returning her introduction as he firmly, but gently shook the hand she was offering him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn," he added with a warm smile as he took the seat next to her. He was trying to remember where he knew her from, but he mentally shrugged it off. Maybe he’d figure it out sooner or later. He sipped briefly at his drink before attempting to make small talk. He wasn’t exactly good at it - it had been a very long time since he’d had a need to be good at small talk with a beautiful stranger - but he made the effort. “So... what do you do, Evelyn?" he asked, feeling as though it was probably a somewhat lame question. It was the first thing that came to mind, though. Matthew. Though she could not remember how he was associated with Annabel Richards, she was glad to see that her memory had not failed her completely. "The pleasure is mine," she answered. Her handshake was firmer than that of most women. She couldn't help it. Her father had drilled into her that a handshake was a simple gesture that played a large role in determining how other perceived you. She could still hear his words when she thought about it. An overly soft handshake would be seen as a sign of weakness, a lack of confidence, or plain disinterest. It had seemed trivial and unimportant when she was a girl, but she now understood the importance of her father's lectures. After all, she worked in politics. Following his lead, she sipped at her drink. The splash of vermouth still bothered her, but she chose to ignore it. When he questioned her, she shifted in her seat so that she would be able to face him with ease. "I am a personal assistant," she answered. Realizing that there was a chance he had recognized her without being able to place her, she added, "I work for Senator Thomas Richards." Under different circumstances, she wouldn't have mentioned her employer directly. At the moment, though, she thought that it might help their attempt at small talk. "And yourself?" It made sense, now, why she seemed familiar. Matthew wasn’t exactly close to her employer, but he’d see her in passing once or twice. He, himself, was close friends with the man’s wife and they also had a few mutual friends and acquaintances. “That must be a very demanding job," he mused as he sipped at his drink. He’d taken note of her firm handshake, though, and somehow he was certain she was up to the job. Matthew took another sip before answering her question. “I’m a sports agent," he told her with a smile, “and I also coach part-time at Wheaton Academy." Neither could be considered a fully glamorous occupation, but they were both something he enjoyed immensely. Evelyn could not help but smile when he speculated that her job must be very demanding. It was not as difficult as one might think, but she knew that few people could fill her shoes. It was why she was paid so well, after all. "More than you know," she answered teasingly. "The man would be lost without me." She sipped from her glass when he sipped from his. Once again, she internally grimaced because the drink was not flawless. Luckily, though, he distracted her from that when he answered the same question. "A sports agent as well as a high school coach. You are no stranger to demanding jobs." Her employer might occasionally be a little high maintenance, but she could imagine that his clients were, as well. In her experience, anyone in the spotlight could quickly transform into a prima donna when given the chance. "Are you married?" she questioned as she stole a glance at his left hand. "I love what I do, so it scarcely feels like work," he answered. Matthew smiled as he thought of his work. The truth was that he really did enjoy it and over the last several years it had been something of an escape from his home life. For the first 18 years of his marriage, he’d at least had Ashleigh, but once she had moved out, Matthew had welcomed any excuse to be out of the house as much as possible. To say his ex-wife was a difficult woman would be putting it mildly. He glanced a little self-consciously as the tan line around where his wedding band used to be. It had felt strange to remove the thing even if it was the right thing to do. It still felt odd not wearing it after over two decades of marriage. “I was," he admitted. There was a brief pause before he explained further. “My ex-wife filed for divorce several weeks ago." Matthew didn’t feel the need to elaborate on that unless she continued to question him on the matter. It wasn’t like he really wanted to discuss the details. Telling a woman he’d just formally met she found out I cheated on her and had a child with another woman over 20 years ago, so she left me didn’t really seem like the best idea in the world. "My sentiments, exactly," she replied with a slight smile. "I enjoy working for Mr. Richards. He can be a little.. high maintenance, at times, but I am good at what I do. I do not really see it as work." Evelyn watched as his gaze moved to the thin white band that circled his left ring finger. In her experience, that usually meant that a man was married and trying to hide it. Something in his expression told her that was not the case, though. A light flush moved over her features when he answered her question, and she instantly began to apologize. "Forgive my prying," she requested. "I should not have been so bold." Matthew did not need to elaborate. She would not ask that of him. Why his marriage had ended was none of her business. She did not intend to pry further. "Do you have any children?" she asked him, hoping that the new topic was something he would not mind discussing. "It’s alright," he assured her as she began to apologize for prying. He didn’t blame her for being curious and he didn’t think such a simple question was prying. He didn’t exactly want to discuss the details, but he didn’t fault her for questioning him. As smile moved over his features and he nodded his head over her next question. Regardless of his problems with Alexandrea, she had given him two perfect children and he loved them more than anything. “I have two grown daughters and a newborn son," he told her, pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and flipping to the pictures he always kept handy there. “That’s Ashleigh," he told her as he found a recent picture of his eldest. “This one’s Maible with her husband David." He showed her a picture he’d recently gotten of the couple at their recent wedding. “And this is Allen." The photo of Allen was the most recent, taken and printed just the other day and Matthew smiled fondly again. It was probably obvious that he was completely enamoured with his children, but who wouldn’t be? They were absolutely perfect. A small wave of relief washed over her when the easy grin returned to his features. He had a very nice smile, and she found herself admiring it as he shifted and pulled his wallet from his pocket. Evelyn leaned a little closer when he began to flip through the pictures. His eldest daughter, Ashleigh, looked as though she was in her twenties. She had gorgeous, long, blonde hair and her father's smile. Maible looked a little younger than Ashleigh. She had that same blonde hair and a beautiful smile. As he had said, the youngest, Allen, was a newborn. He was just as beautiful as his sisters, though, and she could already see that he'd gotten some of his features from his father. "You have a beautiful family," she complimented. "Do you daughters live here in Chicago?" It was more than a little obvious that he adored his children, and she found herself smiling at him. Usually, the men she was interested in were less concerned with their families. Right now, she was thinking that she was interested in him because he was the exact opposite. Matthew may have noticed when she shifted closer, but he found he didn’t mind. Evelyn was a very beautiful woman and it was a nice boost to his ago to have her leaning in like that. “Thank you," he said, smiling as she complimented his family. His children really were the most important thing in the world to him. “Maible lives in Chicago. She’s attending the University of Chicago. Ashleigh is in New York, however. Her husband plays for the Nets." He maybe have been bragging a little bit, but he couldn’t help himself. He was immensely proud of both of his daughters. Evelyn had shifted with the intention of looking at the photographs in his wallet, but she found that she enjoyed being near him. He was quite attractive, after all, and he smelled incredibly good. Of course, she'd always had something of an obsession with men's cologne. She nodded slightly as he explained where his daughters lived. Judging from the way he seemed to care about his children, she could not imagine that it was easy for him to have his eldest living so far away. He seemed exceptionally proud of her regardless of that fact, though, and it brought another smile to her face. "The University of Chicago? Is her husband in school, as well?" He was definitely bragging, but she couldn't fault him for that. In fact, she was slightly amused by it. It most certainly wasn’t easy being so far away from Ashleigh. He’d joked with her countless times about arranging to have Ed transferred to a team that was closer to home so he could see her more often. Matthew knew she was happy in her current location, though, and that was the most important thing to him. He would bend over backwards to make any of his children happy, but that especially applied to Ashleigh. “He is," Matthew answered her question with a nod of his head. “David also attends the University of Chicago. They have a nice apartment just off-campus." Matthew might not have been crazy about the idea of his youngest daughter getting married while she was still in school, but it had quickly become obvious that most of his fears were unfounded. The young couple was doing very well for themselves and he was quite proud of that fact. “I’m talking about myself too much, though," he added a moment later. “What about you? Do you have any children?" He didn’t see a wedding ring - not that he’d have admitted to looking for one - so he assumed she was unmarried, but that didn’t necessarily mean much these days. Besides, he was ready for her to talk about herself a little after he’d rambled on about his daughters. Evelyn could not begin to imagine what it must be like to balance school with marriage, but it sounded as though the young couple was managing well enough. At least, it was easy to assume they were. After all, Matthew did not seem like the type that would be accepting of his daughter giving up on her education. She could have easily continued to question him about his children, but her thoughts were redirected when he expressed concern over talking about himself too much. That was hardly the case, but she was happy to let the focus of their conversation redirect if that was what he wanted. "No," she answered with a slight shake of her head. "I do not have any children. After a long courtship, my career and I threw caution to the wind and married. At some point, we will produce offspring, but I believe we are far from taking the next step in our relationship." She was being facetious, of course, and she paused to flash him a warm smile. "In all honesty, it has been quite a while since I have been in a serious relationship. In the very distant future, I might find that I am ready for marriage and children. For now, though, I will stick with spoiling my nephew from afar." It wasn't often that Evelyn pulled herself away from her work long enough to go home to visit, but she kept in touch with her family… especially her older brother and his wife. Matthew chuckled softly at the insinuation that Evelyn was married to her job. He knew she was being facetious, but he couldn’t help but smile, no matter how much of an exaggeration her statement might or might not be. “I certainly can’t fault you that,” he said, smiling over the lip of his drink. He certainly wasn’t likely to feel the urge to even consider marriage again for a very long time, if ever and he had every intention of making Allen his last child. As much as he loved his children, he was getting much too old to be raising babies. He resisted the urge to make any derisive comments about marriage at the moment, though. He wanted to focus on enjoying himself tonight, not spend his time being bitter about his failed marriage. “It’s good you make some time for more leisurely activities,” he teased her as he set his glass back down on the table. “Otherwise, I might not have had the pleasure of meeting you.” It could have easily been interpreted as a line, but the comment was sincere. --- Time passed. Evelyn could not have told you how long they had been sitting there, but their table was littered with several empty glasses. Usually, she did not indulge in more than a drink or two, but it was easy for her to lose track of such things when distracted by the man sitting across from her. She was smiling as the conversation lulled, but it faded slightly as she lifted her glass from the table and took a sip. She had needed to spell it out for the bartender, but he had finally made the perfect martini. In the future, she would make herself clear right from the start. After studying him for a moment, she set her glass down and smiled. "Though I am enjoying myself immensely, it has become quite late." She paused slightly. "I am afraid my only options are to bid you adieu or take you home with me." She was joking. At the same time, though, she found herself thinking that she would not mind if he took her seriously. Matthew found that it was easy to lose track of the time as he continued to chat with Evelyn. She was an excellent conversationalist and it seemed as though they drifted from topic to topic with complete ease. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he’d had such an enjoyable evening and he was loathe for it to end. He hadn’t been fully aware of how late it had gotten until she said something about the time. He smiled when she made a joke about taking him home with her, though he certainly wasn’t looking forward to parting ways with her. “That is an awfully tempting offer,” he teased, his lips curved up in a slight smirk. It didn’t occur to him that she might be serious. “I do need to get home, myself,” he admitted a little more seriously, “but I would love to escort you to your vehicle if you would allow it.” Evelyn smiled when he answered her playful banter. Though she would not have minded if he had taken her invitation seriously, she had no intention of pursuing the matter. After all, they had just met, and she did not make a habit of bringing strangers home with her. "I would like that very much," she answered. Before standing, she lifted her glass and took another sip. She had only consumed half of the drink, but she did not think that it was wise to try to finish it before she drove herself home. --- A few minutes later, they were making their way across the parking lot. She held her clutch loosely in one hand while her other hand rested in the crook of his arm. "I have enjoyed myself immensely, Matthew." Once they had stopped next to her vehicle, she looked up at him. She had thought it many times during the last couple of hours, but she found herself thinking once more that he was incredibly attractive. "I hope this will not be the last time our paths cross." Without hesitating, she lifted herself onto her toes and pressed her lips lightly to his. She had no intention of deepening the embrace, but she lingered there with the hope that he would return it. ”So have I, Evelyn,” Matthew returned her compliment as they walked toward her car. It wasn’t incredibly often that he was able to enjoy the company of another adult, especially once as beautiful as this one. While a part of him felt guilty for thinking that, he had definitely enjoyed her company. The kiss caught him by surprise, but it only took Matthew a moment to respond. While he did not make any move to deepen the embrace, he definitely returned it. His lips moved gently, but firmly against hers and he allowed himself to linger in the embrace for several moments. “We’ll have to do this again sometime,” he murmured when he pulled away, smoothly retrieving one of the business cards he always carried with him and holding it out to her. He had to mentally remind himself that he wasn’t cheating - Alexandrea had filed for divorce - but he very much wanted to see her again. The corner of her mouth pulled into a slight smile when he returned the compliment. It had been a long while since she had had such an enjoyable evening, and she was glad to hear that the feeling was completely mutual. After all, she was hoping that he would not be opposed to getting together in the future. She was more than happy to linger in the embrace once he began to return it, but she did not complain in the slightest when he pulled away. "I would like that," she answered automatically. She made sure that her fingers brushed lightly over his when she took the business card he offered. A brief glance at the card told her that she would have no trouble getting in touch with him if that was what she wanted to do, but she still took the time to pull a similar card from her clutch. After writing her home and cellphone numbers on it, she held it out to him. "Thank you for a lovely evening," she murmured, her smile brightening further. |