Arch Patton

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Chapter 3

By J. Strauss

 

Arch completely understood Virginia’s need to toss him from the room and get on her cell phone. The active career he’d only recently retired from demanded that he understand and leave immediately after the short dinner and even shorter get-together in her room. The mess of her room that they’d destroyed together seemed such a warm and inviting relief from the rest of Arch’s mostly cold universe.

“Might go over to Ola’s for a nightcap,” Arch said back to her, as she closed the door, cell phone already glued to one ear. He went up to his room to clean up and call it a night, although it was only nine o’clock. They hadn’t talked about the mission or what had happened to him during dinner or after. It was like either there was no real mission or they had been allowed a recess for personal time. He went back to his room to freshen up and change shirts, but couldn’t help checking out Virginia’s lanai one more time before he went.