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and for a fleeting imaginary moment, Isabel saw herself telling Phillip she couldn’t leave her son tonight—not again.  But instead, she pushed down her guilt and pushed out her whisper.  “I love you.”
    “I love you more,” he replied, completing their special routine.  “Can I bring my helicopter to bed with me?”
    “Yes, of course…say thank you to Phillip for bringing it.”
    “Thank you Phillip for bring it,” he recited with bashful eyes before disappearing through the kitchen’s swinging door and out of sight.
    Her mother watched Isabel suppress her swelling emotions.  “Estás segura que quieres dejarnos otra vez?”
    Isabel ignored her mother’s clandestine Spanish, but her dark eyes responded with confrontation.  No, of course not .  Whenever she was forced to leave Aidan behind for work, Isabel was always conflicted about her choice, and her mother knew it.  But this wasn’t about what Isabel wanted; it was about what was expected of her because Phillip needed her.
    “Goodnight, Mother.  Don’t wait up, either.  I will be home late—and likely after midnight.”
    She locked eyes with her mother until her mother conceded. 
    “Buenas noches,” Mrs. Alvarez said curtly to Phillip while guarding the chocolates in her arms.
    Isabel watched her mother disappear into the kitchen.  She would have preferred that he not witness how she struggled to sacrifice her personal life on a daily basis to make everything in her professional life seem flawlessly executed.  She whisked opened the side closet door and rummaged for her half-length natural mink coat.  It had been a gift from Phillip for occasions like this… an unspoken gesture of what he expected from her in terms of public presentation.  She was a symbol of his wealth and success.  Faux fur was not an option.
    “Allow me…” Phillip suddenly offered, slipping behind her to assist with her coat. 
    Phillip, always the gentleman.
    She felt the confidence of his touch, guiding her hands through the silk lining of the sleeves.  The firmness of his chest brushed against her back as she leaned back to accept the coat’s plush collar over her shoulders.  The heavy weight of its authenticity always disarmed her whenever she wore it.  She sensed Phillip’s chiseled profile passing behind her ear.  She had decided at the last moment to wear perfume, something she rarely wore while working at the office.  Now, she wondered if Phillip had caught its scent.  Was too overpowering ?  Isabel perspired beneath her dress as he lingered behind her—a brief moment longer than necessary—before pulling away from her.
    “Thank you.” She lifted her beaded purse from the hall tree.  When she turned, she saw Phillip peering at her.  She noticed his black tuxedo tie, imperfectly formed and canted to the right.  Phillip never quite got his ties right .  She reached out to adjust it.  His body stiffened and his jaw flinched as she worked closely against his body.
    “Better,” she said with a tender smile.  It was a familiar routine and they both knew it.
    “Much,” he agreed, eyeing her proximity.
    An uncomfortable silence parted them.  Phillip turned and whisked open the front door, allowing her to pass through it while following her steady gait to his midnight blue Bentley parked in her driveway.  Phillip’s driver, Param, exited the car and assisted Isabel with the door.
    “Miss Alvarez,” he greeted her.
    “Thank you, Param,” she said, taking in his warm reassuring smile while slipping into the sleek vanilla cream seats.  She never took for granted how the sensation of luxury always relaxed her—the smooth Italian leather against her thighs, the regal glints of gold-plated trim, the sensual warmth of the climate-controlled interior that immediately buffeted her from the brisk evening wind.  Phillip glided into the adjacent seat and Param closed the door for him. 
    “You look lovely tonight,” he said, filling the