Meg gave him a warm greeting at her door, including an unexpected kiss on the cheek. A look around the room convinced him he had made a dreadful mistake. He had the awful feeling that he should be around at the backdoor making a delivery. This wasn't his crowd at all. The room glittered with classy people laughing and clinking glasses. She had suggested jacket, no tie. Her guests, however, seemed dressy to him. Meg wore a black linen cocktail dress with a breathless plunging V-neck.
Ray came dressed in the same jacket he wore to work every day and a lightweight turtleneck. He felt about as stylish as a dishtowel. If somehow he could ever get out of there, he'd never leave home again.
Her beachfront condominium on the barrier island was impressive. The building sat on the narrow island between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Consequently, she had an expensive view from both ends of her condo.
"Realtors call it a front-to-front," Meg explained. "Instead of just a wall on the rear side away from the ocean, there's a second balcony overlooking the waterway."
The layout amazed him. Some of her guests were on the oceanside balcony, almost the size of Ray's entire apartment, looking down at the beach and out to the Atlantic. A more normal-sized balcony was at the opposite end of the expansive living room. From there, guests had a view of the waterway, a cove dotted with undulating boats on moorings and on across to the lights of the city on the western horizon.
She had decorated the condo in subtle shades of high-level income. Although Ray was aware she had some money, he never suspected the engaging young woman who stopped at his desk every day enjoyed that manner of lifestyle.
Meg wanted everyone to meet him and after graciously zigging and zagging through the crowd for his wine, she introduced him around to get him started. He saw no other co-workers present not even her boss; all these prosperous people must be clients or friends.
The cordial group welcomed him to Florida and made the polite newcomer-fuss. Not so bad, in fact the evening turned out well. Or so he thought at the time.
Two white wines later, after meeting a dozen mostly interesting people and forgetting their names, he noticed a woman with long red hair talking with a group out on that huge ocean-view balcony. Her back was toward him. The ocean breeze seriously teased the hem of her short green dress. That caught his attention. The somewhat tall woman in her somewhat short dress showing great legs was pleasing.