Ethan
The invitation came as such things always come, without any real surprise.
An elegant, discreet envelope, with my name printed with that typography that only events that are known to be important are used. The Annual New York Business Summit. I nodded to myself when I read it. It was logical. My company had been part of the circuit for years. Not attending would have been more striking than going.
I left the card on the desk without thinking too much.
"Are you going?" Vanessa asked that same afternoon, leaning against the doorframe of my office.
She had stopped by to check some documents, or so she said. Lately she appeared more frequently, as if that space also belonged to her a little.
"Yes," I answered. "It's part of the job."
She smiled, immediate.
"I can accompany you, i
