Aliss can't sleep. She kept going over and over in her mind the things she found in the basement.

What reason would Mark have for this secret office, and why lock it away from her?

She also found herself thinking about her parents and how they kept secrets from each other. Her father was continuously in one affair after another and mom, well, she hid her pain with pills and bottles. Most of which Dad ignored. Her Dad was a successful dentist so Aliss didn't need for material things in her childhood but she definitely suffered for a loving parent.

Aliss was an average student, not popular and rather plain. She didn't do well in sports and seemed to continuously disappoint her parents. Her mother a former beauty queen, wanted Aliss to follow in her footsteps. Mom focused was always on make-up, fashion and the latest trends.

When Aliss made friends with Janice, that made mom very happy. Janice was more like her mom than Aliss was anyway. Aliss would share her fashion clothes and make up with Janice as she didn't really like it all anyway. Aliss mostly tolerated it, but when she was finally out on her own, she didn't wear the make-up and stopped regularly going to salons. Aliss was not a material girl.

She still wondered at how she ever met and married her handsome, successful and fashionable husband. He also enjoyed the finer things in life and was continuously encouraging Aliss to do so as well. When she and Mark were dating, she brought Mark to meet her parents. They were overjoyed at meeting him, and as far as they were concerned, he could do no wrong. Mark's parent's position in 'high society' thrilled them as well. Mark's father, Alistair now being Governor and his wife Cindra head of Family Outreach were good people to know.

As she mused her circumstances, she came back to working out what her husband was up to. She was going to look around some more, and try to find out what was behind that little door in the back corner of the storage room. Were there more secrets she didn't know about? A small part of Aliss was thrilled at this adventure. She only prayed it wasn't anything bad.

When Mark left for the office, Aliss called Janice and asked her to take Mac out for the day. She told Janice she had a salon appointment. Janice was thrilled for both the opportunity to spend the day with her God son and also that Aliss was finally spending a little time pampering herself. So, Janice readily agreed. Aliss did indeed have an appointment for a haircut but she allowed herself just enough time to explore more downstairs before she would have to leave.

The moment she shut the front door, finally alone, she headed for the stairs. When she reached the storage room door, it was locked. Aliss had found some keys in her husbands' nightstand a few days earlier and took a chance that the key may be on that ring. There were several keys that Aliss had no idea about or what they even fit. She tried a few and finally one, slipped easily into the lock. She entered the room, flipped on the light and closed the door behind her.

She made her way to the desk. Inside the drawers she again found medical files. Some were unknown patients and again she found Sandra Jesperson's file and a few others. Strangely enough, all of these files were for women. She took the files out and put them on top of the desk. She went through the other drawers and here she found her husband's daily planner. It was full of notations about his appointments. Aliss didn't know much about his normal schedule, so most of the entries seemed pretty routine. She put the planner on the desk on top of the files. She thought that the daily planner was a little odd because most of his appointments were kept by his office and all on a scheduling programme. Why the written schedule? She continued her search and when she reached the bottom drawer, she pushed aside some empty file folders and found at the back of that drawer, behind the separator, a small box. She took this out. It was barely bigger than a double deck of cards and twice a deep. It was ornately carved wood and it had a key hole in the front. Aliss tried to open it but it too was locked. None of the keys on the key ring were the right size to fit in its tiny hole.
She wasn't going to be able to do much with that box at this time, later she would see if she could find another key. A much smaller one, so she returned the box to the partially hidden section at the back of the drawer.

Aliss was feeling nervous at being in the room so long. She decided to take the files and the planner. She would find a place to make copies, and then later on slip them back inside the drawer. If she hurried, she could get it all done before her husband came home.

Aliss found a canvass shopping bag upstairs, slipped her cache inside it, grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door.

Aliss had less than 4 hours to get this stuff copied and get to the salon and back home again in time to return the files and get dinner on the stove. It was tight but she was going to do it.
----------------------------------------------
"Hey Aliss, we haven't seen you here since you left on Maternity leave. What brings you by? Are you planning on coming back?" Said Stacy the receptionist at Aliss's old accounting job.

"My husband asked me to get these files to him and he wanted me to make copies for the clinic. I was hoping to use the copier here, it's closer to the salon and will save me some time. If I don't get this done, he will be pissed, because I promised him. You know men. He'll make me pay by wearing some stupid maid outfit or something like that." Aliss said winking at Stacey.

I'll just pop in the back and take care of it, you're a peach." Said Aliss as she let herself into the copier room. She didn't wait for an answer.

She needed to be very careful to remember the order of the forms, tests and doctor's notes inside the files. They had to go back exactly as she left them. She was also in a rush and worried about getting caught. She worked as carefully and quickly as she could.
'Darn machine', she thought, 'print faster'. Her hands and fingers were shaking as she completed her job, her heart was pounding and she could feel sweat pooling under her arms. When she was almost done, she heard a voice at her back.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" A deep masculine voice shouted at her back.
Aliss whipped around so quickly the files emptied some of their contents all over the floor.
"Aliss, I was only kidding, take it easy." Said her old boss, Don. He crossed he floor and started helping Aliss pick up papers that were scattered all over the place.

"Shit Don, you scared the hell out of me." Said Aliss as she also scrambled to pick up papers. Soon enough they were all tucked inside her bag along with the photocopies.

"We've missed you around here. Did you change your mind and decide to come back?" Don said to her.

What Aliss didn't know was that her boss had a crush on her for years, but never voiced it to her. He was hoping that she would come back. Truth be known he wished she would ditch her rich, successful and handsome husband as well.

"Donny, I really want to, but MAC is still young. When he is a little more independent, if you still need me, I'd love to come back." She was genuine in her answer.

"Well, how old is the little tyke right now? 5 or 6?" Don said with hope in his eyes.

"He's 7 and a half" She wanted to change the subject, "Have you gone and changed all the programmes here? Cause if you did, I will need some training." She smiled at Don.

It seems she may have had an inkling of an idea about his crush. But in her brain, all she wanted to do was run. Get out quickly, get to the salon and rush through her appointment. She needed extra time to get the papers sorted out before Mark got home later.

"Don't worry Aliss. I can teach you anything you need to know. Your job will be here waiting for you whenever you want to come back. Come by and use the copier or whatever you need anytime." Said Don with hope in his heart. Don was average in all ways. He was 5 ft 8, with a shaved head, slightly stocky and generally plain. Except for his eyes. They were striking and ice blue with long eyelashes. Of the women who took the time to look, he usually scored. He knew that and worked it.

"Thanks, Don. Gotta run," Said Aliss as she scooted past him, "let's get coffee sometime, and catch up."

With that she quickly got into her car and headed for the salon. They were more than accommodating and quaffed her in a rush. Aliss was driving home when she decided to give Mark a call.

"Hey hun, what's up? I'm with a patient right now, is it important or can I call you back?" Mark said.

"I was wondering if you knew when you were going to be home. I would like to surprise you with something and I need to know how much time I have." Said Aliss thinking quickly.

"A surprise...I like that. I have one more patient to see and then I have to make notes in my charts. So probably 2 more hours, I guess." He was intrigued and a little excited. This was not usual for his wife to plan surprises. Most of the time he didn't like them, because he preferred his life regimented and routine. Somehow, this time he was just excited.

"Perfect. See you soon." Aliss worked hard a keeping her tone light and a little playful. This way Mark wouldn't suspect her of doing anything. She then called Janice and asked her to keep MAC for a few more hours. She was planning a special night with Mark. Janice was both excited and curious but happily agreed.

Now she had time to organize the files, return them to the desk and figure out what she was going to do to excite her husband. So, like any practical woman, she googled it.

She got home and went straight down to the makeshift office. Carefully she went through each file and attempted to put everything back in its place. She prayed it was correct. She slipped it all back in the desk. Then she decided to try the little door at the end of one of the shelving units. Of course it was locked. She checked the keys in her hand and tried them all. None seemed to work.

She found a Christmas decoration box on the shelves and slipped the file copies inside that box and pushed it towards the back of the shelf.

An hour later, Mark came home to his wife, cooking in the kitchen wearing only an apron and a smile. Now this was the kind of surprise he really liked.