Chapter One - The Waitress

David and Marian got there at about eight o’clock, I guess. It was the end of the dinner rush at Red Lobster, things settling down, crowds thinning out.

I dislike crowds. I still go to a Cardinals game once in a while, but overall, I’m not a fan of having a lot of people around me. I even try for tickets in the all-inclusive areas where the seating is a little better and more flexible. Personal shortcoming? Probably. Not phobic, just uncomfortable.

I stood when I saw them come through the door. When I waved, they noticed me, pointed my way, and told the hostess they were with me, so she brought them to the table. I was sipping on a beer that my cute little redheaded waitress had brought me. Hugging first Marian and getting a kiss on my cheek, then David, him kissing the other cheek, we said howdy and started catching up. These were my late wife’s niece and nephew. Twins, unmarried, both of them in college and only lacking a year, if I remember right, of finishing their undergraduate degrees. They lived together and pooled everything to save money and spent their time studying and letting me buy them stuff. They had a pretty good gig, and they knew it.

I inherited them after my wife and her sister took off on a girls’ getaway, several years ago. Six, maybe seven years now? About that, anyway. The kids were in high school then. Freshmen? Anyway, the girls didn’t come back. The plane carrying them back from Thailand didn’t make it off the runway; it tumbled into a fireball and all 135 people on board were lost, their mother and my wife among them. Their father went just a little bit nuts later, got caught with someone else’s wife, and was shot dead in his prime. I hadn’t done much of anything with my pecker but pee since that fiasco. Just not a very good outlook as far as I was concerned, and I had very little interest in having a woman around after all that happened.

Now, looking at pretty little redheaded waitresses, and fantasizing, was a whole ‘nuther story. That I did a lot of, and this was no exception. She was very cute. Petite, but all there, if you know what I mean. She brought the new round of drinks we ordered, an unsweetened iced tea for me and each of the kids a strawberry daiquiri, and as she smiled and started to take our orders, I heard a commotion at the door.

A girl screamed as she was pushed. I heard a splash. The hostess. Her arm in the lobster tank. I picked that up in my near peripheral vision, then I saw the guy that pushed her. He yelled, “Linda!” I saw him wave a gun in front of him as he looked around for someone, or something. “Linda, God damn you!” he yelled. He looked at our server. I looked at our server’s name tag. ‘Linda’. Shit. I looked behind him. Nothing. I moved away from the table. His gun came up, mine came out, his went off once and mine went off twice. “Pop BAMM BAMM.” He hit Linda in her shoulder. I hit him once in the chest and once in the teeth. ‘Oh, crap, that’s gonna leave a mess,’ I thought. At least he was in the lobby entrance when it happened. The mess was contained there and the wall behind him. Linda fell into my arms. I grabbed Marian’s napkin with my trigger finger. It was closest to my free hand, which wasn’t really all that free, what with my pistol in it. I laid my Kimber down on my booth seat after putting it on safe, doubled the cloth napkin over, and pressed it to her shoulder hollow area where the wound was. I could feel what was probably the bullet under her skin. It didn’t go very far, and certainly not through. I held her in my lap with the napkin over the hole and hugged her. She was already in shock.

I looked at the bartender. “Call 911. Hurry. Move it. This is real, lady!” She picked up the phone. “Marian, call 911 and tell them what’s happening. Your brother is a mess, and I think the bartender is stuttering.” David looked to be in shock as well.

“Yes, sir.” She did. Marian is quite a girl. She’s had to raise and watch out for her effeminate, mostly gay, little twin brother for the last six years. Yes, she had my help, but it was all I could do to stay out of the way. I loved David, but I was not attracted to him in any way. Unlike the other way around. Marian made a concerted effort to keep him otherwise occupied, at my request. She thought it was funny. I most certainly didn’t.

I heard the sirens and saw the lights at the door. Two officers came in, the first at the ready, weapon up, but was met by the manager telling him it was all over. She pointed to the mess by the lobster tank in the lobby and up toward me. Then a couple of med techs came in and were pointed in my direction as well. They took Linda from me and, laying her out on the floor, worked with her. One went back for the gurney after calling for another crew with a body bag.

“Thank you?” A little meek voice said from the floor next to me. She was raising her good arm toward me. I knelt by her side, took her hand, and gently squeezed it. I nodded, she smiled, then her eyes closed, and she faded away.

“Is she OK, doc?” I asked.

“She’s fine, sir. I gave her a shot to make this easier. She’s in better shape than you are, most probably. You just killed a man. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Oh. OK.” While not an everyday occurrence, I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over this. “Where are you taking her?”

“Boone County,” she said. “After what I just saw, you might want to visit. That was a smile.”

I smiled. “It was, wasn’t it?” She nodded.

“Sir, step over here, please.” It was one of the officers. I was not looking forward to this, at all.

We went over it, and over it, and over it. David drove their car home, Marian drove my truck, then they both came down to the police station to wait until I was worked over with rubber hoses and questioned until my ears fell off. That all lasted about an hour until my lawyer and the district attorney walked in with a recording of the restaurant manager’s statement from the detective they sent out to look around.

“Mr. Davis, we’re not holding you. At this point, I wish you had shot first but, that’s not normally the way these things go. Of the three I’ve seen, someone always gets hurt first, before the idiot can be stopped. In any case, no charges, and your weapon will be sent home with you. Your military jacket came up, as well. Thank you for your service, sir. Harry can walk you out after you sign for your weapon and your personal belongings. Sorry for the short incarceration, but it’s pretty normal these days until we sort things out.”

“Not a problem. Easier than last time, but that was New Orleans, and he had friends in low places,” I quipped. Harry laughed. The DA had a questioning look.

“Don’t ask,” Harry told him. “Frank, thank you for helping me with this, but there are some things you just don’t want to hear.” He grinned, Frank smiled and nodded. Lawyer lingo? In any case, I was free to go.

Marian hugged me. David hugged me. Marian pulled him off of me. “Harry, thanks. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He nodded and handed me a big bag with my gun, wallet, wedding rings, and keys. And a bunch of change. “Take me home, kids. I’m still hungry, though.”

Marian laughed and said, “You’re always hungry.” She drove us to a Wendy’s then I took the kids home, apologized for ruining their dinner and told them I’d catch up with them later and make things right. They lived in an apartment there in Columbia. I lived a bit north of there but came down now and again to see them and take care of all kinds of things. Columbia was kind of the like the handiest big town around.

I checked in to the Drury Inn where they thankfully had a last-minute room available and went to the hospital to check on Linda. At the desk, they gave me a bit of grief, but finally, on speaking with the ER staff, let me in to visit. She was awake and told them to please let me in.

“Hi,” she said when our eyes met. Gorgeous smile.

“Hi, Linda. You gonna be OK?”

“Yeah. You know my name, it’s Linda. Linda Stevens, but I’m a bit in the dark here.”

“Charlie Davis.”

“Well, Mr. Davis…”

“Charlie. Just Charlie, for now, Linda.”

“Well, Charlie, thank you, I think. I told the detective a few minutes ago that Gary threatened to kill me if I didn’t go out with him again, but I just thought he was being a bit melodramatic. I seem to have underestimated the guy. He came in one night a while back and I thought he was OK, so I agreed to a date, and lo and behold, it was the worst decision, now proven, I’ve ever made. Anyway, what brings you here, kind sir?”

“Your smile. Just before you passed out, you reached out for me and smiled. You said, ‘Thank you’ in the sweetest voice, so I thought the least I could do was check on you.”

“Thank you. Again. Really. You smiled at me when I brought you that beer. You were waiting for your friends…”

“My niece and nephew. Marian and David.”

“OK. Your smile. You have a nice smile. Warm. Anyway, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. It was the smile of a man admiring a beautiful redheaded girl. No ulterior motive, but not the grand gesture of a gentleman, either.”

“Someone would rather you not be looking at the waitress that way, huh?”

“Not really. There is no someone, but I still shouldn’t be. I’m probably old enough to be your father and need to be a bit careful.”

“You can’t be that old, and I’m not exactly a baby, Charlie.”

“Pray tell.”

“You go first.”

“Thirty-eight.”

She laughed. “Twenty-five! That’s entirely possible. My mother at fifteen and you at thirteen. Yep. She was a real gem, she was. Sorry. T M I. Way too much information.”

“Wow. Not the beginning of a fairy tale by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Actually, it was. I was another Cinderella, or more of a Rapunzel, but I ran away, found a shelter, got emancipated, worked nights, and I’m still at it. Pressing on.” About that time, a couple of orderlies came into the cubicle and helped her on to a different bed then told me they were taking her upstairs.

One looked at her. “He OK to follow?” She nodded.

I followed them through and up to her room. They got her settled and when I thought she was comfortable, and she was smiling, I said to her, “Tell me more, and then I’ll share, if you like.”

She cocked her head at me, but I smiled at her and nodded. “I didn’t have the best of starts in life. Doing better now, but it wasn’t always a bed of roses. More like Guns and Roses. And alcohol. And drugs. And sleazy bikers. One tried to get frisky with me when my mother was passed out on the couch. I screamed, woke her up and told her, but she just grinned and went back to sleep. I was still pretty young then. I grabbed a bunch of stuff in a bag and left. I found a shelter. Been on my own ever since. Gary was like my third date in eight years. I have terrible luck around men.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“You said you’d share.”

“Wife and her sister went on an Asian tour several years back and never came home. Plane crash took her and the kids’ mother. The kids that were with me. Their dad got shot by a jealous husband. I haven’t been looking, so no dating problems. I just fantasize about cute waitresses. And visit them in the hospital.”

“How sweet.”

“I’m glad you’re OK. I’m surprised you can hear.”

“They said your gun, your pistol, was on the far side, down and more behind me and that helped. They’re still ringing a bit, but I can hear. So, what’s your story? I’m a waitress at Red Lobster. You?”

“Customer at Red Lobster, purveyor of fine electronical things, and unprofessional fisherman.”

She giggled. “I know about the first. I witnessed that. The second one sounds naughty, and the last, I’m wondering how that works. Are you that unprofessional, or just not trying to make a living at a hobby?”

“The latter. It’s way fun, but much too expensive to make a living at. Linda, I have caught a lot of fish. Big fish. Little fish. In between fish, and I’m still in the fifty to a hundred dollar a pound range for what it’s costing me. Probably closer to a hundred and fifty or two hundred, but we unprofessional fishermen tend to exaggerate the weight of some of our… Prey. Catch. Find. Treasure. Lunchmeat. Nothing better than tuna salad made with real tuna.”

“Is that an offer for a taste?”

“Do you want it to be?”

“Would you mind if I did?”

“Do you answer every question with a question?”

“Do you?” We both broke up laughing at that. She grimaced. Not enough drugs to laugh yet.

“Nurse!” I hollered. A nurse came in, smiling. She had a pitcher with some ice water and what appeared to be a syringe setup.

“I heard. You need to be careful, little lady. That’s gonna smart for a bit until we get some initial healing going on in there. Those are real live muscles with real live holes in them,” she told Linda. Then she looked at me. “No more funny business or I’ll throw you clean outa here.” She giggled and smiled when she said it. Linda smiled and held her good arm up, finger to her lips. “That’s right. Keep the humor to a minimum. She doesn’t need the movement yet.” The nurse helped with a couple pillows and got her comfortable after putting a shot into her IV hose. “You’ve got about ten minutes until she checks out on you. Make it count. I’m going to have to ask you to leave after that. We’ll get your name on the list for her tomorrow, IF she says it’s OK.” Linda nodded, smiling. “OK. Check with me at the desk on the way out.”

“Thanks…” I looked at the ID badge on the lanyard around her neck. “Beatrice. Thank you. I’ll be out in a bit.” I looked back at Linda. “OK. Yes. I’d like to make you some tuna salad. Picnic? Your place? My place? You name it. Think about it and let me know. You live alone?”

“No, but my roommate is never there, so it’s not like I’m getting any help or anything.”

“Let’s talk in the morning. I have an idea. It may suck, but it’s an idea.” She held her hand out. I took it and held it for a bit. She smiled, so I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You take care. I’ll be back in the morning.” Her smile was contagious. Mine was with a bit more feeling than I’ve done in quite a while.

“Thank you, Charlie. See you then.” Her words got lighter and slower. I touched her cheek, watching her eyes close, and she was out. I kissed her nose and left. Such a pretty girl. I was drawn to this cute little thing. More than I have ever been drawn to a woman before, including my wife. Telling. Very, very telling.

I checked in at the desk, leaving Beatrice with my business card, and a good look at my driver’s license and my retired military ID card. She looked at all three. “Thank you, Mr. Davis of The Davis Group. I’ll get this on the list, so they don’t give you any crap here in the morning.”

“I’ll probably be back before you get off if you’re working 12s. You’d better not give me any crap, or I’ll make all your patients laugh and blame it on you.” I smiled at her as she shook her head. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I headed back to the hotel, ran up with my crash bag, took a quick shower and laid down with sleepy intentions. I thought about the unfortunate and unintended barrel rise on my second shot and was asleep in seconds.

I woke up hugging Linda, trying not to hurt her arm as I pulled her to me, only to find the linen of the pillowcase on my chin and the pillow up against my chest. Interesting dream, to say the least.

I took care of all my morning necessities, shaved, showered again, hit the mouthwash twice… gotta kill that sulfur the man says… And headed out. I got a couple of big breakfast platters, some coffee, and orange juice from Mickey D’s and headed up the hill to the hospital and her room. Beatrice was there.

“It’s six o’clock. You ever sleep?” I shook my head. I nodded toward the room, and she said, “OK, but let her get a bit more shuteye, OK?” I nodded, went in, set the bag on the vanity between the little closets and sat next to Linda in the chair.

I was very quiet and know I didn’t wake her up, but I got a “Good morning, Charlie. What are you doing here so early?”

“I didn’t have anything better to do than harass the nurses, so I thought I’d check on you while I was here.”

She giggled. “Will you tell Beatrice I’m awake, Charlie. I was awake when you came in, by the way. If she says anything, I’ll bail you out. It’s hurting more than I thought it would.” I went and got the nurse.

“Hurtin’ a bit, sugar?” Linda nodded. Beatrice put a little shot in the IV tube. “That’s not going to knock you out. Doc’s gonna be here around seven or seven-thirty and she’ll want you awake to talk to you.” Linda nodded. Beatrice was walking out. “Mr. Davis, there’s a microwave behind the nurse’s station.”

“Thanks, ma’am. Be there in a bit.”

“Microwave?”

“I brought McDonald’s.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

I fed her and about halfway through our breakfast she asked me about my idea.

“Stay with me until you’re healthy enough to cut your own steak. Guest room. It’s on the other end of the house, but close enough if you need something I can help. I could get you a nurse if you want. Anyway, it’s either a good idea or a crappy one. Your choice. I have some vacation time coming. So, unless there’s an emergency at work, I can be close, in any case. If I have to leave, I can have one of the girls come out and help you out.”

“The girls?”

“Any of several ladies from the ages of eighteen to sixty that work for me, love weird assignments, and enjoy helping people. I loan them to charities and all kinds of freaky things. None of them have complained to Human Resources yet, so I think I’m OK.”

Another giggle. I love giggling redheads. Nothing prettier. Prettier sounding or prettier looking.

“We’ll see, but it sounds like an offer I can’t, or at least shouldn’t, refuse.”

“I will guarantee only one thing while you are there. Your safety and security. That might be two things. I like my own cooking but haven’t really fed anyone else except the kids for a long time. I like sappy movies and work a lot from home. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but at least you’ll be well taken care of.” She smiled again and nodded.

The doctor cleared her to leave, provided she wore a restrictive sling for 72 full hours. No cheating, no taking it off, no nothing. After that, she was free to move as little or as much as she could, slowly, and without too much pain. Her shoulder would tell her when to stop. Her physical therapy appointments, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next four weeks were a different story. They would tell her when to move, how far, and when to stop. Even the doctors didn’t mess with those people.

I took her home to pick up some clothing and such. The apartment was an absolute dichotomy of living environments. The kitchen was really well organized, as was the dining room, but the living room was a disaster. I saw her room, neat as a pin, and across the hall the room looked like an EF4 tornado just went through it. Linda was organized and tidy. Her roommate was a… A mess. I helped her with some things from the bathroom. Maybe it was organized chaos. It was clean. Just… Messy. Oh well, I could tell by this visit that Linda was organized, conscientious, and she was very pretty. With her things gathered and packed in one big suitcase and one big Olive Garden paper bag, we left.

In the truck, tooling home, I asked her, “Linda, you said you were still at it and pressing on. What was that in reference to?”

“Classes. At Stevens College. No relation. Event and Convention Management with a Business Minor. I have a little scholarship through the shelter that saved my little tushy, and I work my butt off for the rest.”

“Impressive. A Stevens business degree isn’t a cakewalk.”

“No, but I’m getting it done. That’s the good news. I just thought of something. I’m going to have some issues here in a bit. It’s Wednesday. Spring break is over Sunday, and I’m going to need to be…”

“We’ll fix it. No worries. Please. Let’s talk at home.”

“Charlie?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“It’s a little late for this, but am I really safe?”

“Absolutely. I have the hots for you, Linda. I think you’re a doll, but I won’t so much as touch you without your expressed approval. Understand that, hon. I’m not a sex crazed hormone riddled teenager. Promise.” She meekly nodded. I think at that point she understood, she was actually in an unknown environment, operating with nothing but her instincts about people.

We got home, parked the truck in the garage, next to the car, and I showed her around. She liked her room and put some things in drawers and in the closet, with a little assistance. She did the lingerie herself, for the most part, with me just opening and closing drawers, but looking intently at her pretties. Sue me. I’m a guy. We like that stuff.

“I need to call work and ask what kind of schedule I have with them. I can’t lose that job. Best one I’ve had, and I’m actually getting a bit ahead of the curve.” Using my home phone, she called in to work while I listened and was told she had about a month, then if she hadn’t returned, they’d have to work other arrangements. When she told me that, I was a little perturbed but, thinking more about it, it wasn’t their fault Gary and I shot the place up, either.

“We’ll work with that. Physical therapy, and lots of work here, and you’ll be fine. We’ll put you in charge instead of them. OK?” She smiled and nodded. “For that pretty smile, you get… tuna salad. As promised.”

She loved it. She loved all my cooking. I loved her instructions doing her recipes since she was still a bit shaky, even a week later.

She went back to school. I put her in the car. It was an automatic with power steering and a console shifter, so it worked out well.

In three weeks, she was almost ready to be out on her own, but I tested her. I put a tray on the counter, a big round one, with two plates of pasta, two glasses of water, a butter dish, and told her to take it to table one. She did great and told me she felt it, but it was really light, and an ache, not a sharp pain. A discussion with the Pain and Torture people, one more visit with the doctor, and she was cleared for work.

We moved her home, then when we were done with everything, and had it all in her room, I looked at her, took her hands in mine, and asked her, “Linda, can I see you after this?”

“Oh, God, Charlie, I thought you’d never ask. I was getting ready to ask you what was wrong with me. You said you had the hots for me and never made a mention, a touch, an advance, or a flirt one with me. I thought you had decided I wasn’t what you thought. Crap… Listen to me. Rambling like a little girl.” She pulled her hands back and put them to her face.

I laughed. “Yeah. The little girl I have the hots for. What now? I haven’t dated for like fifteen or twenty years.”

“You ask me out to a movie and dinner. Anywhere but Red Lobster, hopefully. Wendy’s. Burger King. Sonic. Anything but Red Lobster.”

“When?” I took her hands in mine again and rubbed the backs of them with my thumbs. “Soonest, please. We’re past wounded bird, Linda. I really want to go beyond what we’ve seen, done, and been together. You pick the place and the movie. Seriously. You need to. If you leave it up to me, we’ll wind up with CC’s and a Smurf movie. I’m not up to date with that type of thing.”

“Trust me?”

“At this point? Completely. Oh, and no constraints. CC’s is fine, I’m just saying, that and a Smurf movie might be a little… Incompatible?”

“Pick me up here, Monday at six. I’ll have you feed me, and I’ll have picked the movie.” I smiled at her. “Charlie, why didn’t you…” I interrupted her so she wouldn’t finish her question.

“Territory. I needed you to be independent, on your own, and able to process what is about to happen. Linda, I’m going to say this, even though it’s way too early. I fell in love with you. In the hospital.” She gasped. “When I kissed your forehead. I know. It sounds a little… Flaky. I felt something. I’m sorry…”

“And you waited until you got me well, and home, and on my own, to tell me?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Wow. Yes. CC’s. Any problems with Jennifer Garner?”

“No. If you won’t go out with me and she calls, I guess I would settle.”

She laughed out loud, grabbing her shoulder. I reached out for her and held her. “Damn, that got me a bit. I like you holding me.” She looked up at me. I looked down. We met in the middle. The kiss was electric. Three and a half weeks, and this was the first time our lips met. Not by my preference, but by my decision. So glad I waited. She understood, I think. She couldn’t be dependent on me. Leaning on me. She had to be free, complete, and her own person, when she decided. The second kiss was sensational.

“Yes. I like holding you, too. Monday night. Dress?”

“No. I will be in a dress. You should be in a suit.” She giggled as I laughed. “No, Charlie, tie and sport coat. The tie’s coming off after dinner. I want you comfortable at the movie. Is that OK?”

“You’re the boss. Kiss me. I’m leaving. Linda, if you need anything… I mean it. Anything. You call me. Promise.” She nodded. “Promise?” I asked again, just to be sure.

“I promise. Thank you, Charlie. Monday?” I nodded. One more little kiss and I was off.

That was Friday, so I had a couple of days at home to relax and get things together. My thoughts raced and with a Swiffer duster in hand, I ran around the house and came up with some ideas for work. Saturday, I did laundry, took care of the yard, the pool, contemplated being in a relationship, and that evening, sitting in the hot tub, really thought about the future, and very possibly not being alone, for the first time in several years. I was not looking for a girlfriend. I wasn’t even looking for the girlfriend experience, if you catch my drift. Other than scoping young pretty women out at a distance, a safe distance, at that, I hadn’t really wanted to be tied down. I couldn’t help it with this one, though. I would have had to actually, emotionally, and physically, work at pushing this one out of my life. I chose not to. It felt too good. Too right. Too necessary. Too natural.

I had invited the kids up for Sunday. The solar heaters were working on the pool and even though it was still spring, it was warm and a good temperature for swimming. The day was gorgeous. Lots of sun, and no breeze. It was only about seventy out, but once you laid in the hot rays, it warmed you to where you could even feel the tingle of the tanning power of the big yellow orb.

David came out in his little speedo. I hate to say he was cute, but damn, he was. Marian was a gorgeous creature that took after her mother. They were both about the same size, five four or so. The twins’ father was a small man, and Denise, their mother, wasn’t more than about five three and slightly built. My wife, Carolyn, the younger of the two, was much different. More like their father. A bit taller, and bigger.

Anyway, the kids came out, and I was quite taken with Marian in her little blue bikini. She was a very pretty girl. David was a very pretty boy, almost. Maybe he was mostly girl, too. Very slight. Not a hair on his body, little, tiny bump in his Speedo. He came out where I was laying and offered to oil my back.

“Sure, David. Thanks.” Marian giggled. Then my nephew did. She was wise to him. When he got done, the little bump was a bigger bump, clearly a full-blown erection, but not two and a half inches long and fairly skinny. Yeah, cute. Poor kid.

“David, come. Let him rest.” Marian got him in the pool, and they swam a bit and tossed a ball around. I felt her patting my butt. “Uncle Charlie. Wake up, sir.” I came out of a bit of a funk. I don’t know why she calls me ‘sir’ so much.

“Thanks, doll. How long was I out?”

“Forty-five minutes. I didn’t want you to burn.”

“Thanks, doll. I’m going to get lunch ready.” I took off inside, leaving them out there to bask in the rays while I got some eats together and thought about Linda.

The kids went home that afternoon a bit morose, quiet, giving me a hug and telling me they hoped to see me soon. Marian reminded me to be good and stay out of trouble. All this time trying to be careful with David, I must have let my guard down. She kissed me on the lips and told me to tell Linda ‘Hi’ for her. David piped up with the same but settled for a hug as I kissed him on top of his head. They had been out to the house a few times for dinner and a couple of evenings in the hot tub while Linda was staying with me. I hadn’t noticed any bonding or anything going on, but I told them I would see her tomorrow night and pass their wishes on.

I was as nervous as a teenager on his first date with a cheerleader. I couldn’t let it show, but I truly was worried. I had admitted to falling in love with her. It doesn’t get much worse than that. I could offer to bear her children. That was the next logical step. Not really that logical, though, come to think of it. In any case, I really screwed that one up. I just laid all my cards down after the deal and asked for the pot. Not quite how the game is supposed to go. Nuanced raises and calls, checks here and there, should be played. Nope. Not me. I love you. Right out in front. Oh well, now I get to go clean up the mess.

Outside her door with a small bouquet of mixed flowers, I knocked. An amazingly gorgeous creature with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile answered the door. “Linda! Lover boy is here! Come on in, sir. Have a seat. She’ll be out in a few, I’m sure. Tressa. Tressa Potter.” She held her hand out. I took it and lightly shook. “Roommate extraordinaire. I heard you had a funny look on your face when you saw my room. Sorry. I’m up to my ass in alligators and can’t find the drain. I used to be as neat as Cinderella, but I lost it somewhere. I started caring more about my future than my present and gave up. Sorry. I talk too much. Always have. LINDA! SAVE ME! I’M TALKING!”

Linda walked out. “God, no! Please, Lord, do not let that go on.” She looked at me and smiled. I must’ve looked stunned. She cocked her head in the cute way she does. “It’s just me, Charlie. Linda. Remember?”

I nodded. She was in a short green satin princess cut cap sleeved wonder. It fit her like her own skin. She was in four-inch high-heeled gold strappy sandals and wearing teak tinted stockings. Her legs looked absolutely marvelous.

“Thank you. I will assume by your slack jawed, deer in the headlights response, you approve, or is it that bad?”

Tressa laughed. “Shit, you’re funny, girl. Princess Diaries ain’t got nothin’ on you. You rock that frock, honey.”

“It is beautiful, Linda. It really is. It looks like it was made for you.”

“It was. It’s a Tre’ Potter original. She made it on me. When she found out about this date, she gave it to me. Tressa is a classmate at Stevens. Fashion Design and Management. I have a blue one as well, and if you ask me out again, she’s giving me that one, too. Different, but similar. You might get to see it. Up to you. Both were contest winners in her department.”

“If you say yes, I’ll see it. I already told you, Linda, before I saw you dressed up like the Princess of the Realm, that I was in love with you. What else do I need to say? There isn’t much left.”

“‘Have my babies’ is the only thing after that, lover boy. That ain’t happ’nin’, so you’re where you need to be. You kids have fun. I have to design a binnuss suit before eight in the morning, and I don’t even know how to spell binnuss yet!” She laughed and went to the back room, yelling, “Bye kids. Have fun!” on the way back there.

“She’s a nut case, Charlie, but she’s… She’s Tressa. Feed me? CC’s. Reservation for six-thirty.”

“Yes, gorgeous girl. Absolutely.” I took her hand and off we went. “How are you feeling after working both weekend shifts, Linda? Shoulder bothering you?”

“Almost not at all, Charlie. Thanks to you and your help while I was with you. I do thank you for that. I also thank you for Friday. You really did have me worried. You see, you spilled your beans, but I’m pretty sure I’m not unaffected by you, or the situation. It won’t take much, and I’ll be… Smitten. I’m close now.”

“Do you have a phone, Linda?”

“Yes, at home. I don’t have a cell phone, Charlie. Never needed one. I’m at school, or at work, neither of which a phone helps, and if we have a snow day or I get called in, it would be when I was at that phone at the apartment. Just like the olden days, huh? If you call, and I’m near the phone, I can answer. If not, well, I can’t. I’ll have one as soon as I can afford it without it affecting anything else. That’s a goal. Won’t be long.”

“No, I don’t suppose so,” I said.

CC’s was as good as always. It’s an upscale eatery that keeps one from making bad decisions. Everything they offer is good. We ate and talked, then at about eight she told me the movie was at eight-forty-five at the mall, so we finished the conversation, and the drinks, and headed out. We held hands the entire time we weren’t kept from it. It seemed she was just as concerned about staying connected as I was, and I just didn’t want to let go.

The new Jennifer Garner movie was pretty good, too. More shoot ‘em up than anything, but I like her as an actress, so I let it go. I remember the series ‘Alias’ and binge watching it while on a tread climber. I should do that again… Soon.

After the movie, we went back to her place, and sitting in the car out in the parking lot, she took my hand in hers. “Charlie, thank you for tonight. Thank you for the last month. For nursing me back to health, as well as for being so careful with my feelings while I was hurt. I thought a lot about what you said, and why you waited. I understand. I truly do. After much thought, I’ve decided,” she reached to touch my cheek, “it works both ways. I’m enamored with you. I don’t just want to be with you again, to date, to talk, to have you kiss me. Charlie, I need those things. I think I love you, too, but I’ve never known love, so this is new. I can’t compare it to anything. It’s just grand, but… Will you keep seeing me, Charlie? I know I’m not going to do anything else with my time, but school, work, and sleep, but if I could fit you into my life, I’d like that. Did any of that make sense?”

“Yes, I love you. I told you that. I need to see you again, too. When are you off next, and will I get in trouble for coming down for dinner while you’re working?”

“Thursday, and no, as long as it doesn’t interfere with work. I think we can handle that. I’d love to feed my boyfriend. Was that too presumptuous?”

“Lord, no. If you’ll be my girlfriend, the inverse would be true, and I would be your boyfriend. Simple middle school math.” Her giggle made the evening. “Damn, you’re cute, Linda. Thank you for saying yes. I’ve never felt so young, so alive, as I do around you. I can’t explain it. I’ve never been much around the ladies. I know I was married, and I loved her. I hope she loved me, but my point is, this is really getting me.” I hope Carolyn doesn’t mind. I hope she understands. I do miss her. Sorry. I digress. “I will see you when I see you, but will you make a date plan for us Thursday?”

“Absolutely. Casual. Shorts. Mini golf and a chain restaurant. Anything you don’t like?”

“Saying goodnight to you, actually.”

“Cad. You know what I meant. Putt-Putt and Applebee’s. I don’t want to say goodnight either, champ, but I have to work tomorrow, open to close, covering for a girl that asked for a favor.” She took my face in her hands. “I want to see you soon, Charlie. I do.” She kissed me and licked my lips. “Walk me upstairs, and I’ll turn you loose for the evening. Please don’t worry about coming into work for dinner, and if it is at all possible, I’ll have them seat you with me. It really would be my pleasure to serve you, sir,” she said, smiling. Another kiss and I walked her up. One more kiss. She unlocked the door, and there was Tressa, looking at us and smiling.

“You two are cute when you kiss. I heard the noise and looked out the peeper. A fish-eye view of a cutie kissing a hunk. Sweet! You guys have fun? I figured you would. Linda’s a nice girl…”

“TRE’! STOP!”

“Sorry. I talk too much.” She giggled. “Night all. Bedtime. Presentation tomorrow. Sketches are on the coffee table if you want me to make you one. G’night.”

I meandered over and looked down. “Tell her to make you one in a dark green light wool fabric, and I’ll pay her for it. She needs to find a blouse like that, too. Oh, and the necklace. Start looking. That sets the whole outfit off. Ask her why the model’s hair is red, she’s wearing rings on her left hand, and she looks so much like you. I want an answer! You have my card. Call me. I want an answer. Tell her if she’s being cheeky, she’s gonna get a spanking. If she’s clairvoyant, we need to talk.”

“I DON’T WANT A SPANKING!” we heard, in a childish tone, then laughing, from the back room. She’d been listening. Our laughs joined hers.

I kissed my girlfriend goodnight, and left her standing there, wondering what was coming next. This was indeed a whirlwind romance.

Thursday couldn’t come soon enough, but it finally dawned. I picked her up for our date, early in the afternoon, after her classes were over for the day. She invited me in, just knocking me over with her beauty, once again. She was wearing a sheer dark blue blouse with a dark blue bra top under it. Cuffed khaki hot pants and high heeled sandals completed the outfit. Gorgeous. I told her so.

“Linda, I’ve told you I love you already, so don’t think I’m trying to gain brownie points here, but you are just a beautiful specimen of a girl. You’re really gorgeous. I’d say you look good enough to eat, but it may be a bit early for that.”

“Wowsers, Charlie. You aren’t going to be able to un-ring that bell any time soon, but don’t worry about it. Thank you. You have told me you’re in love with me, and I’m falling for you. One of these days, I’ll wear this again, and let you say, then do, anything you want. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like my future and my happiness are in your hands. In the meantime, I’ll try to keep a civil tongue.”

“Don’t try too hard, Mr. Davis. A girl likes to hear that she turns her man on. Feminine nature.” I held my arms out to her, hugged her, kissed her in a manner so that she’d know she was turning me on, then when we broke it off, I just looked down at her and smiled. She smiled back. “Come on, before this winds up being that day. We have a date to go on,” and off we went to the Putt-Putt Mini Golf place.

Putting is not my forte. Then again, neither are driving, chipping, or approach shots, so she was quite happy when she beat me by one stroke. Her timing was impeccable and gained two strokes while I was hitting the windmill blade. How embarrassing. She laughed at my misfortune and made sure, at that time, to let me know she loved me in spite of it. I kissed her, in a very inappropriate way, right in the middle of the place when she said it. Her sexy smile between the words and the kiss led me to believe it wasn’t a slip of the tongue, but a true pronouncement that she had made a decision. Wow. Six weeks after some dip wad shoots her, she was in love. With me. Worked for me.

On the way to the restaurant, I asked her if I could do something for her, now that she said she loved me, even if it was in a generic context. “Linda, would it be OK if I buy you a phone. It wouldn’t cost much, and it’d be on my plan. I just would like to have an easy way for you to contact me, and vice versa.”

“I want one, and I’m planning to do that, like I said, when it won’t affect anything else, and I can truly afford it. Can I ask if this is going to put you out, in any way? Money wise? We haven’t talked about that, but for the most part, I’m living in poverty, albeit cleanly. I don’t have much money, and I have no idea about you, or your means, other than this is a really nice truck.

“I’m not asking… Hell, Charlie, I like you. I probably love you. It doesn’t matter, because I’ll be paying my own way through life, just as I have already, but I don’t want you to spend too much on me. CC’s and a movie are a lot. I know. I just don’t want to be a drain on anything, especially your finances.”

“Suffice to say it won’t hurt a bit, and we’ll talk money after you tell me you’re serious about me. OK? If I have to get a part time job to keep you in your lifestyle, I will, but we’ll discuss it then. I don’t like money, Linda. It kills people. It makes people hate each other. Money and jealousy are evil. Pure evil. Well, not really money, but what it does to people. I guess I should say greed and jealousy are evil. I’m going on and on. I’m fine, sweetheart. Let’s go get you a phone and go eat.”

We did, one similar to mine, so if she had questions about using it, I could help, then over a beer before dinner, we put some numbers into it. “Who are these, Charlie? I have your cell number, your home number, your work number and an extension for Harry, Melanie, and Trisha.”

“So much for waiting. Harry is my attorney. If you know I’m in trouble, he should be one of your first calls. Melanie is my office manager. She usually knows where I am. She often looks for me, so after she meets you, she might bother you as to my whereabouts. Trisha is my personal and administrative assistant. My Girl Friday and secretary, if you will. The others are modern terms. She makes sure I’m not late or worse yet in the wrong place. She’s a hoot. You’ll love her. The kids do. She’s very friendly, yet somehow, I’m very, very afraid of her and do as I’m told.”

“Any competition in there, Charlie?”

“Oh, golly, no. Harry is married. To a woman.” She giggled and shook her head at my silliness. “Melanie and Trish are, too, married, but to men, and will both be eligible to retire in a few years. Neither is young, but both are wonderful ladies and worth their weight in gold. Actually, I think Trish is leaving me next year. You aren’t looking for work, are you?”

“I should probably finish my schooling next year, then, I just might be. If the position is still available, then can I call you for an interview?”

“Or nudge me. Depends.” She cracked up laughing and slapped my hand on the table, then held it.

“You’re a cad. I do think you are growing on me, Charlie. Seriously, I think I’m falling in love with you. I really think this is what I’m experiencing. If I told you I got butterflies in my tummy and my chest felt like I had a bowling ball on it when you touched the small of my back coming in here, what would you think?”

“I’d think you’re as bad off as me. I got them when I kissed your forehead in the hospital, when I kissed you after our movie date, and a bit ago when I put my hand in the small of your back. I’m happy to hear that, though. They aren’t painful or poisonous, the butterflies, and they are a clear indication that you are emotionally invested in someone, or something, or both.”

“Interesting.” She said that, then looked at me, as we ate. We shared bites, something people without a relationship or intentions to be together would really never do. “Tell me, Charlie, what is your position in the company where you have a lawyer, an office manager, and your PA on your phone, then telling me who to call in an emergency, or who may call me looking for you.”

“Commonly called a principal, or in English, the owner of The Davis Group. It’s a series of corporations and companies all working together to provide what needs to be provided to the people who need it, if they are friendly, and have oodles of money.”

“Your customers? Who might they be?”

“Friendly people with oodles and oodles of your money. Enough said for now. All that comes AFTER the job interview, not before. Just something we don’t talk about outside certain circles.”

“Gumment binnuss.”

“Well said.” We laughed and split a chocolate cake thing with ice cream.

I took her home and we sat on her porch for a bit just talking, mostly me talking about how I have fallen for her and how beautiful her curly red hair and long legs were. She shook her head.

“Charlie, I’ve never been intimate, sexually, with a man before. I don’t know how to approach this issue, but it’ll be new for me. I…”

“You need to take your time and tell me when you’re comfortable. I’m in no hurry. I haven’t touched a woman that way for years. Not since Carolyn, actually. We’ll be fine. You can learn by showing me what you want, but more importantly, Linda, when you want it. I do need to ask though, just to squelch my prurient male interest. You said you’ve never been intimate with a man before. Do you have any experience in the realm of Sapphic matters, my dear?”

She smiled. “Nunya. Nunya damn binnuss.” We laughed again.

“I’ll take that as a yes. You know what feels good then, and you know what you want. We can use that to press forward. Linda, you are such a treat for this old man. Thank you for spending time with me and giving me a chance to win you over into my heart. I do hope you feel the same and we continue to grow together. I really do.”

“Thank you. For your help, as well as for showing interest in me. You want a beer or something? I think we have a couple in here somewhere.” I nodded so she went to the fridge and brought me back a Natural Light. Yep, poverty. But it was good. And cold. “You see, Charlie, I look at you like you look at me. You have alluded to me being a find, or a catch. Not those words, but that concept. I think the same of you. I did before I saw all the phone numbers and found out you were the center of many people’s attention. I still do. I’m off Monday. Almost all day. No classes after my eight o’clock scheduling seminar. Could I presuppose you might be able to get the day, or part of it? I’d like to do something together, even if it’s hanging around your house, or swimming, and just talking. Heck, I could help with chores or something. Anything. I don’t really care what it is. I am sorry about that, too, but I work weekends, when you’re probably off, and get time off after class during the week when you’re working.”

“Sweetheart, don’t take this wrong, but that’s the fun part of being the Davis in The Davis Group. No one tells me to go home at eleven o’clock at night when I’m in the middle of a breakthrough, and by the same token, no one cares if I don’t show up on Monday, provided they know I’m OK. I’ll probably go in, check with Trisha and come back over for you. I’d love to spend the day with you, and my back yard would be fine with me. I’ll make some lunch. You already know you can handle my cooking. Maybe you can think of something special I can make for you. I’d like that.”

“Cheeseburgers and a salad?”

“Your command is my wish.” I finished the beer, stood and held her for a bit, then kissed her soundly, with my tongue tempting her lips open and sharing intimate touches with hers. She was a wonder. She was beautiful, bright, thoughtful, and she kissed like a dream. The pillow memory went through my mind. I’m enthralled by this vixen. I left her there, standing and looking at me. I kept looking over my shoulder. She didn’t move. Finally, at the car, she raised her hand, kissed it, then blew. I caught it and touched my lips. Yes. Enthralled. Enchanted. Acting like a love-struck kid. It was true. All but the kid part. I waited until the door was closed, then drove home.

Driving home, I decided to press my luck. I could help her, and if I was sure, and she was sure, there was no reason to put off the inevitable. It was almost summer. Classes were almost out, except for one she was taking for a few weeks at the beginning of the summer break. Mornings, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I needed a plan. When that class was over, I wanted her for the rest of the summer. Maybe more.

Tressa helped. She had met a woman. A couple years older than me. Old money, single, philanthropist type. Basically living off her parents’ money, her trust fund interest, and giving some away, for prestige, more than anything. I’d known of the woman for quite a while, and while we all tried to do some good, within reason, this lady would give a little, at the most ostentatious gatherings. The gifts were generally private, but knowing a bunch of the fundraiser crowd, rumors flow. When they flow from unassociated sources, there is usually some fact behind them.

Oh, yes, Tressa helped me with my plan. She told Linda she was moving in with Miss Weatherby after the school term was out. They were to go to Europe, where Katherine Weatherby was taking her to Milan and Paris to visit fashion industry leaders. It was a vacation of sorts for them both, but Tressa was excited, and acted like me. A child in love. I hoped she was happy. I also hoped that Katherine Weatherby was good to Linda’s friend.

Linda called with the news, told me she was a bit concerned about roommates and all that, but I stopped her and offered her my car and my guest room. For the near term. “Linda, I’ll see you Monday morning, and we can talk, all right?” She agreed, then after her class on Monday morning, when I picked her up outside her building, I asked if she was hungry.

“I could eat, Charlie. Something light.” We hit Panera, split a sandwich and a little bowl of soup, then when we were done, I blurted it out.

I just couldn’t help myself. “Linda, would you move back in with me? For the summer, for the year, for… For as long as you want me around?”

“Oh, gosh, Charlie. That’s a big step. Take me home. Let’s talk.”

We talked on the way home. We talked by the pool. We talked in the water. We talked by the grill. Then we talked over dinner and after watching a movie that both of us missed every bit of because were thinking of what each other said while all the talking was going on, and finally, we talked out in the hot tub with drinks.

“Yes. If you are sure I’m what you want in your life, yes. I’m quite in love with you, too, Charlie, but very, very afraid. Please be careful with me. Love me. Treat me with respect and kindness, and I will be everything I can be for you. Remember, though. I have nothing to compare this to. I said before, it’s grand, and I want it, but the only way to tell if it’s all that, and the real thing, is to live it. You have. You are still sure. That’s gotta be a good thing. In any case, yes. Yes, Charlie, I accept your offer.”

“Good. Now, you’ll be commuting for your classes, so the car is yours. If it gets to be too much, let me know so we can find us an apartment around there somewhere. I don’t want this harder on you than it needs to be. You have one year left, correct?”

“One semester, four classes, really, after this summer thing.”

“OK, let’s see how it goes. We’ll get your stuff in between, during that little break.”

“It’s two weeks, Mr. Davis. I could walk with all my stuff in my arms to your house in that amount of time.”

“Oh. Better yet. We can do some other interesting things. I’m really looking forward to this.”

“I have a ten o’clock class in the morning. How would you like to try this out? Tonight. I want to do something, but it will take a bit of a promise on your part, and a lot of will power on mine. Will you let me sleep in your arms tonight, without (she air quoted) ‘going all the way’ with me. I mean, just snuggle, and sleep.”

“Absolutely. I already told you. I’m not a hormone enraged child. And I love you, so I’m more worried about your feelings than I am mine. You can bank on that.” That night, she, in one of my long t-shirts and a pair of my boxers, and me, in just my boxers, did just that. “You fit so well like this, sweetie. Like you were made for me.”

“Yes, Charlie, I noticed that. I was having the same thought. Hold my tummy, love, and just pull me to you. If Little Charlie gives you any lip, just try to arrange him between us somehow. This feels really good, Charlie.”

“Mmmm hmmm,” was the last thing I remember before the alarm woke us at six.

“Sorry, I forgot to turn it off and set the later one.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Davis. I usually get up this early without an alarm anyway. We’re fine. I’m going to go make a snack and some coffee. You want anything special?” I shook my head, got a kiss and a pat on my cheek, and off she went. A bit later, she came back, coffee in hand, and set it on the nightstand. “Here. Thank you for last night. I guess I need to ask, then we can work on it, but for you this is permanent, huh?” I nodded as I sipped. “That’s the way it sounded.” I started to answer, but she stopped me with a finger on my lips. “Let’s see. Give it until the end of July. We should know in two months, I would think.” I nodded. “Eggs and toast?” I nodded. “I do love you. I’m out there thinking of all the angles, possibilities, downfalls, and I’m coming to the same conclusion each time. I want to be here.”

“Good. That’ll make it easier to lavish love on you and throw gifts, gratuities, and baubles your way.”

“You’re a goofball, aren’t you?”

“Certified.”

She took the car to school, commuted, if you want to call it that. That evening she said it wasn’t too much. It might get old after a while, but it gave her time to think on the way to school, as well as on the way home.

We lived together, and slept together, without having sex. We dated, movied, danced, dined, walked, talked, mini golfed, amusement parked, and shared many other activities for a month and a half. She attended her summer class, then when it was over we took a trip. I flew us to Acapulco to a small resort where we could just relax, not worry about anything but where our chairs were with relation to the tide, and talk. I also took her fishing on my boat. That was fun. We caught one fish, a pacific sea bass, all of seven pounds. A lucky break if I ever had one. Only darned fish we saw all day, but the company was nice, and the view was amazing. My girlfriend in a skimpy underwired thong bikini.

Speaking of chairs on the beach, the next day we were laying on loungers, in about three inches of water. The tide was slowly coming in on us.

“I don’t want to do it here, Charlie.” She giggled.

“Do what, gorgeous?”

“Don’t. Don’t do that. Flattery is confusing and misleading. I said I don’t want to do it here. Your use of endearments will cause confusion. Possibly leading us to doing it here. I don’t want to make love on the beach, but I’m ready. I want you to make love to me. I want to make love to you. I want you. I’m ready. I hope you still want me. I want you. Only if…”

“Only if it’s forever?”

“Only if it’s forever. If you want me, and it’s forever, take me in and show me what this lovemaking thing is all about. Take me and make me yours.”

I had no choice at that point, I rose from my lounger, dropped to one knee in the sand and asked her, “Linda Stevens, will you marry me? Forever?”

“Yes, my prince, I will marry you, forever.”

“When you are ready, my love, I will take you to paradise.”

“Too late, bubba. You already have me here, but you can certainly take me to the bungalow and show me how to make you happy.”

I laughed. “You have no idea how happy I am already.”

We got up, gathered our gear, and with most of it in my arm, she took my hand and continued. “Remember, Charlie, I haven’t had much experience with this. With a man. I know the basics, but…”

“Fear not, maiden mine. I’m easy. I’m not cheap, but I’m easy. Plus, you’re a bright girl. I’ll bet you catch on pretty quick. Men are a lot like women, hon. They love to be loved. The physical part is pretty much instinct. Come into my parlor.” I led her into the bungalow, both of us laughing at my melodramatic invitation, kicked the door shut with my foot, threw our stuff on the couch, picked her up and took her to the shower. I relished in washing her, top to bottom, her not showing any shyness at all. I thought about that and realized we’d been sleeping together, holding each other, and I had seen her a couple times through the glass of the shower doors. Here she was giving herself to me. I was here to receive her. I washed myself, with her assistance, then dried us both and led her to the bed. We made love for four hours, slowly, gently, completely. There was no part of her that my tongue didn’t lave. Maybe the top of her head. I didn’t lick her hair… Much.

She did the same to me, touching me, everywhere with her lips and tongue. For all her inexperience, it was the most intense, erotic, and loving thing I had ever been exposed to. She mouthed my legs, my chest, my erection, my bottom, my scrotum, and nothing… Nothing went unloved. Nothing. With one of my nuts in her mouth and two fingers on my pucker, I came all over her hand. She came on my neck when that happened. We were laying on our sides, her head on my right thigh, mine on hers, our faces plastered into each other’s groins. My tongue was in her anus, her lips wrapped around my testicle, neither of us able to control our orgasms. Another half hour of touching, licking, kissing, and we were back to being able to couple.

She pulled me into her, missionary style, wrapped her arms and legs around me, keeping us joined for twenty minutes or so, just moving slightly, easily, kissing, stroking, loving, with me in her. I was getting close, and I thought she was, as well. She bit my neck. That did it. I exploded. When I did, I thrust into her, causing her to come, contracting on my erection. Exquisite.

We lay there for about ten or fifteen minutes, not a word was spoken. Breathing, stroking each other’s hair, ears, shoulders, sides, hips.

She broke the silence. “Forever.”

I kissed her. “Forever.” I reached over the side of the bed and into bag and pulled out a little box. “You said ‘yes’ earlier, but now I’m prepared. Linda Stevens, will you marry me?”

“Yes, dear man, as I said after that little… No, after that not so little trip to Nirvana. Forever.”

I opened the box, showed it to her and watched her eyes light up, her chest expand, her gasp resonate through the room, and a tear start to form. She threw her arms around me and hugged like we were drowning. Taking it out and slipping it onto her left ring finger, I could feel her shaking. Trembling. I held it, pulled it to my chest and hugged her hand. Then her. I took her in my arms, rocked her and held her. “I love you, Linda. I have since I touched your forehead with my lips in the hospital. No explanation, just a connection. A permanent connection.”

“Thank you, Charles Davis. You’ll never be sorry you asked me.”

“I’ll never make you sorry you said yes, either. Again, Linda, my dear, I love you. I do have one request. Please think about it, and please, please consider it a request out of love and love alone. Will you stop working and let me help you finish school? I really do want you to replace Trish. I really do. I’ll send you for more schooling if you like.”

She smiled at me. “Let me talk to Trish. I’ll think about it. I hate to be a burden.”

“Will you help me do laundry?”

“I already do.”

“Then you aren’t a burden. I’m sending the kids through school, and they take my stuff out of the washer and put it on the dryer when they do theirs. Not in. On. Trust me, you’ll be no burden. Please let me do that. You are now my fiancée. I get to do stuff for you. Please.” She nodded.

We just snuggled for a bit, missing dinner, but went to a little café they have on the grounds for just this purpose. Crazy people who lose track of time, miss dinner, but don’t want to go to bed and try to sleep with growling tummies. We had some snacks of sandwiches and chips, split a couple of beers and walked slowly back to the bungalow, hand in hand. She looked up at me a few times with a smile that just melted me. This was definitely the right answer.

I got us home, then the questions started. The plane, the boat, the bungalow. I explained it to her, a piece at a time. She accepted it. I owned a plane, with another guy. We split the expenses. He didn’t use it much, but it was there if he needed it. I owned a 28-foot Bertram classic fishing boat and was able to park it where it was because I owned about a fourth of the resort we stayed at. I had a friend, a developer, I had known since we were kids that needed some help several years ago. I traded him some advice and some money for a twenty-three percent share of the joint, so I get to park my boat in their marina and use that bungalow anytime I want. Gratis. A freebie. I had made all my money back through dividends but chose not to sell it back to him as long as he didn’t mind. I liked the marina, and the bungalow, and had nothing else to do with the money at that point.

“If I die of a heart attack tomorrow, Linda, don’t forget to tell Bobby you either want to keep the boat there and use the bungalow, or sell out. Totally up to you, but by the time I die, hopefully we’ll be married, and it will be yours, too. I won’t keep that out of the prenup. THAT, you need to have.”

“Prenup?”

“Yes. I need to make sure you’re taken care of. There are a couple of reasons for the prenup, neither of which will make sense now. Thirty years from now, you’ll be kissing my coffin, thanking me for it. It’s to protect what will be ours, yours if I die, from unscrupulous, money hungry predators that would take my love from me. It’s also so that you will have a nest egg, should something happen to our relationship, without the courts and probate keeping it from you. We’ll chat later. I didn’t want to jinx our relationship, so I told my lawyers not to do anything about it until you were wearing,” I pointed to her hand, “that.”

“Oh, OK. Do what you must and what you feel is right. Prenups are for postnups. I want the nups, the whole nups and nothing but the nups, so we’re probably good.” She laughed. I loved her laugh. “Oh, and Charlie, I’m taking business law classes here and there. I understand. I do. Show me where to sign. Then promise the preacher, or the judge, or whatever, you love me and won’t leave me. That’ll be good enough for me. I love you.”

“Preacher, if I can get the one I want. She’s a hoot. You’ll love her. Junior high girlfriend. We’re still close. I don’t know if this is appropriate, though. Might bring back memories her husband doesn’t want to deal with. I may have to buy him a bottle of bourbon or something. Oh, the crises I cause. They are endless!”

Again, we laughed. I loved this girl. At home, we still had a couple of days alone, with no interruptions, intense love making, and intimate walks with heartfelt talks.

Linda asked me if it was OK, then contacted Marian and David to come out and visit. I told her there was no need to ask and that from Acapulco on, it was her house, too. She said she understood but was trying to be polite and a good ‘little woman’. I spanked her gently and told her not to worry about it, getting a kiss and a couple of relatives in return.

They spent the day, Linda sharing stories of love in paradise with Marian, who had a multitude of questions, most of which Linda turned beet red and answered, both nonverbally and unintentionally.

“Marian, I had no idea you were such a pervert. Asking questions like that. Jeez, girl.” I heard a little of what they were saying, but I tried to watch David in the water, so they wouldn’t think I was listening and lower their voices.

“God, Linda, I’ve been in love with that man since I was ten. David has been since he was eleven and heard me talk about what I’d do to him if I ever caught him naked and alone. Watching my brother masturbate while I talked about making love to my uncle is... Ooops, was, one of the fun and exciting things in my life. Now he has you. I’m happy for him, though. You seem like a wonderful person, and he needs that. He deserves that.”

“Seriously? You? David? Your uncle?”

“I’m sure you know, Linda, David is as queer as a pair of violet boxer briefs. Yes, he owns some. Mostly boy shorts, though, stretch microfiber are his favorites.” She giggled. “We are close. Very close. I’ll leave it at that and let your imagination take over from there. He’s absolutely infatuated with Uncle Charlie. Totally. Every bit as much, probably more so than I am, and I’d do anything for him, and I mean Anything, with a capital A.”

“Wow. That’s interesting.”

“Don’t lose any sleep over it. We want him happy. You make him happy. We have each other, and another year of school, at least. I’m thinking about my master’s. He might do that as well. In any case, we have each other to keep us occupied, and he has you. I hope that keeps us all happy. In any case, don’t worry about us. We’re neither going anywhere nor sneaking in on your relationship with Prince Charles. He’s yours.”

I saw them hug. “Thank you, Marian. I’m sure that took some guts to tell me.”

“True that. Part of me wants him to know, and well, he already knows David’s in love with him. It’s almost a standing joke. It’s me that I… Shit, I don’t care anymore. We’re all adults, and he has you. It doesn’t matter anymore. Watch. Uncle Charlie!”

“Yes, hon?”

“I love you!” Marian said, loudly and in my direction.

“I know, pumpkin. I know,” I hollered back.

“Maybe he already knows.”

“He’s pretty smart, hon. He probably does.” I heard Linda tell her.

“He does,” I yelled. “He loves you, too, sweetheart. He really and truly does.”

“I love you, too, Uncle Charlie,” David said from the edge of the pool.

“I know, son. I know. I love you, too, but…”

“Don’t say it. It’s all good.” David smiled at me and put his finger to his lips. “Just know I love you, and some day, I’d like to show you how much.” I nodded.

“Charlie,” Linda looked over and asked me, “how much of that conversation did you hear?”

“All of it. I love them, too, Linda, but it’s not my place to do anything like that. I’m their uncle.”

“Gotcha.”

Things got quiet, voices lowered, and a drop of water hit my foot.

“Can I oil you, Uncle Charlie?”

“David, you are incorrigible.”

“Is that a yes, or a no?”

“It’s a yes, but be good.” I put my arms up over my head, looked at the girls and saw them watching David get his little pecker bud hard in his pants while rubbing my front with oil. The sun was really hot on this early August day, and felt amazing. He did every square millimeter of exposed skin and a couple of non-exposed square millimeters but was not blatant about it. “Here, hang on, let me tuck this thing over.”

“I can,” he said.

I had to laugh. “Fine, you horny little brat. Move it, then finish.” He did, lifting the edge of my little suit then pushing it over into my hip joint, then placed his hand on it through my suit. “David. Do you really want to do that?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“OK, you did it. Finish with the oil and let me bake for a bit.”

“OK. You feel wonderful, by the way.”

“Thank you. I almost came in my shorts. Thank you for stopping when you did. That would have been embarrassing.”

“It shouldn’t be. You’re human, too. Regardless of what my sister thinks.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

“She thinks you walk on water, behind Jesus, and give policy advice to God. Uncle Charlie, she’s your biggest fan, and if you think I have the hots for you, mine is mostly physical, with some emotion, I mean, I do love you, and am in love with you, but you’re gorgeous. You’re a hunk. Sorry. She just loves you. She would jump off a bridge, push start your car, even cook calamari for you. She’s madly, madly in love with you. Has been forever.”

“Why haven’t we had this conversation before?”

“Fear, I think. You were afraid of the answers. Now that you have Linda, you’re not so afraid of the answers, or the outcome of the conversation. A protector of your virtue, if you will.”

“When did you grow up?”

“Charlie, We’re twenty-one. We’ve been in college for three years. We talk about kid stuff because you want us to be kids. We put up with it because we love you. And because you buy us stuff, but… Whatever. We’re not dumb kids. We’re smart kids.” He giggled. His little stiffy was receding, leaving a big wet spot in his pants. “You should probably know that Marian and I are pretty close. You heard them talking, I’m sure. You can read as much as you want into that and you’ll be right, up to a point. There is one thing we haven’t done. And we won’t. I don’t have enough to make her happy. Probably never will. It stopped growing when I was eight. It’s a medical condition. I don’t produce enough testosterone to go through male puberty and didn’t produce enough of the others, estrogen and progesterone, I think they call them, to be a girl. Long story, short, Uncle Charlie, amid all the joking and stuff between the three of us, I’m not really gay. I’m not completely male. I’m not completely female, either. But,” he grinned at me like a hungry wolf, “I am still in love with my uncle and his hunky body.”

That was a preview of The Waitress. To read the rest purchase the book.

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