The Sauna Part 121

Outside the office, I saw Angie coming to get me and make sure that I made it to my own party. Being right next door to work made it a convenient spot for everyone and she had already been inside and realized I was still missing.

“There you are! I should have known you’d be the last one to leave!” she beamed at me as she gave me a big hug.

“And you must be Jon! I’m so glad to finally meet you. As you can imagine, Trish talks about you non-stop” she grinned and welcomed him with a hug as well.

“And you just have to be Angie-I would recognize you in a heartbeat from Trish’s description” Jon replied warmly, returning her embrace.

Angie had been like my surrogate mother for years and I loved her dearly and I was closer to her than I was to my own mother. She was an amazing woman and I knew that this party would be perfect down to the last detail as no one outdid her when it came to a celebration. Not even Martha Stuart. She was truly the most gracious person I’d ever known.

“Well, come on then! There are a ton of people here already and everyone has been wondering where you are” she said in a voice that bubbled enthusiasm.

“Oh, Angie, I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done. It was just hard to pack up my office and leave” I said in a voice warm with affection as her ebullience was infectious.

We walked around the corner and into the restaurant and I was staggered to see how many people were already there. The staffs from both offices were there, of course, and a number of folks from the downtown office were in attendance as well. I saw Margie and Jeremy and waived to them across the room and as they made their way closer, I saw my best buddy, Jack, who had left the agency a year ago to head up the mental health clinics in another county.

“Trish!” he beamed as he reached me in three giant strides.

Jack was tall and had been my mentor and my friend for years, though I rarely saw him much since he left the agency. I admired Jack and I had learned a great deal from him over the years. In fact, he was the one who had given me the book I was still reading, ‘The 48 Laws of Power’. He scooped me up in a big bear hug and I was so tickled to see him.

“I can’t believe you made it!” I said excitedly and glanced at Angie who had kept it a secret all this time.

“Angie didn’t tell you I was coming?” Jack asked, shocked.

“Nope, I wanted it to be a surprise” she said proudly.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Now where’s this new man who’s become more important than work?” Jack said teasingly.

“I guess that would be me” Jon announced, stepping forward.

I thought to myself how strange this must all be for him. He was so used to being the center of attention and here he was, easily standing aside and seeing me in the spotlight. It was a weird reversal of roles, but he seemed more than happy to take the backseat tonight.

Jon and Jack shook hands and I had to laugh seeing the two of them meet for the first time. Jack towered above Jon, who wasn’t terribly tall to begin with, but he looked rather diminutive in contrast. The two chatted amiably as I welcomed Margie and Jeremy and some of the others who were arriving.

I noticed the one person who was missing was Sam, the man who’d taken over the Hamburg office when I got promoted even though I continued to keep my office there. Sam and I had been friends years ago, but we had developed a rather strained relationship after that and he was continually testing my authority.

“Is Sam coming?” I asked, turning to Angie.

“He is supposed to be here. He was certainly invited” Angie answered, scowling now.

I really didn’t especially care one way or the other at this point. The office politics were behind me now and Sam’s petty behavior was hardly a matter to concern me, but I knew Angie would be furious if he was a no-show. She had tried repeatedly to smoothe his ruffled feathers, but it never worked for long before he would start to act up again.

“Baby, what would you like to drink?” Jon asked as I felt his hand on my elbow.

“A whiskey sour, love. Thanks” I responded, feeling festive tonight and not ready for my usual wine.

Jon returned from the bar and handed me the glass as he whispered in my ear.

“I took a cab tonight, so I can drive us home later. I want you to relax and enjoy yourself” he informed me.

I was grateful for his thoughtfulness and relieved too as I needed to relax and a few drinks would go a long way to help me unwind. I kissed him and whispered “thank you” in his ear and he nibbled on my ear in response. He always knew exactly how to make me forget that we were in a roomful of people.

Paul spotted us from the bar and waived at me, bringing me back to reality and the task at hand. There were many people I hadn’t even said hello to yet, so I hooked my arms around Jon’s and pulled him along as we made the rounds, greeting all the guests. We shared our plans, such as they were at the moment, and chatted about old times.

A few people asked Jon about the tour and whether there were any more shows or new releases coming out, and it was to this conversation that I left him as I meandered back to the bar for a refill. Paul bought me the next drink and soon there were shot glasses lined up on the bar and I had enough refills to last through the weekend, let alone the night.

I made my way over towards the buffet, hungry now that some of the excitement had died down. I filled my plate with an assortment of mouth-watering appetizers and I was on my third mini quiche when Jon appeared at my side. I popped one in his mouth and scanned the room for anyone I might have missed.

It was then that I noticed Sam arriving alone. I knew that his wife never accompanied him and I was glad as she was quite a self-righteous pill and I blamed her for the changes I’d seen in Sam since we had been friends back in college, before he met her. I nudged Jon and nodded towards the door where he was taking off his coat.

“That’s Sam coming in. I’m surprised he came at all. I bet Angie called him after she realized he wasn’t here because he never goes out anymore, especially this late” I observed.

“This late? Babe, it’s only 7:30” Jon said, wondering how much I had had to drink already.

“I know. I mean, he might show up for a party during work hours, or immediately afterwards, but he never stays past six o’clock. His wife is ill and that’s always been his excuse for never joining anyone after work” I explained.

I saw Sam making his way towards us and I noted that he nodded to Angie on his way, making sure that she saw him. I knew he was making an appearance only and didn’t really give a fig about saying goodbye, other than to see it as good riddance. Jon eyed him as he approached.

“Hi Sam! I’m so glad you could make it” I lied. “I was afraid you weren’t coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it” he lied even more. “And you must be Jon?” he inquired.

“I must be” Jon said with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Sam plays guitar too and occasionally writes a song for our parties. Did you write me a song tonight?” I asked, unable to resist making a point.

“No, I’m afraid not. I had planned to, but it has been so busy this week that I never had a chance to put something together” he said in a pleasantly acid voice.

“Gee, that’s too bad. I’d have loved to hear what you’d have written” Jon interjected, sliding his arm about my waist as Angie joined us.

“Sam, you made it! We were worried about you” Angie said tactfully. “Did I hear you correctly? Did you say that you didn’t compose a song?” she inquired.

“Sam was just telling us what a busy week he’s had and that he hadn’t had a chance to write one” I explained.

“Oh dear, I am so disappointed” Angie responded pointedly and I hid my smile, knowing Sam was not scoring any points with her yet again.

“Perhaps Trish’s new boyfriend would care to entertain us?” he replied with a wicked grin, thinking to catch Jon off guard.

“I’d be happy to if anyone has a guitar. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my love, especially on such a special night” Jon replied smoothly.

“S’okay, babe. You can entertain me when we get home” I whispered, relishing the scowl on Sam’s face.

I was on my third drink now, or was it my fourth? I was feeling a good buzz and I was rather enjoying seeing Sam a bit discomfited. I was also feeling the need to have a little time alone with Jon and to let him know how much I appreciated his aplomb.

“I’ll settle for a dance, love” I said aloud, winking at Jon.

We moved away from the crowd to a more open spot, leaving Sam to what I knew would be a scolding from Angie. Jon put his arms around me and we began to sway to the music as I rested my head on his shoulder and he kissed my hair. Dancing was the next best thing to sex that I knew, but I had a reputation amongst this crowd as a professional and I knew I could trust Jon to keep my image intact.

We danced softly and I felt myself melting against him when we were suddenly interrupted. I cleared my head as I felt Jon pull back a bit and I saw Jack’s smiling face, asking if he could cut in. Always a gentleman, Jon relinquished his hold and Jack stepped in. We chatted as we danced, catching up on each other after such a long time.

“So, this is it, huh? The real thing?” he asked me then more seriously.

“This is so real, it scared the shit outta me at first” I confessed.

“That sounds pretty real. I still can’t get over that you even ended up meeting the guy you’d been mooning over all this time, let alone getting used to the fact that you’re quitting your job to run off with him. At least that’s what Angie told me. Is it really true?” he asked already knowing the answer from the way I looked at Jon.

“It’s true” I beamed. “Oh, Jack, I never knew I could love someone like I love him” I added.

“I see how you look at each other, but are you sure you really need to quit your job? What about your career?” he asked, still stuck in disbelief.

“It’s okay, really. I don’t plan to never work again, but I don’t think I’ll be bored anytime soon” I answered ruefully.

“I think you’re probably right” Jack chuckled. “I’m really happy for you kiddo” he said genuinely as the song came to an end and he handed me back to Jon.

“I’m going to take off soon. It’s a long ride home and the kids have a wrestling meet tomorrow at eight in the morning. It was great to see you again and to meet you too” he said, turning to Jon.

“Hey man, it was great to meet you too. Trish has always said that you and Angie were the greatest teachers she ever had, so you both must be exceptional people. I really do hope we’ll see you in the future sometime” Jon said as he shook his hand.

“I’d certainly like that. Treat her right” he added before giving me a hug and a kiss goodbye.