The Sauna Part 124

Jon called the Hard Rock and made arrangements to reserve the suites for our families and he managed to clear the dog with the management who were only to happy to accommodate him. Being a rock star had its privileges.

We decided to fly out to California on Tuesday, giving us some time here to relax and get the house ready for winter. I made Jon promise that while we were in California that we could take a trip to San Francisco and go to a clothing store there I had been ordering from for years. It had been a long-standing dream of mine to physically visit the store some day and Jon just laughed indulgently.

We spent the afternoon picking up the yard now that the snow had all melted and it was relatively warm. We moved all the patio furniture into the garage for winter storage and burned all the dead leaves and branches that had come down during the storm a few weeks ago. We even put plastic up on the windows and I was pleased to see how easily Jon was able to accommodate the simple life.

Soon it was time for dinner and I was in the mood for a steak. We decided to try the Casino in Salamanca as he had never been there and I thought it would be a good way to relax now that we’d finished winterizing the house and had the evening to ourselves. I’d never found gambling to be much of a thrill, but the buffet there was quite a treat.

We got cleaned up and headed out, arriving just past seven. The Casino was jumping on a Saturday night and the bus we rode in from the parking lot was full to capacity. We headed first to the buffet which was never as crowded as I expected. We were seated immediately and after ordering drinks we went straight for the food.

The buffet was loaded with everything you could imagine, except lobster. I settled for a couple crab legs instead and a thick, juicy steak as I knew exactly what I wanted. I never even went near the salad bar. I stopped for some cornbread and sweet potato casserole and Jon returned a few moments later with his plate stacked with a weird combination of sushi and steak and I laughed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, stuffing a forkful of sushi in his mouth.

“Just your choices of food-I never even realized there was sushi here” I smirked.

“It’s over on the salad bar” he nodded.

“No wonder I never noticed” I admitted.

We ate with gusto and little conversation, both hungry from all the yard work and the tantalizing array of food before us. The waitress came and refilled our drinks and asked if everything was satisfactory to which we merely nodded with our mouths full. Despite having loaded his plate fuller than mine, Jon was ready for his second trip while I was still working on my first.

“Make sure you try the sweet potato casserole” I suggested as he sauntered off in search of new foods to try.

He returned with another heaping plate as I was finishing the last of my steak and stood up for round two. Next on my list was the sliced pork with cranberries and a bit of oriental chicken with ginger.

“Oh, this is delicious!” Jon raved, taking a second mouthful of sweet potatoes.

“I told you” I grinned as I noticed he had also gotten fish and sausage, as well as a second helping of sushi.

I took my time now that my hunger was at bay and I lingered over the desserts, making sure I saved room for bread pudding. I found my pork and took a small helping of chicken and joined Jon who was munching away.

“Did you try the salmon?” he asked, pointing to the fish he still had left.

“No, not a favorite” I replied, wrinkling my nose.

“Everything is good here, but I’m getting full” he announced and I noticed he’d started to slow down.

“Save room for dessert” I warned, wondering if it was already too late.

He groaned, but finished most of what he had left while he waited for me to catch up. I had half my pork and a few bites of chicken and decided that was enough. I flagged the waitress and ordered a pot of tea and Jon ordered coffee as he eyed me suspiciously.

“It settles my stomach” I explained, occasionally preferring tea after a meal.

“Dessert?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

I was already regretting my second plate, but I loved bread pudding and couldn’t resist a small helping. I lost Jon at the chocolate fountain and made my way back to the table, sipping my tea while I waited for him to join me.

“Shit. Did you see the chocolate fountain?” he exclaimed excitedly as I smiled at the plateful of goodies covered with chocolate he was now sampling.

“Yes, love, and I see you did too” I grinned.

He offered me a chocolate covered strawberry but I declined, preferring my bread pudding. I offered him a spoonful and he tried it, nodding his appreciation, but returning to taste the pretzel he’d dipped in the chocolate next. I lit a cigarette, needing to give my stomach a rest, but Jon managed to finish his goodies along with the plateful of cookies he’d discovered on his way back.

It did my heart good to see a man who enjoyed his food and wasn’t shy about indulging his appetite. My ex-husband had been a picky eater and it was always disappointing to take him to a buffet where all he ever ate was a small plate and a salad. Jon had passion for everything he did, whether it was his music, his food, his sports or his charities. Maybe that’s why he was such an amazing lover too.

“You know you’d make a good impression with my dad if we go to a buffet” I observed.

“Huh? Whaddya mean?” he asked, looking at me quizzically as he finished the last bite of cookie.

“I mean you enjoy everything and you are passionate about everything you do. You throw yourself into everything, 100%, no holding back. My dad respects that. He used to get so irritated with my ex who was always so apathetic about everything” I explained, telling him how my dad used to even complain that taking him out to a buffet was a waste of money.

“So your dad didn’t like your ex then?” he asked, curious.

“My dad didn’t like him and he didn’t respect him. And in truth, neither did I after a time. There was only one guy I ever dated that my dad approved of, and much as I hate to admit it, he was right. I had always regretted letting him get away, until now” I added.

“So your dad knows his daughter pretty well and he has high expectations for the man she chooses. Do you think he’s gonna approve of me?” he asked, serious now.

“He won’t like your hair” I laughed. “But seriously, I think he will after he gets past his distrust of a rock star. You’re both perfectionists and workaholics and I can depend on you to follow through with things and to be responsible. And you make me truly happy and I think my dad will see that too” I said reassuringly.

“Should I get a haircut before we go to Florida?” he grinned.

“Don’t you dare” I warned him.

He reached across the table and took my hand in his. He looked at me for a long moment and took a deep breath. His eyes were moist when he spoke, but his voice was steady.

“I love you more than I ever thought possible. I don’t ever want to disappoint you or have you lose respect for me. I am passionate about everything I do and I’m basically an all-or-nothing kind of a guy. But the one thing I’m most passionate about is loving you. I hope your father will see that” he said as he kissed my hand.

His vulnerability was always my undoing. He was the strongest man I had ever known and I respected him even more for his ability to bare his soul and share his fears. He was so different from the many men I had known and he was so unlike my ex-husband that I sometimes wondered if it was all just a dream and someday I would wake up and find myself still trapped in a loveless marriage.

“Jon, I see it and I think my father will too. He’s a perceptive man and a good judge of character. He can be a hard man to please, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know. And you please me beyond my greatest expectations” I reassured him.

We stood up from the table and walked arm in arm towards the bright lights of the Casino.