The Sauna Part 213

After I finished the phone call with Jon, I hurried and threw on some clothes and headed out to the grocery store. I needed to stock the house with some food for our guests and I needed to pick something up for dinner. I wanted to have something ready when they got in and decided that chili sounded good and it would be easy to reheat whenever they arrived.

I stopped at a few places as there were a number of errands to run and I got back just after lunch time. I started the chili and went to ready the spare rooms after I’d bought several sets of sheets and a supply of towels. I tossed it all in the wash and prepared a few snacks and set about getting the fireplace going. By the time I was finished, it was going on five o’clock and I settled down in front of the fire with a glass of wine.

The phone rang and I jumped, hoping it was Cherie and that they were fairly close since the house would be harder to find in the dark. It was just about midnight in London and the band had finished up the second show at the O² and they were headed back to the hotel when Jon called.

“Hi darlin’, did your company arrive yet?” he greeted me.

“No, they aren’t here yet. In fact, I thought it might have been Cherie calling just now. I hope they make it before it gets dark, though. Remember how much trouble we had finding the place in the dark?” I teased.

“Hell, yeah, I sure do. I should let you go, I just wanted to say goodnight” he said, sounding sad.

“I think I hear a car now. I really should go; that’s probably them. I’ll call you in the morning?” I said hurriedly as I was sure now that a car had just pulled up the drive.

“Say hi to Cherie and Jim for me” he said rather gruffly.

“I will baby and say hi to the guys. I love you” I replied a bit breathlessly as I moved towards the door.

“Goodnight, love” he said as he hung up the phone.

Jon sounded a bit strange, but I guessed he was tired and he had another sold out show again tomorrow night followed by a press conference the next day before they headed off to the next round of shows in another city. I hoped we’d both sleep better tonight than we had so far since being apart.

“Cherie! Jim! You made it!” I shouted as I ran down the steps to meet them.

I gave Cherie a big hug and I mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to Jim for getting her here safely. She looked rather tired, but otherwise she seemed in good spirits and I was relieved that they’d found the house okay as I wouldn’t have been much help giving directions.

We headed into the house and Cherie’s eyes widened in awe and Jim let out a long whistle as he took in the fireplace and set down their bags. I recalled the first time when Jon had brought me to the house and the shock and amazement I felt when we walked through the door. It sure was a far cry from the little house in Gowanda that Jim and I had shared so many years ago.

“I know, I was speechless myself the first time I saw it,” I beamed “but you must be starving and I’ve got a pot of vegetarian chili on the stove and it’s all ready. I can give you a tour later.”

Jim went out to the car to get the rest of their bags and I set out some bowls and a fresh Caesar salad before stirring the pot on the stove. I knew Cherie didn’t want to say much around Jim, but I was anxious to hear how Dave took the news of her trip out here with another man. I found it hard to believe he would have allowed it as I remembered how controlling he was and he never seemed to trust Cherie alone with me. He’d put the kibosh on trips we’d wanted to take in the past.

“How did Dave react when you told him you were coming out here with Jim for a few weeks?” I asked, unable to wait any longer.

“I didn’t tell him. I left him a note and I packed all my stuff while he was at work. Jim picked me up before Dave ever came home” she said, helping herself to some salad.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open, unable to believe that she’d done that. Things must surely have gotten pretty bad for her to have left without even talking to him first. She looked up at me then and whispered softly.

“Trish, he’d have forbidden me to come, especially with Jim, if I’d told him. So I just left a note saying that I was going away to have some time to myself to think about things. He doesn’t know about Jim and I don’t plan on telling him. My phone’s been ringing for two days and I’m just not returning his calls until I decide what I want to do” she explained.

“Does Jim know the situation?” I asked quickly before he returned.

“Only a little. He knows that Dave doesn’t know where I am or who I am with and he won’t say a word” she said in a hushed voice just as Jim strode into the kitchen.

“Hungry?” I asked as he joined us.

“Starving!” he grinned as he reached for the salad and I ladled the chili into a bowl.


***************


Back in London, Jon was getting drunk at the bar. The show had gone well so no one understood why he was suddenly in such a foul mood. He’d snapped at Tico when he’d teased him about something earlier and he was sitting alone brooding while the guys tried to guess what was eating at him. Finally Richie sat down at his side and ordered a drink.

“Hey bro, what’s the matter? Is everything okay at home?” he prodded his friend.

“Nothing’s the matter, I’m just fucking ducky” Jon spat.

“Then why are you sitting here getting drunk by yourself and suddenly acting like a prick after you hung up with Trish?” Richie confronted him.

“Shit man, her ex-boyfriend is coming out to Colorado to visit her. He’s probably there right now and I’m fucking here, with you assholes” he replied miserably.

“What? How did this happen? Did she invite him? Talk to me, bro, you’re not telling me the whole story” Richie said firmly.

Jon sighed deeply and began to explain how the whole thing had come about while Richie listened thoughtfully. After his experience with Elaine he had some misgivings himself and he knew how it was when they were on the road. He trusted me, but hell, shit happens.

“Listen, we’ve got a few days off after the show tomorrow night. Why don’t you fly home and see Trish and then meet us in Scotland on Saturday?” he prompted.

“What about the press conference on Tuesday and the interview on Friday?” Jon reminded him.

“Screw the press conference; I’ll handle it. And the interview? Ah hell, phone it in or just blow it off. I’ll be there for it and for once I’m a bit more newsworthy thanks to Elaine. Go and see Trish and don’t let something happen that the press will really sink their teeth into” Richie urged him.

“What are you saying, bro? I trust Trish” Jon said suspiciously now.

“And so do I, man, so do I” Richie replied quickly.

Jon had been feeling left out when he knew I was having company, but he really hadn’t been jealous. Well, not exactly. He didn’t like the idea of my ex being there at first, but he’d reassured himself that it was only the circumstances that prompted the visit. It wasn’t like I had invited him out of the blue…or was it? It was my suggestion, he suddenly remembered. But it was only a joke at first, he argued with himself. It wasn’t as though I had gone looking for Jim on my own. While Jon continued to struggle with these thoughts, Richie posed another consideration that was far more of a concern. Jon had his doubts here for certain.

“I trust Trish, but what about her ex? Do you trust him?” Richie retorted.

“No, not really. I saw how he looked at her the night of that party at Cherie’s and I knew he wasn’t over her. He followed her with his eyes and he played that damn song to appease her” Jon recalled, remembering that night in vivid detail.

“What song? When did you meet him?” Richie wanted to know more.

Jon proceeded to explain what had happened the night of the party and Richie raised his eyebrows when Jon described the costume he’d worn.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” Richie questioned.

“No shit, man. I couldn’t have made that part up if I’d tried” Jon explained.

“So, this guy was dressed as a giant prick and he played ‘Puff’ for Trish? Fuck, man” Richie said as he absorbed what Jon told him.

“I know, Rich, I know” Jon muttered.