The Sauna Part 217

It was nearing dinner time and I filled the bowls for the cats before leaving to pick Cherie and Jim up at the spa. I hoped they had both been able to relax and enjoy the healing waters from the hot springs and perhaps maybe heal just a little themselves. It was just after six when I arrived and I found them both dressed and waiting in the lobby. I saw them move quickly apart as I pulled up and parked and I wondered what that was about.

“So, are you guys up for some Indian food? There’s a great little place that Jon showed me when we first came here” I suggested, watching them a little more closely.

“I love Indian food!” Cherie said brightly and I saw Jim grimace as I knew it wasn’t his favorite.

“Sounds like an adventure” he said agreeably and I knew something was certainly up.

They both appeared in good spirits and I was glad to see that whatever had happened had been good for them both. Cherie looked brighter than I’d seen her in some time and I hoped that she’d decided to share more with Jim. I knew he would do his best to help her see reason where Dave was concerned.

The Clay Oven was crowded and we had to wait for a table. I fussed a bit at the wait, having grown accustomed to Jon’s celebrity status getting us preferential treatment. I admitted I was spoiled when Jim started to tease me.

“I guess I have gotten rather used to being Jon’s wife” I said, a little chagrined, as I settled down to wait a little more patiently.

“I’m going to go and freshen up a little. Trish? Wanna join me?” Cherie announced and I saw Jim smirk.

I asked him to get us some drinks at the bar and followed Cherie into the bathroom. Subtle just wasn’t her strength.

“Okay, what’s up? What did you wanna tell me?” I kidded her, but she was too excited to care that her hint had been so obvious.

“You’re not going to believe this and I need to know if you’re okay with it” she began.

I gritted my teeth as I expected to hear that she’d decided to give Dave another chance and I prepared myself for the worst. I knew it would take time and repetition to squash her denial that he was what he was. But what she shared next really threw me.

“Jim and I, well, something happened between us. I don’t know where it’s going, but I like where it went. We made love at the spa and holy shit, you really weren’t kidding. Trish, he’s amazing! I never knew it could be like that” she said breathlessly.

I was dumfounded and blind-sided and stood there wide-eyed and speechless. I suspected some flirting as I knew how Jim was, but I never imagined Cherie would let things go any farther. She was so conservative about things like that, especially after Dave had accused her of cheating without so much as a shred of reason on his part.

“You did what?” I asked, trying to absorb what she’d said.

“We made love, Trish. He was so tender and caring and he made me feel like, well, beautiful. I just never dreamed this would happen, but you and he, well, you know. I mean, how do you feel about that?” she stumbled over her words and averted my eyes.

“Shit, Cherie, let me digest what you’re saying first. I admit I’m pretty stunned right now. How are YOU feeling about it?” I wondered.

“Oh my God, amazing! I feel totally wonderful!” she beamed.

“Well, then, so do I. Anything that makes you feel that good and realize how beautiful you are must be a wonderful thing! Should we move Jim out of the guest room then?” I laughed.

“I think that might be a good idea” she grinned.

We returned to the bar where Jim was waiting with our drinks and sat down.

“So, Jim, you finally got laid, eh?” I said as I elbowed him, sporting my own smirk.

Cherie blushed and Jim grinned and that was enough said. Our table was ready and they called my name and showed us to our seats. We proceeded to order dinner and Cherie and I both made suggestions to Jim who finally ended up settling on Tandoori chicken while we each chose somewhat more adventurous selections. I couldn’t help but notice the sly looks that passed between my two friends. I had to admit that it felt a bit odd, but I was glad for Cherie and I missed Jon more and more.


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



Jon’s plane had left Heathrow promptly at midnight as he’d been whisked away to the airport immediately following the show. He bit back the urge to call me, realizing it was near dinner time in Colorado and decided he’d really make it a complete surprise. It would be early morning when the plane touched down, so he needed to try and get some sleep or he’d never adjust to the time change and the jet lag would kill him.

He was keyed up after the show and sleep wouldn’t come easy, so he signaled to Vicky to bring him some wine and he opened the leather bound journal I’d gotten him for Christmas. He had an idea for a song and he grabbed his guitar which he’d brought from the show and began to test out a melody. He plucked a few chords and penned the words that kept running through his mind.

Sippin' wine, killing timeTrying to solve life's mysteriesHow's your life, it's been a whileGod it's good to see you smileI see you reaching for your keysLooking for a reason not to leaveIf you don't know if you should stayIf you don't say what's on your mindBaby just breatheThere's nowhere else tonight we should beYou wanna make a memory?

I dug up this old photographLook at all that hair we had.It's bittersweet to hear you laughYour phone is ringing I don't wanna ask

If you go now, I'll understandIf you stay, hey, I've got a planWe're gonna make a memoryYou wanna steal a piece of timeYou can sing the melody to meAnd I can write a couple of linesYou wanna make a memory?If you don't know if you should stayAnd you don't say what's on your mindBaby just breatheThere's nowhere else tonight we should beWe Should beYou wanna make a memoryYou wanna steal a piece of timeYou can sing the melody to meAnd I can write a couple of lines


Jon sighed deeply as he tried to still his inner doubts about what he would find waiting when he finally made it home. He knew it had been a close call already when he woke in Richie’s hotel room and didn’t know who was in his bed. It had been a warning to him and he swore that nothing like that would ever happen again, and he hoped that I was somehow better able to cope with being alone than he was.

His head told him not to worry, but his heart kept conjuring up images he couldn’t shake. He tried to convince himself that I wasn’t Dot and that I was used to being alone. Yet despite these reasonable thoughts, he kept picturing me laughing in bed with Jim and it almost seemed as though he was blurring his vision of me with visions of Dot just before they separated. Maybe it was the wine; he’d almost finished the whole bottle.

He read over the lyrics he’d written and shook his head. No! It wasn’t going to happen again and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure we were together as much as was humanly possible. He finished the last of the wine and leaned back, closing his eyes as he tried to concentrate on a more comforting image of me smiling when I wake up to find it is actually him in my bed.


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


Cherie, Jim and I had come home after dinner and we were relaxing in front of the fire when I finally asked Jim what had pushed him to end the relationship with Missy after several years. I really was curious and since Cherie was struggling with whether or not to leave Dave, it seemed like a reasonable question.

“I got tired of waiting for Missy to really open up and begin to trust me. Even though we had talked about marriage, she never used the word “we”. It was always “I” whenever we tried to discuss the future and I started to have reservations” he began.

We were both listening attentively now as he continued.

“We had been living together for a couple of years and Missy wouldn’t even sleep in the same bed with me. She never consulted me before she made any decisions and she always referred to the house as “hers”. She still wouldn’t even consider making love and she always used the word “sex” when we discussed it. I began feeling as though her virginity was just one more way she managed to avoid any real intimacy and I could see that marriage wasn’t going to change that” he finished.

I was rather impressed that Jim had come to such a conclusion and now I understood how his opinion about sex had changed. I’d been pretty surprised when Cherie had told me what happened between them and at first I had thought he was a bit of a hypocrite. I was beginning to think Jim had changed quite a bit and perhaps there was some potential between him and Cherie. And I wasn’t above a little sarcasm.

“So it seems as though you’ve finally outgrown your desire for frigid prudes?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

“I guess I deserved that” he replied without rancor. “Yeah, Trish, I owe you an apology too for the things I had said all those years ago. I didn’t realize how lucky I’d been until after I lost you” he acknowledged.

“Jim, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that” I apologized.

“No, you’re right. And you never did mince any words” he winced. “But I think I’ve grown up. I want a woman who can share both my life and my bed” he said, smiling at Cherie who’d been listening with rapt concentration.

“Speaking of that-I assume we’ll need to make other sleeping arrangements?” I teased and they both grinned.

“I have a suggestion. Why don’t you two both take my bed and I’ll sleep in the guest room? The bed in there is too small for two people and I just feel lonely in that big bed all by myself” I suggested.

“You’d certainly be welcome to join us” Jim invited, cocking an eyebrow at both Cherie and I with a mischievous look.

Cherie and I exchanged glances and we both shook our heads and giggled. I knew Jim would get over his disappointment relatively quickly.