Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The familiar arrival of Saturday brought with it a sense of déjà vu, as if time had effortlessly looped back upon itself. Laura took the children to the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. She kept half an eye on the children as her mind wandered back over the last few weeks and the comfortable routine that she and James had forged between them.
Tuesday and Friday, Laura spent the evening with her father. Well, to be accurate, she spent Tuesday evenings and Friday afternoons with him. He’d taken to urging her out the door earlier and earlier on Fridays. She suspected he was having his friends over for beers and poker more often and didn’t want her to be around their coarse influence. She honestly didn’t care how coarse they were as long as Dan was keeping social and taking an interest in things again, but she couldn’t resist teasing a little. However, when she asked if he had a girlfriend he didn’t want her to know about, he became so flustered that she immediately apologized and promised not to poke fun at him again .
On Wednesday after work, she met with Julie and Kate for drinks and sometimes dinner, during which they would exchange horror stories of the work week, moan good-naturedly about their home lives, and of course, engage in locker-room talk about their love lives and all the ways BDSM made it better. They even began to make tentative plans for the future – a weekend winter holiday, a spa day, maybe a summer road trip. Sometimes it still felt unreal, that she had fallen into such good friends.
Saturday, she took Tim and Abby out and afterwards, she ate dinner with Suzie and the kids. It felt good to have that time together, just the four of them (sometimes five, if Dan came over, although he was usually busy on Saturdays), although now and then Laura caught herself fantasizing over maybe bringing James along. She wasn’t sure how he felt about spending time with kids, but she really wanted Suzie to meet him and see for herself that he wasn’t an ogre, or even a leather-pants-wearing Master from one of her steamy books, but just a man. The man in Laura’s life.
There was no denying that was what he was, even though Laura refused to call what they had a committed relationship. Every other moment of the week, Laura was either at James’s or he spent the night at her place. It was nice to have someone taking care of the things in her life Laura had so easily neglected, like exercise and getting enough sleep. Laura also enjoyed taking care of James – serving him a meal or anticipating his need for a drink. Laura knew they were reaching the end of their one-month agreement and while she couldn’t fathom ending their relationship, she also wasn’t ready to commit to something full time. Her marriage had taught her to value her freedom .
During these weeks, her body also adjusted to running. It had become her favorite activity, especially when James accompanied her. He was so attuned to her; he knew before she did when she was pushing too hard or wasn’t running relaxed. The mindfulness exercises were a different story. Laura had an active mind, and it took great effort not to let her mind take control.
As these thoughts scrolled peacefully through Laura’s mind, Abby came running in her direction and she forced herself back into the present. “What’s up Abby?”
“You have to come and see this dollhouse, Aunt Laura! It’s really incredible,” Abby chattered. “Even Tim thinks it’s great.”
“Really? A dollhouse Tim likes, huh? You’re right, I’ve got to see this.” Laura followed her niece and spent the rest of their time together focused on the children.
After a pleasant afternoon at the museum, they arrived at Suzie’s just in time for dinner. The casserole Suzie had made with chicken, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and thyme had been a perfect mix of hearty and sweet. Laura leaned back against her chair and puffed, “I’m stuffed. I’ll have to be really careful the rest of the week to compensate for that meal. Your cooking is great, sis.”
Suzie grinned. “Thank you, I’m happy you enjoyed it. You don’t look like you need to be careful to me. I think you look great.”
“I do?” Laura went still.
Suzie frowned. “Yes, haven’t you noticed?”
“Not really,” Laura admitted. “I’m feeling good and I can run three miles easily now, but I hadn’t considered it could be seen as well. ”
“Yes, it shows. But it isn’t only how you’ve slimmed and toned. Your hair is shiny and your eyes sparkle. Your complexion is so good, I swear you’re literally glowing. I haven’t seen you this happy in years.” Suzie went silent for a moment and continued, “I know I wasn’t keen on this BDSM stuff, but I think this James guy is really good for you.” She looked around to see if the kids were in earshot and asked, “Did he tie you up again?”
Laura nodded and said in a low tone. “Let me tell what he did to me last night.”
Suzie leaned in closer as Laura told her about a session that involved being tied down and shaved bare, followed by the most amazing oral sex which had led to a delicious orgasm. “And before I’d come down from that one, he slammed into me, and I came all over again. Believe me, the sex is over-the-top good,” she concluded, blushing as she checked the doorway yet again to reassure herself the kids were still playing in the other end of the house. “I never know exactly what he’s going to do, just that he’ll take care of me.”
Suzie let out a breath and slumped back in her chair, looking slightly flushed herself. “I could almost be a little jealous.”
Laura debated for a moment, then took the plunge. “I’d really like to bring him around to meet you someday,” she said, adding when Suzie’s eyes opened wide with alarm, “I promise you, he’ll leave his whips and leather pants at home.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” Suzie said with a forced laugh and a faint frown. “I just don’t know. I know he’s a big part of your life right now, but my kids… I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I don’t know. We’ll see. ”
“All right,” said Laura, recognizing a ‘No’ when she didn’t hear one. “We’ll see.”
A few days later, Laura’s phone rang. Recognizing the caller ID, she tried not to sound surprised or concerned as she answered. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”
“Okay,” said Dan softly, not to her, but almost as if he was hyping himself up for something. Odd. Her father didn’t call often and always got straight to the point. But before Laura could ask if something was wrong, he started talking again, once more in his usual hearty phone-voice. “Hi, honey. You have plans for Thanksgiving?”
Laura’s eyebrows rose. “Well, nothing special, I guess. Aren’t me meeting up at Suzie’s like usual?”
“Well, it’s a lot of work for her, isn’t it? And a lot of dishes to wash up. So I was thinking… What would you say about all of us going out for dinner on Thanksgiving? My treat.”
Laura sank on her sofa. “That would be fun, Dad, but it’s really expensive to buy us all dinner.”
“Nonsense. It’s a long time since I took my beautiful girls out and the little rascals are old enough to enjoy a restaurant and not cause trouble,” Dan replied.
That was true. Laura couldn’t remember the last time they had gone out for dinner as a family.
“Besides I wasn’t going to take you to the Bluestem,” her father quipped.
Laura grinned at the thought of them dining in the super expensive Michelin star restaurant. “So what were you thinking?”
“Golden Corral? Something for everybody there. ”
“Well, in that case I would love to have Thanksgiving with you. Thank you, Dad.” Laura was genuinely pleased, mostly from hearing her father sound so happy. Not for the first time, she reflected on the change in him lately, but this didn’t seem like the time to ask. Dan didn’t like having big conversations on the phone, and Laura couldn’t think of a polite way to say Why aren’t you depressed anymore ? After they’d discussed the details, they said their goodbyes.
As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again. This time, it was Suzie.
“Hey, I was just about to call you,” Laura answered, curling up against the backrest.
“I guess you’ve spoken with Dad.”
“Yep. Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral. Black Friday with a bottle of Tums.”
Before Laura could say anything else, Suzie exclaimed, “What’s happening? It was only a couple of months ago he was so down and depressed that he would barely leave his living room and now he wants to go to a restaurant. On Thanksgiving, when it’s crazy busy!”
Laura burst out laughing. “I couldn’t have summed things up better. I don’t know, he sounded so…” She searched for the right word. “Well, happy.”
“Yes, he did.” Suzie agreed. “But it’s not just dinner with the family for the first time in forever, it’s… it’s so many little things. The garden, the lawn, the house looks great, he got a new suit?—”
“He what?”
“I saw it in his closet when I went over to help him with the laundry, not that he had any for me to do. Has he hired a cleaning service, do you know? The house is spotless every time I come over! ”
“He hasn’t mentioned it, but I’ve noticed that, too.”
“He’s lost weight, but his appetite has never been better,” Suzie went on fretfully. “And he acts happy, but a little too happy. And when I try to talk to him about it, he changes the subject. I catch him looking at me sometimes and he looks worried. Do you think… Do you think he’s sick?”
“Okay, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Laura said.
“I just remember how Richard was, before he told us.”
“I understand,” Laura soothed. “But there are a lot of reasons why someone might lose weight.”
“It’s just so out of character.”
“Is it, though? Suzie, Dad’s been depressed for a long time, ever since Mom died, but that’s not ‘normal’ behavior either. Everything he’s doing now, he did when we were kids, and it wasn’t alarming then, was it?”
Suzie breathed into the phone for a while, then tentatively said, “You think he just, what? Got therapy?”
“Maybe. Maybe his poker friends have been talking him through some things. They’re coming around more often and most of them are widowers, too. Maybe seeing Tim and Abby just reminded him he still has a lot to live for. To be honest, sis, I don’t really care about the why. I’m just so glad he’s happy.”
They spoke a bit about the children, the bonus Suzie was expecting from work and if Laura’s employer would finally agree to build the new website. After they’d finished up, Laura’s thoughts went to James. She considered inviting him along to the Thanksgiving dinner, but reluctantly decided against it. Her sister, knowing some of what went on their bedroom, might feel awkward. Her father might think she was hijacking a family occasion he'd organized to make it all about her and her boyfriend. James might feel like an interloper. And anyway, he’d mentioned that he and Chris usually kept each other company on holidays. Except Christmas, when Chris went to visit his parents in Arizona. Maybe that would be a better time to introduce James to her family. As Suzie was so fond of saying, she’d just have to wait and see.