5. Making changes
5
MAKING CHANGES
As Leah and I conclude our conversation, Paige and Amy walk back towards us, each carrying two plates with sandwiches and chips. My stomach rumbles at the aroma of fresh bread and fruit. Paige smiles at me and hands me a plate, sitting beside me while Amy hands Leah a dish and sits beside her.
“We picked some fresh blackberries on the way up and brought along a cantaloupe and some strawberries,” Paige says, pointing at the fresh fruit with a plastic fork. She’s smiling at me, even though I’m between her and her wife. Leah grins, moving closer to me to give Amy more room to sit.
“Do you want me to swap?” I ask because while I was friendly toward Paige in high school, it’s been decades since we’ve been in the same room. I mostly knew her through Leah.
“Nope.” Paige grins as she bites into a strawberry, and I can’t help focusing on her lips as she lightly sucks the fresh berry, nodding at her wife beside me. “She wanted to catch up with Amy and said you and I should reconnect. She thinks very highly of you.”
“So they were scheming.” I grin and wink at Amy. I wonder what has given Leah such a high opinion of me. They both grin, blushing and sensing my attention, so I ask Amy. "Where did you get the food?"
“I made the bread this morning. It’s nothing special; I needed to keep the sourdough starter going.” She shrugs and continues to describe the meal. “Turkey from the deli we partner with; same with the rest. We should eat. I want to soak in the hot tub before it gets too dark.”
“Sounds great.” I start eating, turning to Paige. “Congratulations on your marriage.” It sounds lame since they’ve been married for a while.
“Thank you,” Paige says with a genuine smile and blush. "It only made it official and legal; we’ve been together since college.”
“I knew you were close in high school.” I nod, not knowing what to say. I continue eating silently and glance at Amy and Leah, leaning close to each other, talking low enough that I can’t eavesdrop. “What do you do now?” I ask, trying to avoid more awkward silence.
“I manage a sporting goods store in the valley. It’s fun,” Paige says after chewing a bite of her sandwich. “I get to partner with the high schools in the region and help with their equipment and uniforms.”
“You always enjoyed sports. Do you still play?” I ask while enjoying a handful of blueberries.
“I do. Mostly in the city softball league, but I also bowl.” She shrugs. “Golf is fun when I have the time. You used to golf, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, it’s always been a hobby. I used to play softball on some company teams but travel too much now.”
“Do you like being a road warrior?” she asks, raising her brow while holding a piece of melon on her plastic fork.
“I did when I started,” I say with a sigh. “It’s becoming a grind. I’d love to slow down so I can do more recreation.”
“Do you own a home?” Another question that makes me rethink my priorities.
“No, just a small apartment near the airport,” I admit with a shrug. “It’s more storage than anything else. A place to swap out clothes between trips.”
“Sounds like a drag.” Paige grins broadly. “What do you do?”
“Technical sales and a little bit of training.” I shake my head and take a bite of the sandwich. She waits for me to finish chewing.
Seeing her eyes tracking me, I realize I never slow down enough to talk with people. I always go a thousand miles an hour and never take a break. I finish swallowing and set my half-eaten plate behind me on the couch.
“I’m good at it, but I hate it too.”
“Why do something you hate that makes you travel so much?” Paige asks curiously, and I shrug.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but your wife asked me the same questions.” I grin and glance at Leah, who smiles at hearing her name but continues her conversation with Amy.
“Do you need the money?” Paige asks. “It sounds like you live with a small footprint. You don’t have a home, travel on the company dime, and have no attachments. You could probably make a change easily.”
I grab my plate and take another bite of the sandwich. The two of them have me rethinking my priorities, and the draw I feel toward discovering what might be between Amy and me is compelling. I take another bite and focus on the floor, deep in thought.
What would it take for me to change my life? Resigning would be easy. I have a career’s worth of savings. I could retire early. I've been with the same company long enough to earn it. Managing what I'd need to do wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Hey,” Paige says in response to my quiet. “I was just curious, Kurt. I want to know how you are. Sorry for the third degree.”
I take the last bite of the sandwich and smile at Amy, who returns a cute grin, blushing at my attention. Leah looks at me, taking a cue from Amy’s smile, and her eyes twinkle. Turning to Paige, I take a sip of water. All three girls have shown more concern for me than anyone has for a long time. Feeling their genuine warmth is soothing, and I relax more in my seat.
“You’re not grilling me,” I assure her with a smile. “I haven’t asked myself these questions recently. I’ve focused on doing what I’ve always done, so thinking about anything different hasn’t occurred to me. Driving up from the valley brought up a lot of happy memories. I need to consider making some changes.”
Everyone finishes, and I collect their empty paper plates. I take them into the kitchen and dump the trash in the can under the sink. I hear the hum of their conversation and as I walk back into the sitting area, they quiet down and stand up.
“Let’s swim,” Amy says, looking at me. “Did you bring a suit?”
“I did, but isn’t it too cold to swim?” My question makes them all grin.
“You forgot about the hot springs around here,” Paige says. “Amy has her water supply hooked into the geothermal spring nearby. The pool is always warm, and the hot tub is steamy.”
“A swim sounds wonderful.” I nod as I remember the area is dotted with different spas. It wouldn’t take much to bring in limitless hot water. “I’ll go change.”
Amy nods, and the two of us walk to the door. “I’ll run to the lodge and change into my swimsuit.” She waves to the fenced swimming area in the circle of cabins. “I’ll meet you there in a few?”
“Definitely.” She stops grabbing my hand, and we come together quickly and kiss tenderly. Her blush is back when we part, and she giggles.
“You sure have made me feel a helluva lot younger than I am, Kurt Darby,” Amy says, winking at me. “See you over there.”
She turns quickly, and I drop my hand to adjust the slight rise in my shorts. Feeling our chemistry has my arousal working on a tripwire, and I’m not complaining. I’ve been in many hotels and flirted with many women staying for only a night or two. I haven’t felt the attraction and infectious pull I feel with Amy since we met in high school.
Hopping up the steps to my cabin, I enter and strip down to nothing, only to realize my bedroom window is open and faces the other cabin. Paige and Leah are talking while stripping naked and unaware of me watching. I freeze. Any movement might be noticed, and I feel like a peeping Tom. I can’t help but examine their bodies. They are both athletic, Leah a bit curvier than Paige. Paige’s breasts are small, with pink nipples that jut out from her chest. Leah’s are fuller, with large round aureoles and thick, darker nipples.
Before I can continue my illicit surveillance, Leah turns toward the window, holding the top of her bikini and looking at the ground. Paige steps behind her and lifts the cups of the bikini to cover her breasts. Looking out the window, Leah graces me with a mischievous smile.
Her eyes drop past my torso until she stares at my groin. I realize that my cock has stiffened from the taboo nature of watching them without them realizing it and their natural beauty and sex appeal. I freeze like a deer as she grins at me before she turns to say something over her shoulder. Paige keeps tying the bow in Leah’s bikini top as her gaze lifts to look out the window.
I have the impulse to drop my hands, cover myself, and turn away. I do nothing instead, feeling a swirl of arousal in my core as Paige’s lips curve into a smile. She nods, giving me two thumbs up through the window. I laugh, and reach for my swim trunks lying on the bed.
Fuck it, if they want to watch, I don’t mind.
They continue dressing as I pull up the trunks, and it takes a few calming breaths to get my dick to relax enough to stuff into my shorts. When I check again, they’ve left the room. I hurry out, find a towel in the bathroom, and leave my cabin as they leave theirs.
The paths from our cabins converge, and we all smile at each other.
“That was pretty impressive,” Paige teases, and I chuckle and shake my head.
“Amy wasn’t exaggerating,” Leah says, increasing my self-consciousness.
“Aren’t you both lesbians?” I ask. I want to smack my forehead but blush and wave my hand. “That wasn’t…”
“No,” Leah interrupts. “It’s a fair question, and no—we’re both bisexual, and our relationship is open. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
We are close enough to the swimming pool gate that the silence isn’t too uncomfortable, and I act nonchalant as I move the towel to cover the growing bulge in my shorts.