Lonnie's Enterrpise

"Interesting, I'd never have guessed that one."

"Oh, I'm full of surprises."

"I'll just bet you are."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I can be full of surprises too."

"I have no doubt of that, but I meant what do you like to do?"

"I enjoy having guests over once in a while, and like you I like to cook, but I'm more into meals and not desserts. I like what I do and don't really think of it as work."

"That's why you're so good at it."

"I'm glad you think so."

When they reached Megan's house, Sam stepped toward his car and said, "Just think, before long, I'll just walk across the yard to go home."

"That will be nice."

"I think so too."

Sam picked Megan up Friday morning and they took off on their shopping marathon, spending the first hour or so paying for the furniture they had selected earlier. When he saw her list, they both laughed at the length of it. "I may have to buy you dinner and a bedtime snack before we get this done."

"Now how did you know I have to have a bedtime snack?"

"Doesn't everybody?" They laughed and went on their way to the Penney's Home Store. Anybody watching them would have assumed they were married as they made their way through the store. They stayed close together and talked softly as first one would point something out and then the other one would. They were working hard, but to the observer, they were newly married and eagerly furnishing their home. When they were done; however, all they had found were the sheets and comforter and all the associated pieces for the bedroom.

As they were checking out, the clerk smiled and asked them, "Just married?"

Megan looked at Sam and slipped her arm through his and said, "Oh no, we've been married for three years."

Sam almost choked as he looked back at her, but he played along by just smiling. As they left Sam had to ask her, "Where did that come from?"

Meg laughed and just said, "I have no idea. I just said whatever came into my mind."

Sam just shook his head and taking her arm said, "Come on my wife, and let's go to the next store.

They shopped until noon and stopped for lunch, and rested before continuing. By five o'clock they had gotten most of the things on the list, but not quite, and they were both exhausted. "Sam, could we stop and have a cocktail someplace and catch our breath?"

"That sounds like a lifesaving suggestion to me." They went to the Oasis and found a booth in the bar.

As they waited for their drinks, Megan called Lonnie. "Hi honey. No, I'm with Sam now and we're still shopping...no, I'm afraid not, we've bought a mountain of things and we want to finish if we can, but I don't know if we'll make it." There was a long pause and then she said, "No, I'm not sure what time. We'll get something while we're out, so you go ahead and do whatever." Another long pause and then, "Okay, I'm not sure who will get home first, but I'll get there as soon as I can." She listened another minute and then said goodbye and closed her phone.

"I take it Lonnie is running late too."

"It looks like it, but he says things will hopefully settle down in another week or so."

"That sounds encouraging."

"It's about time."

"So what do you think Meg, more shopping ,or give up and try again a day or two?"

"I think we'd make wiser decisions if we would slow down and take one more day."

"I have to agree. There at the end, I wanted to make decisions just to get them over with."

"That's not a good thing."

"So let's relax here, and then go to Pauly's for dinner."

"Oh Sam, I'm not dressed for that."

"Meg, you look wonderful even after this very long day of shopping."

"You don't think I'm a little underdressed?"

"No, I do not."

"Could we stop at the house so I can just freshen up and comb my hair?"

"Of course."

They abandoned the cocktail lounge and headed home. "Sam, make yourself comfortable, and I promise I'll only be a few minutes."

"You don't need touching up, but take your time." It was almost fifteen minutes later she came out with fresh makeup, her hair redone, and she had changed into very nice silky slacks and a soft draping blouse that drew his eye right to her chest.

"Oh Meg, now you've done it. After dinner, I'm taking you home with me and Lonnie is just out of luck. You are too stunning for words."

"So this is okay for Pauly's?"

"If it isn't, they better just close the doors because they'll never see anybody that looks better than you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek before saying, "You are such a breath of fresh air. I just love your lies."

"I'll tell you what. If I lie about your looks, I'll wink first so you'll know." They were both tired from their long day of shopping. But they they had a wonderful dinner and lingered over a couple of drinks before he took her home again. Sam got out of the car and met her as she was getting out. "Meg, I won't come in. You are tired and so am I. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate all that you're doing for me. I know all of this doesn't come with the decorating, and not only have you been a big help, I've had a wonderful day being with you."

"I'm glad Sam, I've enjoyed the day too. Want to finish up Monday?"

"Sure."

"Same time?"

"Sure why not." She walked toward her door and then she stopped and turned around and with a warm smile she said, "Thank you, Sam. Thanks for a fun day and a wonderful dinner."

"Thank you for going Meg, see you Monday."

Chapter Four

Monday was a repeat of Friday, except much slower and more laid back. They spent the morning finishing the list, and then after a leisurely lunch, they went to a few shops that Megan knew about to look for a few needed things for the walls, and to set around the rooms. That was one area where their tastes differed, and it took a lot of negotiations before they were able to agree on the different items. Megan was getting a better feel for his tastes though, and they did better as the afternoon wore on. Now that they weren't trying to cover as much ground as they could, they relaxed and had fun together. Though neither of them mentioned it, they both felt a sense of loss and disappointment when they were done. They no longer had an excuse to be together. They still got together a couple of times, but it wasn't the same being at Megan and Lonnie's house when Lonnie was there.

Sam's apartment was so crowded with merchandise now, he could hardly move around, so when the day finally came that he could move in to his house, he arranged to have the furniture delivered and he started hauling his things from the apartment over to his new house one car load at a time. Now that he had the space, he went shopping for groceries and stocked his cupboards and his bar. He spent several days getting used to his new home, and made sure everything was just right and Lonnie was at work before he called Megan. "Hello?"

"Meg, it's Sam."

"Well hi, how's the moving coming?"

"I have pronounced it completed and turned in the key to the apartment. Could I get you to come see it?"

"I'd love to, when were you thinking?"

"How about now?"

"Give me fifteen minutes or so."

"Take your time."

"The last time you told me that I got dressed up for you."

"How well I remember."

He was watching for her and had the door open when she arrived. He stopped her and put his hand over her eyes. "Now hold on to me, and I'll guide you in to the living room." She put her arm around his waist and the two of them carefully moved out of the foyer and into the living room where he stopped. "Ready?"

"I'm ready." He moved his hand and with her arm still around him, she looked around the room and then her smile grew. As she pulled them closer together she said, "Oh Sam, it's even nicer than I thought it would be. Please tell me you like it too."

"I love it Meg, you did a wonderful job."

"With the other rooms too?"

"Well, let's go see." With their arms around each other they made their way through the archway to the dining room, and once again she was pleased with the outcome. She looked up at him and asked, "This okay for you too?"

He looked down at her and smiled. "Once again, I love it."

From there they went upstairs to his office where she nodded her head. "It's just as I visualized it."

"It's very functional and stylish." From there they went to the guest room, which was the simplest room they had done, but they both agreed it was very adequate. From there they went back downstairs to the master bedroom. They stood there looking around and she said, "The painters did a great job. I love this room."

"I do too." Meg seemed to take her time looking around and then Sam kissed her cheek and told her, "Let's go to the kitchen I have something for us." When they got there, he opened a bottle of sparkling wine and poured two glasses and then showed her a small tray of hors d'oeuvres, "My first project in my new kitchen." They tapped their glasses together and took a sip as they looked at each other. Meg smiled at him and then selected one of his stuffed mushrooms. She raised her eyebrows at him in appreciation and tried a cracker with some kind of fancy topping.

"Oh Sam, those are very good."

"Those are very easy to make, but always a hit."

"I can see why."

She had a couple more tastes and a little more wine, and then he said looking at her, "You know in addition to having a very nice home thanks to you, it has a special meaning to me. I can look at the couch, and remember us as you showed it to me, and we dropped onto it in exhaustion from our marathon day. I can remember us going back and forth between those two dining room tables, and I can remember us going from chair to chair as we tested them for comfort and kept changing our minds. Every thing we bought for this house has a special memory attached to it." Meg was watching him as he shared his thoughts with her.

"Sam, do you really mean what you just said?"

"Of course I do, why would you even ask that?"

"Because that is so sweet and so wonderful of you to say that. We did have a lot of fun doing that didn't we."

"We had a great time, and I'm kind of sad it's over actually. Meg, you worked so hard to do this for me, and there is nothing that I can think of to do special for you."

"You paid my fee."

"No, I mean something really nice, something as special as what you've done for me."

"You don't have to do anything for me, Sam."

"I'll think of something one day, I promise."

"Don't move away, how's that?"

"I don't plan to believe me. If you ever need anything, anything at all just call me."

"I will." Meg emptied her glass and looked at him again. "Sam, I better go home or I'll say, or do something I shouldn't, and try to blame it on the wine. I love your new house, Sam and...I...I'll bring Lonnie over so he can see it."

Sam watched her and then in a less than sincere tone, "Yes, do that." She smiled and stepped away from him and went home. He watched her go and then poured what was left of the wine down the drain and tossed the appetizers in the trash. All of a sudden everything he had going on in his life, didn't seem so important to him. In fact, if he thought about it very much he could see that it could all end up being very counterproductive.

He was in the kitchen puttering late one afternoon and looking at some of his recipes that he'd saved. He realized he hadn't seen Megan for at least a week after that day he showed her the house, but she kept visiting his thoughts on a regular basis. He hadn't lied to her. Everything he looked at in the house had her stamp and their memories connected to it. It was almost funny. He'd sold all of his possessions before to get rid of all the bad memories, but now he wondered if he would have to sell everything because everything had such wonderful memories attached to them. He noticed one of his recipes, a simple one actually, but he quickly made a batch. It had to sit for many hours before it would be ready, but that was okay too. In fact, that was much better

He waited until about twelve the next day and called Megan. When she answered he told her, "I have a special taste treat for you if you're not busy."

"I'm not so busy that I don't have time for my neighbor."

"Mind if I bring it over?"

"Of course not." After making an arrangement on a small attractive plate he made his way over to her house and knocked on the backdoor.

"It's open Sam." He went in and she had her head in the freezer.

"I hope you're not stuck in there."

"No, I can't find a small roast I bought a few weeks ago." She gave up and closed the door and he handed her a small plate of salad tomatoes.

"Now I know they may not look really festive, and I think with a little imagination that could be remedied. But those are not just ordinary tomatoes. Do you like bloody Mary's?"

"Sure."

"Then taste one of those and tell me what you think." She selected one and slipped it into her mouth and pulled the toothpick away. She bit into it and her eyes went wide.

"Oh my God, that tasted like a bloody Mary. Wow, I can taste the vodka."

"Now be careful with those, because they can be potent for some people."

"Those are just too tasty."

"I'm glad you like them. I won't keep you but I wanted to bring those over to you."

"Thank you, Sam."

"I'll see you later."

"You don't have to rush off."

"I'll catch up with you later when you're not busy."

Chapter Five

It was about an hour and a half later and Sam was in his office working when he heard his doorbell. He went down and found Megan standing at the backdoor smiling at him. "Hi."

"Hi, I brought your plate back."

"Come in, did you find your roast?"

"What roast? Oh that roast. Oh hell no." He took the plate and then he put his finger under her chin and tipped her head up and looked at her.

"You didn't eat all of those did you?"

"Of course not."

"Good because there were a good dozen of them."

"I think there's still maybe two or three left."

"Are you drunk?"

"No, but I sure can feel them."

"I warned you."

"How'd you get the vodka into them?"

"It's a secret but I'll tell you. Soak the tomatoes in vodka overnight." She put her arms around his waist and pulled him close.

"Damn you Sam, when you told me about everything having memories of us I almost cried." She looked up at him and he smiled at her.

"Meg it's true. Everyday I think about the fun we had shopping." She looked at him and then pulled him down and kissed him. He didn't hesitate and put his arms around her and their kiss continued for some time.

She finally pulled back just a little and he saw tears slipping down her cheeks. "Oh damn it Sam, I shouldn't have done that."

"No, I guess we shouldn't have, but at the same time I'm not sorry, Meg. I've wanted to feel and taste your kiss for a long time."

"Oh God, I better get out of here. She stopped and turned around to look at him again. "Sam, it wasn't the vodka that caused that. I wish I could blame it on that, but I can't."

"Meg...thank you. Your kiss meant more to me than you can imagine."

"Bye Sam" and she left quickly before she weakened any more. Sam stood there staring at where Meg had just been and could still feel her kiss. He knew he was treading dangerous ground and as much as he thought of Meg, it had to stop. He'd come too far to ruin everything by being careless now.

It was about a week and a half later, when Lonnie called Sam and invited him to join them for another evening of food and beverage with the same group of people as the last time, and he eagerly accepted the invitation. The last time had been enjoyable and he looked forward to seeing the same group again. As before they ate finger food, drank, talked and laughed. With a special look, Megan managed to let Sam know that she was thinking of him, but all he could do was smile back at her.

Miranda and Sam talked again and he could see why Megan liked her so much, because they were a lot alike in many ways. Sam got Miranda a fresh drink and she told him, "I'd like to see your house some day if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind at all, Meg did such a nice job for me."

"I'm sure she did. I always like what she comes up with. She told me about all the fun you two had choosing furniture and accessories."

"It was exhausting, but we had a great time." Sam was getting a little

uncomfortable, because he was afraid that if he talked to Megan too much, Lonnie might not like it and the same went with Miranda and her husband. He tried to focus on the conversation with the men, but they were talking chemistry and it bored him. At the same time, he didn't want to ignore the women, so after he'd been there for awhile he excused himself early and went home.

For the next few weeks he stayed away from Meg as much as he could without hurting her feelings, and he made it a point to have dinner with Lonnie at the restaurant whenever he could. He could see that Lonnie was getting pretty stressed. "Lonnie, is everything okay with you, you seem pretty preoccupied."

"Sam, to tell the truth everything is turning to shit at the office. The harder I try to patch things up the worse they seem to get."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it's something that will work itself out."

"I do too and I'm not giving up, but it's tough and getting tougher."

"How is Megan holding up?"

"She's getting tired of me always being late to get home. She can't understand that I'm up to my ass in problems."

"I can't imagine what it would be, but if there's anything I can do to help let me know."

"Thanks I'll keep that in mind."

"If you don't mind some advice from a friend..."

"No speak your mind."

"Don't neglect Megan too much for the office."

"Sam, I know and I appreciate your intentions, but I have no choice but to follow through with what I have started. To walk away from everything now would be disastrous." Sam repeated his offer of help and then excused himself and went home to work in his office. It was hard to remind Lonnie about Meg, because he wanted to be with her so much, but he couldn't be and it was as simple as that.

It was only a few nights later when Lonnie came home late yet again and Megan cornered him. "Lonnie, this has to stop. I never see you until almost bedtime and you're so exhausted and jumpy."

"Damn it Megan, I can't help it. You have no idea how bad things are right now. It's...it's a cluster fuck."

"Lonnie, don't talk like that."

"Well that's how bad it is, and it won't get better for awhile."

"Then we'll just have to get along until you can come up with something else to do."

"It isn't that simple. I can't just walk away from this, I have others that I have to worry about and if I don't, it could get even worse. I have somebody outside of the company...a consultant of sorts...that has been vital to what we're doing. I mean he's vital. Anyway he has developed some problems that won't go away. On top of that, his problem could spill over to my company and take us down with him."

"So what will you do?"

"I'm trying to find a way to work around him and stay in business at the same time." Megan didn't know whether to be mad at him or to feel sorry for him. How could everything be going fine, and then in a matter of a couple of months be at a critical point? Megan wished she could talk to Sam. She knew there was nothing he could do to help her, but she felt she needed to talk to him and have him hold her. She needed to be with him and laugh again.

Megan lasted a couple of days after hearing Lonnie's tale of woe, and then called Sam, but all she could do was leave him a message. "Sam, it's Meg. Call me when you can please? I haven't seen or heard from you in a long time, bye." It was late in the day when he listened to her message and it hurt him. He could hear the need in her voice and he knew why, but he didn't call her. It was two days later when he called and heard her sweet voice say, "Hello?"