Best For Who Ch. 03

'Is she downstairs?'

'Yup,' I nodded. 'And no, there was no light bulb moment of understanding for me.' I recounted our conversation as I undressed. Jodi pulled the sheets back for me and as she did so I saw that she was at least topless in the bed. My body reacted and she smiled as my member rose. I slipped in beside her and we kissed, body to body. I discovered below the sheets that she was in fact naked. I flicked the light off and found her pushing me down and slipping on top of me.

'Do you still think she's beautiful?' Jodi asked the question in between kisses that were becoming more urgent and probing. She was sliding her pussy lips along the length of my erection, teasing me with the promise of entry to her inner warmth.

'Yes,' I admitted, 'but not in the take my breath away kind of thing that she used to.'

'Like I do?' Jodi leaned down and breathed the words into my ear.

'Uh huh,' I agreed feeling her tense as the head of my cock slid ever so slightly into her. 'Or like Amber does?' That threw me and I lost concentration for a moment.

'What?' But she said nothing more, instead pressing down onto me until I was nestled inside her. She rode me slowly, her breath hot in my ear, her breasts soft against my chest as she moved only from the hips. It was only when she lifted her head so I could see her face that I saw the tears, and I kissed them from her cheeks in silence as we made love. They were warm and salty and she licked them from my lips in turn. Finally I felt my climax nearing, and told her so. She smiled and sat upright, her body lithe and firm as she rode me into a deep and long lasting orgasm.

When I was finished she lay on me until my cock softened and slipped from her, then she slid beside me under my arm.

'Please be honest with me about how you feel about her?'

'I am,' I responded straight away, a little confused.

'Not now,' she scolded me, 'over the next week or month. It's gonna be messy and maybe you'll think it's worth another shot...'

'I won't...'

'Shh!' she admonished. 'If you do, please tell me first. Can you promise me that?'

'I promise,' I said.

***

Kelly kept her promise the next morning, waiting for the kids to head off for school before she emerged, leaving the house after an awkward breakfast between the three of us. At her request I phoned Bill and Irene to tell them she was back and asked if they wanted to see her. Irene broke down crying, Bill's voice was shaky but relieved, as a father should be after his daughter finally came back to life. I ordered her a cab and paid for it, I had no intention of letting her use the car or of driving her over.

I told the kids on Friday morning. They still wanted to go to school as there was an excursion to the zoo. Courtney was somewhat subdued and I saw the hurt in her eyes that she had been suppressing. Alex was just excited. I hugged them both and told them I loved them with more emphasis than I normally did.

Jodi insisted that she would drive the kids to Bill and Irene's after school as she always did on Friday. I was home early and when she walked in I saw happiness in her face that took away the tension that had been building over the past two days.

'They hugged me, invited me in for tea, all the usual things.' Jodi was pleased as punch and I almost felt that their continued acceptance of her was more important than mine. 'I said I wouldn't come in, that it might be a bit awkward, and then Irene hugged me and told me she loved me. Me!' Jodi threw her arms around me and we kissed.

'Why wouldn't she?' I laughed.

Chapter 04

Two weeks later, Kelly dropped a bombshell on me. She had brought the kids back from her parents' place, bathed them and put them to bed. Jodi had hung around upstairs not wanting to interfere with Kelly's time with the kids, which was sweet. As I held the door open, Kelly paused as she crossed the step.

'Dave, I need to get a job and get myself sorted.'

'That's probably a good idea,' I replied.

'I can't live at Mum and Dad's; we'll drive each other insane.' I smiled at the fact that she recognised Bill and Irene's sanity was on the line as much as her own. Kelly had always seen the faults in her relationship with her parents as being of their doing.

'I was wondering if I could live downstairs in the spare room, just until I get a job.'

I was speechless and the thought that Kelly might have been joking only lasted a nanosecond as I saw her expression imploring me to agree.

'I can't...'

'Please, don't answer now,' she said softly. Kelly reached out and rested her hand on my elbow, and it struck me as somewhat intimate. 'Talk to Jodi, see what she has to say.' Without waiting for a response Kelly turned and walked down the path to where her car was parked. Jodi had insisted on returning Kelly's BMW, pointing out that it would give her the mobility that we all wanted her to have, and be seen as a good faith gesture. Ever practical my Jodi, I thought to myself as I walked upstairs and the startled look on my face must have been still in place.

'You okay?' Jodi's voice cut through my tumultuous thoughts.

'Kelly asked to move in downstairs until she gets a job!' I just blurted it out then started giggling. 'I was about to tell her that I thought she was joking when she said I should ask you first. Like either of us want her here. Christ!'

'It's not as crazy as it seems...' Jodi began. That cut my giggles off.

'What the fuck!?' I exclaimed, 'she can put up with her parents, that'll be the motivation that she needs to get a job.' I shook my head, 'why would either of us want her here?'

'I'm not saying I want her here Dave,' Jodi shot back. Her tone was sharp and brought me to focus. 'But it'll be good for the kids to get to know her again, and it'll probably stop her getting bitter at us if she can't find work, which means she won't be workin' on Bill and Irene to turn them against us.'

'What? Are you actually suggesting that we...'

'Yeah, I am! Right now there's no talk of lawyers and shit like that. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, huh?'

'So she is the enemy then?' I asked with a small grin.

'Maybe,' Jodi said softly.

'Look,' I said after a moment of thought, 'you're one of a kind and your idea kinda makes sense, but you know, I really don't want to be living with my ex-wife and my future wife. It can't be normal, you know?' Jodi was looking at me with her head tilted to one side and a quizzical expression.

'What?' I asked in exasperation.

'And who might your future wife be exactly?' I blinked then, realising what I had said. At a time like that there's only two choices; backtrack wildly or...I dropped to my knee.

'This isn't how I imagined doin' it Jodes, but will you marry me?' Her mouth dropped open and I got the giggles again. After a moment she did too, then she closed the space between us and hugged me to her chest. I remained on one knee feeling her warmth through her shirt, the softness of her breasts against my face and I could hear her heart beating.

'I can't answer that yet Dave,' she said, 'but if you agree that Kell' can move in and live downstairs, and that you can be normal around her, then I'll know that I'm not your rebound chick, or second choice or whatever.' I looked up at her and saw tears in her eyes. Not of sadness but of love. I circled her tiny waist and squeezed her against me.

'Okay,' I replied, 'but only 'til she gets a job, or for three months.'

An hour later Jodi rang Kelly to tell her that we agreed.

***

The kids were beside themselves and despite my misgivings I found myself in a kind of nervous excitement as we waited for Kelly to arrive. We had all agreed that we would start with a family barbecue and that meant Bill and Irene coming over as well, and when the doorbell rang the kids screamed as they ran to open it and I almost vomited. "What the fuck am I doing?" were the words running around my head on an endless loop as Alex and Courtney dragged their grandparents and Kelly upstairs.

The normal words of welcome were followed by awkward hugs between us all, mostly between Kelly and me, though I didn't think my ex looked too pleased to hug Jodi. The tension dropped as we walked onto the balcony, Jodi grabbed the jug of Long Island Iced Tea that she had prepared (apparently Irene's favourite which was news to me; how is it that women seem to notice so much more of the world around them?), and I grabbed beers for Bill, Kelly and me. The kids hung off Kelly and I heard both of them whispering to her over and over again if she was really moving in. To her credit I heard her reply that it would only be for a while.

Bill helped me cook the meat while Irene and Jodi marshalled the kids into setting the table and laid out the salad. I sensed Kelly felt lost and realised that if she wasn't included a sense of resentment at being alienated in what had been her home could poison our new living arrangements before we'd even started.

'Hey Kel,' I turned from the barbecue, 'do you reckon you could cook up the meat while I drag Bill to the garage to get him to look at my car's Bluetooth setup. It's playing up again,' I added turning to Bill who shrugged. Kelly stood and accepted the tongs I offered with a smile and I saw the gratitude in her eyes.

'Sure, but don't be all night down there.' It was an expression she had used often in our previous life together. My gut lurched at the words; the familiar sound in my ears but at the same time alien after so much had changed since I'd last heard them. My life was so different, but Kelly's presence, her mannerisms and no doubt her belief that she was home was going to place me in two worlds at once.

'C'mon Bill, I need your help...'

'Again,' he laughed and slapped me on the back as we walked down the stairs. Bill may have been retired but he had spent his life in electronics and communications. It had been his passion as a boy and had grown to be his profession as an adult and he still dabbled constantly. He waved off my phone and used his, connecting it to the car's Bluetooth system in under a minute. Then he took mine, and after some cursing at the setting's menu, finally got it to connect.

'You could read the manual you know,' he said with a small smile.

'Where's the challenge in that?' I protested.

'I think you've let yourself in for a huge challenge here,' he jerked his head upstairs. 'How did you convince Jodi that this was a good idea?'

'It was her idea Bill. Actually, it was Kell's idea and Jodi agreed with it,' I corrected myself after seeing the look of incredulity on his face.

'And you?'

'I think its fuckin' crazy!' We laughed at that, me a little hysterically, then we headed upstairs. Kelly was in the kitchen laughing with Irene and Jodi stood just a little apart but was smiling along with them. The kids were drawing in the corner of the room. The whole scene was domestic bliss and at the same time totally surreal.

Dinner was relaxed and pleasant, Kelly talked about her trip in terms of places she had visited, the Ashram in Kashmir that she had lived in for three months; but still without a mention of why. All of us sensed the relaxed vibe and so no one asked the obvious. The White Elephant was permitted to stand silently in the corner of the room. At this point in the new living arrangement that seemed the best way to go. After dinner Bill and Irene helped Kelly put the kids to bed while Jodi and I cleaned away the dishes.

'You okay?' I asked.

'Yeah,' she smiled. As I closed the door of the dishwasher she walked to me and I took her into my arms. We kissed then hugged, Jodi resting her head on my shoulder and I welcomed the familiar warmth of her body against mine.

Kelly appeared with the silent tread of bare feet and both Jodi and I saw the look on her face as she saw us together. I felt Jodi tense as she went to pull away but I held her to me tightly.

'Sorry,' Kelly said, offering a thin lipped smile. 'It's goin' to take me a while to get used to seeing you together like that, but I guess I will.'

'Sure,' I offered.

'Being back in the house, the kids, Mum and Dad, Christ it almost makes me feel I haven't been gone. But...' She looked away and I knew that she was suppressing tears. I felt Jodi give me a little push, as if to say that I should go to her and comfort her. I shook my head at her, and was surprised to see her scowl back. Jodi broke from my grip and walked over to Kelly and slipped an arm around her shoulders, leading her onto the balcony.

Bill and Irene reappeared shortly thereafter to tell us that they were heading home now that the kids were asleep. Bill raised his eyebrows at me when he saw Jodi and Kelly on the balcony together talking earnestly. I offered a small smile and shrugged and he shook his head in response. I was guessing that he didn't approve of the whole deal. I wondered if his wisdom was something I should pay more attention to.

'Bill, go and say goodbye to the girls while I help clean the kitchen.' Bill looked as though he was about to protest, but a stern look from Irene sent him on his way. As soon as he had shut the sliding glass door behind him Irene looked at me with an expression that told me a lecture was coming my way.

'That's my daughter out there, and whatever she did to you I still love her.'

'I know that,' I said feeling unsure where this conversation was going.

'But I don't know why in hell you wanted her to come and live here...'

'Whoa Irene,' I said holding my hands up in mock surrender. 'It was never my idea!' Irene looked puzzled at that. 'Kelly asked to move back in, I initially said no then Jodes talked me into it. Its temporary, you know that, until she can get back on her feet.'

'I don't understand why Jodi would want her here?' Irene still looked puzzled.

'Nor do I really,' I smiled wryly at her. 'Irene, I'm a bloke, you women are the ones that're hard to figure out. Go ask Jodes why, I'm sure she'll make sense to you.'

'Oh, I don't know,' Irene sighed. 'I just don't want Kelly being hurt; she spends a lot of time in her room crying you know.'

'No, I didn't know,' I replied softly. 'You know I did too when she left.'

'Yes, I know,' she smiled a little sadly. 'You're lucky with Jodi, she seems much wiser than her years.'

'I wouldn't be with her if she wasn't,' I said with as much conviction as I could muster. 'She is special to me, she's great with the kids and she's been so understanding towards Kelly when I wasn't.' We stood and looked at each other for a moment. 'Now Irene, I thought you where going to help me clean the kitchen.'

'Fat chance!' she laughed and headed out to the balcony to say her goodbyes.

***

The next few days passed through a blur of awkwardness and tension as we tried to accommodate our new flatmate who was also the mother to my children. But we started to find our routine, with Jodi and I running the morning shift, while Kelly slept in; she had never been a morning person. Consequently Kelly would run the evenings with the kids, bath time, homework and bedtime. Kelly threw herself into finding a job, not easy given her time out of the workforce, but I admired her pluck and optimism. I even had to admit to myself that some of my old affection for her was returning, but it was the affection you have for a friend, nothing more.

It was about six weeks later that I could see the rejections starting to take her toll. She had been to numerous interviews and it was her lack of recent experience that was causing her to miss out. On the Thursday Bill rang and asked if the kids could stay the weekend. He and Irene were missing their time with the kids, and it turned out that the kids were missing their time there too and were keen as mustard to go.

***

I got home a little late on the Friday and found a kitchen turned into a cocktail bar that was clearly a contender for the messiest bar ever. Jodi and Kelly were on the balcony dancing to the speaker distorting dance music that my rock tastes couldn't identify, while holding cocktail glasses that seemed to be slopping more of their contents onto the floor than they were retaining. This party had clearly been going on for a while.

I dropped the briefcase and walked out onto the balcony, trying to avoid the sticky patches of wet and drying alcohol that spotted the floor inside and out of the house.

'Dave!' Jodi threw herself and the last remnants of her cocktail at me, forcing me to catch her and wear her drink. She smelt of alcohol but it wasn't unpleasant and the kiss was more than compensatory for the assault with her drink.

'Hello darling,' I muttered, helping her to regain her balance. Then Kelly threw herself at us and I had to grab her and support all three of us.

'Having a nice little party are we?' I asked.

'You know what?' Kelly shouted at me, far louder than the music required. I shook my head to indicate that I did not "know what." 'This girlfriend of yours is alright.'

'Actually I did know that,' I replied somewhat bemusedly.

'No, no! Really!' Kelly was very drunk. 'I was goin' through the paper for jobs...' she trailed off, '...I'm not much bloody use to anyone, am I?' The question was obviously rhetorical so I allowed her to continue without attempting a reply, 'and she...Jodes...you know her...' I nodded to encourage the story to come to an end. 'Well, she said fuck it! Fuck 'em all. Let's set up a cocktail party and fuck everything else.' Somehow I suspected that Jodi hadn't used so many expletives, it wasn't her style, but I understood that she too had understood how Kelly was getting worn down. I smiled at Jodi and she grinned back at me, evidently pleased with herself.

'And so here we are,' I replied, raising my voice to be heard.

'Yeeahh! Here we fuckin' are!' Kelly slipped away from me and I released Jodi to the relative safety of her own balance.

'I think I should put on some clothes that don't mind bein' spilled on,' I yelled. Jodi nodded and turned away to dance again. I took the opportunity to slip inside, turning the music down to below distortion level, before continuing on to the bedroom to change. It was then that I heard the beep of my phone telling me that I had not one, but seven messages, all from Amber and within the past three minutes. According to the most recent text, she was "at the front fuckin' door and can hear the party across town so let me fuckin' in!' With a smile I headed downstairs and opened the door. Even more than usual she was a vision, wearing a red dress in the style of a slave of ancient Greece, albeit with a plunging neckline and short hemline, which set off her fetching strappy sandals that wound their way seductively up her calf. Her hair was mostly loose, held together at the ends in a pony tail that at once appeared to be escaping and at the same time closely controlled.

'Hello gorgeous!' I exclaimed.

'What the fuck is that?' she asked looking at the blue stain on my shirt.

'The last of Jodi's drink,' I laughed and we hugged, Amber snuggling under my arm to avoid contact with the rather viral looking stain. At that moment the music faded rapidly to almost silence.

'Dave! Dave! Amber's downstairs, she's been waiting for ages! She'll be pissed off, go and let her in!' I looked at Amber and we grinned at each other, then Amber was off up the stairs so I followed. I was unable to stop my eyes watching the hem of her skirt swaying and the smoothness of her thighs as they sashayed up the stairs.

Amber turned abruptly and smirked as she caught me looking.

'Jode's your pervy boyfriend is checkin' out my arse!' I reddened at the truth and wished that I'd had been able to indulge a couple of drinks. For me there was nothing like the buzz of inebriation to reduce the inhibitions and sharpen the witty comeback. Jodi was careering towards her friend and as they embraced Kelly walked in from the balcony.