Jill's Past? Ch. 02

As the waitress was removing our dessert plates and offering to return with the check, Jill's gaze shifted to something over my shoulder. She did a double-take and practically shouted, "Oh, Ty, that looks like Joy! I thought she flew home last night."

I knew Joy's name only as someone Jill worked with, but I had never met her. Even before I had a chance to casually turn my head for a glance in Joy's direction, I saw Jill smiling, discretely waving her hand in greeting. Jill rose from her chair and extended her hand as Joy arrived at our table from behind me. Their handshake was friendly and included a brief air kiss that was just a light touch of their cheeks. Ever the professional, Jill maintained a businesslike demeanor as they greeted each other. I knew better, though. Jill was obviously surprised and very pleased to run into Joy. I stood up as they broke their embrace.

"Ty, this is Joy Fisher," I reached for Joy's offered hand which she took firmly and warmly in hers. "Joy, my husband Ty."

"It's very nice to finally meet you," Joy smiled as she let our hands linger together.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too," I answered sincerely. "Jill's told me that you are one of the most talented writers she's ever worked with."

A series of rapidly changing looks flashed across Joy's face. What started as a warm smile quickly morphed into a cocked-head look of wonder when I greeted her. As my compliment finally made its way through whatever forest of thoughts had occupied her attention, her face lit up at the unexpected praise. Darting a quick glance at my wife, Joy answered both us. "Thank you, you're very kind to say so. And she speaks highly of you, too." Even as Joy acknowledged my flattery, that same look of intrigued surprise returned. I missed her next few comments as I tried to put my finger on the source of her reaction to me, but it was clear to me why Jill liked this woman.

At about five and a half feet tall (in heels), Joy was obviously a compact package of people-friendly energy. Her blond hair fell in soft curls to the middle of her back. Her shoulders were prominently displayed thanks to the off-the-shoulder dress she was wearing. The robin egg blue sequined dress was a perfect match for her eyes and the short sleeves and hemline revealed a toned body. Up close, it was easy to see that Joy was very fit. It was not obvious at first due to the generous curves of her small frame. Her makeup and overall appearance suggested that she was out for more than a simple fine dining experience, but like Jill, Joy seemed to have the ability to combine a level of feminine propriety with a party aura. For some reason, the thought occurred to me that my wife and Joy were kind of like mullet hair styles - business on the outside, party on the inside. The unexpected thought made me smile somewhat out of line with the conversation and Jill turned to me just as my grin reached its full bloom on my face.

She shot me a bemused grin of her own, then turned back toward Joy. "It is so good to see you, but I thought you were catching a flight back home after our meeting yesterday."

"Oh, I was, but Ryan surprised me by flying in. We're in town for the weekend and we don't leave until tomorrow afternoon," Joy started to explain, but then shifted quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry to just barge over here and interrupt your evening. I just had to say 'Hi.' We can catch up next week if you have the time."

"Don't be silly," Jill retorted sincerely. "Ty and I are out because the kids are all overnight at friends." Without pausing to give Joy a chance to reply, Jill continued, "I assume Ryan is here with you, so don't let us keep you from your husband. If you'd like to join us, please do, but if you already have other plans we completely understand."

Joy's face flashed with a look of unexpected opportunity, as if she had been promised something excellent, but would have to give up something long hoped for in exchange. The look disappeared as fast as it came and Joy appeared to decide on a middle course of action. "That's so thoughtful of you, but, if I can be completely honest, I'd like you to meet Ryan. Both of you," she added quickly turning to me with the same intriguing look.

"Of course," Jill and I answered in unison.

"Jinx," I heard Jill whisper quickly.

Then, turning back to face Jill, Joy continued, "And I would really like Ryan to meet you so he can put a face to a name and I don't know when we might get another chance."

Joy's enthusiasm for the idea of all of us meeting seemed genuine. Jill cast a quick glance at me to make sure we were on the same page.

"We'd love to meet him," Jill assured her, "and you're right, I don't know when we would get another chance like this." Jill glanced back at me to make sure I was in, then turned back to Joy. "We're just waiting for our check, so we can stop by your table on the way out if you'd like."

"That sounds perfect," Joy agreed. "We're just about to have coffee and dessert and you're welcome to join us, but I really don't want to keep you . . . "

"I didn't see you when we came in. Where are you sitting?" Jill interrupted matter-of-factly.

"I'm headed back to our table now, we're in the room just to the left of the entrance from here. Please come over whenever it's convenient."

"See you in a few minutes," Jill concluded as they took each others' hands to confirm their agreement. Jill sat back down across from me and I could swear she watched Joy return to her table with something more than simple navigational interest. Jill had never expressed much interest in other women sexually before last night at least. Now that I thought about it, even when she discussed threesomes with another woman in our imaginary pillow-talk, she would only talk about how I found the make-believe woman attractive. But now, after last night, I wasn't sure if those earlier stories were only to indulge my fantasies. The look in her eye as she followed Joy's backside as she retreated to her table was almost enough to make me want to turn around and watch her walk away, too. I managed to almost entirely dismiss the thought as nothing more than my over-active imagination, until Jill subtly tweaked her nipple as she replaced her napkin back on her lap.

I couldn't stop my eyebrows from darting up in response to my wife's unexpectedly sexual movement, but Jill had expected me to react. Without so much as a glance at me, her gaze locked on Joy's retreating form, Jill smiled and said, "You still owe me a drink for the jinx."

"Of course," I smiled.

After I added my usual thoughtful tip (We had both worked as servers at different points, so we knew what good service was and we showed our appreciation with tips), I signed the check. Jill and I made our way toward the entrance, looking for Joy and her husband. Joy's dress made them easy to spot and Joy stood when she saw us enter the room. Ryan stood also and turned to greet us. Dressed in a dark slacks and an off-white linen sport coat over his open collared pale blue shirt, Ryan looked like he could have been my brother. He was only about an inch shorter, obviously more heavily muscled, but we shared similar facial features and overall build

"Nice to meet you, Ty," he said warmly as we shook hands. The timbre of his voice was so close to what I know I sound like that I balked briefly before responding.

"Yes, uh, thank you. It's nice to meet you, too, Ryan."

"I thought so," Joy murmured quietly. She turned to Jill with an amazed look on her face. "Did you just . . . "

"Yeah, I did," Jill confirmed. "That's amazing." Both of our wives looked us over, almost as if they expected us to blurt out some long-buried confession about having been separated at birth. I couldn't speak for Ryan, but I was starting to wonder the same thing. Ryan finally broke the silence with a simple, "That's pretty cool," to which I nodded in agreement. The thoughtful silence continued Joy said "Sit, sit, we're just finishing and not in a hurry." I held the chair for Jill, then took my own seat across from her.

Our shared reverie was broken by my wife. "So Mister Fisher, I understand we have you to thank for this unexpected meeting. Do you surprise your bride with weekend getaways often?" Jill flashed a bright smile at Joy that suggested more knowledge of Ryan's surprises than her question betrayed.

"Actually, I'm not quite as gallant as that," he admitted. "Our anniversary was yesterday and I just arranged a little surprise for my hard-working wife. I figured I would save her the trauma of having to fly home on our anniversary, although I know how much she looks forward to the pleasant lines and enjoyable pat-downs that are part of flying these days." He winked at his wife as he continued, "This way we get to enjoy a weekend together in the city and fly the friendly skies together on our trip home."

'You're bad,' Joy mouthed quietly to Ryan.

The four of us sat and talked for the better part of an hour as the restaurant around us rotated through a shift of diners. We started another check and put a bottle of port and our coffees on it. Jill already knew that Ryan ran his own architectural firm as well as a few of his more impressive recent projects, but it was all new to me. I discovered that Joy worked out of their rural home on the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains, but made trips to her clients' offices, mostly across the South and Midwest, when a project called for face to face meetings. Thanks to corporate America's increasing use of Skype and similar technologies, Joy's trips had become mercifully less frequent since she and Ryan had married ten years earlier. Both of their children had started school, so there was enough quiet time for her to write around the family's schedule. Ryan and Joy were both very personable, good conversationalists, and obviously in love. Jill and Joy exchanged a few work-related references, but mostly the conversation was about our families, hobbies, and sports (Ryan had played club rugby in college and Joy had been a cheerleader in high school and recently started running short races).

When the port and coffees ran dry, we discussed options for the remainder of the evening. While joining up with Ryan and Joy had not been part of our original plan, the past hour had been fun even if it had changed the evening from erotic teasing to enjoyable banter with new friends. Before we decided on the next step, Joy and Jill announced their need for a trip to the ladies room. Ryan and I each stood as they left together, shaking our heads at the unexpected but still welcome change in our respective plans for the evening.

"I would guess," I commented as Ryan poured the last of the port into our glasses, "that the ladies will be deciding our fate for us."

Ryan laughed as he lifted his glass and presented it to me in a toast. "Here's to all the men who wait patiently while their ladies decide their futures." We touched our glasses and drained the final full mouthful of warm, smooth liquid in each.

"I just want to say it has been a fun evening and I'm glad to finally meet you and Joy. I imagine that this was not the evening you had planned for your tenth anniversary. Thank you for sharing it with us and congratulations." I lifted the water glass in toast which Ryan met.

Ryan's face briefly betrayed some inner conflict as we drank our water, then he put his glass firmly on the table and casually glanced around as if making sure he could talk with some degree of privacy. Evidently satisfied, he leaned slightly toward me, smiling. "Thank you, Ty for your thoughtfulness. I would also assume that since you have been gone for the past three weeks, this evening was supposed to include only the two of you, too."

I met his open smile with one of my own and nodded, "Yeah, but it's . . ."

Only his index finger came off the table to interrupt me, but it could have been his entire hand rising as a stop sign given the purposefulness of the movement. "Sorry, but before our wives get back, I just want to let you know that I am comfortable with whatever they decide they want to do next."

"You lost me," I admitted although I'm sure the look on my face already told him as much.

"Well, I'd rather not say much more just yet. I wanted to make sure we talked on our own before the ladies get back, just in case." I had no idea what 'case' he was obviously anticipating, but I appreciated his candor. "Man to man," he continued, "I wanted to make sure you knew where I stand so you wouldn't wonder if I was just being polite if the girls suggest that we continue our evening together. I enjoy your company and I like the idea of taking advantage of the opportunity of our unexpected meeting to get to know you and Jill better. Don't worry about interrupting our celebration; I think you'll be adding to it. Just thought you should hear that from me before . . ." his eyes shifted up immediately followed by his upper body as he rose from chair. "Ladies, as always, your timing is perfect." He greeted his wife by taking her hands and quickly and affectionately kissing her on the cheek before helping her with her chair.

I stood when Ryan rose and turned around to greet Jill and Joy. I was immediately aware of a hint of nervous anticipation on both women's faces; a look that Ryan's kiss eliminated from his wife's face while seeming to intensify it on Jill's. I thought a similar kiss from me might have the same calming effect on Jill, but she mistook my movement and turned toward me just as my lips reached her. The result was an unromantic, clumsy, but very funny bump on the lips. Ryan and Joy saw us bang our faces and laughed lightly at the obvious humor. They were still laughing with us and not at us as Jill deftly took my chin in her hand and corrected the errant kiss with a more intentional and loving second attempt. My appreciation for Jill's perfect social graces turned into confusion and even a little embarrassment when I felt her touch just the tip of her tongue to my lips as we stood kissing in the middle of a busy upscale restaurant.

When I sat down after helping Jill into her seat, Joy looked at me, then leaned across the table toward my wife, and, in a stage whisper, asked, "Does he always blush when you kiss him in public?"

"I don't think so, but remind me to check again in a few minutes," Jill laughed.

Needing to get the attention off me and make some effort to understand Ryan's mysterious statement as well as our wives' expressions when they returned, I pointed out that we were officially out of port and asked whether I should order another bottle. Jill and Joy shared a knowing look and I noticed Ryan patted Joy on the wrist in what I suspected was a well-established confirmation that he was onboard with whatever was decided.

"I don't think we need to order another drink here," Jill began as she and Joy maintained their eye contact with each other. Joy just smiled and took Ryan's hand. "Ty, Joy and I thought it would be fun to turn the rest of the evening into a double-date." Then, looking at me she added quickly, "If that's ok with you, of course."

Well, there it was. Jill knew I was eager to continue where we left off last night. She knew I was looking forward to resuming our conversation. So why did she now seem so willing to delay and avoid it? Ryan's vague assurances seemed genuine and actually seemed to have encouraged me to go along with this unexpected change of plans. My wife's request went a long ways toward explaining Ryan's comments, but left at least as much unclear. I saw no reason to interrupt what was shaping up to be a most enjoyable evening even though it wasn't the one I'd expected, so I agreed. "Honey, this evening was your idea. I'm up for whatever you want." I made it a point to look directly into Jill's eyes, trying to hide my disappointment at the change and simultaneously send a sexy message of future promises.

Jill turned toward Joy so quickly that I was sure I'd either failed to send the sexy message or had done so too obviously and Jill was shooting it down by not acknowledging it. "Any preferences on where we should go?" my wife asked.

"We're not familiar with the city, so we'll let you two decide," Joy offered.

"Ryan?" Jill swiveled her head quickly to look at Joy's husband, "do you like to dance?"

"Yes!" Ryan and Joy answered together.

"There's a place we used to go, but it's been ages since we were there. It's a great place to get your groove on without a lot of kids." Jill laughed, but we all understood what she meant.

"A place where husbands and wives can go and dance like we did when we were single, without a lot of young, single people around to make us feel old?" Joy clarified.

"Yes!" Jill exclaimed. "Leave it to the professional writer to come up with the perfect phrase!"

"The place Jill is talking about is not really close, though," I pointed out, knowing exactly the club she was talking about. "It's still in the city, but it's not nearby." I knew Ryan and Joy had taken a taxi to the restaurant, but I didn't know where they were staying, so I asked.

"Perfect," Jill and I both replied when they told us where they were staying.

"Jinx," Jill whispered quickly, beating to it for the second time in an hour.

I explained that their hotel was only a few blocks from the club. "Of course we'll take our car to the club and we'd be happy to give you a ride back to your hotel and the end of the evening, if you'd like," I offered.

Ryan and Joy looked to each other for confirmation and wordlessly agreed to the plan. Ryan and I paid our respective bills as the women chatted about their preferences in clubs. They stayed on that topic as we waited for the valet to bring the car around, so it seemed natural when they decided they would ride together in the back seat, putting Ryan up front with me.

As we rode, our wives wasted no time shifting from professional public mode to private party mode as their conversation shifted to their dating days. Soon their voices dropped below my ability to follow their conversation, so Ryan and I talked about the local professional and college sports teams. Baseball season was winding down and football, which we both preferred, was getting underway. In only a few minutes we discovered a shared enthusiasm for the Pittsburgh Steelers even though they were not the local team for either of us. We were still swapping favorite Steelers stories when Joy's voice rose out of the background of the murmured conversation in the back.

"No! You? No, you did not! Jill Garrison you're kidding me!" Joy's voice got both higher pitched and louder with each response until she was almost shouting with disbelief. Jill must have continued her story even as Joy responded, but my wife kept her voice even lower than it had been.

"Jill! OH! You're BAD! I never would have guessed," she continued. "Ha! A likely story. Oh sure. Well, well, Jill Garrison, aren't you a chameleon," Joy concluded before both of their voices dropped back down. A look in the rearview mirror showed only that Jill and Joy had huddled with their heads together, talking quickly. When Jill caught me looking, she beamed a laser-like smile at me and waved.

I glanced over at Ryan and shrugged my shoulders. Of course Ryan and I both knew that whatever it was, it had to be juicy. My first thought was about the sexy and out of character greeting I got at the airport the previous night. As images of my wife in the elevator and the front seat of our Escalade danced through my mind, the story about Adam's cabin and Jill's college days entered my thoughts. I couldn't imagine Jill sharing the details of her relationship with Adam with someone she worked with. On the other hand, given Joy's outburst, I suppose it could've been either. I immediately determined to not ask Jill what she had said. If she wanted me to know, she would tell me.