Misfire Ch. 01

"Okay. Have a good game tomorrow. I won't be able to be at this one."

"That's okay," Brian said. "We're not really gonna play much unless there are injuries. State U is pretty good."

Jack agreed and said, "We won't make a bowl game, so next week will be our last game. It's going to be at home."

"I'll be at that one," she said with a smile. Will I be able to take you boys out to dinner, or will you have dates or something?"

"No dates," Jack said quickly. "I mean, yeah, we can go out to dinner."

Brian agreed, "Sure, we can hit the parties after you've left. Can't have you there scaring off the ladies."

She slapped his shoulder and said, "You'd be scaring off the men. Maybe I should stay and hit one of those parties. Maybe I could find a frat boy to..."

Jack jumped up and put his plate in the sink. He bolted from the room as if he were on fire.

"Jeez, what's his problem?" Brian asked.

She felt bad for her joke. She didn't think about Jack's feelings for her and realized how stupid the comment was, and how hurtful it was for him.

She stood and said, "Finish your breakfast, honey. There's a bag of sandwiches on the counter for the road."

He shoveled the rest of the sandwich in his mouth, grabbed some Cokes and threw them into the bag. He left his plate in the sink and walked out to the truck.

Joyce was begging Jack to forgive her, but he wasn't interested. He thought it was a direct shot at him and wasn't taking it well.

"All set," Brian shouted as he walked to the truck. Joyce spun around and wished she had a few more minutes with Jack. She didn't want him to leave angry with her.

She cried as Brian pulled out of the driveway. Jack refused to make eye contact with her.

"What am I going to do?" she cried as she watched the truck turn onto the street and away.

***

The following week, she waited for the boys outside of the stadium after their game. She saw them walking out together with large smiles on their faces. Jack's turned to a frown when he saw her waving at them.

She sighed. Jack hadn't answered one text from her all week, and he didn't participate on the weekly call the previous Sunday. She knew he was hurt, and she had to find a way to apologize and fix the mess.

After exchanging pleasantries and small talk about the game, she asked, "Where do you want to go to dinner?"

Jack said, "I'm not hungry, I'm gonna go home."

"No, you are not, mister!" she demanded. "You will join us and drink pops while we eat if you aren't hungry. We're a family and I hardly see you."

"Aw, mom, "We'll be home for Christmas in a couple of weeks. You'll see us plenty," Brian whined.

"Will I? Or will Jenny Simms keep you from me again?"

Brian smirked and said, "Okay, I promise to save a couple of days strictly for you."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks. Now let's go eat, I'm starving."

That was a lie. She had no appetite, and her stomach was upset with nerves as she worried about Jack. She hoped he would come around, but there was no indication of it happening.

***

They finished their pizza, and she was upset that Jack barely spoke a word throughout dinner. He only spoke when asked a direct question and in as few words as possible. Brian was oblivious to it as his attention was focused on two girls that were looking at him and Jack and smiling.

Joyce noticed his attention was elsewhere and got tired of the disrespect.

"If this is how you're going to treat me when I drive all this way to see you, then I won't come again."

She threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table and stormed out of the restaurant. Brian called after her, but he didn't give chase. He was relieved that he'd have some change from the money, and the girls were still smiling at him. He knew Joyce would get over it.

Jack said, "Have fun, bro. I'm taking off."

"You can't be serious. Look at those two," Brian lamented.

Jack shook his head and said, "Not tonight, man. I'll see ya."

He walked out of the restaurant and stopped in the cool air. He was a couple of miles from home and decided to walk it. As he passed by the parking lot, he saw Joyce sitting in her car sobbing. He immediately felt bad and walked up to the driver's side window.

He knocked and she jumped at the sound. He gave her the roll down the window gesture, and she complied.

"I'm sorry, Joyce. I guess I've been acting like an idiot."

"Yeah," She said, "but I drove you to it. I love you so much, I don't want us to be like this. Can't we..."

"We can never be the same as we were and that's my fault. I shouldn't have given you that journal and I shouldn't have said all those things last week. I'm hurting you and I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Jack. We have to be able to get close to the normal relationship we had. It's tearing me apart."

"I know. It's tearing at me too. I don't know what to do. I need you so much."

She snorted, "Jack, go back in there and join Brian with those girls. They're what you need. Not me."

He sighed, "You're wrong, Joyce. So wrong." He leaned into the window and kissed her cheek. "Can I get a lift home?"

"Of course."

The ride was silent. Both were spent emotionally even with it being over a week after their major conversations. When she pulled up in front of their apartment, he asked, "Are you staying the night? I'd feel better if you did."

"I'll be fine," she said. "It's not that late and I'm not tired."

He gave her a wan smile and said, "Joyce, no matter what has happened, I will always be grateful for you taking care of me after mom died. You treated me as if I were your own child and I'll always love you for it."

"Oh, Jack," she whispered and began to cry. "I do love you as if you were my own child. That's what makes this so difficult for me. You have to understand, the last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I know, Joyce. I know." He opened the door and began to step out, he stopped and sat back down only looking at the floor. "Take another look at the journal." He patted her hand and left the car.

She watched him walk into the building and drove off into the darkness. As she drove she thought about Brian and how he had too much of his father in him. She only hoped he would be more faithful to his future wife than his father was to her.

***

Joyce went to work the following Monday and barely kept her mind on the job. She stared at the offending journal all day Sunday and refused to read what Jack wrote. She was emotionally drained, and her body and mind were tired.

She only worked a few days a week at her husband's real estate brokerage. He left the business to her, but she didn't know how to run it. She got her real estate license when she was younger, her broker license at her husband's urging a few years later, but only sold a few houses each year just to have something to do when Brian was in school, but it was never a career for her. She still managed a few listings for friends and old client referrals but didn't put too much of an effort into finding new business.

She was left very well off when her husband died, and she didn't have to work at all if she chose. She had a steady income coming in from the brokerage and her investments but liked to get out of the house. The managing broker she hired did an excellent job of running the office and became a dear friend.

"Okay, Joyce, snap out of it," Candy, her friend said as she stood in her office door.

Joyce looked up from her computer screen and sighed, "Close the door."

Candy's eyebrows shot up and she couldn't close the door fast enough.

"Okay, spill it. What's going on?" Candy begged.

"Jack is in love with me."

"Jack who?" Candy asked.

Joyce gave her frown and said, "My Jack."

"What!" Candy shrieked too loudly for an office. "You're shitting me?"

Joyce shook her head and sighed. "I wish I were. It's about destroyed us. I can't handle it."

"How do you feel about him, Joyce?"

Her eyes glared, "What do you mean? He's like my son, damn it."

"But he isn't, is he?"

"He's an eighteen-year-old kid!"

"Sweetie, Jack's an eighteen-year-old man. There's no kid there." She pointed at a picture of Brian and Jack on her desk. Joyce knew what she meant. Jack was a man. A young one, yet still a man."

"He thinks we could have a relationship, Candy. How could a woman my age have a relationship with a 'man' his age? It couldn't possibly work."

That was a turning point for Joyce. She knew then she was considering it. It was a thought that shocked her, and she couldn't figure out if it were her head or her pussy that was doing the thinking for her.

"You know you're about the same age as..."

"Don't say it. Don't you dare compare my life to Jack's. He deserves better."

Candy laughed, "What do you mean better? Seems to me you did pretty well for yourself."

Joyce looked her in the eye and said, "I would give every penny that bastard left me to charity to have his love for one day."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Candy asked.

Joyce nodded. "He didn't love me. He loved having me. The hot young wife to show off at parties."

"He gave you Brian."

Joyce smiled, "Yes. Brian was why I put up with his activities for all those years. He didn't hide it well and I didn't want to lose my comfortable life. I always hoped he would stop as he aged. The worst thing I ever did was beg him to hire Jack's mother. She was my best friend and she..."

She started sobbing. She hadn't let go of the emotions of her husband's affairs and it felt cleansing to do it then. Candy walked around the desk and pulled her into a hug.

"Go home, Joyce. You don't need to be here while you're going through all this."

Joyce sniffed and agreed, "Okay. Thank you for being here for me."

Candy smiled, "Anytime, but Joyce?"

"Yes?"

"Forget the age gap. If he were your age, what would you do?"

Joyce knew what she would do and that's what ate at her soul.

***

She sat on her bed and opened the journal. She was afraid for what he would write after their conversations. She hoped he didn't hate her.

The first thing she noticed were the original pages were torn out and it made her cry. It was as if he was erasing his feelings for her. She flipped to the last page and read.

Thanksgiving

It was a good day with my surrogate family. Gramps was his usual self, grams was funny, and Joyce avoided me like the plague. I know now that I destroyed our relationship as it was, and I'll have to do my best to rebuild it. I took a last chance and tried to seduce her subtly. I was an idiot. She didn't fight me when I gave her the foot massage, but she fell asleep. So much for my ego. I know now that I didn't have any right to do what I did by professing my lust for her and then telling her I loved her in more than a motherly way. I'll regret that for the rest of my life if I damaged us beyond repair. I ONLY HOPE YOU FORGIVE ME.

She cried as she read his words. For the rest of the day her thoughts swam with him being her lover, her companion, her man. "Could she do that? Could she let herself open up to him?" She wondered.

She wondered how it could work. What would people say? Would people think of her as a cradle robber?

She realized that she wasn't thinking of ways to smooth things out with Jack any longer. She wasn't thinking of ways to go back to the way things were. She was thinking of ways to be with him, and it scared her while exciting her at the same time.

Meanwhile, Jack was sitting on his bed listening to Brian screwing one of the girls from the pizza place. He was amazed at Brian's ability to bounce from girl to girl. It was as if he were a magnet for horny women. Jack worried about Brian's future happiness living like that.

He picked up his phone and texted Joyce.

"I hope we're good. I'm worried about it."

Joyce read it and sighed.

"I've told you over and over, we're good. I wish you wouldn't have torn those pages out."

"Why?" he asked.

"It's like you're erasing a piece of you. I don't want you to do that."

"Sorry. I didn't know how else to show you I could move on."

It broke her heart to think of him moving on, yet she thought it was for the best. Then she wondered again if it was what she wanted.

***

Things were back to almost normal as Christmas neared. Mirroring Thanksgiving, she watched for them out her window. She looked over her front yard and wondered why she was staying in the large house. It was a large, ostentatious home that her husband felt befitted their station, but with the boys in school, it felt empty to her. She paid for landscapers, pool cleaners, and she even paid someone to decorate the outside of her house for Christmas. She refused to climb a ladder to reach the second-floor gutters to hang lights. She knew she didn't need that size of a house.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by her son's truck turning into the large driveway. She smiled as he saw her in the window and waved to her.

It was cold, so she didn't walk out to greet them, but she opened the door and waited for them. She warmed when she saw Jack's eyes light up at seeing her. "Good," she thought. I haven't hurt him too badly. She didn't realize he saw her nipples when they poked through her thin t-shirt because the frigid air hit them.

She hugged both young men as they walked into the house. The only difference is she kissed Jack on the cheek.

Brian said, "Mom, I know I promised you some Brian-time, but some of the guys are having a game night tonight at Del's. I haven't seen them since graduation. It's gonna go late so I was just planning to spend the night at Del's. There will be plenty of days to spend together while we're here."

He gave her a mega-watt smile that reminded her of her husband. She shook her head and said, "I'm not happy about it, but go ahead. I guess I'll just see you guys tomorrow."

"I'm not going," Jack said.

"What do you mean? You don't want to see the guys?" Joyce asked.

"No one said anything to me about it."

Brian gave him a dirty look behind Joyce's back.

"Well, that's okay," Joyce said. "You can escort me to dinner tonight at Wildfire."

Jack smiled. Wildfire was his favorite restaurant. Brian loved it as well. He knew Joyce was doing it to rub Brian's face in his absence.

"Bring me home a ribeye, please?" Brian begged.

Joyce laughed and said, "Nope. You don't go, you don't get steak."

"Fine," he said with the attitude of an immature teenager. "I'll do without." He jogged up the stairs to his room.

"Wildfire, huh?" Jack asked.

"Yep, I know you like it, and I haven't been out in a long time," she smiled. "Wear something nice. Slacks and a button up shirt. No Jeans. No gym shoes."

"Yes, ma'am," he mock whined and hustled upstairs to find something to wear.

***

"Dude, what the hell are you doing tonight? No one's meeting up until next week," Jack asked Brian as Brian was getting dressed.

"Jenny, man. Her parents are in Switzerland or something. She has the house to herself and invited me to spend the night with her."

"Is it getting serious? You're seeing a lot of her."

"Hell no," Brian laughed. "She's hot and horny. How can I say no?"

Jack shook his head and left the room.

He pulled out a pair of black slacks and a blue dress shirt. He always liked the cut of the shirt as it was fitted to his body type but not too tight. He thought he would look good for Joyce.

Brian made his goodbyes to Joyce and Jack and headed out to see Jenny. Jack wondered what was really going on with Brian and Jenny. It wasn't like him to see the same girl so many times. It was too close to dating somebody for Brian's general pattern. He didn't think too much more about it. He realized he was going out with Joyce--as a couple. He suddenly became extremely excited.

Joyce stood in front of her full-length mirror and admired her body. She was wearing a black lace bra and panty set with thigh high stockings. Her trim stomach and slim waist tapered into her curvy butt, which she always thought was a little too big, but it was firm. She remembered Jack's words, "a butt that would make J-Lo jealous," and smiled.

She slipped on her black dress, which had a v-cut neck that showed just the top of her cleavage and left plenty to the imagination while it teased. She flattened the front and straightened the hemline which stopped about three inches above the knee. She knew that when she sat in her car, the lace tops of her stockings would show and that's exactly what she wanted Jack to see.

She decided that she would take her relationship with him to the next level. While the age difference was in the front of her mind, and the fact that she raised him as a son since the accident was right there with it, she was still going to try.

She knew Jack was perfect for her if not for the age gap. She knew Candy was right and she was the same age when her husband went after her. The difference was she couldn't get Jack pregnant and force his future to be parenthood instead of school and a career. Jack would never be her trophy husband.

She opened her door and Jack was walking out of his room at the same time. They both said, "Wow," when they saw each other. After a quick laugh, Jack extended his elbow and said, "Ready, m'lady?"

Joyce took it and he escorted her to the garage. She felt like a sixteen-year-old on her first date. Jack was gaining confidence every step of the way. When she accepted his offer to drive, he got a good look at her legs when she sat in the passenger seat. He smiled as he walked around the car. The night was looking up.

***

They were both eating their entrée and avoiding the elephant in the room. Their small talk was general about school and work, and neither was willing to talk about if they were on a date. That changed quickly.

"Joyce! Hello, how are you," Ali Chambers said as she and her husband Frank approached their table. Ali was one of the real estate agents working for Joyce's business.

Joyce froze and saw Jack watching her closely. She steeled herself, stood and hugged Ali.

"I'm good, Ali. Frank, it's nice to see you again. How's the family?"

"Everyone's doing great. Our Abby's finally found someone and is settling down. The wedding's going to be in May," he gushed with pride.

"Wonderful," Joyce beamed. "Let me introduce you to my date, Jack. Jack, this is Frank and Ali Chambers. Frank's the fire chief in the next town over and Ali is one of my realtors."

Jack stood and smiled brightly as he shook their hands. He noticed a smirk from Ali, but no reaction from Frank regarding the date comment.

"Well, we'll let you get back to your meal. See you soon," Ali said as she led Frank towards the waiting hostess.

When they sat, Jack noticed the smile on Joyce's face. He thought, "It looks like we passed the first test."

He wasn't going to mention being introduced as her date. He wanted to play it mature and cool, as if it were no big deal. Meanwhile, his insides churned with nerves. What did that mean for after dinner?

Joyce was beaming with pride. She recognized the slight look of approval Ali gave her for her choice in date. It was a subtle look, but noticeable enough. Joyce wondered what was going through Jack's mind at that moment. He was smiling as he cut a piece of his delicious ribeye. She knew what she wanted but could only guess at what he was feeling. Then she almost laughed. She knew exactly what he wanted.

***

Their waiter came to the table and asked, "Would you like to see the dessert tray? Perhaps a coffee or espresso?"

Joyce was about to answer when Jack spoke, "No, thank you. We'll be having dessert at home. Just the check please."

Joyce's eyes went wide, and her body tingled. "Dessert at home?"

Jack nodded with a lustful glare. "I end all my dates with dessert at home."