No Ordinary Proposal Ch. 02

When we were alone again I asked. "What's wrong with Jo? Is it insomnia."

He sighed heavily. "The clinical term for what she suffers is Autophobia, fear of being alone or abandoned, and in her case it's pretty severe. She told me that I can talk to you about this, otherwise I'd ask you to talk to her about it. Jo never knew her father, her mother left her off at school one day, and never came back. She was six years old. Her mother's family wasn't able, or was unwilling, to take her and she ended up in the system as a foster child. Luckily she was placed with a good family and grew up pretty normally in a middle class family with another girl a few years older than her. The family started to have problems when the girls hit their teens and the parents divorced. Jo's adoptive mother did her best by the girls until they were old enough to be on their own. Jo put herself through school and did the best she could. That's when I met her at one of our corporate events. She was working them to help pay the bills, her roommate told her she could score some big tips. Little did she know how some of her friends were getting them. The rest as they say is history."

I thought for a moment as I stirred my coffee. "Now you're abandoning her." I said softly.

"Exacerbated by the fact that I'm throwing in the towel. This cancer has no survival rate once it's metastasized, I'd only be strung along on life support in a hospital until I wasted away. Call me selfish for not wanting to put myself, much less anyone else, through it. She was mad as hell about that. I figured she thinks I'm just trying to escape as quickly as possible." He sipped his coffee. "We were in Karen's office until nearly eight that night. I think we went through a full box of tissues too." He shook his head.

I let out a deep breath. "Jesus."

"Yeah. When we got home, Jo asked me if I wanted her to start dating to make me happy. I had to laugh at that because up until then, I hadn't even thought that's the direction I was actually going with this whole thing. She asked how in hell she was supposed to bring something like that up without sounding like a cheating wife, and 'what if Bobby isn't interested in me that way.' I stopped her there and said that the only thing stopping Bobby from being interested in you that way is his friendship with me. I reminded her of the drunken confession and told her that I'm guessing that the feeling was more mutual than she gave it credit."

I felt him look directly at me, but couldn't meet his gaze.

"I apologize if I assumed on your behalf, but I think I assumed correctly. Here I was trying to help Jo plan for the future, and I didn't realize that I was planning yours, without your knowledge or consent. That was pretty ballsy of me but be straight with me, you've been miserable for nearly a decade. Sure you've dated, and done fairly well with it, but none of them ever made it past that wall you've built since you got stood up at the altar. It's been ten years Bobby. Let it go, there's someone out there worthy of you and you of them. I want only the best for her, and you, and as far as I see it, there's an amazingly simple solution. We both know that Jo wouldn't have to huff or puff to blow that wall down."

I laughed at his metaphor.

"If the plan behind everything you've done is to not make us feel guilty about... any of this then why the hell is it backfiring so badly?"

"I didn't want to make the same mistake with you that I had with Jo. Telling you about the online thing was my idea, she's been doing it for a few months and got a huge following pretty quickly. It wasn't supposed to have gone this far." He chuckled. "She says she enjoys it for the most part but doesn't plan on making a career out of it. Probably another month or two until I'm bed-ridden or in the hospital."

"That whole thing was just to get my attention?" I gaped.

"No, not entirely, though what would you have done if she'd called you one day and said, 'Scott's out of town, want to come over and have a little fun?' Better yet, don't answer that and I won't loosen your teeth." He leaned back with a heavy sigh. I took a moment to look at him, really look at him and I realized that the change had been so gradual I hadn't noticed. He looked exhausted, and was trying hard to not look like it. He looked like he'd aged far more than just a few years.

"By the way, she was serious about the pictures. She didn't plan on making a habit of the cam site thing but when she did, she got a few regulars and wants to have something for them when she leaves. A print, or an album, something like that."

"Maybe this weekend if she wants to. I have to fly to Montreal next week to look at the new jet that I hope you're buying."

He paused and gave me a quick look. "Would you be opposed to some company on that trip?"

"Not at all." I said before I thought it out and suddenly realized my error. He meant Jo, not himself.

"Good, I'll ask Jo if she'd like to go too. If that's okay with you."

I picked up the tab, and handed Scott his hundred bucks. "Thanks, that'll come in handy on poker night."

I drove us back to the house and neither of us spoke the entire way there. We pulled into the drive and he directed me to park it next to my car. When I had put it in park and turned off the engine he put his hand out and caught my arm before I opened the door.

"Bobby, before we go any further I need a couple of answers myself." He looked over at me as he let go of my arm. "Jo could make you a very happy man for the rest of your life, just like she has me." The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "I need to know that if you're up for this, then you need to be committed, no half measures, because that girl loves with a passion like none I've ever known. If you're not ready to commit then it's probably best we let this slip past and move on as if it never happened."

I looked at him for a long moment, then out the windshield at the trees, the small leaves brilliant in the afternoon sunlight. "What do I say to that?" I thought to myself. If I commit to my dying friends wishes, then I was committing to changing my life. "My life," I thought, "what there was of it. I had a few other friends, guys from work, but they for the most part had families and thought of me as their lucky single friend. The truth was that I was jealous of them. They had a reason, a purpose to their lives beyond survival. Jo was warm, beautiful, smart, funny, sexy, and so many other things that made me desire her more than I should, and here I was having her presented to me. I stopped myself before answering in the affirmative. I looked over at Scott whose gaze hadn't wavered.

"Before I answer you, I'd like to speak with Jo." He smiled at that and nodded.

"She likes to take Maggie for a walk out in the fields sometimes, nice afternoon like this would be perfect. Probably spot a few deer at this time of the day too."

"I wonder if she'd like some company?" I asked rhetorically.

Scott opened the car door and got out and closed the car door behind him without a word.

"What if Bobby isn't interested in me that way." A fantasy once entertained was presenting itself as a reality and I was unsure of how to handle it without being thought a lecher. "What if she's going along with this to make Scott happy?" I thought. The sound of knuckles being rapped on the trunk lid brought me out of my reverie and I got out of the car. I stowed my clubs in my car and Scott insisted, with a scowl, that he could still carry his into the house.

Maggie came bounding into the foyer to greet us bouncing with the energy of a puppy. We made our way to the kitchen where Scott poured us a couple of glasses of water. Jo came in a few minutes later obviously alerted by Maggie and the noise we were making.

"Hey guys, how was your game?"

"Pretty good, got him again, two weeks in a row now."

I just nodded.

Jo gave him a look of annoyance. "How much of that is due to messing with his head while you played."

Scott just smiled. Jo came over to me and ran her hand up my back, rubbing gently. "How are you." She asked softly. I found myself shaking my head and looked over at her.

"It's a lot to take in."

Her hand went up to my neck and she pulled me to her and set her chin on my shoulder. "No shit, huh?" She let out a little sigh.

"I was just telling Bob here how you like to take Maggie for walks down to the back field and look for deer. Since he said he'd like to talk to you, thought that might be a good idea, if you're up for it."

She looked over at Scott and back at me, her expression took on a look of concern. "That would be great. Let me go change into something more fitting for tromping around out there." I watched as she walked out of the kitchen in her black yoga pants, the sleeves rolled up on her flannel button down. I turned back and looked out the patio door to their backyard and sipped my water. I looked over at Scott and he was looking at the doorway Jo had just walked through.

He pursed his lips, a tear ran down his cheek. "At least I can say I had it all, for a little while." He brushed the moisture from his cheek and patted me on the back as he walked past. "You have a good talk."

Jo came downstairs a few minutes later wearing hiking boots, jeans and a fleece pullover. She'd put her hair up in a clip and her eyes were red from rubbing and probably a few tears. She called out for Maggie who came bounding around the corner. "You know the more I think about it, I think we went about this all wrong." She walked past me and gave a tilt to her head. She grabbed a leash off a peg by the door and hooked it up as we made our way across the lawn to the fields.

"So now that you know the story, I guess you probably think we've lost our freaking minds."

"I'm going to choose one from column A here." I said. Jo laughed at that. Once we reached the path she reached out and took my hand in hers. "I... it's just so strange the way he went about this, he could have just come straight out and told me. Then he practically presented you on a silver platter as if you wanted to presented on a silver platter to someone." I blinked a few times and shook my head.

"We're not crazy." She glanced back over her shoulder and kept walking. "We're crazy in love, and that's not going to stop in a few months." She paused. "When it comes to finances, property and that stuff he knows what to do. The part he's having trouble with is his emotions. He's never been an outwardly emotional man. I think I've seen him cry maybe five times in over seven years, and most of those were this year. He's afraid for me, he's hurting because he doesn't want to leave, but doesn't want it strung out, wasting away slowly in a hospital. He's afraid that would be even more damaging to me." She shook her head.

We walked a little while in silence, Maggie's nose to the ground or up in the breeze searching for what ever smells she could.

"I'm still a little confused." I said. Jo laughed loudly at that.

"Join the club."

"What is it that he's trying to do here? Is he trying to marry us off so we can live happily ever after, after he's gone? I mean is this what you want Jo?" She squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"What I want is for him to become some miracle of modern medicine and make a full recovery, but that's not going to happen. I've finally resigned myself to that. It took a lot longer for me to accept than it took him." She paused. "That's not what you asked though." She looked up at me for a moment, loose hair blew around her face in the breeze. She lifted our hands and gave mine a little peck. "Truth is Bobby that I've always had a crush on you, had I met you before I'd met him." She trailed off and shrugged. "You're a sweet, handsome, successful guy who caught a really bad break and you've been punishing yourself for it ever since. I pity that foolish girl that did that to you. She will never know what she missed out on."

I laughed. "That is the most eloquent dodge I've heard in a long time. Out with it."

"When he first brought up the idea I told him that he was out of his goddamned mind. Did he tell you what I did? I slapped him so hard I knocked a tooth loose." She grimaced and it turned into a little smirk. "The more he explained himself, and got me to talk about it, the more the idea grew on me. There was only one catch, that was you."

"Oddly enough I just told him the same thing."

"I told him that we couldn't plan your life, that wouldn't be right even if he was throwing the hottest babe in all the world into your arms." She was smiling broadly. "Like I said, I've entertained ideas before."

"What kind of ideas?" I asked not catching her drift.

"The odd daydream, or erotic fantasy about you. It's only human nature. Tell me you haven't done it at least once this week. I don't mean about me either, some girl on TV or maybe the waitress at the country club."

"His name was Chet, and he's not my type." I said with a laugh.

"Remember the Christmas party?"

The party again. I laughed. "What is it with you two and that party?"

"I think it was when we both knew, a possibility presented itself that night. Remember that guy was on me like a cheap suit and you came into the kitchen and hijacked his fun. You didn't leave my side for the rest of the night, like a guard dog. Suffice to say there were a few daydreams thanks to that little sequence of events. It started under the mistletoe, but it didn't end there." She bit her lip, it looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Shit." I laughed as I palmed my face in embarrassment. "What did I do under the mistletoe?"

"You got ambushed by a drunk, horny housewife." Her laugh rang out in the cool air. "You'd had enough to drink that you were in no hurry to stop until a few whispers and polite coughs caught your attention."

"Oh God, and Scott didn't shoot me dead the next day?" I put my hands over my eyes.

"No, you were fine, but he was not overly thrilled with me. I warned him what would happen. That two-timing bitch you were dating pissed me off by banging that very same asshole on my own bed! He couldn't get into my panties so he found a pair he could and didn't even have the decency to use the guest room." She made a loud angry noise.

"Easy killer, it was like six months ago and she's gone now." I laughed.

"I wondered why you'd stood by me the whole night and let her get away from you. It didn't take much to realize that my little crush was mutual." Jo stopped walking. "It has been for a while. Hasn't it?" We turned to face each other. She lifted our joined hands between us. "There's something here I want to explore. I'm in it for the long haul if you are."

I was about to respond when she shook her head.

"Don't answer yet, I have more to say. That ground rule last week, that was mine not Scott's and it stands. It may seem like a little thing, after what happened the other night, and at the airport, but it's not to me. He told me you're going to Montreal next week and that you asked if I'd go along."

My shocked look answered the question she hadn't bothered to ask. "That's what I thought. He wants me to go with you. He's trying overly hard to push us together." She looked down at our hands. "He's scared Bobby, and rightly so, but for the wrong person. He thinks I wouldn't make it on my own. I know he told you about my background and my anxiety problem. He wants someone he can trust to take care of me. He wants you to be happy, and he's very aware that you haven't been for a really long time, and he's trying to kill two birds with one stone." Jo's expression went from smiling to solemn. "This is something you have to want too, and not out of guilt, or some feeling of duty to him, but for you and me."

She smiled and her eyes rolled upward in thought. "Years ago I was trying to get into a little musical production of a show about jazz. I did this Etta James song for my audition." She began singing.

I want a Sunday kind of love,

A love to last past Saturday night,

And I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight

And I want a Sunday kind of love

Her singing voice surprised me, deep and sweet. She smiled again and it faded slowly. "That's what I've had, and I won't settle for less." She looked down at our hands. "If you want just a Saturday night, I'll give it to you." She whispered. "But then it's over, and we go our own way." Her gaze rose back up to mine, the clear sky shone brightly in her eyes.

I felt my chest tighten, and panic ran through me like wildfire. I did the first thing that came to mind. I cupped the back of her head and kissed her. I gasped for air and kissed her again, she'd let go of my hand and pulled me down to her. "I want a Sunday kind of love." I said looking into her eyes.

She closed her eyes and nodded. "He had faith in you, probably because he's known you so much longer. I just had to be sure it was mutual." Jo was suddenly jerked sideways. I grabbed her by the waist as she looked at Maggie who was straight out and barking. A rabbit shot out of the grass and crossed the road into the cover on the other side. After a little hollering she'd gotten the dog back to us like she was reeling in a prize game fish. We both started to laugh as the tension subsided.

"Would you like to come?" I asked.

"I don't know, it's a bit cool out here, and the only thing keeping the mosquitoes at bay is the breeze." She said with a big grin.

I laughed. "To Montreal, next week."

She tilted her head and looked back at me and nodded with a smile. "How long?"

"Well if it had been just me a few days, but since Monday is a holiday here we could stretch it to the weekend if you're okay with that."

"I'd like that. Will we be doing anything special, out of the ordinary?"

"We might be spending twelve or thirteen million dollars." I said with a little chuckle.

She let out a whoop. "Now that's my kind of shopping trip!"

We'd stopped behind Maggie who'd found a particular spot that needed watering. "Will you be okay? During the day I mean? I'll probably have a couple meetings."

She looked up at me and gave a little nod. "I'll be okay. I can stand the thought of you being at work, and I can keep myself busy enough. It's nights and trips that bother me. If I'm alone I can't sleep, I pace, or I curl up into a ball on the couch." She said looking down, uncomfortable talking about her anxiety. "I'm such a baby sometimes."

I turned to her and took her face in my hands. "That is absolutely untrue. I just want to know what's going on in here." I said brushing my thumb against her temple before I kissed her again. "These are things I want to learn about you." She kissed me and gave me a little smile.

We let our hands slip apart as we came back in view of the house. She let Maggie loose once we were inside and she bounded off for her water bowl. Jo went looking for Scott. She came down a few minutes later. "He nodded off. He'll be down in a minute."

"Oh, he didn't need to get up for me." I said looking towards the stairs.

She gripped my arm giving it a gentle squeeze and let go. "He wanted to come down and see you."

Scott padded into the kitchen rubbing his face. "Sorry about that, I didn't think I'd get that tired since we'd used a cart this morning. Would you like something to drink, coffee, something stronger."

"I'm going to make some tea for myself if you'd like that instead." Jo added as she reached for a kettle on the stove.

"Sure, yes please." I added suddenly unsure of the dynamics of what was going on.

"That sounds great honey." Scott turned and opened the cupboard for the cups and Jo shooed him away and told us to go in the other room and she'd bring it along in a minute. We went into the family room where we sat.