What You're Doing

Bonnie occasionally bumped into Patti at lunch time. She was surprised at how much she liked the woman. She also embarrassed herself at how eager she was to hear any news regarding Ron. Casey was reluctant to say too much about her father to Bonnie. Being his daughter, she wouldn't be privy to some of the more personal aspects of his life. Patti was quite willing to discuss Ron with her friends.

"Bonnie, it's pretty obvious you still love Ron," observed Patti one day as the two women ate lunch. "He never says anything negative about you, but it's obvious you hurt him badly. I'm not here to judge you, but I have to tell you that I'd never cheat when I'm in a relationship. I find it hard to believe that you did. Everything I see and hear from you indicates you love and respect him."

"I'd urge you to remember that when the flame of passion diminishes and everyday life bogs you down," responded Bonnie. "I lost my way and I paid the price. Love isn't always wild sex and great vacations. Sometimes it's trying to decide when to have the septic pumped or what color you should paint the house. It becomes mundane, but that's normal. Ron is an honest businessman, a considerate loyal friend and a great father. I'll always love him, but I betrayed him in the worst way a wife can. I've learned from it. I guess I'm too late smart."

"Last night I told Ron I was accepting a position in Seattle and I'll be leaving in two weeks. It's a great opportunity for me. I told him from the start that I was placing my career first, but I could tell my news upset him," revealed Patti. "I'm telling you this so you know what he's going through and possibly help him if he gets depressed. He really is a great guy. He's just not my forever guy."

"I'm sure he'll miss you a great deal. Ron doesn't do things on a whim. If he asked you to live with him, it meant he thought very highly of you as a person, your beauty notwithstanding. That said, he's a strong man. I tested that strength but he survived. He actually upgraded," stated Bonnie with a small grin. "He'll miss you, but he's a great catch and I doubt his bed will be empty very long."

"Yeah, that's why I'm giving you advanced knowledge," replied Patti with a smile of her own. "What you do with the information is up to you."

It was just a week later when Ron's best friend and silent partner, Dan, asked Bonnie to meet him for lunch at the bistro. The dining area was crowded but they found a small table off to the side.

After the usual greetings and formalities, Dan brought up the reason for his request to meet with Bonnie. "You know that tract of land Ron bought on Route 21 not far from the river? I have a buyer willing to pay almost two million for it. Ron bought it for a song. The profit would be huge. Your third would be well over half a million."

"Ron said that land was a steal and would be worth a lot some day. Is he going to sell it?" asked Bonnie as she wondered how she figured into the discussion.

"That's the problem," replied Dan. "He says he thinks it'll be worth more to the company if he offers it for a long term lease. He'd have it written into the contract that his company would build the structure the lessee required for its business."

"That sounds like Ron," admitted Bonnie with a smile as she thought about how business savvy he was. "I'm sure he's done the math and his plan will make more profit in the long term. What's the problem?"

"I think we should take the quick profit and sell the land. Planning ten and fifteen years ahead is great, but I'd like have the money now. You own a third of the company. I own a third. Together, we could insist Ron accept the offer and then pay us our share of the profits. Ron wouldn't be hurt. Hell, he'd get half a million cash to soothe any ruffled feathers."

Bonnie felt her anger building as she listened to Dan make his pitch. "You're asking me to betray Ron's trust? You think the money means more to me than Ron's 'ruffled feathers', as you call them? Let me tell you something! Ron would view this as a complete and utter betrayal by his wife and best friend. It would be the worst thing you could possibly do to him!"

"Worse than his wife fucking some young buck at a conference?" taunted Dan. "You're his ex-wife for a reason. You've already betrayed him. He divorced your cheating ass. This is a chance to get a little payback and a nice chunk of change at the same time," reasoned Dan. "That loyal wife shit won't fly. We both know that description doesn't fit you."

"I did betray Ron. I admit it," responded Bonnie in a controlled fury. "I was stupid and selfish, but I never meant to hurt him. He's better than both of us and deserves far better business partners than either of us will ever be. That said, I will never betray him again. I'd rather lose my last penny than hurt Ron like this. I proved I was a lousy wife and you've just proven yourself to be a piss-poor friend and partner.

"Ron will control my share of the company as long as I draw a breath. In fact, I'll have a new will drawn up to be certain Ron gets my share when I die. You should know better than to question his business acumen. He's forgotten more than you'll ever know!" stated Bonnie angrily as she stood and placed a bill on the table to cover her mostly uneaten lunch. She then looked Dan in the eye. "Please don't try stealing that, too."

Bonnie answered her doorbell almost a month later to find Ron standing on her stoop. She was very surprised. Ron had studiously avoided her since the morning after she had returned from her ill-fated conference.

"Ron? Come in. Is everything okay? Casey just left a few minutes ago if you're looking for her," stated Bonnie as she marveled at how flustered being with Ron now made her.

"I came to talk to you, if you have the time," began Ron as he stepped inside what had been his home for over fifteen years. "Can you spare a few minutes? If you're busy, I'll try another time."

"I'm not busy," replied Bonnie quickly. "I just made some coffee. Why don't we sit in the kitchen?"

"I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice," said Ron as he lifted his coffee mug. "You always made great coffee."

"I didn't even know how to make coffee when we were first married," replied Bonnie with a chuckle. "It took some time for me to get it right."

"I didn't marry you for the coffee," retorted Ron. "You had other attributes I found much more appealing."

"I never heard you call them attributes before," stated Bonnie, still smiling. "I did hear you refer to them as Smith & Wesson a few times."

"Yeah, you brought out the big guns and I was helpless to resist you," admitted Ron.

"Patti must have had you wrapped around her finger, or some body part," observed Bonnie. "She packs some serious heat."

"I appreciate how well you treated Patti. She thinks you're a remarkable person. Her opinion of you is one reason I'm here. One of her friends overheard you and Dan at lunch a couple of weeks back.

"Patti told me about it before she headed for the left coast. She felt your loyalty and integrity were exceptional. I have to agree. After the way I treated you in the divorce, you still turned Dan down flat. A lot of women who had been so quickly divorced by their husband would have wanted revenge, or payback, at least."

"I'd never do that to you, Ron. I know how hard you work on your projects and how much they mean to you. I also know you'll make that land yield a much better return that Dan was looking for. He was foolish to doubt you," concluded Bonnie.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence. Patti helped me to accept that you're my partner, even though I've been running the business as if it's all mine. I need to allow you the opportunity to express your opinion and to tell me how you'd like to proceed," stated Ron. "If you want to sell that property and split the profits on it, I'll go along with it.

"Dan's been after me to sell it," revealed Ron." I think he's strapped for cash. He feels we should each be able to draw half a million out of the business without hamstringing it if we sold that land. Would you want that, too?"

"I think you probably have plans for that property which would net the company a nice profit and community good will," replied Bonnie with obvious pride. "You never looked for quick buck. You always wanted to improve the area while making a good living. You have something planned for that tract, don't you?"

"I've been negotiating a long term lease with General Hospital to build an emergency care complex on the land," confessed Ron. "It wouldn't be as profitable as the luxury condo project the company Dan is pushing to build, but it would still turn a nice profit and we'd also have the contract to build it. That would create jobs as well as good will."

"I guessed it would be something like that," responded Bonnie a bit smugly. "You're a good business man but you're also invested in the community. That separates you from men like Dan."

"Dan feels it would be better to get the quick profit. I don't agree with that line of thought. I understand he came to you to pitch his ideas and you turned him down cold."

"I trust you implicitly, Ron. You've never given me reason not to trust you. I'll back your decisions regarding the business to the hilt," promised Bonnie. "I guess that sounds strange when you already know you can't trust me, but it's the truth.

"I've been thinking about how Dan has been trying to interfere in your business. It's occurred to me that we should buy him out. If he's cash poor, he'll probably listen to a reasonable offer. He'd be happy and you'd be free to run your business the way you see fit," reasoned Bonnie.

"I thought of that, but I don't have the capital to accomplish it," conceded Ron.

"We could sell this house," suggested Bonnie. "I can rent a nice two bedroom apartment for Casey and me. We've built a lot of equity up over the years. The house is almost paid for and you made some major improvements. It would bring enough for us to be able to buy out Dan."

"This is your house now that we're divorced. You'd be willing to sell it put that money into the business?" asked a disbelieving Ron. "I don't know how soon I'll make the deal for the urgent care center. I can't guarantee you'll get your money back soon, or even that you'll get it back at all."

"Do I look worried?" joked Bonnie. "Remember I was married to you for twenty years. You'll make it back, with interest. If for some reason you don't, that's okay. I owe you, Ron. The money couldn't ever make up for my disrespect, but it will get Dan out of your hair."

"I'll go along with it if you'll come and live at the lake house with Casey and me," blurted Ron, before quickly adding, "You'll have your own room with its own bath. It really turned out nice."

"I don't think that would work," replied Bonnie sadly. "There's the privacy issue, not to mention dating and all the drama that would create for you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about your social life," apologized Ron. "Of course you wouldn't want to bring a date back to the house when the ex-husband is living there, especially that guy Nick. That would be awkward."

"I don't date and have no intention of starting," replied Bonnie. "I stopped going to the conferences and haven't spoken to Nick since that disastrous trip.

"You're the one who would be inconvenienced. No woman would want to spend the night with you when your ex is sleeping in the next room. Finding a woman willing to move in with you would be extremely unlikely with me there, although I wouldn't rule it out. I've seen how women fall all over you."

"I divorced you for sleeping with that guy, and then I went and moved Patti in with me. My conduct wasn't the best example for Casey, was it?" asked Ron rhetorically. "My only defense is that I was depressed and lonely. Another man had taken my wife from me and my self-confidence was pretty low. Patti was able to restore it for me."

"I'm sorry I damaged your self-esteem. I wish it had never happened, but I certainly don't blame you for taking up with Patti. She's a lovely woman. You're a single man and can enter into any relationship you desire," said Bonnie before adding. "I don't think I ever apologized properly for my behavior. It wasn't something you caused or created. It was all on me. I really screwed the pooch and I'm truly sorry for the pain and inconvenience I caused."

"You really hurt me, Bonnie. I was never unfaithful. I lived for you and Casey. I went from having it all to feeling like a complete failure," admitted Ron. "Patti helped me see that while I may have not been the perfect husband, I wasn't the reason you cheated. You could have told me you were unhappy with our marriage, or our sex life, or whatever. I would have worked to make it better, if I had known."

"I was just stupid, Ron, not unhappy. You were a very good husband, a great dad for Casey and a wonderful lover," stated Bonnie. "I lost my way and I deserve to be unhappy. It sounds strange, but being unhappy makes me happy. I feel like I'm paying for my sins."

"Would you at least come and look at the lake house?" asked Ron. "I'd like to show it to you and get your opinion. I used some of the ideas we discussed over the years on the remodeling. I think you'll approve."

"Casey has a volleyball match in two hours. Can I take a rain check on that offer," asked Bonnie.

"Let's look at it before the match. We can ride there together," proposed Ron. "I'll drop you off here afterward."

"Aren't you worried people will think we're getting back together if we go as a couple? Usually, you sit as far from me as possible," pointed out Bonnie.

"Yeah, I've been a bit of an ass, but in my defense, you shit all over me and our marriage. You couldn't have expected me to be cordial to you," reasoned Ron.

"Actually, you were much nicer to me than I would have been to you if the tables had been reversed," admitted Bonnie. "Your settlement offer was far too generous. We both know that."

"It looks like that kindness is paying off," quipped Ron. "We're thinking of selling the house so we can buy out Dan. I'm still having trouble believing you're willing to do that."

"Honestly, Ron. You can have anything of mine you want. You've always been a fair man. I know you won't hurt me, even though I deserve it."

"Let me show you the lake house," offered Ron to change the subject and give himself time to settle his emotions.

Bonnie raved about the remodeling as Ron showed her though the house. "You really did a great job! Casey's room is so big, and she has her own bath. That's every teenage girl's dream."

When Ron showed Bonnie the second bedroom, Bonnie felt it was time to address the elephant in the room. "This is a beautiful room with another amazing bathroom, but I can't stay here, Ron. It would be far too painful to see you every day and be reminded of what I lost. We'll sell the house and I'll get an apartment. I'll be fine."

"We have to leave soon for Casey's match, Let me show you the master bedroom," persuaded Ron. "It's bigger than the others. I know you'll like it."

"This is beautiful. You did a wonderful job, but you always do," praised Bonnie as she surveyed the master bedroom. "That's why your business is so successful. You have an eye for detail."

"Would you stay with Casey and me if you had this room?" asked Ron abruptly.

"I'd still see you every day and I don't think I could handle that," stated Bonnie sadly.

"I didn't mean you'd have it to yourself," explained Ron nervously. "I thought, maybe, we could share it."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows a she studied Ron's face. "Are you asking me to share your bed?"

"I've felt like crap since that day I found out you cheated and I left home. I miss you so much I ache at times. You screwed up pretty bad, but I slept with Patti for several months. That took some of the sting out of your betrayal, but doesn't absolve it. I wonder if we can get past all the shit and try getting back together."

"I'm not willing to be a booty call for you," replied Bonnie firmly. "If you want to punish me more, I won't do it. If I moved in, I'd be totally faithful to you and would expect the same from you. No more young hotties in your bed. There would be only me, or I'd be gone in a heartbeat. I've worked hard on getting my self-respect back. I intend to keep it. I love you, Ron, but you have to be all in, or I'm out."

No one was more surprised than Casey when her parents walked into the gym arm in arm. She hurried over to speak to them where no one else could hear.

"Mom? Dad? Does this mean..." began Casey, but Ron smiled and nodded before she could finish her question.

Casey threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly while speaking into her ear. "Welcome home, Mom. I love you, but don't ever cheat on Dad again. I have a friend with a single aunt who's even prettier than Patti."