Yakima Ch. 05-06

"Thank you, Ali, I really enjoyed that."

"I did too, Grime."

"I guess I have to live with your version of my name," I said as I held her chair for her.

"I guess you will. It's built in, I'm afraid."

"Where to do you work? Or do you work?" I asked.

"At Kimble Motors. I'm the assistant to the Chief Financial Officer."

"Oh," I said, suddenly thinking of Gordon Winters.

"That sounds like an ominous 'Oh,'" she said.

"Just a bad memory." I didn't elaborate.

"You mean Gordon Winters?" She was no longer smiling.

I looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I put the earnings and bonus numbers together for your lawyer. It was my signature that attested to them."

"Oh. I don't suppose you'd be too happy about that," I suggested.

"No ... I knew what was going on. I was more than happy to comply with the subpoena. Mr. Winters isn't my favorite employee."

"How about we change the topic. I have reason to forget the whole thing. As of last Thursday, I'm once again officially single for the first time in eighteen years."

"Good on you, Grime. That's exactly the right thing to do. Forget the bad shit and get on with your life."

"I don't remember how to be single, to be honest. I have to learn all over again."

"I consider myself to be an expert," she said brightly. "I'd be happy to help."

"I may take you up on that. In the meantime, would you like another glass of wine or would you prefer to dance?"

"Yes, please," she laughed.

"Well, let me get the wine, then you can tell me when you'd like to dance," I chuckled.

When I returned to the table, Ali was talking to an older woman. Both wore very nice evening dresses and both women looked very striking. Ali was dressed in a dark green sheath with a nice display of cleavage and the length extending to the knee. The more I saw, the more I liked. The older woman was dressed in dark blue, showing a little less cleavage while the length was also just at the knee.

I placed Ali's wine on her left and put down my glass.

"Grime, this is my mother, Kimberly Bledsoe. Mom, this is Grime Rideout, my chosen escort for the evening."

"Hello, Graham. Nice to meet you. Congratulations on your new job."

That startled me. How would Ali's mother know about my promotion?

"You look a bit surprised," she said with a smile reminiscent of her daughter's. "Let me explain. I'm a member of the Chamber of Commerce, as is Frank Martinez. He told me you'd be the designated delegate starting in January. It's nice to have some fresh blood in the organization."

"Thank you. Do you represent Kimble Motors too?" I asked.

"I am Kimble Motors, Graham. Kimble is a combination of my first name and last name. I took the business over on the death of my husband eight years ago. Allison has joined the firm and is a wonderful addition to the staff."

"Ah ... a family business," I said with a nod and a smile.

"Indeed. Now, don't let me interrupt your evening. I'm sure we'll be seeing you in the coming weeks, Graham. I hope you have a happy New Year."

"Thank you," I said, still standing as she left for another table.

"So, Ali is short for Allison," I said.

"Very good. You caught that right away," she needled.

"Have I given you enough time to rest before I ask you to dance?"

"Plenty," she said, popping up out of her seat. "We didn't exactly kick up a storm the last time." She was still showing that smile. I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't permanent. I loved the look it gave her.

The band had resumed playing as we returned to the dance floor. We were able to stay out for as long as we wanted without losing the music. The way we fit together and as easy as it was to dance with her, I had no intention of ending our time together soon. As far as I could tell, she felt the same way. We were glued together and I was taking in the intoxicating scent of her hair and her perfume.

"Am I monopolizing you tonight?" I asked quietly.

"Yes ... but I'm glad you are," she said equally softly, looking up at me.

"You are a very good tonic for my ego," I continued.

"Thank you. I feel the same way about you. I'd like to see more of you," she said, surprising me.

"Then you will. May I call you for a date?"

"I'll be upset if you don't."

"I have a feeling that this next year is going to be very different for me," I said.

"I'm sure it will be," she smiled up at me again.

I heard her sigh and she melded even further into me, if that was possible. It also meant that she couldn't avoid feeling my erection pressing into her. She didn't react and move away, so I continued just to leave our embrace the way it was.

I suppose we'd lost track of time, but as the music ended, the M.C. announced that the midnight hour was approaching and we should charge our glasses. When we returned to our table, we found champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly. After everyone had filled their glasses, I poured Ali's and then mine. The announcer gave the countdown, then at the stroke of midnight, the band struck up Auld Lang Syne while the balloons and confetti fell onto the dance floor.

Ali turned to me after sipping her wine, then did something completely unexpected. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a very sensuous kiss. One that lasted quite some time.

"Happy New Year, Grime," she smiled when we broke.

"Happy New Year to you, Ali. Thank you for being here tonight."

That got me another kiss, this time with more passion. She was watching me, watching to see my reaction. I moved one hand to the side of her lovely breast and held it gently as we kissed once more.

I had no idea if anyone was watching, but at that moment, I really didn't care. For the first time in twenty years, I'd found a fascinating woman that I wanted to get to know better. I was confident she felt the same way. Neither of us could claim alcohol was responsible. On the other hand, we were both intoxicated. I was acting like a teenager and Ali wasn't behaving much differently.

.

"Maybe we should get a room," she murmured with a sultry look.

"It's probably a bit late for that," I said, my fingertips stroking her cheek.

"My car doesn't have a back seat," she said. I didn't catch that immediately, but then I realized she was having a bit of fun.

"Do you suppose we could get to know each other better before we advance this ... whatever is going on between us?" I asked quietly.

"Spoilsport. I've been doing without for a long time, you know."

"I find that impossible to believe. You are far too beautiful to be ignored."

"Oh, you're a smoothie, aren't you," she said, again with her sparkling eyes fixed on me.

"Only since I met you. Remember, I've been a married man with a spotless record of fidelity. This is all new again. Mind you, I'm not having any trouble recalling old seduction lines for you."

"Is that what they are ... lines ... chatting up the ladies ... looking for a score?" she asked with an almost forlorn look.

"No chance. Whatever is going on between us ... and I'll be the first to admit I don't know what it is ... you have me in your power."

"Lust at first sight, eh?" she chuckled, breaking the serious spell.

"Maybe. I hope it's more than that. Why don't we find out?"

"I think we've already agreed we would," she said, again with that smile.

"Good, that's settled then."

I'm not sure how much longer we would have gone on holding each other and having our intimate conversation, but the mood was broken when the M.C. announced it was time for the big drawing. I was barely paying attention, my eyes riveted on this sparkling new woman who had suddenly appeared in my life.

Ali reached into her little clutch purse and pulled out her stub. It reminded me to look for mine as well. In the meantime, the band's drummer had initiated a drum roll and smacked the cymbal to permit the announcer to call the number. When he did, I shook my head and showed the stub to Ali. Her eyes went wide and a look of surprise and joy showed on her face.

"You've won!" she said loudly. "You've won the drawing."

"How about that, Ali. Already you've brought me good luck."

I had no idea how much the draw was worth as I approached the stage, gave my name and passed the M.C. my stub. He confirmed the number and announced my name as the winner. A reasonable round of applause followed as well as some grumbling about some people having all the luck. If they only knew.

"You'd better put this someplace safe," the announcer suggested as he handed me a slim envelope."

"Thanks," I offered, wondering just how much I had won.

I returned to our table and didn't even get sat down when Ali pre-empted me by taking the envelope and opening it. It contained with a hand-written check from the Chamber of Commerce for $1640.00.

"Crikey!" Ali exclaimed. "Now you can afford to take me out to a nice place for dinner," she smiled.

"I sure can," I agreed, wide-eyed and still gazing at the check. "I had no idea that it would be this much."

"That's only half. The other half of the prize goes to the chamber's pet charity, helping the homeless."

"Good. That's good to hear. Well," I said, turning to Ali once more, "it looks like my luck has changed ... in more ways than one."

That earned me a big smile and a less passionate kiss on the cheek.

The party didn't last much longer and Ali's mother came to collect her and take her home. I said goodnight to both of them and prepared to leave. It had been an amazing evening, one I didn't expect. Two days divorced and I was thinking about getting involved with another woman. But Ali was no ordinary woman. She was completely different, particularly since she couldn't pronounce my name.

Chapter 6 Getting Back Into the Game

I fell into bed early on New Year's Day morning and lay on my back, my hands behind my head, visions of Allison Bledsoe dancing in front of me. It was crazy that within a couple of hours we had met and, through some kind of unknown and unexpected chemistry, we had made a connection. I tried to reconstruct the woman that I had met.

She was about five-and-a-half feet tall, nicely curved but not what I would call voluptuous. The outstanding features were her incredible, almost hypnotic eyes, and her lovely soft, red hair. Not to forget her now-and-then goofy accent and strange phrases. Freckles. That was something else I really liked. Freckles that she tried to hide on her cheeks and yet allowed them to show on the tops of her breasts. Then there was her perfume and scent. I was wired. I felt like I'd had a dozen coffees. It would be a while before I slept.

It was nearly ten when I woke the next morning. I had slept six or seven hours, but it seemed like I had not slept at all. My dreams were full of Allison.

I usually don't remember my dreams, but last night was an exception. They were vivid and disturbing. I wondered what they meant, other than the fact that Ali had a strong effect on me. I didn't feel any guilt. After all, I was a free man. The court said so. But why did Ali come onto me so strongly. I didn't expect that. I know you're not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this was hard to understand. She made me feel like I was something special, and that didn't fit with my self-image. Yet undeniably, she had assured me that she expected me to call her for a date. That wasn't a dream. That was definitely real.

~*~

It took me a couple of days to adjust to my new job, or more correctly, my new office and support staff. I had been sharing an assistant, Sharon Tremaine, with Frank, but he had moved upstairs to the Planning Department. It seemed that Sharon was there only for me. We got along very well, and I wondered if Sharon wouldn't be my successor. She was capable and certainly knew the job. I'd have to talk to my new boss about that. I now reported to the City Manager, Soren Forssmann.

Frank had cleaned out his office sometime before Christmas and I moved in the first work day in January. As far as the job went, it was going to be very little different from what I had already been doing. My boss had prepared me well to be his successor. It was only a matter that it was taking place sooner than I expected.

My work load did differ somewhat from my previous job. It was the attendance at meetings and doing the necessary reports and budget planning that would add to my responsibilities. Sharon was right there to guide me. She wasn't really a secretary. Her title was Executive Assistant and that was exactly the role she performed.

"You need to make arrangements to pick up your car, Graham," Sharon announced my first afternoon.

"Oh ... how do I go about that?"

"Our contract is with Kimble Motors. You have a choice of either a Fusion or an Escape. You should contact the lease manager," she said before coming to an abrupt stop. "Is that going to be awkward for you?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't expect to encounter Mr. Winters. He's the sales manager." I hoped I was right in my assumption. I checked the rolodex Frank had left me and found the direct line to Mel Thompson, the lease manager. I punched in the number and was able to talk to him. I arranged to meet him after work and make a decision on which vehicle I would choose.

My first day seemed to pass in no time at all and I was soon driving the few blocks to Kimble Motors and Mel Thompson.

"Let me show you the choices, Mr. Rideout. I think you'll be pleased with either one," he said confidently.

He went over the features of each vehicle. All city transport was white with a small city crest on the front doors. The main difference between the Fusion and the Escape was the SUV featured four-wheel-drive. I liked that option and that's what I chose. I hadn't had a new car of my own since I bought the Malibu, almost nine years ago. It was still in good shape and ran well. I would get very little for it if I sold it, so I decided to hang onto it for now. I had Matt's desire for a driver's license in the back of my mind.

Mel said I could pick up the Escape on Wednesday when it would be prepped and the paperwork complete. I had the authority to sign for it. One of the perks of my new job was permission to use the vehicle for personal use.

Camillo Dalla Riva had been our family financial advisor for several years and I thought a conversation with him was in order since my divorce and new job had changed almost everything about my financial status. He didn't know about the divorce, so I filled him in on the phone before we agreed to meet at my townhouse the next evening.

Reese and I had established we would start the New Year with the children at our former home for the first two weeks, then alternating each two weeks between us. We had both shared the children over the Christmas period by mutual consent and that had worked out well. Neither of us was deprived of their presence and both Jess and Matt seemed to have accepted the new routine.

We had yet to figure out how to set them up in two separate households without them carting clothes and other things back and forth every fourteen days. Otherwise, we decided to make the exchange of residence on Sunday afternoon or evening so that they could get settled in for school the next day. I don't think either Matt or Jess were pleased with their circumstances, but when I discussed what might have been, they agreed that the situation was better than any alternative.

With the kids at Reese's residence, I was free to get a number of things done without worrying about dealing with their needs, preparing meals, or checking on homework. I had made use of my bachelor period in the fall to teach myself some rudimentary cooking skills. I couldn't claim to be great, but I could provide my offspring with a variety of proper meals, some of which I made from scratch.

Before meeting Camillo, I'd spent the previous evening going over my finances, including my indebtedness to Miles Hoffman and sundry other bills. I wanted him to have a good picture of my situation and allow him to make some suggestions on how to proceed. I was no accountant and I certainly didn't know tax law. I had always hired an accounting/tax firm to do my personal taxes.

On Wednesday morning, I hitched a ride to Kimble Motors with Sharon. It was only a few blocks out of her way and she was happy to do me the favor. Within a few minutes, I was satisfied with my choice of vehicle. It rode nicely, had plenty of power, and plenty of space, especially when the rear seats were folded down. I was pretty sure Matt would be impressed.

My meeting with Mario was very enlightening. My new salary and perks would greatly improve my income and we constructed a plan for me to retire my debt to Miles Hoffman. I should have it paid off by the end of the year. I really valued Camillo's advice and his help in dealing with my new economic circumstances. I wasn't rich, but I was able to meet all my obligations and work myself out of debt.

I hemmed and hawed about phoning Allison after Mario left and decided to defer it to Thursday. I had to decide where to take her for dinner and perhaps afterwards. I remembered a very nice restaurant Reese and I tried a year or so ago. It was listed as Continental food and I remember it had an interesting menu. I decided to suggest it to Allison.

I worked up my courage the next evening and picked up the phone. Allison answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Allison, it's Graham," I said, managing an upbeat tone.

"Hi, Grime. I wondered when I'd hear from you," she answered brightly.

"I said I'd call and ... well ... here I am."

"Yeah. So when are we going to get together?" she asked, cutting directly to the point.

"I'm good anytime this weekend. Friday, Saturday or Sunday."

"Okay, I'll take all three," she laughed.

"Whoa there, Ali. Why don't we try Friday? I'll take you to The Europe House and we can spend some time getting to know each other better."

"Oh ... going first class. We'll, I'll have to wear my best bib and tucker."

"Uhhm ... that dress you wore on New Year's Eve was pretty nice," I suggested.

"Yeah ... I thought you'd like that," she chuckled. "Nice view from the top, eh?"

"Nice view top to bottom," I replied without thinking.

"Ohhh ... cheeky," she giggled. "What time?"

"How about seven o'clock. I'll pick you up at your place."

"I'll give you my address," she said, and did so.

"See you at seven tomorrow," I said.

"I'll be here," she laughed again before hanging up.

Well, that was easier than I thought. She was just as eager to go out with me as she suggested she was at the party. If I had one objective it was to find out more about the interesting woman who had been living out of the country for some time. She also had a child ... a son. That was something I hadn't thought of, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. She had been in a relationship for ten years, so it wasn't surprising they would have produced a child.

The address she gave me was a ranch-style bungalow in a nice neighborhood. The lawn was well kept and there were shrubs and a flower bed in evidence around the front. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Within seconds, the door swung open and a young boy appeared.

"Are you Grime?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," I chuckled as he mimicked his mother's version of my name.

"I'm Jack. Nice to meet you," he said as if it was an everyday occurrence. It was hard to believe he was only six.

He stood back to allow me to enter before closing the door behind me. He was exceptionally well-mannered, if this was any indication.

"You're taking Mum to dinner?" he asked.

"Yes ... that's the plan."

"Don't go to the Casino. Mom says the food stinks."

I laughed. "Actually, I'm going to take her to The Europe House. I hope it doesn't stink," I said with a straight face.