Karen and Debbie are moved in. Beth’s halfway there. Time for a little celebration, just the four of us.
* * * *
After a day of moving Karen into the house, and some unexpected play which included my good friend Jim, I finally got up the gumption to tell Karen about things that had been going on, and the new living arrangements.
Explaining the living situation didn’t go over as well as I was hoping. I tried to be reasonable, and attempted to soothe her feelings, but Karen was volatile, and I had lit her fuse.
By the time Beth and Debbie got back that night, the atmosphere in the house had chilled a good 20 digress, and Karen had retreated behind closed doors in her bedroom where she was unpacking some of her belongings, and ignoring me every time I tried to speak to her.
Beth and Debbie strolled in, happy as can be, with the girls in tow. They were chatting, and carrying groceries, and before long were preparing dinner. It smelled delicious. I was reading with the girls when Debbie asked to talk with me and dragged me off to my room.
“What’s up with Karen? What did you do to her?” she asked me. Direct and to the point; that was unlike Debbie. More and more she was taking a lead role around the home, and it was fascinating to observe the changes.
“Things went great with Jim and all. But I had never quite gotten around to telling her about Beth, and when I broke the news, it all went to hell in a hand basket. She took the “Cathy” thing so well, that I guess I thought this was going to be smooth going. I guessed wrong.” I shrugged, not really knowing what had gone awry.
“Cathy’s not competition. Beth, on the other hand, is more competition than any of us can handle.”
“It doesn’t seem to bother you that much. I thought you’d be a lot more sensitive to it than anyone else,” I told her, sitting on the bed, in a bit of a funk, and confused as usual.
“I know. It’s strange. I thought it would bother me more, but she’s more like a partner than competition. I don’t know why that is. Plus, I’ve seen what lengths you’ll go to for me. Nobody has ever stood up for me like you have. I can’t believe I’ve only known you for a couple of months and already trust you more than any man in my life. Ever.” She was opening up to me like a rose.
I pulled her over to me, and wrapped her in my arms. “I know it’s been hard for you, and I can be insensitive. I do appreciate it. I love you and Beth so much, but I also owe a lot to Karen, and she’s been such a good friend for so long, I don’t want to hurt her.”
“I know. You hate to hurt any woman. This is going to be your downfall you know. Sooner or later, we’re going to expect you to say “no” to some of these girls who waltz in and out of your life. We can only share you so much.” She was rocking in my arms, and I knew what she said was the truth. I was easy game for any girl that hit on me.
“You’re right. But what am I going to do now?” I asked.
“Let me see what I can do. I won’t promise anything, but I’ll do what I can. And don’t get too frisky with Beth until this is sorted out. Karen had her heart set on a weekend of fun, and in her eyes, three is company and four is a crowd. Especially when number ‘4’ is a teenage beauty with a killer body, who gave her virginity up to you in the past few days.” She laughed at her own comment, and extricated herself from my grip before heading upstairs to try and patch things up.
Beth and I chatted as I helped settle her in. She’d brought a suitcase of clothes along, and I made room for her in my closet, and gave her the right drawers of my dresser. She kept telling me she’d be no trouble; I’d hardly know she was there.
“That’s not what I’m looking for, Beth.” I told her. “I want to find you everywhere I look. I want you to be the biggest part of my life.”
She jumped into my arms, and I held her, kissing her, feeling the recurring effect she had on me beneath the belt. I finally had to drag myself away, and suggested we hit the kitchen and check on the dinner, since Debbie was taking so long upstairs.
Debbie soothed some feelings somehow, and before long she came back downstairs to complete the dinner preparations. Karen followed shortly after with the kids in tow, and I got a report on their activities before we sat down to eat.
In spite of the situation, dinner was an almost friendly affair. Beth was very quiet. I had let her know part of the problem, and she did her best to fade into the background, while things were worked out. Dinner was Italian: baked mussels, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and ice cream. I had always enjoyed fancy dinners, but Debbie made the everyday meal a joy. She was as incredible in the kitchen as she was in bed. She seemed to favor cooking all the basics: soups, casseroles, pasta, meatloaf, roasts, and such. But each one was as close to perfect as I could imagine. She used fresh ingredients, and timed everything just right. I was going to have to start working out more if I kept letting her feed me as she had been doing.
We discussed the day-care plans a little over dinner, and I mentioned my new project and let them know for the first time there probably would be some travel involved. The kids asked about the travel, and of course wanted to go along. I told them when they were older, at least 10. Karen announced that she was totally moved out of her old place, and only had to do some clean-up work the next day.