Charley (27 page)

“No need, PJ. I think I just need to get some rest. Let me get a nap, and we can go shopping after that, I promise.”

“It’s off to bed with you. We’ll talk about shopping later.”

“I’m sorry that I ruined your birthday.”

“Sweetheart, you haven’t ruined anything.
You
are my birthday present.”

He is so sweet.

I whispered. “Lay down beside me.”

PJ slipped under the covers and rolled over to my side. Lying on his side, with his head propped in his hand, he said. “You were magnificent today; I didn’t know you were a baller!”

I relaxed. The pale blue room with the thin curtains on the bay window, and the white spread and the clean sheets, all seemed to be mine. I was at home. This is where I belong.

“PJ, would you do something for me?”

“You know I will.”

“When I was a little girl, my daddy would lay down with me at night time and tell me stories. After the stories, I would lie on my back and he would tickle my stomach, and my arms and my neck. Not hard, but just soft and gentle. Just light enough to make goose-bumps run up and down my body. Mom made him stop when I was ten, but I’ve always missed that. Would you tickle my stomach so I can go to sleep?”

I closed my eyes.

PJ’s finger touch on my stomach was soft and gentle. I could feel him moving the tip of his finger nails lightly in an ever wider circle around my navel. The familiar chill floated across my body, and with the chill came feelings of what could have been; what I really wanted. As PJ continued his soft touch up and down my sides, the goose bumps shook my body and my soul. I raised my arms over my head, hoping he would understand where I wanted to be tickled next.

He didn’t disappoint.

He traced a soft line under my armpit and softly caressed the soft tissue. With a feather like touch his fingers traced the length of my arms and ran back to my shoulders. I turned my head as the magical fingers lifted my hair, and traced around the hairline on the back of my neck. I shuddered as I felt a tingle electrify my body.

I turned to him and with eyes still closed, whispered. “Do my breasts.”

Without a word, the obedient fingers slid tenderly, barely touching, down to my neck and across the top of my chest. They traced a line from one side of my chest to other. The tracings across my chest were like the lines of a ruled tablet, straight, stopping at the same place, moving down slightly and tracing softly back across. As the lines moved down my chest ever so slowly, my breath became deeper, anticipating how the lines would negotiate my flattened breasts. I lay deathly still, fighting to keep from arching my back to receive the pleasure. Each breast lay flat against my chest and slightly to the side. My body responded to the sensuous feelings rushing through me.  My hips twitched, my knees came up slightly and my thighs gradually parted, while my arms rose instinctively higher above my head.

The light touch approached my right breast, and softly tickled up the hill and over the top and down into the valley, before tracing up once more and over, and down the other way to its turnaround place at my side. His fingers began their journey again up the left hill, matching their tender touch with the rising and falling of my body. At the summit, the finger stopped moving in a straight line, and began to circle the top of my breast, beginning at my erect nipple, and slowly getting wider, until the finger touch circled the entire breast to retrace the same route, ending at the erect nipple on top. This was more than I could take. My emotions rushed to the surface.

“Hold me,” I pleaded as I circled his neck and pulled his head to my chest.

I held him tightly to my bosom, stroking his head and gently tickling his back. A tear came to my eye, followed by another, and another. A soft sob snuck past my lips.

My savior pulled his head up and looked into my teary eyes.

 “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

“Nothing. I’m just happy. I’m just so happy to be home!”

It was Monday morning in mid October, and I needed to talk to PJ. We had gotten a final proposal back from the Player’s Investor Group, and they wanted us to meet and sign the final papers. But as exciting as that was, I had something else to show him. Wilma and I had had a good talk one evening, and I made a decision that could affect PJ and my relationship. So I closed the door to my apartment, and I sat at my mom’s antique vanity to get ready before I called my honey.

When he answered the phone, I heard him say.

“Guys, it’s Charley, can you give us a few minutes please? Thanks.”

“Hi sweetheart. Have you got a few minutes to talk?”  I said in my sexiest voice.

“Sure, for you I always have time,” he replied.

Next moment he saw me, I mean really saw me. I was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a towel wrapped around my head. All he could see was a head shot.

“You just getting up?”

“No, been up for a while. I had a couple of things to talk to you about. One is business, and the other is about us.”

“Let’s get the business out of the way first.”

“Okay. We finally got a firm proposal from the Player’s Investor Group. Everyone here has looked it over, and they seem pleased with it.”

“And you, what do you think, Charley?”

“Well it looks good. But I would feel better if you looked at it. Plus, you were going to have your agent look into this group to see if he could find out anything. Have you heard from him?”

“No, I haven’t. I called him Saturday, and he assured me he hadn’t forgotten about it.”

“Well they want to meet Friday next week to sign the documents. Could you come down and meet with us? Besides I’m invited to a party Friday night, and I want you to go to with me. If you can of course.”

“As it turns out we’re having exams next week and there’s no game scheduled for the weekend. I’ll get a flight in as soon as possible. I think there’s one that arrives around 11:30. Now what is this party?”

“It’s the annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. I have to be there, and I want you to be my escort, so bring a suit. It’ll be fun.”

“Was that the personal business you wanted to talk about?”

“Well no! Shut your eyes, I’ve got a surprise. I’ll tell you when to open them.”

I got ready and positioned the phone’s camera just right.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

PJ’s eyes were as big as saucers when he opened them. I heard him gasp. “Oh my God!”

All he saw were my two breasts staring back at him on the phone.

“‘The twins just wanted you to know they missed you lots. Hi, sweetheart.”

He let out that big ha-ha laugh of his, and nearly dropped the phone. Once he recovered, he said. “Well, hello twins, I see you both are staying healthy. Is mama feeding you enough?”

I had his attention now.

“Enough of the small talk with the girls, I have something else to show you,” I said.

“Lord, woman you’re completely naked! Gracious Charley, warn me next time. Someone else might be in the room. I hope you’re in the apartment or the condo. You’re going to catch cold, girlfriend.”

“PJ, seriously, there is something else you need to see. I hope you like it. Now close your eyes. I’ll tell you when to open them.”

This time I panned the phone to my face and took off the towel from around my head.  “Are you ready? Okay, open your eyes.”

I continued to pan the screen to a full view of my face, and my hair. “You like it? I’m letting it grow out. You like it? I colored it to show the natural color. You like it?”

I was so excited.

“Lord, honey, I love it. The color brightens your face. I can’t even describe how much I like it, I love it! But why in the world did you change your hair color. You told me …”

“I know what I told you. I told you Randle liked my hair brown. Wilma and I have had a long talk, and I realize I love you, and I’m ready to put Randle back in my past where he belongs. You’re my future now!”

 PJ couldn’t say a word. It might have been a reflection of the sun, but I saw a small tear on his cheek. “Are you okay?”

Finally, PJ was able to say. “I’m better than okay, I’m fantastic, I’m stunned. Charley, I need to see you. If I can get a flight, can I come down on Thursday?”

“I hoped that would be your reaction. Call me when you know your flight and I’ll pick you up. I love you. By the way, don’t forget the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Friday evening. Love you!”

As I hung up the phone, I wanted to jump up and down on the bed, I was so happy. My business was on the edge of making a major move, and I was finally in love and he was in love with me! All was getting right with the world!

I woke up Friday morning as excited as a teenager. My man was coming to see me, my business was ready to take off, and tonight I was going to be honored at the Chamber of Commerce meeting. I had also been working on a plan that just might help get PJ and me together permanently. I dressed hurriedly and rushed downstairs.

“Morning, you sure are chipper this morning.” Ronnie was waiting with my morning coffee. “Excited about today?”

“Absolutely, we’re going to put Jimmy’s on the map today. I can’t wait.”

“PJ coming in?”

“Plane arrives at 11:43. He tried to get a flight Thursday, but couldn’t come in early.”

“That’s cutting it a bit close. Our meeting is at 12:30, you going to make it?”

“I’ll be there, and be sure you and Terry and Shelby are there as well.”

“Sure.”

Ronnie’s enthusiasm was less than I expected.

“What’s wrong? You look tired or worried. You just don’t look your normal, positive self.”

“I’m just tired, I guess.”

I knew immediately that something was wrong, Ronnie was never tired.  “I don’t believe you. I think you have something on your mind, so tell me.”

Ronnie put his coffee cup down and slumped into the chair at table number five. He motioned for me to join him. As I sat across from him, he reached over the table and took my hands in his. I never knew his hands were so rough. His thumb stroked the top of my hand. His eyes rose to meet mine, and he spoke in a soft determined voice. “Honey, I’m going to miss you and this place. This has been my life, my family. Before your mom died, I promised I would look after you, and I don’t think I’ve done my job very well.”

“What the devil are you talking about? You’ve always been there for me.”

I knew Ronnie, my surrogate father. He wasn’t tired, and he wasn’t depressed about taking care of me either. His downcast eyes and frown scared me. “What is really bothering you?”

Ronnie paused for what seemed like two minutes. When he did answer, it was in an almost silent voice. “I don’t think you should sell any part of Jimmy’s. You don’t need to. You don’t need any partners.”

His face told me he was earnest.

“Ronnie, why have you waited so long to tell me? Why shouldn’t we take on partners and grow Jimmy’s? I thought this was what you wanted.”

“Charley, when Jimmy, Shelby and I talked about this place, we never talked about making a lot of money. We just wanted a place where good friends could meet, and have a drink and something to eat. That’s why we just gave it a plain old name instead of some fancy one.  It was just to be a watering hole for friends. In due course the tourist business picked up, and we were in the middle of it, and things just changed. When Jimmy was killed, my whole focus changed. Now I had to watch over you and Jimmy’s, and you wanted to grow and, well, I had to help you.”

 The old man bowed his head and wiped a tear from his eye. “But that’s not what we wanted it to be.”

I squeezed his hand. “Ronnie, nothing is going to change. We will still be Jimmy’s.”

“What about changing the name to Brewster’s?”

“Not going to happen, Ronnie.”

“God, I hope not.”

My heart went out to him; I had never considered his relationship to Jimmy’s, and I certainly never thought about his feelings.

“Charley, when business folks get involved, things always change. Profits become much more important than people. Remember this summer, when the mayor and some of his people were in here, and I gave them drinks free? It was the right thing to do for friends, but we lost some profits. These new business partners will not be like that. They’ll be cold hard business.” His voice picked up volume and intensity. “When that happens, I will have to quit!”

“Ronnie, I love you so much. Stop this nonsense, please.  We, that is you and me, will remain in charge. It’s our place, understand?”

“Charley, you know I’ll support you whatever you want to do.” He gave a small laugh. “I’m too damned old to do anything else.”

My heart went out to him, and I stood and walked around the table to hug him hard.

“Ronnie, I love you.”

“I love you too, Charlotte.”

Something about the way Ronnie said ‘Charlotte’ sent chills through my body. I didn’t want to let go of the old man.

Time moves slowly when you are impatiently waiting. I shifted from one foot to the other and checked my watch. PJ’s flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:43, and it was 11:47 and still no PJ. If he were actually here now, we would have to hustle to get to our meeting with the Player’s Investor Group.

Ronnie’s confession this morning was still on my mind. I’m sure we need to move ahead, I just wish he understood. But that didn’t dull my excitement to see PJ. I just hope he really likes my hair. It was a big deal changing my hair color. My whole adult life had been as a brunette. All my business dealings were as a brunette. I just hope my blond hair wouldn’t affect my business relationships. But, some things are more important than business, I guess.

I lapsed into a haze of daydreaming, rolling over in my mind a strange mixture of PJ, Ronnie, the business and Shelby, as well as the menu of the Bar. A dozen ideas were jumping from the recesses of my mind, all taking their turn, front and center.

I was so preoccupied I almost missed hearing.

“Hey beautiful, I nearly didn’t recognize you!”