No Ordinary Proposal Ch. 06

Scott was slower on the golf course than he'd ever been before. He waved as we let people play through a few times. I asked if he wanted to throw in the towel and head home and he refused.

"You're not getting out of it that easy. You've only got me by five strokes and I've run out of ways to fuck with your head." He joked, his voice thin and reedy.

"Well I have been working out, to get some extra yards on those drives." I laughed. We finally ended the round and made our way to the clubhouse. He tried to pass on lunch and I gave him a look.

"She's got you in on it now too?" He chuckled.

"She didn't need to get me in on anything Scott. I'm aware of how this goes. Help a buddy out and try to eat something though. I don't want to have to deal with her wrath if she finds out you skipped on lunch."

"She's determined to keep me going as long as possible." He shook his head.

"Crazy, huh? It's almost as if she were in love with you or something." I said laughing at him. We were quiet for a few minutes and I found myself unable to withhold my frustration. "Why Scott? Why did you quit? I know the chances got lower but it's not zero and I've never seen you back down from a challenge before." The frustration of the situation peaked as I witnessed his decline happening more quickly.

He sat and stared down at the table and blinked slowly. "You know what it's like to have a toothache, a bad one? Imagine your whole body feels like that, worse in fact twenty-four, seven. Even if they had gotten it into remission again I'd be so doped up I'd be living like a ghost, sort of like now, but at least this will come to an end." He didn't look up as his bowl of soup was set in front of him. I thanked the waitress. "I'll eat, but I can't taste it any more. I'll live, but I can't feel it any more, it's like living in solitary confinement." He wiped his eyes and reached for the spoon. I didn't know what to say. As much as I had started to sympathize with Jo that he was throwing in the towel, I felt for Scott. Living a life in pain and misery was no way to live.

"You're dad. How old was he?" He didn't ask about a specific event but I knew what he meant.

"Sixty-eight."

He nodded. "Your mom? How old is she?"

"Sixty-six now."

"She move on yet?"

"No Scott, I don't know if she will at this stage of the game."

"Right." He looked up at me. "Jo is thirty, truth be told I don't know what she was doing with an old goat like me."

"You're forty-one!"

"I was thirty-three, chasing a skirt, I was surprised as anyone when I caught it." He chuckled and lifted the spoon, his hand trembled.

"Stop it. You know damn well what she saw in you then and now."

"I'm not allowed a pity party with you either? I'm not allowed to bow out as gracefully as possible and allow her to have a real life, one that doesn't turn her into a nurse to an invalid? I'm not allowed to see that she can go forward, and try and live a normal life, have the family she's been itching for in recent years? What a selfish prick I've become." He looked down and took a spoonful of his soup.

"How do you think she feels? 'Oh sorry honey, I don't feel like putting up a fight I'm just going to toss in the towel, lay down and die. Better luck next time.'" I shot back under my breath.

The spoon dropped banging loudly against the bowl. Scott leaned forward and pointed his finger at me. "I have been fighting. I've been fighting it for three years, she saw, she was there, so you don't get to pull that holier-than-thou bullshit with me. You weren't there, we didn't tell anybody for a long time."

He looked up and waved the waiter down and asked for the check. He bobbed his head at me and told me he wanted to head home.

* * * * *

Scott was much weaker. He no longer had the strength for extended walks and barely had the strength to play golf the week prior though he insisted on trying. Jo said he had started a higher dose pain medication and it was running him down even further. She was nettling him to eat when he didn't want to but he did to make her happy though he admitted to me sometimes he couldn't keep it down.

It had been nearly three months since the day that he stood on the golf course and told me he was dying of cancer.

"My chances went from eighty-five percent to sixty or so, to practically zero." He'd explained that sometimes you just don't make the right roll of the dice, and even if you do once, there's no chance, hell even less chance you'll make another. Despite the doctors who told him he should keep fighting as the odds kept falling he looked into what life would be like and it was far from pretty. He'd chosen not to keep fighting and let it run its course. I wavered between thinking he was quitting and thinking about what he was going through as his body literally attacked itself in an effort to kill him.

Jo was holding it together pretty well in front of him, but confided in me about how it was tearing her up inside. Scott said that he didn't relish the idea of going into a facility but didn't want to burden Jo with taking care of him day to day as he fell apart. He sat in a wing backed chair in his bedroom one afternoon when I'd stopped by.

"You need to get me moved soon." His voice was weak. He'd lost a lot of weight, not that he ever had a lot in the first place but he went from thin to emaciated in a matter of a few weeks. Jo had gotten him to at least drink protein shakes to keep up his strength but even that was turning into a daily pitched battle. We'd let him sleep and she would come into the other room and wrap herself in my arms and cry. His doctor had given us a fairly accurate prognosis and timeline, and he had come to its end.

Scott passed away on a Sunday afternoon, after we'd left his room to let him rest.

He had many friends, of recent years most were business associates. The viewing was well attended and most of those that gave their condolences Jo was at least acquainted with. His family attended and I spoke with his parents whom I hadn't seen in years. From stories Jo had told me he had only passing contact with them over the years, no holidays together or any other gatherings had taken place. Scott's friend Alan had told me to keep an eye on Jo because he knew there would be vultures lurking about looking for an opening. I nodded and thanked him. He didn't need to tell me, Scott had warned me early on and I didn't leave Jo's side for long at any given amount of time.

The funeral was held graveside, Scott wasn't religious, which was the heart of the schism between he and his family, they were and he'd broken away from that. People filed past to give their condolences to Jo. After the funeral I got her back to the house, a few friends followed. Maggie loved all the company and actively sought as much attention as she could get nudging knees and legs as she moved around. The last of the mourners finally left with a request to reach out for help if Jo needed anything. As the door closed Jo let out a sigh and collapsed into a heap on the sofa.

"Is it wrong that I don't have any tears left?" She asked me. She sounded ashamed by the fact.

"I don't think so. You've been shedding them for months and you knew this day was coming as well as Scott did."

I had been graciously granted time off on short notice by my boss so I could help out with the arrangements. I had moved to their house and was basically living there now. Jo made an appointment for her to visit with Karen, the grief counselor that had been seeing them through the last few months. She insisted that I come along. Karen had been given a topical explanation of who I was so it was far less awkward than I expected it to be. Karen told her it was time for the next stage, acceptance. She made a recommendation to Jo that she not be alone for long periods and to find something to keep herself busy as idleness would allow her to mind to spin aimlessly. She warned us that there was no specific time frame for this portion of the process and it could be short or long.

A few days later Jo's lawyer contacted her to let her know that that the paperwork had been completed and soon they would be able to execute the will, likely within a few weeks.

"Every time I turn or look up I expect to see him standing or sitting there." She said, her chin quivering as the tears flowed.

"I know." I took her in my arms and held her as I waited for the bubbling up of grief to pass.

I got her out of the house for a few days. We walked along the lake with Maggie who loved every minute on the long leash, bounding all over, chasing birds and bouncing up and down with excitement. That brought a quick but fleeting smile to Jo's face.

We made it back to the house Sunday night and got unpacked. Jo had slowly moved a lot of her things to the dresser and closet in the guest room and only occasionally went down the hall to the master bedroom any more. She was coping as best as she could and I wondered if staying here, in this house was going to be too much for her.

"Are you going to be okay with me going back to work tomorrow?"

She just nodded and took her kit into the bath and set it on the counter. When she walked back into the room. "Maggie will keep me company during the day."

She leaned on the dresser and crossed her arms. "I should probably do some grocery shopping. You've been pretty open to anything I cook. Is there anything missing in the pantry or the refrigerator you'd like me to pick up?"

I shook my head and took her in my arms. She melted into me instantly.

"I can take a couple more days if you need."

"No. It's best we get back to normal. This didn't sneak up on me, I'll do my best to keep it together."

"Would it be easier if you came into town and stayed at my house for a while?"

"I don't think so. I'd just be avoiding it, not dealing with it. Besides Maggie likes our walks down back, your yard is kind of small." A ghost of a smile lifted the corner of her mouth and disappeared.

"Promise me this is how you'll deal with it right here."

"How?"

"Talking to me about it. Don't bottle it up, or push it aside and most of all no long silences. I don't want you to feel like it's time to put the past aside and move on. I will miss him too and we need to accept that before moving forward."

The corner of her mouth turned up. "I promise." She leaned back and kissed me then stood and took some clothes downstairs to the laundry room.

I had decided to tread carefully to see how she handled the grieving process at the outset. One idea I'd had was to redecorate the master bedroom. If she decided she wanted to stay here I thought it might be a good idea for a fresh paint job, maybe even replace the furniture if she wanted to, but I was worried she would see that as trying to erase Scott from the picture. I was conflicted and I knew the only way to figure it out would be to wait it out and talk to her about it.

It was a few weeks later that I noticed she'd taken off her wedding rings, they had left a narrow pale band around her finger. I went shopping soon after and found a ring of my own, different enough to be obvious to her but not necessarily anyone else whose casual perusal might raise an eyebrow.

I took her to dinner in the city, the opportunity to get all dolled up was nice. It reminded me of our trip to Montreal and how absolutely gorgeous she was through every moment of that trip. We talked and I set the box on the table, still closed.

I smiled. "You knew it was coming. I want to preface my asking by saying that if I had met you before Scott had, I would have asked you to marry me without hesitation. I'm asking now not because of him, but because of you, who you are, and what you mean to me. Will you marry me Joanne?"

"But... I already asked someone, and he is the sweetest, most kind and gentle man, and we love each other so very much." A smile played across her lips.

"He's a lucky guy." I pouted and looked away.

"Don't worry, he knows that." Her laugh was soft, and it was the first time I'd felt it was sincere since the funeral. She reached out to take my hand.

I opened the box to show her. She pursed her lips and a tear streaked down her cheek as she held her hand up and let me slip it onto her finger. She let out a nervous laugh and brushed her tears away.

"What?" I asked suddenly curious.

She shook her head, her eyes fixed on the ring, she opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. She swallowed hard before finally speaking again.

"Lightning can strike twice." She looked up, our eyes meeting. "I never had any designs on finding Prince Charming, my life was too grounded in reality for that, but here you are." She pursed her lips as if to curtail her next words.

"Picking up where the first prince leaves off."

Tears flowed freely down her face and I reached up and brushed them way. She turned and kissed the base of my thumb.

"I'm sorry. This should be a happy occasion and I've ruined it."

"You've done no such thing."

She started flustered. "I just don't want you to think I'm comparing the two of you, I just..." I placed my thumb over her lips too stop her. Her eyes went wide and I leaned in replacing my thumb with my lips. Her lips were soft and warm, needful and she poured herself into returning the kiss in kind. The sound of a utensil being dropped on a plate nearby roused us from the moment. We were both short of breath. Jo's cheeks went bright pink as she glanced around, a smile tugging the corner of her mouth.

"I know. I understand it's going to be rough for you. Scott and I talked a few weeks before... before he passed away. He implored me to take care of you like he would have, and to not let my ego get the better of me. He was worried I'd suddenly feel like the rebound boyfriend being compared to the ex all the time and told me to ride it out because the reward would be worth it." I let out an amused sigh, our faces were still close. "I told him I was already aware of that and despite how things got weird I'm glad he did what he did because he was right. We would never have made this leap on our own and I could have lost out on the most wonderful woman either of us had ever met."

* * * * *

A few weeks later Jo asked if I'd work from home the next day and I said I would. She didn't hesitate to refer to it as home, though I still had the house in the city which I'd been thinking about selling if we were going to live here permanently. That morning she walked into the office with a fresh cup of coffee and I noticed she was wearing her going out makeup and one of my uniform shirts with my tie and a pair of gym socks.

"Going to be that kind of work day?" I asked grinning.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean." Her smile was both impish and brilliant in the early light. She leaned back against the desk with her arms crossed and I laid my hand on her leg and began to run it up under the shirt tail. She playfully swatted it away. "You have work to do, and so do I." She winked at me and turned to leave the office. "Oh you might want to tune in." Her smile burned brightly as she disappeared around the corner. I had since set up my computer here in the office on the left side of the desk and my work computer was on the right. I reached over, kicked mine awake and opened the browser and clicked on the cam site link to Jo's room. It showed she wasn't broadcasting yet and I left it as I reviewed some work emails. It showed that she had logged on and I finished what I was working on and pushed my laptop aside. The camera came up and she waited a moment for people to notice and greeted the few people that were there. She made small talk for a few minutes and they asked where she'd been and she said she'd had to take some time off for herself, to recharge her batteries. There were several jokes about battery operated toys being bantered back and forth as the room populated quickly. I realized after having watched her several times before that the count was very high and wondered about that. She leaned forward to type I could see a brilliant flash. She was wearing the engagement ring I'd given her, and it had been noticed by several people and had become the buzz of the conversation. A small dialog box popped up on my screen.

"Are you getting any feedback? I closed the door so you shouldn't hear me twice."

"You're fine. Stunning in fact."

She had been greeting regulars by their names as they entered and as the room had swollen in population she must have hit a point where she felt it was time.

"I've been announcing my retirement for a while now, and it's finally time. Today will be my final show." There was a lot of chatter in the window about why and such and she just shook her head and smiled. "I know you're all going to miss me terribly. You might as well get one last peek under the hood before this old jalopy gets towed off to the salvage yard. Who wants to undo my tie for me?" She started auctioning off the tie to see how high they would go. She got a lot of questions about the uniform, if she was dating a pilot or if she was a flight attendant.

"Don't you think I could be a pilot on my own? I mean I could rock a flight attendant uniform like a pro I'm sure. You know the short skirt, just enough to be hot and business like all at the same time. I bet all of you would want help with your seat back if I did."

"Want to keep your tie then you'd better out bid them for it." Came up on my screen and I laughed.

"The tie is replaceable if I need to do so." I ended up sending her some money to up the bidding. The tie ended up going for triple digits. She dramatically loosened it and stretched her neck.

"If there's one thing I love at the end of a long day it's to get this thing off." She had quite a few guys agreeing with her as she slid it slowly from under the collar. She laid it around her neck letting the ends hang over her breasts. "I think we need to set a price for the buttons." She tapped her chin and soon the top three were undone, underneath a bit of green lace was showing.

She plucked at the front of the shirt. "Is it hot in here or is it just me? Oh, it's just me!" She grinned as another button was undone. "No, you don't get a peek until the buttons are complete." She scolded one viewer for asking. I paid for a button and she grinned.

"You can come up and undo them again after the show."

"I'll be there before you can get my shirt back on."

They eventually got the rest of the buttons undone. She sat there cross-legged with her coffee mug and took a deep drink. They begged her to take the shirt off, she toyed with them a little longer and slipped it off, laying it over the end of the bed. She sat up and knelt showing off the ensemble beneath the shirt, the green lace panties snugged tight as she pulled up on them and straightened the straps on either side.

"What do you think? Is green my color?" She leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the bed, her breasts nearly poured over the top of the bra. I was breathing faster and hoped this wouldn't go on much longer. Several of the room member lavished praise, several said that it wasn't her color and she should remove the lingerie immediately.

"Well you know what that usually takes." The tips started rolling in as she set a goal for them to reach. A goal I thought was a stretch for her to reach, but she did it. She sat back on her heels and looked to each shoulder as she pushed the satin straps off.

"If there's one thing I love at the end of a long day it's to get this thing off." She said and pointed at the bra. She winked at the camera and reached behind her and unhooked it, holding it in place with her hand. "Tell me how much you want me to drop it." She purred into the camera. I knew she was talking to me and no one else as she peered so directly at me I thought my jeans would tear under the force of my hard cock, desperate for escape.