Yakima Ch. 07-08

"I have talked to Allison, and she has been after me to establish a junior position charged with managing the used car inventory at all locations. It's a good starting point for you, Mrs. Rideout, and could lead to promotion in the future. The starting salary is two thousand per month and with Mr. Winters's contribution, you should be able to maintain your current situation," Kim concluded, sitting back in her chair.

I could see that Reese was stunned, but no more so than I was. This was far beyond what I imagined might be discussed at this gathering.

"I can't quite believe what I'm hearing," Reese said quietly, blinking back tears. "You've done so much for me and I don't even know you. I don't deserve it, especially after what I did to Graham. I ... I ... don't know what to say except ... thank you. I won't let you down."

"One other thing," Kim said. "We will deduct Gordon Winters's financial obligations to you from his paycheck and deposit it directly into your account. That way you won't have to worry about him being late or playing games with you. I don't think he'd do that knowing what the consequences might be. He's getting off very lightly, in my opinion. I would have been a lot harder on him if it were me. Miles has tempered my instinct for retribution," she said, looking fondly at my former lawyer.

"I will draft up the agreement and meet with Gordon Winters," Miles said. "We want this in writing with no wiggle room. The agreement will last until your youngest child's eighteenth birthday or in the event you re-marry. By then, I would hope you are self-sufficient."

I looked over at Reese and tears were streaming down her face. She was shaking her head in wonder, I suppose. I wasn't far from that myself. This had been constructed and carefully thought out by Miles and Kimberly. It was the perfect solution.

"I think this calls for a proper drink," Kim said as a silence fell over the room. "Miles, would you give me a hand please?"

The two left for the kitchen while I looked at Reese, now showing signs of recovering from her shock.

"I'm glad that solves your problem, Reese," I said quietly.

She nodded. "I never in my wildest dreams thought someone I didn't know would do this for me. I don't know how I can repay her, but I will try very hard to do that."

"Just be on time for work and do a good job," Ali chuckled. "I'm a real bitch when it comes to tardy or sloppy."

"You can count on it," Reese sniffed.

Kim and Miles returned with a tray bearing three glasses of white wine and two with what I guessed was liquor.

"This is a twelve-year-old Highland malt," Miles told me. "Even those who don't enjoy Scotch seem to enjoy it. It's almost never served with ice."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. "It's something I don't often get to try."

We toasted the solution to Reese's problem and Miles promised he'd let us know how his meeting and proposal to Gordon Winters was received.

"To be honest," Miles said with a sly grin, "Breach of Promise is a long shot at best. I'm not above bluffing an opponent when need be. In this case, it's a reasonable bet Winters will buy it."

Kim snorted and said, "With Miles' persuasive skills, he'll jump at the offer. Of course, I'll be there to ... confirm ... the agreement."

She had a confident smile and I felt Ali squeeze my arm as we heard her comment.

"Now, if I'm not being insulting to you, Mrs. Bledsoe, and Mr. Hoffman," Reese said, "I'd like to go home and have a good cry."

Kim and Miles rose and went to Reese. Kim hugged her and Miles took her hand, smiling as my ex-wife expressed her thanks once more.

"Well, that was well received," Miles said as he and Kim sat once more.

I nodded. "I'm as stunned and amazed as Reese is. That was an amazing solution to a very troublesome problem. I can't thank you enough for your efforts on our behalf."

"Graham," Kim replied, "We did this for you and your children as much as for Mrs. Rideout. It gives you the freedom to consider the next Mrs. Rideout," she said with a knowing smile at Ali. That was something that had barely been on my radar but apparently, Ali's mother had already begun the planning.

Ali came to my rescue. "Mother, you're pushing the cart a little too far ahead of the horse. Grime and I are just getting to know each other."

"Very well, dear. I won't terrorize Graham any more than any other mother would," she chuckled.

I could see the smile on Miles Hoffman's face as he watched the byplay.

"Where's Jack?" I asked, desperately trying to change the topic.

"He's in the pool room, watching TV most likely," Ali answered.

"I have some things for him in the car. I'll just go out and get them," I said, rising and moving toward the door.

When I got back, Jack was in the living room sitting beside his mother.

"Jack, this is the glove Matt used to use," I said, passing the well-worn leather mitt to him. "He said you could keep it. He also gave you a bat and ball. The bat is the right size for you, but too small for Matt."

"Oh, wow! Look at this, Mum. It's perfect for me," he said enthusiastically. "Now I can play T-ball with Brian and Terry and the guys. Thanks, Mr. Rideout, thanks a lot."

"You can thank Matt the next time you see him," I said, "but I'll let him know you are happy with his stuff."

"Yeah, this is great. It's already broken in for me."

Ali had a tight grip on my arm as I sat beside her. Her smile told me she was sharing Jack's happiness. I glanced across the room at Kim and Miles and saw smiles there as well. Looks like I had made a good move with Matt's old equipment.

Chapter 8 Getting Closer

Gordon Winters grudgingly accepted the proposal offered by Miles Hoffman on behalf of Reese. I got the impression from Ali that Gordon was intimidated by Miles after he witnessed the pasting lawyer Huggins received in the family courtroom. The fact that Kim was present at the negotiations probably underscored he had little room to move. He signed the documents and the deed was done. Reese was out from under a bad potential marriage and financial hard times. Gordon left for Wenatchee at the end of February with little fanfare and no going-away party that he was invited to.

The one-time payment to Reese helped tide her over as she began her new career at Kimble Motors. She started on March 1st and two weeks later when I arrived to pick up the kids for their time with me, I found a much different Reese.

"Hi, Graham. How are you?" she asked brightly. "The kids will be here in a moment."

"Hi, Reese. How's the new job?"

"Oh, Graham, I'm so lucky. Allison is a great person to work for and I'm really enjoying the job."

"That's great, Reese. I'm happy for you. I'm glad the bad stuff is behind you."

"Almost," she said, now showing a sad expression. "I won't forget what I did to you and our children. I was selfish and stupid. I know I'll never do anything like that again."

"I'm sure you won't," I said, wondering if I was right.

My connection with Ali hadn't moved very far. We were still at the introductory stage, it seemed. I didn't know if she was expecting me to make the first move or whether she would take the initiative. I'd learned more about her, but not from her. I learned from observation.

The first thing I realized was that she was very smart. Cunning, actually. I was certain that she engineered bringing her mother and Miles into the Reese-Gordon problem-solving equation. It's a solution I doubt I would have come up with, but it was exactly what was needed to fix the situation.

The second thing I noticed was that she was subtle in a very strange way. When I first met her, I thought she was quite outrageous. Her totally unexpected and aggressive moves at the New Year's party were an example. But that wasn't really her. She used her seemingly bulletproof self-confidence to ward off unwanted intrusion by others. Why I was invited in to her inner circle, I wasn't sure. Since that very forward introduction on her part we had barely touched other than some chaste kisses.

Yet, I felt she was committed to me in some way. She was dating no one else that I knew of. She never refused to be with me. She got involved with my home life and immediately went about winning over Jess and Matt. She encouraged me to connect with her son, Jack, and her mother, Kim. And now she had gone out of her way to help Reese, directly helping me as well.

For my part, I was falling for her. She was a breath of fresh air in my life. She was helping me to get over Reese and her betrayal more than she might realize. I felt she was the change and the inspiration that gave me hope that I could find someone to spend the rest of my life with. The only thing remaining for me was to decide how to move our relationship forward. Ali took the matter out of my hands.

"Jackie will be staying with his Gram this weekend," Ali announced on our usual evening phone conversation. "Does that give you any ideas?"

"Oh yes, it does," I answered immediately. "However, most of them are not for public consumption."

"Why you devil, Grime. I think you have evil intentions toward me," she smirked.

"I've had evil intentions toward you since New Year's Eve. I've just not had the chance to act on them."

"Why Grime, I never would have thought you would harbor such ambitions," she said impishly.

"I'm afraid I have to confess to being a closet cad. When taunted by such a temptress as you, I'm not likely to behave."

We were having a bit of fun with the word-play, and yet I was aware it wasn't all a game. I was trying to get Ali to make a move before I did. I wasn't confident that I could find a way to bring us together without screwing it up. That concern came from the fact that I had been out of the game for twenty years or more. In addition, the only woman I had ever been intimate with was Reese. I had a steep hill to climb.

"I'm planning on making you a very nice dinner on Friday night. I suggest you bring a change of clothes for an overnight stay," she said, plain as day.

"Are you serious?" I asked, stupidly.

"Of course I am," she said indignantly. "I don't play games, Grime. That's not me."

"Okay, then. I'll be there. What time?"

"As soon as you can get here," she said, reverting to a sultry voice.

"What should I bring?"

"A bottle of wine and a stiff cock," she answered immediately.

"Oh, uhhm, ah, I can do that. What kind of wine?"

"Red, just like your face is right about now," she giggled.

"Yeah. But I'll recover in time for Friday, trust me."

"You'd better. I've been waiting for this for over two months."

So there it was. The gauntlet had been thrown down. I was expected to answer the challenge and not be found wanting.

I wasn't exactly the picture of confidence when I walked up to her door and rang the bell.

"Hiya," she said brightly, grinning as she opened the door, standing back to allow me to pass.

"Hi," I replied, turning to her as she closed the door.

We looked at each other for a moment, me wondering what to do next. Once more, Ali took matters into her own hands, stepped to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me soundly.

"Nervous, huh," she declared in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, I am," I admitted.

"Been a while, huh?"

"Yeah, it has."

"Me too. If you're nervous it means you think this is important ... us, I mean."

I nodded. "Yeah, exactly right."

"It is important ... to both of us."

"Good to know," I said, ever the brilliant conversationalist.

"I think you could use a drink," she smiled, still with her arms around my neck.

"I think I could," I agreed.

I was still holding my overnight bag. She took it from me and put it on a wing chair, returning to me. Instinct took over and I held her and kissed her. It was a passionate effort with some tongue involved. She responded in kind. When we broke, she ran her hand over the front of my trousers. She got a predictable result. She had my complete attention.

She moved away at that moment, showing a seductive smile before turning to the kitchen. I opened my bag and took out a bottle of very good Columbia River Cabernet-Syrah blend that was recommended to me by my local wine store. I walked to the kitchen and put it on the counter. Ali had already opened a bottle of red, and I laughed when I saw the label.

"You must go to the same store I do," I said. "It's the same wine I brought."

"You see how much we have in common, Grime? It was bound to happen, you and me." She gave me another sweet kiss as she began to pour the wine.

"What's that wonderful smell?" I asked.

"That's our dinner in the oven. I cooked up something special for you."

"I already know I'm going to love it," I said.

"Here's to us," she said, clinking the glasses and taking my hand, leading me back to the living room and the sofa.

I dismissed the idea that she was nervous. If she was, it certainly didn't show.

Ali had turned on her compact stereo and it was playing some very nice music in the background. She'd gone to a lot of trouble to set the scene for this evening. The wine glasses were on the coffee table in front of us and Ali was curled up into me, my arm around her. It was a very comfortable way to spend time with her. Once in a while she would turn her head up and kiss me, and once in a while I would return the favor. We weren't in a rush to do anything but enjoy each other's company. "I don't know where to start," I said as I kissed her neck. "I'm such a rookie when it comes to being with you. I've only ever been with one woman."

"You're doing fine, Grime. There's no rush. We haven't had dinner yet. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll figure out what to do."

We heard the oven bell sound and Ali reluctantly broke our embrace and headed off to the kitchen. It was just as well that the meal was served just a couple of minutes later. I wasn't sure I could have restrained my urges much longer if she had stayed in my arms.

If a man can be seduced by a woman, he can also be seduced by food. Ali had prepared a roast leg of lamb basted with a mint glaze, surrounded by rosemary potatoes and parsnips. Some fresh garden peas, carrot coins and an aromatic gravy completed the presentation. It was magnificent and easily the equal of anything The Europe House might have prepared.

"God, woman, you have me at your mercy. This is something fit for royalty," I said with reverence.

"Just as I'd planned it, Grime. I weaken your resolve with my culinary talents, then take advantage of you in your defenseless state."

It might have been said in jest, but the undertones of her comment were quite evident. I knew what she had in mind for me and, being honest with myself, I would offer no resistance.

"I surrender," I said, looking at her with a wicked smile.

"A wise decision," she said as she carved the meat and began serving.

The superb meal and the wine disappeared over the next hour and I sat back with a contented smile as I finished the last morsel on my plate.

"Wonderful," was all I could think to say.

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm very happy that you enjoyed it."

Whatever the dessert might have been, it didn't get served at that moment. I helped Ali clear the dishes and together we washed and dried the items that didn't go into the dishwasher. It was a domestic scene that was common to me, but apparently not to Ali. When the last pot was dried and put away, I got a very fine thank you from Ali in the form of a kiss.

"You are so different from Pete that it's not fair to compare you. You're not just putting on an act to impress me. This is who you are. You really did love the dinner I made and you didn't think twice about helping me with the clearing up. This is normal for you, isn't it?" she suggested.

"It was a simple formula in our house. If Reese went to all the trouble of making a special meal, I would take care of cleaning up afterwards. Seemed like a fair trade to me."

Ali was shaking her head. "You aren't normal, Grime. Men don't do those kinds of things."

"Yes, for the woman they love, they do."

She seemed flustered at that point, but I didn't try and explain that I was referring to Reese. On the other hand, perhaps I was telling her something that I was beginning to feel about our relationship. I chose to say nothing.

We sat on the sofa, a glass of wine at hand from the bottle I had brought.

"I was thinking, Ali. I haven't felt this comfortable in a very long time. Being with you is easy. I mean, I'm relaxed and feeling good. It wasn't just the wonderful meal ... I just feel good being here with you."

"That was my plan, Mister Rideout," she whispered into my ear. "I would calm you with food, dull your mind with wine, then take you to my bed and satisfy my craving."

"Your plan has worked perfectly ... so far," I said softly as I nibbled on her earlobe. "We haven't got to the bed part yet."

She put her hand on my fly once more, rubbing lightly to see if I was aroused. I was. "Someday I'll figure out just what it is about you that makes you irresistible," she cooed.

"I've never been irresistible before," I admitted. "How did that happen?"

"I haven't the foggiest. After all, you're only handsome, honorable, hardworking, honest ... pretty much 4H as far as I can tell," she giggled.

I was running my fingers through her hair, gazing at her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes. No doubt about it. I was falling in love with Allison Bledsoe. There was no longer any doubt where this was heading and it was only a matter of which one of us would lead the way. I should have known it would be Ali.

"Come along, Grime. I'm getting a bit twitchy and we need the exercise," she giggled as she dragged me to the bedroom.

We undressed each other slowly and took our time to caress and kiss and fondle as we did so. Ali was such a lovely young woman: pale skinned but not without color, slim but not skinny. When I looked at her, I could see those magic eyes that always seemed to be smiling. She was so completely different from Reese that it was unfair to compare the two women. Reese was more voluptuous and taller, but Ali had an aura about her that shone. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes ... all of her told a different story than my ex-wife.

I discovered something else about Ali that night. Making love ... or sex ... was fun. It wasn't that she didn't take it seriously, but she immersed herself in the joy and pleasure of sex. She neither wanted nor needed foreplay that first time.

"I've been ready for you since the New Year's party. For the last few days all I've thought about was the moment you would be with me in this bed and we would make love. I don't think I've ever wanted anyone as much as I've wanted you," she confessed.

"Why? Why me? How did I get so lucky?"

"Do you think this was just luck?" she asked, no smile this time.

"It's all I can account for. I'm a lot older, I'm not rich, I've never thought of myself as handsome. Why me?"

At the time of this conversation, Ali was lying on top of me. I was still inside her and still hard, a surprising situation from my point of view. I was moving slightly in her, but we were really just coasting for now.

"You do realize that women are different from men, right?" she said, tapping my chest with a forefinger.

"Of course."

"Grime, women can often tell when they find the right man. They instinctively know that they've found the one fellow who can be what they're looking for. I knew almost right away when you came and sat beside me at that party that you were that man. Don't ask me how or why I knew ... but I knew."

"That's very hard to believe, but ... since it's you telling me ... I believe it."

"It is hard to accept, I know," she admitted. "On the face of it, we don't have that much in common. We're different personalities. I like a good giggle most times. I try not to take things too seriously. That doesn't mean I'm not serious about raising Jackie the proper way. That doesn't mean I'm not stuck into my job. And that doesn't mean that being here with you in my bed isn't serious business.