Chapter 14

He chuckled. Okay, so she did know him well.

Jakob was holding a beer, and he grinned and shook his friend's hand. "I'll let Elaina do the intros. You want one of these?" He held up his beer.

Tim allowed his eyes to rest on the third person present. "You know it."

Elaina was beaming when she introduced the pretty woman. "Tim, I'd like you to meet Priscilla Hosgrove. Priscilla, this is our dear friend, Tim Singleton."

Tim took Priscilla's hand. She was pretty. She was tall and had dark short hair and boobs that captured his eyes before he moved them to her satisfied green eyes. He hoped he wasn't blushing.

"So Tim, I understand that you and Jakob were roommates in college," Priscilla said.

"It would be safe to say that I know this man better than I know my own brother."

Jakob handed him a beer. "Actually, Tim is my non-Jewish brother from a different mother and father … and with no discernible similarities beyond a mutual desire to rule the world."

Tim shook his head and grinned. "I warned you against the path of world domination." He looked at Priscilla. "Don't listen to him, Priscilla. I'd much rather have a home-cooked meal than rule the world."

Tim found that he enjoyed dinner, despite the moment of discomfort when he realized that Priscilla was sitting in the seat that Corrine had always used. Then it seemed horrible that he would be sitting next to this other woman while they all laughed and talked the way they used to when his wife was here.

But Elaina smiled at him, and he knew that she understood and was secretly telling him that he was doing well. The moment passed and he felt comfortable talking and laughing again.

Priscilla was divorced with two adult children, and from what he could tell, she didn't have any type of job. She went to the same Temple that Jakob and Elaina did, and Tim thought they must feel awfully sorry for him if they were setting him up with one of their Jewish friends.

After dinner they had coffee in the living room. Priscilla sat next to him, and he gave her an inviting smile while attempting to keep his eyes away from her breasts. He hadn't made love to a woman in three years, two of which were while his wife was undergoing cancer treatment. He'd learned to get used to taking cold showers and going without. But Priscilla had worn a sweater that hugged her huge breasts and her otherwise slender body. And tonight he thought he'd need a cold shower for the first time in a long time.

"What kind of law do you practice, Tim?" Priscilla asked.

"Mostly criminal but some family."

"Do you enjoy it?"

He shrugged. "It's … not something that you generally enjoy. It's more like … someone has to do it so it might as well be you."

"I told this man to go into corporate law like me," Jakob said as he placed his arms around Elaina where the two were sitting on the couch opposite him and Priscilla.

"I don't think I can deal with boring contracts day after day," Tim said.

"True, but at least you don't have to do your attorney consultations from behind bars."

"Okay, boys." Elaina held up her hands and shook her head at Priscilla. "They've been having this same argument for years. Priscilla, tell Tim what happened when you went to that spa in Vancouver Island! It was hilarious!"

Priscilla began her story about a touchy feely masseuse while Tim politely tried to appear attentive. He'd figured out that he really wasn't interested or ready to pursue anything with the woman. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her, even if her breasts were fake. But other than a mild interest in seeing her sweater possibly pull apart at the seams and fall off, there was nothing.

He knew that he could offer to take Priscilla out because it was the polite thing to do. And they might even get into an unofficial routine of meeting up once or twice a week for the purpose of keeping each other company. But before long it would become a "thing," and not because he necessarily liked her in that way but because he had been lonely and polite.

If he was going to have a "thing" with someone, it wouldn't be out of a sense of expectation.

After a polite span of time he announced that he was leaving and told Priscilla that he had enjoyed meeting her. He kissed Elaina, noting her look of disappointment. He shook Jakob's hand, grabbed the leftover brisket that Elaina didn't have to twist his arm to take, and then he went home.

II

Sunday was always hectic. Everyone got up at 4:30 a.m. to prepare for morning mass. The girls would be hungry and restless and they wouldn't be allowed breakfast until they returned. Later would be the evening mass then dinner. Between that your day was yours to do as you pleased. Jane didn't feel like watching television or even being with the other girls, not even the littlest ones that she usually enjoyed holding and hugging as if they were little doll babies.

Walking into town was useless since the library and most everything else was closed. She wanted to be alone. She had so many things going on inside of her that she needed time to examine, so she went outside, bypassing the play equipment that had been donated by the city. It was too muddy to allow the young ones outdoors to play so she perched herself on one of the swings and she thought about Dhakiya and Rodney. She closed her eyes and squeezed her fist over the cold metal chain as she swung lightly backwards and forwards.

Dhakiya had come to pick her up after work. She didn't mention the Jen situation even though it was still weighing heavily on her mind. Today was supposed to be about having fun, and she decided to put work behind her. Dhakiya offered her some wine, and she decided that she would try some.

She only took a few sips, afraid that it would go straight to her head, and it had but in a good way. The two friends laughed and danced and then Rodney arrived. Then the world seemed to freeze for her. She even stopped breathing. Rodney was so handsome that she could barely blink her eyes. He wasn't very tall, though taller than Dhakiya who stood at 5-9 or so. He had a thick stocky body with a slightly rounded belly but seemed to have tight muscles. His light brown skin lent to a possible mixed race heritage along with a thick curly afro. He seemed older than her and Dhakiya but probably no older than early thirties.