0 comments/ 7400 views/ 0 favorites Lonnie's Enterrpise By: thornapple by Philip Johnson Prologue Fair warning, there is no sex in this work of fiction. It is purely a mystery/romance and I hope that some of you find it good reading. Akron, Ohio is located about twenty five miles south of Cleveland and is transected by interstates seventy seven and seventy six. The city has a population of something over two hundred thousand souls and is the Summit county seat. At one point it was a heavy industrial center and considered the rubber capitol of the world, but that title has long since been lost. Now it is home to high technology, research and financial companies. It also has a thriving methamphetamine manufacturing presence. Lonnie and Megan Becker lived on the south east side of town on Garner Drive in a modest but very nice home, less than fifteen miles from his budding research company, and Megan was an interior decorator. They had a good life with Megan working out of their home most of the time as a consultant for local contractors. With the building boom long past, her schedule had become much less hectic and she welcomed the slower pace. Chapter One Lonnie was late getting home, but that was nothing unusual. Megan pulled his dinner from the warm oven and he had dinner while she had coffee. "Sorry Lonnie, but I was too hungry to wait." "That's okay." "I know your dinner is a little dry, but it was either that or let it get cold." "I know. I sometimes think it would be easier if I just stopped someplace on the way home, when I have one of these long days." Be sure you call if that's what you decide." "I will." "So what happened?" "I'm afraid our latest and greatest high tensile plastic formula is about hopeless." "Your investors won't be happy to hear that." "No kidding. We won't give up, but we may have to put it on the back burner and move on to something else for awhile. But on the up side, it is extremely strong for a flexible plastic and I think it just may be what Craig Longworth in Seattle is looking for. At leas,t that could cover what we've spent on research for the last six months." "That should make it easier for your next report to the investors." I should hear something from Craig in the next week, so here's hoping. If that falls through, I have another shot with Blake Faulkner in San Diego." "Have you thought anymore about doing the manufacturing yourself?" I don't think I will, but I may have to work a partnership with somebody else to do it if the other options fail. Or, I'll just sell Craig the formula, I haven't decided, but I do know I want to keep my main focus on the research side though." Lonnie's salary was secure, so at least their personal income was safe, but the failure of their most promising formula was a setback for his company. It was only two days later when Lonnie called Megan to tell her, "I'll be late tonight, so don't bother with dinner. I'm waiting for a call from San Diego, so I might as well stay here and do some paper work. I'll stop at Monty's later for dinner." "I hope you don't get home too late." "I should be home by eight or so." "Thanks for calling, Honey." His call came a little before seven and as soon as he hung up, he locked his door and headed for dinner. As he was getting out of his car, another one pulled in not far from him and a tall man in jeans got out and followed him to the entrance. As they waited for the hostess he asked Lonnie, "How's the food here?" "It's pretty good actually. Nothing fancy, but good and fast." "Sounds like I picked the right place then." "You from around here?" "Not really but I'm thinking of moving here." "Oh, where from?" "Down state, Steubenville actually." "Oh sure, along the river." "That's the place." "Nice area as I recall." "It isn't bad." The hostess came and Lonnie said, "Join me why don't you." "Thanks, I'd like that." Service was fast, just as Lonnie had said and they talked as Lonnie had a scotch and water and Sam had a martini. "I'm Lonnie by the way." "Nice to meet you Lonnie, I'm Sam." "So what brings you up from Steubenville?" "I sold my company and I'm trying to decide what I want to do next." "What was your company?" "It was a small one, Lyon Moldings. I made laser cut dies and custom molds for some of the local industries, mostly in the Wheeling area." "I hope selling was by your choice." "Oh, it was. I was tough competition for my main rival, so he gave me an offer I couldn't refuse and bought me out." "Sounds profitable." "I won't starve any time soon. So what do you do?" "I have a small research company. Right now we're focusing on some plastics formulas." Sam raised his glass and offered, "To your success then." "Thank you." "So do you eat here all the time, Lonnie?" "No, I'm married, but when I'm running late I'll eat here and it looks like it will be happening a lot in the coming weeks." "You must be really busy, so I'll take that as a good sign." "We'll know in a few weeks." Sam caught the waitress and got the check and told Lonnie, "On me." "Thanks, Sam. I hope I'll see you here again so I can return the favor." "You probably will. I'm looking for a home to buy, so until then I'll be eating a lot of my meals here or someplace like this." "If I learn of anything interesting for sale, I'll let you know." "Thanks I'd appreciate that." Sam found the cash register and paid the bill and left. Friday night was another long day for Lonnie, and just as he had said, Sam was there and waved Lonnie over to his table. Sam's salad had just been delivered, so he waited until Lonnie could be served and they talked over a cocktail again. "Sam, I forgot to ask you, what kind of a house are you looking for and what price range?" "Oh, something on the south ,or south east side I think, and nothing too expensive. I still don't know what I want to do, so I want to keep it simple." "Well, I live on the southeast side, so I just might run into something." "I'd appreciate the help. You said you're married, any kids?" "No, not yet. I wanted to get my company on a solid footing before I dove into the father role." "Might not be a bad idea." "So you're not married then." "No...well, not now anyway, divorced about two years ago." "Good thing that happened before you sold your company." "You can say that again. She tried to go back and get a piece of it, but she failed. She didn't deserve any of it anyway." Sam showed a crooked smile and admitted, "I do like my money and I'll do what it takes to get it and keep it." "Today's world demands that kind of thinking." "Well said, Lonnie." "Listen, we're having a few friends in tomorrow night, nothing fancy just to visit and share food and drink. Why don't you join us, I think you'll like everybody." "Thanks, I would like that. Being in a strange town can be a little depressing at first." After writing on it, he handed Sam his card and continued, "Say about six." "No tie, I hope." "Hell no, the only requirement is don't come naked." "I think I can handle that. I hate to desert you but I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow night then." Sam reached for his bill and Lonnie took it saying, "This one's on me." "Thanks, Lonnie, see you tomorrow night." Sam left and went in search of a liquor store so he could bring a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold to Lonnie's gathering. Chapter Two Sam found Lonnie's house without too much trouble, and was greeted at the door by Megan. "Hi, I'm Sam, I hope Lonnie told you I was coming." "Hi Sam, I'm Megan, and yes he did. Please come in, I'm so glad you could make it." He handed her the bottle and said, "I noticed that Lonnie likes this. I hope you do too, or I'll have to bring you something special another time." "No, this is very nice, thank you so much." Sam was introduced to the six other guests seated in the living room, and the group spent the next few hours having a little dinner and a lot of conversation. Miranda, one of Megan's best friends, befriended Sam and they talked for quite awhile. The drinks flowed, and a couple of the guests plus Lonnie were pretty mellow by the time Sam left about eleven o'clock. It was six days later when Sam and Lonnie had dinner together again. Sam caught him as he was going in, and they were soon having a cocktail and getting caught up. Sam raised his glass to Lonnie and started with, "Nice gathering last week, thanks for inviting me." "Glad you could make it." "I take it things are settling down, I haven't seen you here for a while." "I wish, I was in Seattle and San Diego, and just got back yesterday." "Good trip?" "Long, but not too bad I guess. I was hopefully sowing some seeds to success." "Here's to profits" and they drank to that toast. "So tell me Sam have you made any business decisions?" "No, not yet. I was talking to an old friend of mine and we're kicking an idea around, but it's a long way from a planning stage, and I'm meeting with other people from time to time. I'm in no real hurry, I guess. I'm kind of enjoying being able to take my time and enjoy life one step at a time." "I envy you. By the way I may have a lead on a house that you might be interested in." "Sounds good." "Is there a way I can reach you if I need to?" "Well, I have a card, but all it has is my cell phone number since I don't have a job or a permanent address." He handed one to Lonnie and he put that in his shirt pocket and looked at his watch. "I better get home to Megan." "Tell her I said hi, and thank her again for her kind attention." "I'll do that." It was the middle of the next week when Sam got a call from Lonnie. "Sam, about that house I was telling you about." "Yes, is it available?" "Went on the market today." "What can you tell me about it?" "It might be bigger than you want, but it isn't really large. Three bedroom, two and a half bath, about fifteen years old, and in excellent condition. I know the owners and I know they took good care of it." "Sounds good so far, where is it?" "Southeast of town. Actually, it's next door to us." "So that's how you know about it. Would it be the white one?" "It would be, so you noticed it." "I did indeed." Listen, give Megan a call, and she'll take you over. I'm going to be late again tonight. Oh, and I've cleared it with the realtor and our neighbor, and Megan is expecting your call." "I appreciate all of your efforts, Lonnie." "My pleasure. It would be great having you as our neighbor." For Sam, having Lonnie and Megan as his neighbors would work out perfectly, and as he remembered the house it would suit his needs nicely assuming the interior was acceptable. Megan greeted him with a light embrace, and they shared a social peck on the cheek. Then after talking a minute, she called the neighbor and they went next door. Their neighbor Ellen answered the door, and was cordial as she described what they had done to update the house as the three of them worked their way through the ground floor and then on to the second floor. Sam could find nothing wrong with the house. As they went through the basement, he checked the wiring and the plumbing. He knew the house would suit him nicely, and by the time they were in the living room again, he had said he'd take it without attempting to reduce the amount and wrote her a check for the deposit. Ellen was smiling as she said, "I'll bet that's the fastest a house has sold in a very long time. The movers will be here next week ,so as soon as the paperwork is in order it's yours." "I'll get with the realtor tomorrow and get that started." Sam and Megan walked back toward her house and he stopped and said, "As I recall, you're an interior decorator." "Yes I am." "I'd like to hire you to furnish the house then." "All of it? Don't you have furniture to move?" "I sold it all with my house, linens and all. I just saved a few mementos is all." "We'll need to sit down and talk about it then, so I can get a feel for your likes and dislikes." "I'm ready when you are." "Where are you living now?" "In a furnished apartment about ten miles from here." She was still surprised and asked again, "All the furniture? Why?" "It had my ex wife's energy all over it." "Bad memories." "That's it." "This will be expensive." "I know. But let's keep it simple, because I still don't know where I'll be in three years or what I'll be doing. If I end up staying there, I'll slowly replace things with better quality...with your help of course." "Got time for coffee, and our first of several talks about your furniture and my fee?" "I'm at your disposal." The two of them spent the next couple of hours in Megan's living room as they sipped iced tea and worked on his color choices and what he had in mind for the rooms. "Sam, what about the third bedroom?" "That would be my office." They went through the colors for that, and she questioned him about the furniture and his needs and then put her note pad down. Leaning back she took a drink and told him, "This will take me some time." "I'm sure it will." "But you're anxious to move I'm sure." "Of course, I'll write the check for the house tomorrow, so it just depends on how long it will take to do the paper work." "Could you come over in a few days?" "You name the day and time." "You really are that available?" "Well, what I have scheduled can be moved around without too much problem, and this is more important at the moment." Sam left before Lonnie got home, so Megan told him about how the house viewing went. "So he just said I'll take it and wrote the check?" "That's about it and he said he'd pay the realtor for the rest tomorrow. Plus, he paid my fee up front for the decorating." "Must be nice." "And yet he wants me to be conservative with what furniture I come up with." That's why he has money, he's frugal." "Maybe so." Megan spent the next few days looking at furniture as she tried to furnish his house and once she had things lined up she called Sam. "Hi. I have some things for you to look at if you have time." "I'll make time. You thinking today?" "If that's possible." "I'm in town right now, so where do you want to meet?" "Why don't you come here and I'll drive." "I'll be there in about twenty five minutes." She heard him pull up and with her briefcase in hand, she met him at the door. She still took a moment to greet him and then they made the rounds of the furniture stores as she pointed out what she had in mind. It was no small task as they walked around, and he tried to remember what she had selected to go with something that they had seen two stores back. They did make progress though and with only a few exceptions, he agreed with what she proposed, and she had alternate suggestions in mind for those areas. They moved on to the bedroom furniture and he went with her second choice there. "Now Sam, you need to choose if you want queen or king and select the mattress." "Queen, is more than adequate" and he lay on the nearest mattress and got up. "That ones awful. On they went as he tested one after another. "I feel like papa bear. This one's too soft, this one's too hard etc." He tried another one and lay there for a second. "Megan lie next to me would you?" "What? Why?" "I want to make sure queen is large enough and I want your opinion on the comfort." "But I might like something different than you." "I'd still like your opinion." "Okay, but if you don't like it, you're stuck with it." She lay next to him and he moved a little and turned on his side to face her. "Did you feel that?" "Feel...what?" "Me moving." "Oh...that, no it was fine." "And are you comfortable?" "I'm very comfortable." "Me too." With that he jumped up and announced, "I'll take this one then." Chapter Three Except for the mattress, they had put a hold on the other furniture so they could review the choices one more time before he paid for them. "Sam, we still need to get all the linens and a whole list of small details." "So we have a lot of shopping yet to do." "I'm afraid so. You didn't even keep things like dishes and silverware?" "Nope." "Then we really do have a lot of ground to cover unless you want to get those things yourself." "I can if you want me to, but I feel better having your input." "I don't mind, but we better do this again pretty soon." "Just say the word and we'll go." "I have to say you're one of the easiest clients I've ever worked with." "That's because I like your taste and trust you to steer me right." "Well, I'd never do anything wrong intentionally, but don't hesitate to disagree with me either." "Oh, I won't. Is Lonnie going to be late again this evening?" "I'm afraid so. It's happening two or three times a week here lately." "Everything okay at his office?" "Oh sure, it's just that he tries to do everything himself, and right now there's more than he can handle in a normal week's work." "I hope it settles down for him pretty soon." She laughed and told him, "I think you see him almost as much as I do." "Okay, do you think Lonnie would object if I were to treat you to dinner? That way neither of us will eat alone." "I don't think he'd mind, and thank you. Of course that means you won't have dinner with him this time." "I can't eat there every time or I'll get sick of the place. Besides, if I have to choose between him and his very attractive wife, I have to go with you every time." "Thank you Sam, that's nice of you. Now when would you like to go shopping again?" "Let's see this is Wednesday, so...how about Friday morning?" "That would be fine. Maybe we can get the majority of it done then." "We can try." Megan selected a small local restaurant named the Clock Tower and they spent the better part of an hour over dinner and coffee as they talked about his house. Then she asked him, "Dare I ask about your ex wife?" "I don't mind." "I take it you had a nasty divorce." "Actually the divorce itself was rather civil when it came right down to it. It was the months preceding it that were rough." "Why is that?" "It was like the more we argued, the more we found to argue about. We never should have gotten married in the first place." "Were you married long?" "Just eighteen months." "That's sad." "It's sad that it ever happened and it was tough on both of us." "So no bitter feelings?" "Oh there are, but in all fairness, I was part of the problem just like she was. I'm just glad it's over." "Some time ago?" "About two years now." "Think you'll ever get married again?" "Oh, I'm not against the institution of marriage, but I'll go into it more carefully the next time." "It's amazing what we can see when we look backward." "Isn't it though. I'd guess that you and Lonnie have a solid relationship based on the fact that he's working so much and you're so understanding about it." "Don't misunderstand, Sam, I hate it with a passion, but that's just the way it has to be for now I guess." He put his hand across the table and on hers and finished with, "That proves my point then I think." He took his hand back and emptied his cup and asked her, "Want more coffee, or are you ready to go?" "I've had enough I think." As Megan drove them home she asked him, "What do you like to do for fun?" "It's been quite a while since I've thought about it I guess. First it was the divorce mess, and the less than a year after that, I went into negotiations to sell the business, and even after I sold the business, I was busy tying up loose ends for some time. One thing I used to enjoy was my kitchen. I like to make appetizers or small desserts.....dishes for entertaining mostly." Lonnie's Enterrpise "Interesting, I'd never have guessed that one." "Oh, I'm full of surprises." "I'll just bet you are." "What about you?" "Oh, I can be full of surprises too." "I have no doubt of that, but I meant what do you like to do?" "I enjoy having guests over once in a while, and like you I like to cook, but I'm more into meals and not desserts. I like what I do and don't really think of it as work." "That's why you're so good at it." "I'm glad you think so." When they reached Megan's house, Sam stepped toward his car and said, "Just think, before long, I'll just walk across the yard to go home." "That will be nice." "I think so too." Sam picked Megan up Friday morning and they took off on their shopping marathon, spending the first hour or so paying for the furniture they had selected earlier. When he saw her list, they both laughed at the length of it. "I may have to buy you dinner and a bedtime snack before we get this done." "Now how did you know I have to have a bedtime snack?" "Doesn't everybody?" They laughed and went on their way to the Penney's Home Store. Anybody watching them would have assumed they were married as they made their way through the store. They stayed close together and talked softly as first one would point something out and then the other one would. They were working hard, but to the observer, they were newly married and eagerly furnishing their home. When they were done; however, all they had found were the sheets and comforter and all the associated pieces for the bedroom. As they were checking out, the clerk smiled and asked them, "Just married?" Megan looked at Sam and slipped her arm through his and said, "Oh no, we've been married for three years." Sam almost choked as he looked back at her, but he played along by just smiling. As they left Sam had to ask her, "Where did that come from?" Meg laughed and just said, "I have no idea. I just said whatever came into my mind." Sam just shook his head and taking her arm said, "Come on my wife, and let's go to the next store. They shopped until noon and stopped for lunch, and rested before continuing. By five o'clock they had gotten most of the things on the list, but not quite, and they were both exhausted. "Sam, could we stop and have a cocktail someplace and catch our breath?" "That sounds like a lifesaving suggestion to me." They went to the Oasis and found a booth in the bar. As they waited for their drinks, Megan called Lonnie. "Hi honey. No, I'm with Sam now and we're still shopping...no, I'm afraid not, we've bought a mountain of things and we want to finish if we can, but I don't know if we'll make it." There was a long pause and then she said, "No, I'm not sure what time. We'll get something while we're out, so you go ahead and do whatever." Another long pause and then, "Okay, I'm not sure who will get home first, but I'll get there as soon as I can." She listened another minute and then said goodbye and closed her phone. "I take it Lonnie is running late too." "It looks like it, but he says things will hopefully settle down in another week or so." "That sounds encouraging." "It's about time." "So what do you think Meg, more shopping ,or give up and try again a day or two?" "I think we'd make wiser decisions if we would slow down and take one more day." "I have to agree. There at the end, I wanted to make decisions just to get them over with." "That's not a good thing." "So let's relax here, and then go to Pauly's for dinner." "Oh Sam, I'm not dressed for that." "Meg, you look wonderful even after this very long day of shopping." "You don't think I'm a little underdressed?" "No, I do not." "Could we stop at the house so I can just freshen up and comb my hair?" "Of course." They abandoned the cocktail lounge and headed home. "Sam, make yourself comfortable, and I promise I'll only be a few minutes." "You don't need touching up, but take your time." It was almost fifteen minutes later she came out with fresh makeup, her hair redone, and she had changed into very nice silky slacks and a soft draping blouse that drew his eye right to her chest. "Oh Meg, now you've done it. After dinner, I'm taking you home with me and Lonnie is just out of luck. You are too stunning for words." "So this is okay for Pauly's?" "If it isn't, they better just close the doors because they'll never see anybody that looks better than you." She smiled and kissed his cheek before saying, "You are such a breath of fresh air. I just love your lies." "I'll tell you what. If I lie about your looks, I'll wink first so you'll know." They were both tired from their long day of shopping. But they they had a wonderful dinner and lingered over a couple of drinks before he took her home again. Sam got out of the car and met her as she was getting out. "Meg, I won't come in. You are tired and so am I. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate all that you're doing for me. I know all of this doesn't come with the decorating, and not only have you been a big help, I've had a wonderful day being with you." "I'm glad Sam, I've enjoyed the day too. Want to finish up Monday?" "Sure." "Same time?" "Sure why not." She walked toward her door and then she stopped and turned around and with a warm smile she said, "Thank you, Sam. Thanks for a fun day and a wonderful dinner." "Thank you for going Meg, see you Monday." Chapter Four Monday was a repeat of Friday, except much slower and more laid back. They spent the morning finishing the list, and then after a leisurely lunch, they went to a few shops that Megan knew about to look for a few needed things for the walls, and to set around the rooms. That was one area where their tastes differed, and it took a lot of negotiations before they were able to agree on the different items. Megan was getting a better feel for his tastes though, and they did better as the afternoon wore on. Now that they weren't trying to cover as much ground as they could, they relaxed and had fun together. Though neither of them mentioned it, they both felt a sense of loss and disappointment when they were done. They no longer had an excuse to be together. They still got together a couple of times, but it wasn't the same being at Megan and Lonnie's house when Lonnie was there. Sam's apartment was so crowded with merchandise now, he could hardly move around, so when the day finally came that he could move in to his house, he arranged to have the furniture delivered and he started hauling his things from the apartment over to his new house one car load at a time. Now that he had the space, he went shopping for groceries and stocked his cupboards and his bar. He spent several days getting used to his new home, and made sure everything was just right and Lonnie was at work before he called Megan. "Hello?" "Meg, it's Sam." "Well hi, how's the moving coming?" "I have pronounced it completed and turned in the key to the apartment. Could I get you to come see it?" "I'd love to, when were you thinking?" "How about now?" "Give me fifteen minutes or so." "Take your time." "The last time you told me that I got dressed up for you." "How well I remember." He was watching for her and had the door open when she arrived. He stopped her and put his hand over her eyes. "Now hold on to me, and I'll guide you in to the living room." She put her arm around his waist and the two of them carefully moved out of the foyer and into the living room where he stopped. "Ready?" "I'm ready." He moved his hand and with her arm still around him, she looked around the room and then her smile grew. As she pulled them closer together she said, "Oh Sam, it's even nicer than I thought it would be. Please tell me you like it too." "I love it Meg, you did a wonderful job." "With the other rooms too?" "Well, let's go see." With their arms around each other they made their way through the archway to the dining room, and once again she was pleased with the outcome. She looked up at him and asked, "This okay for you too?" He looked down at her and smiled. "Once again, I love it." From there they went upstairs to his office where she nodded her head. "It's just as I visualized it." "It's very functional and stylish." From there they went to the guest room, which was the simplest room they had done, but they both agreed it was very adequate. From there they went back downstairs to the master bedroom. They stood there looking around and she said, "The painters did a great job. I love this room." "I do too." Meg seemed to take her time looking around and then Sam kissed her cheek and told her, "Let's go to the kitchen I have something for us." When they got there, he opened a bottle of sparkling wine and poured two glasses and then showed her a small tray of hors d'oeuvres, "My first project in my new kitchen." They tapped their glasses together and took a sip as they looked at each other. Meg smiled at him and then selected one of his stuffed mushrooms. She raised her eyebrows at him in appreciation and tried a cracker with some kind of fancy topping. "Oh Sam, those are very good." "Those are very easy to make, but always a hit." "I can see why." She had a couple more tastes and a little more wine, and then he said looking at her, "You know in addition to having a very nice home thanks to you, it has a special meaning to me. I can look at the couch, and remember us as you showed it to me, and we dropped onto it in exhaustion from our marathon day. I can remember us going back and forth between those two dining room tables, and I can remember us going from chair to chair as we tested them for comfort and kept changing our minds. Every thing we bought for this house has a special memory attached to it." Meg was watching him as he shared his thoughts with her. "Sam, do you really mean what you just said?" "Of course I do, why would you even ask that?" "Because that is so sweet and so wonderful of you to say that. We did have a lot of fun doing that didn't we." "We had a great time, and I'm kind of sad it's over actually. Meg, you worked so hard to do this for me, and there is nothing that I can think of to do special for you." "You paid my fee." "No, I mean something really nice, something as special as what you've done for me." "You don't have to do anything for me, Sam." "I'll think of something one day, I promise." "Don't move away, how's that?" "I don't plan to believe me. If you ever need anything, anything at all just call me." "I will." Meg emptied her glass and looked at him again. "Sam, I better go home or I'll say, or do something I shouldn't, and try to blame it on the wine. I love your new house, Sam and...I...I'll bring Lonnie over so he can see it." Sam watched her and then in a less than sincere tone, "Yes, do that." She smiled and stepped away from him and went home. He watched her go and then poured what was left of the wine down the drain and tossed the appetizers in the trash. All of a sudden everything he had going on in his life, didn't seem so important to him. In fact, if he thought about it very much he could see that it could all end up being very counterproductive. He was in the kitchen puttering late one afternoon and looking at some of his recipes that he'd saved. He realized he hadn't seen Megan for at least a week after that day he showed her the house, but she kept visiting his thoughts on a regular basis. He hadn't lied to her. Everything he looked at in the house had her stamp and their memories connected to it. It was almost funny. He'd sold all of his possessions before to get rid of all the bad memories, but now he wondered if he would have to sell everything because everything had such wonderful memories attached to them. He noticed one of his recipes, a simple one actually, but he quickly made a batch. It had to sit for many hours before it would be ready, but that was okay too. In fact, that was much better He waited until about twelve the next day and called Megan. When she answered he told her, "I have a special taste treat for you if you're not busy." "I'm not so busy that I don't have time for my neighbor." "Mind if I bring it over?" "Of course not." After making an arrangement on a small attractive plate he made his way over to her house and knocked on the backdoor. "It's open Sam." He went in and she had her head in the freezer. "I hope you're not stuck in there." "No, I can't find a small roast I bought a few weeks ago." She gave up and closed the door and he handed her a small plate of salad tomatoes. "Now I know they may not look really festive, and I think with a little imagination that could be remedied. But those are not just ordinary tomatoes. Do you like bloody Mary's?" "Sure." "Then taste one of those and tell me what you think." She selected one and slipped it into her mouth and pulled the toothpick away. She bit into it and her eyes went wide. "Oh my God, that tasted like a bloody Mary. Wow, I can taste the vodka." "Now be careful with those, because they can be potent for some people." "Those are just too tasty." "I'm glad you like them. I won't keep you but I wanted to bring those over to you." "Thank you, Sam." "I'll see you later." "You don't have to rush off." "I'll catch up with you later when you're not busy." Chapter Five It was about an hour and a half later and Sam was in his office working when he heard his doorbell. He went down and found Megan standing at the backdoor smiling at him. "Hi." "Hi, I brought your plate back." "Come in, did you find your roast?" "What roast? Oh that roast. Oh hell no." He took the plate and then he put his finger under her chin and tipped her head up and looked at her. "You didn't eat all of those did you?" "Of course not." "Good because there were a good dozen of them." "I think there's still maybe two or three left." "Are you drunk?" "No, but I sure can feel them." "I warned you." "How'd you get the vodka into them?" "It's a secret but I'll tell you. Soak the tomatoes in vodka overnight." She put her arms around his waist and pulled him close. "Damn you Sam, when you told me about everything having memories of us I almost cried." She looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Meg it's true. Everyday I think about the fun we had shopping." She looked at him and then pulled him down and kissed him. He didn't hesitate and put his arms around her and their kiss continued for some time. She finally pulled back just a little and he saw tears slipping down her cheeks. "Oh damn it Sam, I shouldn't have done that." "No, I guess we shouldn't have, but at the same time I'm not sorry, Meg. I've wanted to feel and taste your kiss for a long time." "Oh God, I better get out of here. She stopped and turned around to look at him again. "Sam, it wasn't the vodka that caused that. I wish I could blame it on that, but I can't." "Meg...thank you. Your kiss meant more to me than you can imagine." "Bye Sam" and she left quickly before she weakened any more. Sam stood there staring at where Meg had just been and could still feel her kiss. He knew he was treading dangerous ground and as much as he thought of Meg, it had to stop. He'd come too far to ruin everything by being careless now. It was about a week and a half later, when Lonnie called Sam and invited him to join them for another evening of food and beverage with the same group of people as the last time, and he eagerly accepted the invitation. The last time had been enjoyable and he looked forward to seeing the same group again. As before they ate finger food, drank, talked and laughed. With a special look, Megan managed to let Sam know that she was thinking of him, but all he could do was smile back at her. Miranda and Sam talked again and he could see why Megan liked her so much, because they were a lot alike in many ways. Sam got Miranda a fresh drink and she told him, "I'd like to see your house some day if you don't mind." "No, I don't mind at all, Meg did such a nice job for me." "I'm sure she did. I always like what she comes up with. She told me about all the fun you two had choosing furniture and accessories." "It was exhausting, but we had a great time." Sam was getting a little uncomfortable, because he was afraid that if he talked to Megan too much, Lonnie might not like it and the same went with Miranda and her husband. He tried to focus on the conversation with the men, but they were talking chemistry and it bored him. At the same time, he didn't want to ignore the women, so after he'd been there for awhile he excused himself early and went home. For the next few weeks he stayed away from Meg as much as he could without hurting her feelings, and he made it a point to have dinner with Lonnie at the restaurant whenever he could. He could see that Lonnie was getting pretty stressed. "Lonnie, is everything okay with you, you seem pretty preoccupied." "Sam, to tell the truth everything is turning to shit at the office. The harder I try to patch things up the worse they seem to get." "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it's something that will work itself out." "I do too and I'm not giving up, but it's tough and getting tougher." "How is Megan holding up?" "She's getting tired of me always being late to get home. She can't understand that I'm up to my ass in problems." "I can't imagine what it would be, but if there's anything I can do to help let me know." "Thanks I'll keep that in mind." "If you don't mind some advice from a friend..." "No speak your mind." "Don't neglect Megan too much for the office." "Sam, I know and I appreciate your intentions, but I have no choice but to follow through with what I have started. To walk away from everything now would be disastrous." Sam repeated his offer of help and then excused himself and went home to work in his office. It was hard to remind Lonnie about Meg, because he wanted to be with her so much, but he couldn't be and it was as simple as that. It was only a few nights later when Lonnie came home late yet again and Megan cornered him. "Lonnie, this has to stop. I never see you until almost bedtime and you're so exhausted and jumpy." "Damn it Megan, I can't help it. You have no idea how bad things are right now. It's...it's a cluster fuck." "Lonnie, don't talk like that." "Well that's how bad it is, and it won't get better for awhile." "Then we'll just have to get along until you can come up with something else to do." "It isn't that simple. I can't just walk away from this, I have others that I have to worry about and if I don't, it could get even worse. I have somebody outside of the company...a consultant of sorts...that has been vital to what we're doing. I mean he's vital. Anyway he has developed some problems that won't go away. On top of that, his problem could spill over to my company and take us down with him." "So what will you do?" "I'm trying to find a way to work around him and stay in business at the same time." Megan didn't know whether to be mad at him or to feel sorry for him. How could everything be going fine, and then in a matter of a couple of months be at a critical point? Megan wished she could talk to Sam. She knew there was nothing he could do to help her, but she felt she needed to talk to him and have him hold her. She needed to be with him and laugh again. Megan lasted a couple of days after hearing Lonnie's tale of woe, and then called Sam, but all she could do was leave him a message. "Sam, it's Meg. Call me when you can please? I haven't seen or heard from you in a long time, bye." It was late in the day when he listened to her message and it hurt him. He could hear the need in her voice and he knew why, but he didn't call her. It was two days later when he called and heard her sweet voice say, "Hello?" Lonnie's Enterrpise "Meg, it's Sam." "God Sam ,I was afraid something had happened to you." "Sorry, I've been out of town. In fact, I just checked my messages by remote because I'm still in Cleveland." "Oh." "You okay, Meg?" "I've been better, but I'm okay." "I'm sorry I can't be there." "I am too. When will you be home?" "I'm not sure, but I'm working on a project that may take a few more days." "Call me when you get home okay?" "I will. I've missed seeing you." "I miss you too, Sam...bye." Sam hung up and just sat there. He would be so glad when things had changed so he could go home and see her again. Meg had called from her kitchen and sat there looking out of her window. She felt defeated and abandoned. Lonnie couldn't comfort her even if he was home. Sam could comfort her and she knew that, and she couldn't go down that road. On top of that, he wasn't home anyway. She'd talked to Miranda about her problems and that helped for a little while, but there was nothing that Miranda could do either except keep listening. Chapter Six When Lonnie got home that night he looked pale and exhausted. "Lonnie, are you getting sick?" "No, I'm not getting sick." "You're absolutely pale." "Meg, I may have to close up and lose the business." "Lonnie, I'm sorry to hear that, what happened?" "My consultant's problems just got worse, and it's almost certain to spill over into my company." "Lonnie, I know it isn't much help right now, but we can make it and you'll find something else." "Damn it Megan, it isn't that simple." "Then explain it to me." "I can't right now." "But why not, I'm not stupid." "I know that. It's...I don't know what will happen tomorrow." "I can't help you because I have no idea what you're talking about, and you're unwilling to explain it. That makes me feel more like the house maid than your wife." "I can't explain what I don't know." "You could explain some of it to me if you wanted to." "No, I can't. I know what I'm doing Meg. The explanations will have to wait." "Well, good luck then" and she left him sitting alone in the living room. Their conversation had happened Tuesday night and Wednesday morning she called Sam and once again got his machine. "Sam, this is Meg. Something is going on with Lonnie and he won't tell me anything. God, I wish you were here so we could talk. Call me when you can...I miss you Sam...bye." Sam got her message that afternoon and once again didn't return her call. The next day Meg called him again, crying this time. "Sam, I need you, please call me. They've arrested Lonnie. Please, Sam?" Megan hung up and continued to cry for a while longer. When Sam got her message, he started to cry in front of an office full of people and made a hasty retreat to the men's room to get control of his emotions. This was tearing his heart out. He knew she was hurting and afraid. Once he was in control and had splashed water on his face, he toweled off and went out to talk to the people in the office, and then headed down to the police station to meet with Detective Moran. The two of them talked for some time and even got into a heated conversation, but when Sam left they shook hands and were still friends. Sam made the drive home as fast as he could and called Megan as he was nearing his driveway. "Meg, it's Sam and I'm just pulling in the driveway." "I'm on my way over Sam," and she hung up. He barely had time to unlock his door and step inside when she ran in behind him. She threw her arms around him and cried as he held her close to him. Neither of them tried to talk for a long time as she tried to get control of her nerves. Sam was a lifeline for her and she didn't want to let go. They made their way to the couch and sat next to each other holding hands as she tried to talk. "Sam, Lonnie's in jail charged with commercial espionage and conversion." "Does he have a lawyer?" "He's hired one, but not much has happened yet." "He'll likely get out on bond." "But he will still stand trial." "Almost certainly unless of course he pleads guilty," Meg looked at him for a second and asked him, "You seem to know about this, how is that?" Sam looked at her wishing with all his heart that he could avoid telling her, but there was no way to do that. He turned to look more directly at her and took a breath. "Meg...my name isn't, Sam Collins, it's Russ Andrews. I'm a private investigator and I was hired by Fairmont Holdings to look into the possibility that their confidential research data was being stolen." She looked at him in shock saying, "Sam...Russ...whoever the hell you are, what are you saying?" "I'm saying that I was investigating the loss of their trade secrets for almost nine months and that investigation led me to Lonnie." "But Lonnie used to work for Fairmont Holdings." "I know as a research chemist and department supervisor." "Then Lonnie's in jail because of you." "No. Lonnie is in jail because of Lonnie and the police. I don't arrest people, not even guilty people. I was finally able to figure out the line of events and followed them through the different people involved in the crime. Nobody made Lonnie what he is, that's a path that he chose himself." As he was talking she took her hand away from him and then she stood up. "Damn you, you used us, you used me. You betrayed me, you bastard." She was heading for the door and he kept talking. Meg, I didn't use you, I love you. I never expected things to turn out as they have. Please stop so we can talk about this." "Damned if I'll talk to you ever again" and she slammed the door before he could say anything more. It was even worse than Russ imagined it could be. If only she would have listened to him a little longer. If only she would have given him a chance to tell her how much he loved her. He couldn't tell her the details of the investigation, at least not until Lonnie had gone to trial or pled guilty. There was no point in calling her because she would never talk to him or return his calls so there was nothing he could do now but wait and hope that one day he could at least explain how it all developed. It took Russ quite a while to clear his head and then he called his office, "Monty how is the team coming with the report?" "It's almost done, Russ. We'll fax it to you within the hour." "Thanks. Everybody did a good job and I'll thank them personally in a few days. Right now I have something else going that will keep me away. You can contact me the usual way if you have to." "Thanks boss, I'll tell them. See you in a few days then." Russ hung up and poured himself a stiff drink before going to his office to do paperwork. He had a lot of forgetting to do and he had to think about selling his house, because he couldn't continue to live next door to the love of his life knowing she hated him now. Russ worked until his eyes wouldn't focus anymore and then went to bed, the bed he and Meg had shared at the store. The next couple of weeks were awful for Megan as she shuttled back and forth between home the jail and his attorney's office. The police had served a warrant and searched her house from top to bottom and that just reinforced her hate for the man that she thought she was in love with just a short time ago. For those same two weeks Russ paced, worked almost constantly and was driving his staff crazy, driven by the need to escape into other cases they were working on. Lonnie's trial had been scheduled to begin in six weeks and Russ just wanted that over with. Then maybe he could begin the process of forgetting. The most frustrating part was he had lied very little to Lonnie or Megan. He had however failed to tell them all of the most important things that would inevitably alter their lives so much. As the weeks unfolded, Russ had to accept the fact that he couldn't sell his house and furniture that he and Meg had shopped so hard for not that long ago. It truly was as he had told her. Each piece meant something special to him right down to the sheets and the bathroom towels. He didn't know how he was going to continue living next door to her, but he did know he wasn't leaving, not any time soon anyway and then not willingly. Chapter Seven It was only a couple of weeks until Lonnie's trial. He had talked with the prosecutor a few times about his upcoming testimony, and he had his notes in order and memorized. All he had to do was provide details as the attorneys asked their questions. Not all that difficult, except he knew that Megan would be in the courtroom watching him testify against her husband and hating him just that much more. The prosecutor was comfortable with the evidence, and felt pretty confident of a guilty verdict, but he had no way to know what the final charge he would be convicted on or what the penalty would be. Russ was at his office in town when his assistant came in. "Russ, I have some news." "Hit me with it." "Lonnie Hargrove is pleading no contest to conversion." "That a deal the prosecutor proposed?" "Apparently so." "So no trial." "No, they've agreed to ten years before possibility of parole." "Not great, but not that bad either. Thanks, Bud." "Anytime." "Listen, how are the other two cases coming?" We're tying up the loose ends on the Laughlin divorce thing, but the other one is going nowhere." I'm going to take a little time off, but if you need me don't hesitate to call, I'll stay within range." "You got it. Go get laid or something." "Not a bad idea, I'll be in touch." Russ went home and stripped out of his work clothes and put on jeans and a sweatshirt and went out and made strong coffee and then topped it off with a large shot of rum and some cream. He had just kicked his feet up onto the coffee table ready to overdose on rum when his phone rang. "Damn it, can't they get along one day without calling me?" He put his coffee down and stopped just before picking it up. He wasn't even aware that he was talking to himself as he said, "Hell with it, let the machine get it" and turned to go back to his coffee. From behind him he heard, "Sam, this is Miranda...I was wondering if..." and he picked up the phone. "Miranda, hi." "Oh, you are there." "I'm here how are you?" "I'm skating on very thin ice just by calling you." "I'll just bet. To what do I owe this honor?" "Aren't you the flowery one? I wanted to come see your house." "After what's happened, I'm surprised you're even talking to me." "Yeah, well I surprise a lot of people, it's just my way." "I'm sitting here having coffee and rum, so come on over." "Don't drink it all, I'm on my way." "You better not let Megan see your car in my driveway." "That's why I'm calling now she's in town with Lonnie and won't be home for quite a while." "Pull on through to the back anyway just in case. I'll watch for you." "See you in twenty minutes." Russ finished his coffee and waited for Miranda. He heard her car door and was holding the door for her as she approached, "Hi, handsome." "Hi, it's good to know I still have one friend." "I'll just bet that list is a little short right now." "You are part of a group of one. Come share a bottle of rum with me." "That's the best pickup line I've heard in a long time." Russ fixed them both a large cup of rum coffee and then added cream and led the way to the living room. "Now the only way to drink this is like this" and he once again put his stocking feet on the coffee table. "Looks like that should work" and she joined him. "Okay, pretty lady and best friend, what's up?" "You mean only friend." "In my case it's the same thing." "I really do want to see your house." "And?" "Smart ass, okay I want to hear your side of this disaster, too, if you'll share it with me." "Why not, you're the only one willing to listen to my side it seems. House first?" "Sure why not, but I'm bringing my coffee along." "By all means." As he showed her around, he stopped and said, "Meg and I got the sheets and spread at the Penney's Home Store." Pretty soon he was pointing and said, "The towels came from Sears after much discussion about which ones." "And she won." "Yes, and she won." On they went as he pointed to different things and told her the story behind it. He told her about the mattress story and Miranda thought that was pretty funny. "Sam...no, I know better because Meg told me that much. I mean Russ, Meg did a great job for you." "I think so too." "Okay time to refill the coffee and tell your tale." "You promise not to storm off calling me names at least until I'm done?" "I promise not to storm off. I may call you names, but we'll have to see about that part." They resumed their place on the couch and took a drink from their cups before he began his tale. "It all started when my firm was hired to..." "Wait what firm?" "Oh. I'm a private investigator and my business is located in Akron. I have a staff of three full time investigators and one secretary." "I'll bet she's over worked and under appreciated." "Now stop interrupting, or we'll be here all night and drunk on our asses." "You don't scare me, now go ahead." "We were hired by Fairmont Holdings to look into loss of sensitive data." "The Fairmont Holdings that Lonnie used to work for." "That one, yes. It took us a very long time, but we finally found a leak. As is so often the case, the answer was staring us in the face the whole time. Without mentioning names, there was an employee there that was about the skinniest guy I've ever seen walking, and only about five feet four or five tall. He found a way to make it look like he was locking up the records department at night, and then while the room was dark he would cover the security camera and then turn the lights back on, and copy the files he was interested in, reverse the process and leave all within a few minutes. It was so simple, it was embarrassing that it took us so long to pick up on it. He was so damn small, that nobody ever noticed him it seemed." They took a long drink and then he continued. "Then we hit another road block. We couldn't figure out what he was doing with the stolen data. In fact, it took us weeks to figure he was scanning it and walking off with it on a flash drive. Once we knew that, we were still stumped trying to figure out who his market was. He was just a clerk so we knew he couldn't use it." "What kind of stuff?" "Formulas and notes from their research lab, products that they were developing. Lonnie would take that information and use it to try and beat them in the development. It saved Lonnie millions in research costs. I say all of this like it was a smooth development, but you can't imagine what we put into it to sort it all out." "So tell me about your part, how you came to connect with Lonnie and Megan and so forth. I assume you never did own a company down south." "No, that part was true." "And your divorce and so forth?" "All true. For example the company was my dads, and when he died, I ran it for awhile, but hated it. I was a cop in Steubenville before Dad died, and that's what I liked to do. So I sold the business and used that money to start my own investigation company up here." "Then you just happened to meet Lonnie." "Not hardly, I was tailing him when he pulled into the restaurant parking lot that day, so I pulled in and followed him in. We struck up a conversation and ended up becoming friends. Miranda, I really liked Lonnie, but I had a job to do too. I had to let my investigators do a lot of the work, because I screwed up and got too close to him both physically and personally. I should never have had dinner with him that first time. It was stupid and amateurish, and it was clouding my judgment." "So what part did seducing Megan play in this drama?" "Is that what she said," "Pretty much." "That isn't how it was at all. I knew very little about her until Lonnie invited me to their house the first time, and that's when I met you. It wasn't part of the investigation at all. I really was enjoying myself. Like I said, I was too close to the suspect to be very effective. Lonnie wasn't about to admit what he was doing even to Megan, so he wasn't about to tell me anything." Chapter Eight Miranda held up her empty cup, so they paused and fixed more drinks before picking up where they left off. "So you had all this money from your dads business, and bought this house for cash because..." "More wrong facts. I was living in an apartment, just as I had told Meg. It was a nicer one than I let on, but it was an apartment and I really was looking for a house. In the beginning, I told Lonnie about looking for a house to make conversation and to play the role of someone with money thinking it would keep him relaxed around me. Like I said, the money from the business went into my company. This house is mortgaged just like so many others. I spent most of the last of my free cash on the furniture. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly broke, but I can't go out and pay cash for a two hundred thousand dollar house either." "Why didn't you tell Megan?" "I had to play the role for everybody, to continue the lie. My story had to hold together." "Of course, that was silly of me. So you buying this house had nothing to do with the investigation." "That's right. I had one hell of an argument with the prosecutor about buying this house, because he was afraid it would taint my evidence, but I bought it anyway because I like it, the price was reasonable, and...and, because it was close to Megan. I didn't tell the prosecutor about that last part though." "Aha so now we're getting down to it. But now it looks like you're getting rid of Lonnie so you can have his wife." "I can see where that would be a reasonable conclusion, but that's not it. Miranda, I wasn't looking for romance, and I had no intention of getting involved with any woman, especially with a married woman. I knew I was playing with fire, and I was trying so hard to not get in over my head with her. It just didn't work out as I had planned." "I'll just bet not. Megan is totally convinced you used her to get to Lonnie. Russ, she was in love with you. You did know that didn't you?" He was looking at her intently and answered, "No, I didn't know that, she never told me." "Well of course not, like you said she's married. Are you sure you're an investigator?" "Not a very good one it seems. I haven't been worth a damn ever since I met her." "Do you love her?" "Yes, and I told her that as she was storming out of here." "I don't think it registered with her." "Great, I had that one hope that she would think about that and reconsider talking to me." "Not likely, I don't think." "Shit." Russ didn't know what to think or say, and Miranda wasn't sure where this was all going or what difference it would make anyway, except she wanted to know. "Russ it's none of my business but...did you two ever..." "No, of course not." "Don't say of course not, because at this very moment, there are probably a thousand improper trysts taking place just in Akron." "I know, we investigate them all the time." "I'm sure you do. Did you know they were going to arrest Lonnie?" "They didn't confide in me. I gave them what we had uncovered and Fairmont wanted to keep us on until there were arrests made. I didn't know about Lonnie's arrest until Megan called me. I did have a strong idea it was coming though." "Wasn't it kind of hard keeping that from her?" "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life."