Chapter 22: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Back at Kathy's the girls were chatting quietly, and keeping an eye on the TV. Mark sat next to her, and pulled her in a cuddle. When I sat next to Sarah, she moved in, nestled against my body, and pulled my arm around her shoulders, letting me hold her.

"Something coming up on TV?" asked Mark.

"Tennis, in a few minutes," Kathy answered.

Turning to me he asked, "Do you also play?"

From the discreet signal he sent, I knew he wanted me to move the subject to dinner plans for tonight after that innocent question about tennis.

"I used to. Not anymore, although I try to watch the Grand Slam tournaments as much as possible. Kathy is the player in the family. Say, Mark. Since the girls are being good, why don't we take them out tonight to some place nice? And, it's been awhile since I have seen Sarah, so..."

"Sure. What do you think girls?"

Kathy was the first to answer, "So, you two decided to really pamper us? That's good, but we shouldn't be too late. I have to start early tomorrow."

Sarah agreed with Kathy, while she smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

"Where would you like to go?" I asked Sarah, but before she could answer, I directed another question to Mark. "Hey, Mark. Since you're a salesman, you must know some nifty places to take your clients. Any suggestions for a good place where we can take the ladies?"

"There are several," he replied with a grin. "I think we all visited a few of them, but Kathy knows most of them. Maybe we should let the girls talk about it and decide. How about it, Kathy?"

"Oohhh! What did we do to deserve this treatment?" Kathy cooed.

"Just being you," Mark replied, coming up with the right kind of answer.

When Sarah looked expectantly at me. I responded, "As the man said. Just being you and the friend you are."

After exchanging a look, Sarah let Kathy make the decision, and when Kathy voiced her first choice, Mark said, "Yes, it's a great place. We visited it once, and I don't remember if Sarah was there."

When Sarah nodded in the negative, Kathy told Sarah it was an exclusive Italian restaurant, and explained their specialties.

Sarah agreed with Kathy's choice, and didn't hesitate to tease Kathy. "Sure, I love Italian. I hope you won't have to spend several days on the court trying to burn off the calories."

With a nonchalant tone, Kathy replied, "That won't be a problem. I'm sure Mark would find ways for me to burn those calories."

"Girls, come on. You don't want to start that, do you?" Mark tried to interfere.

"No we don't. Not until later," quipped Sarah, but finished it with a little yelp when I playfully pinched one of her tight buns.

Now that the decision was made, Mark went to the phone to make reservations for dinner. While he was on the phone, the sports channel switched to the tennis game they had announced. When the names of the players were mentioned I didn't recognize them, but my sister's exclamation indicated she knew at least one of them.

When I directed a quizzical look at her, she said, "Oh, you'll like this one. He's an upcoming American player, and he's amazing. Apart from being very entertaining. I think, in a few years he'll really shake up the big names in the Grand Slam tournaments."

I didn't know at the time, but her words would prove to be prophetic. As she said, a few years later he won the Wimbledon title in a long and fiercely contested match.

"But, he's not a serve-volley player. A baseline player," she remarked pointedly.

"Baseline player? And you think he'll shake up the big names?" I asked, receiving a nod, and a knowing smile.

I wasn't convinced, but she seemed too sure that the player was good, perhaps too good. I was a serve-volley guy when I used to play, and most of the big names I managed to catch on the TV in the last several years were, more or less, serve-volley guys. If you had a good serve and were fast on your feet to get to the net, you could end the point quickly, without getting into a long rally from the baseline. The serve-volley game was fast paced, and more suited for a fast surface like grass, and it was exciting and saved energy and time.

After watching half an hour, I had to agree with her, grudgingly. The American player was unlike any baseline player I had seen. Not only did he have a powerful forehand with lots of topspin, but his backhand was also powerful, and deadly accurate. The other player was no slouch either. With a very fast and accurate first serve, fast on his feet, the guy was on the net immediately, and I was expecting him to put a lot of pressure on the American player. The most amazing part was that the American managed to return all those first serves as fast as he received them. His control of the racket was unbelievable, and he managed to put pressure on the serve-volley player, forcing him to make mistakes, and stealing the initiative.

By the time he was leading 5-3 in the first set, it became obvious that he would steal the match. I could see from his body language how unconcerned he was and how confident he looked. A few minutes later, he pulled a cross-court forehand shot that left me speechless; well, all of us speechless. Mark was the only one to collect himself and comment.

"Did you see how he ripped that shot?" he exclaimed, after letting out a low whistle.

By then, we were watching the slow motion replay action, which made it more spectacular. From the way the commentators were talking excitedly, it was obvious even they were impressed, and that was saying something, as they get to watch so many very good players and very good shots.

The American was caught a few feet inside the baseline, known as no-mans-land, a dangerous place to be, especially if your opponent goes for a very deep return. In this case, his opponent did go for the deep shot, and from the trajectory of the ball it was easy to see that it would land maybe a few inches inside the baseline. Normally, if you were quick enough, you'd backtrack as fast as you could, and try to return the ball after the bounce. Instead of that, this guy took two quick steps towards the ball, and caught it on his racket before it hit the court, as if he was playing a half-volley at the net. But, it was unlike any half-volley. It was a half-volley topspin forehand shot from almost the baseline, and he ripped it cross-court to the corner, scoring an amazing point.

That shot is probably going to make the 'shot-of-the-day' selection.

"What did you say his name was?" I asked Kathy.

"Andre Agassi. Now, do you believe what I said?" she asked with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Sure, Sis. If he plays like that, he's going to give many players fits. I've never seen such racket control before. Well, not like that. I mean, come on. How many players could pull a topspin half-volley from just inside the baseline, and with such accuracy? His opponent has a good first serve, and yet, the ball returns as fast if not faster."

"Exactly. He just needs to get seasoned in the Grand Slam tournaments, and you have a winner."

The ringing of the telephone interrupted our conversation. With an annoyed expression, Kathy got up to answer the phone. Because the volume of the TV was set high, I didn't get who was calling her. When she saw me looking at her, she motioned me to the phone, calling out "Dana." After exchanging a few more words, Kathy put the handset down on the small table, while I made my way to the phone.

Picking up the handset, I greeted her. "Hi, Dana. How are you?"

"Fine, Mitch. How are you?"

"I'm OK."

Suddenly, I felt guilty. I had been with another woman, Sarah. Now, Sarah knew who was calling me. On the other hand, Dana had no idea. I had put the questions I had about cheating, out of my mind, and now, they came back. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm at the airport. In a short while, I'll take the shuttle service," she replied.

"Overnight stay?" I asked.

"Yes, it is. But..."

"But?"

"Reina is here. She's staying at the same hotel," she replied.

Damn!

"Look, Dana. I think we can-"

"Mitch, honey? Don't rush things, OK? I want to see you too, but I'm not going to make things more difficult, especially for the future. We've gone over that. You don't need that kind of complication."

"I know you mean well, Dana, but-"

She cut me off again. "Honey, I mean it. Let's try to find a way to get together out of prying eyes. What are you doing tonight?"

That question made me feel more guilty about her and Sarah. As I formulated an answer, my mind came up with its own reply.

Nothing really. I was going to have dinner with Sarah, Kathy and Mark. I was hoping I would get to fuck Sarah's brains out, and get my own brains fucked out in the process.

It wasn't just a hope, it was almost a certainty, since Sarah indicated she wanted me to drop her at her place, and spend the night with her. I half turned, casually glancing at the couch where the girls were sitting, and as I expected all of them were watching me. Mark was the only one who wasn't aware of my relationship with Dana, and he must have thought I was having a casual, friendly relationship with Sarah. I caught a look of surprise on his face, before he put on a neutral expression. Perhaps, there had been also disapproval in his expression. Although it made me more uncomfortable, I was also happy to receive that look. It meant he didn't fuck around behind his women, which bode well for Kathy's future with him. And as for me...

"Ummm... Kathy has her boyfriend and best friend here, and we were planning to go out for dinner. I sort of committed myself to it," I replied, collecting myself.

"That's all right. I understand. Is there something special going on?" she asked.

"Kind of. Her boyfriend has something arranged," I replied, with a very low voice, so that the girls wouldn't hear my end of the conversation.

While I was talking, I had an eye on the girls. They seemed to be discussing something quietly and were explaining something to Mark, too, while glancing at me now and then. It looked like they had caught earlier parts of my conversation, with the volume of the TV turned down.

From my tone of voice, Dana figured some surprise was in the works. She laughed, and said, "I gather that something is a surprise, and is going to have an impact on her."

"Yes," I replied, with a laugh.

Kathy called out, interrupting me.

"Just hold on a second, Dana."

Blocking the mouthpiece with my palm, I looked at Kathy.

"Is Dana in town?" she asked.

When I nodded, she continued, "Why don't you invite her to dinner with us?"

What? Kathy, are you out of your mind? What about Sarah, your best friend? What about Dana?

From the expression on my face she must have realized what I was thinking, because she said, "I think you should call her back later."

"About what?" I asked, with an irritated tone, while I glanced at Sarah trying to gauge her reaction. She didn't seem to be concerned at all, even after Kathy's suggestion. On the contrary, she seemed to be excited about something, with an expectant look on her face.

"You should invite her," Sarah said. Her tone was without any reservations except perhaps a trace of excitement. That really surprised me.

What the hell's going on?

"Mitch, please. For once, listen to me. We'll talk and you can decide what you want to do. But tell her you'll call her in a while," Kathy insisted.

With a sigh, I agreed. While talking to Dana I hadn't paid attention to what the girls had been discussing, and I was curious what they were up to.

"Dana, something came up. Can I call you back, and where can I call you?"

"You can call me at the hotel," she said. After a pause, she added, "Maybe I should call you back. I don't know when I'll be there, perhaps in half an hour or so. I think it will be easier if I call you. Does that give you enough time?"

"Yeah. It sure does. OK, I'll wait for your call; otherwise I'll try you in an hour. Love you," I said.

"Love you too," Dana replied, before closing the connection.

Putting the handset down, I started in Kathy's direction, but she finished what she was telling to Mark and Sarah, and stood up, making her way to me. Pulling me by my arm, she steered us to my room, while Sarah and Mark continued to chat quietly, but animatedly.

In my room, Kathy sat down on the edge of the bed, before patting the spot next to her.

"Mitch, after last night I know it might be awkward to have Dana with us, and with Sarah, but... she was the first one who mentioned we should invite her."

"Sarah did that?" I blurted out with an incredulous tone.

"Yes, she did. She doesn't want to keep you from being with your girl because of dinner tonight. She told us what you two had was a casual, friendly thing, which I knew from our talk at the party, but..."

"But?"

"She's curious about who stole your heart. Understandably so."

"And you're not?" I came back.

"I am, too. At first, I was reluctant, but I don't really see any good reason why Dana shouldn't join us for dinner tonight."

"That might cover Sarah," I replied, still a bit dazed by the revelation. "But what about Dana?"

"You weren't planning to-"

"Look," I cut her off quickly. "I wasn't planning to hide what I did. You know I'm not like that, and these things have a way of catching up with you. I'm not going to risk that. The point is, I was hoping to have a chance to talk to her, and explain myself in private. Now, if she discovers the situation before I come clean... well, it's not going to be nice at all. And I think, she might sense something is wrong and figure it out."

"Yes, that might happen, and that's also what worried me, but... Mitch, you mentioned how you two met, and it's a very recent thing. Doesn't that mean you two aren't committed to each other, yet?"

Shit! That's the question, isn't it? Otherwise, why did I take Sarah up on her offer, without trying to resist her charms? I'd never done that before.

"That's... complicated, Kathy. I can't really get into that now. How come Sarah is so casual, especially right after last night? I don't want to hurt her feelings, or Dana's, and this idea has all the makings of a disaster."

"Sarah isn't in love with you, although she's interested in you. She never tried to steal another girl's man. And, she cares about friendship very much: mine and yours. As I said, she's curious about this new girl of yours, and I am too. Look, this might be a bad idea, but I think it's also a hurdle between you two. How you both handle the situation is going to tell each of you a lot of things about yourselves and your feelings. It doesn't necessarily have to be a disaster, you know?"

"Maybe not, Kathy. You surprise me. I thought you'd be opposed to the idea, after seeing me involved with somebody. I didn't think you'd want anything to rock the boat."

"Bro, I don't want to rock the boat, but I know Sarah, and I have a gut feeling about Dana. She just might surprise every one of us. Including you."

"Why do you say that, Kathy?"

"To be blunt, I don't see why any woman would seek a relationship with you. Not the way you were. I know you had a few casual things, but this is something else. You admitted that she knows your past, something you never talked to me about-No, don't interrupt me. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty!-The point is, she seems to have accepted you. That puts her on a different plane from others."

Sarah had more or less said the same thing about Dana, last night, when she was reminding me Kathy was my sister.

"Kathy, I want to see her, but I also want to come clean with her. I need time for that. I can't rush it."

"As you wish Mitch, but this is a good chance to get her to know us, and for you to see what she's made off."

"Kathy! I don't need to test her to know who she is. What's more, I am the guilty party here," I replied, defensively. Then something else occurred to my mind. "Are you trying to wiggle out information again?"

"No, Mitch. I forgot to tell you. The cease-fire was on as of the moment I stepped in this room. I wasn't trying anything," she replied softly. "I wasn't talking about testing her. You have to admit, this will give her a chance to see who you are and who we are. You two are at a very early stage in your relationship, and this problem is something you should address, now, instead of delaying it for later. Don't you think? For both of you. Leaving it for later might make things harder."

Kathy could sometimes be so logical, irrationally logical for a woman, that is. This was one of those times, catching me unprepared. What she said made sense, and... and I knew I had to face the music. Inviting her to dinner might complicate things, but was it going to make any difference if it happened some other time, when I told her? No, I didn't think so. If Dana was going to get angry with me, she would. If she would get hurt, she would. There was no way I could prevent that.

"You could pick her up from the hotel, and maybe talk with her on the way here, or go someplace for a short while. There's enough time until dinner," she suggested, interrupting my train of thoughts.

Picking her up from the hotel was more tricky than she thought. She didn't know that, but I knew, as well as Dana did. She... -I still couldn't bring myself to speak her name, because it burned my tongue and lips-Reina was going to be there, and I didn't want to risk a chance encounter. I was already in hot water up to my neck; there was no reason to make it more difficult than it already was.

"I don't think that will work," I said. After Dana's words on the phone about Reina, I was pretty sure she didn't want us to be seen by any of her colleagues.

"Why is that?" Kathy asked.

"That question isn't relevant to my current problems, Kathy," I replied. I was trying to come up with an answer, but I didn't have a satisfactory one. What's more, I didn't want her looking in certain directions and figuring things out. Hearing my tone, Kathy decided not to pursue the matter further.

"I still think it would be nice to get her to join us tonight," she said, softly. "Sarah wanted to talk to you. I'll send her in."

Damn! That's what I need!

Well, that's exactly what I need. Especially, after doing what I did last night and this morning!

Standing up, she held my chin with her hand, and said, "Sarah is a good friend, Mitch. I know that she loves you, but as a friend; you've known each other for a long time. And, in her own words, as a lover. I don't have to remind you that she's a nice girl. You can't find a better friend."

"I know, Kathy," I replied, with a sigh. "I knew what I was getting myself into. To tell the truth, I don't regret my decision, as strange as that might sound. I love Dana, but..."

Kathy let out a soft laugh, and said, "I think I know what you mean. After what I heard..."

She left it at that, but her knowing smile was enough. If I were a few years younger, I would have blushed, but still, it wasn't easy to look into my sister's eyes, when we both knew that she knew my history with Sarah-old and new. She ran her finger on my jaw, giving me an affectionate smile, before leaving the room.

I sat there thinking about what I should do. A few minutes later, Sarah walked in with a big smile on her face. Sitting next to me, she gave a soft, friendly kiss.

"So, your girl is in town?"

"Yes, she is."

"Mitch, why don't you take a rain check on dinner with us tonight, and be with her?"

"I can't do that, Sarah," I replied with a sincere tone.

I couldn't. It wasn't only because it was impolite to leave Sarah without an escort (especially after all we had shared), but there was also the surprise Mark was planning to spring on Kathy, although that wasn't my main reason.

"Thank you, Mitch, but you shouldn't miss out on the fun and being with your girl, and neither should she. You should invite her. I mean it," she said with a serious tone, and from the sincere look in her eyes, I knew she meant every word she said.

"Sarah, with you there, I'm not going to miss any fun."

Running her fingers along my arm, she continued. "Kathy mentioned that you want to talk to her, and explain. Knowing you, I should have known you wouldn't keep it a secret from her. You aren't that kind of guy. I'm sorry that I put you in this situation. I knew I was borrowing you last night, and I hope she would understand that, when you talk to her," she said with a concerned tone.

"Sarah, please! You didn't put me in any situation. I wanted and chose to be with you. I made my decision, not you. You offered us both something that we haven't had before and I accepted it. I told you before; I will treasure it. I knew what I was getting myself into, so please, don't talk like that," I replied.

"I'll help in any way I can, Mitch. You know that. And... I'm curious about her," she said. Taking a pause, she urged me again. "Think about it. I think we can all have a great time."

"Thank you, Sarah. I really don't know what else to say except thank you... and I love you. I wish..." I said, but couldn't continue. I really didn't know what else to say. I had conflicting emotions... about her, and Dana. And, I knew I've felt something for her. I loved something in her, and partly, I was feeling guilty. Sarah wasn't a one-night stand, or a plaything.

"Mitch, come on. Don't feel guilty about last night. It was great, two friends getting together. I don't have any regrets."

"That's another thing, Sarah. To be honest, I don't regret it, and I know I would have done it again if I had another chance. Perhaps that's why I feel guilty. You know you're not a casual thing. Not like a one-night stand."

"I know, Mitch," she replied with a soft smile. "But, we're friends, and we had friendly fun."

Pulling her in my arms, I held her in a tight embrace, trying to make her understand what I felt. Kissing my neck, she ran her hands down my back trying to sooth me. For a moment, I wondered if I would have chased after Sarah, if the circumstances had been different. Perhaps I would have. Nobody would go wrong with a girl like her. She had all the qualities I looked for in a woman. Even though I wasn't in love with her, and loved her differently, I knew she could grow on me, given time. Love could be a quick fire, burning bright and fast before dying a quick death, but friendship was long lasting, sometimes a lifetime. And, we had been friends for a long time...