Chapter 12

"It's beautiful and the sound is so full and resonant!" Sheila gushed as she strummed the instrument once or twice then sang one of her ballads to the sparkling accompaniment of the new Martin.

"We love you Sheila," whispered Jan as she kissed her husband on the cheek while Michael beamed.

"And I love you both so much. Thank you!"

"Now you Michael!" urged Jan as she pointed to the sizable box in the corner. When he peered inside his face broke into a grin and he turned to face his two wives.

"This is great. Really great! I've been wanting to do my own grinding and polishing for years. Thank you!" he said hugging and kissing them both.

"Let's see now," laughed Michael playfully, " did we leave someone out?"

"I don't know," Sheila said, playing along.

"Just being here with the two of you is more than enough for me," Jan replied seriously.

"Well in that case I guess we'll just have to send it back," teased Jan's feminine husband.

"Or we could grab her up and blindfold her!" blurted out Michael as he swept Jan into his arms while Sheila tied a blindfold over her eyes. Jan felt Michael walking and sensed they were headed toward her hobby and writing room.

"What's going on here?" she chided.

"A treasure hunt. You have to keep the blindfold on, but we'll tell you if you're getting warmer or colder," giggled Sheila.

She heard the door to her room open as Michael set her down and she took a few cautious steps forward.

"A bit warmer," she heard Sheila say.

Jan turned to the right toward the window where she kept her flowers.

"No, a bit cooler now," warned Michael.

She turned back toward the other window and her desk.

"Yes, definitely warmer... warmer... warmer... hot now!" giggled Sheila.

Jan reached out feeling for the desk and felt its sturdy wooden top.

"Red hot!" laughed Michael.

Jan reached further and felt the outline of... something where her old computer had sat on the desk. It was cool to the touch and felt like a combination of plastic and glass and... she felt below... a keyboard!

Ripping off the blindfold, she squealed to see a new computer occupying the space where her old one had been sitting that very afternoon. She had wondered why Sheila had suddenly wanted the two of them to take a walk earlier in the day. Obviously it had been so Michael could unpack and set up her new writing station.

"Oh, it's wonderful! I've been struggling with that old one for so long..."

"We know. It's got the very latest word processor for your writing plus a lot of stuff your old one just didn't have, like spell check and grammar check and the internet so you can do research for your stories. It'll do just about everything except fix your eggs for breakfast."

"Ah, and I was counting on that," laughed Jan, feigning disappointment.

She turned to her two smiling husbands.

"I'm so lucky to be loved by you,"

"Jan, your coming into our lives has been the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to us."

The three embraced and kissed while tears of joy flowed freely.

The next few months were filled with joy for them all. Sheila and Jan concentrated on the house while Michael turned his attention to the orchard. Less than a year later with the help of the native Miguel, missing vines were replanted, those vines which could be saved were pruned and by the following season the orchard began to bear. The two men refurbished the fermentation vats and Miguel taught Michael how to operate the small winery. Much of the process was by hand and the output small, but the three Tompkins were pleasantly surprised by the price their product fetched locally with the prospect of distributors in the U.S. paying far more.

Jan and Sheila meanwhile were discovering how well they worked together, discussing ideas, exploring materials and methods, then working side by side, seeing those ideas take shape. Despite their good progress with the restoration, the two would frequently take breaks, almost all of them ending in a workout in the nearest bed. They also established a sunbathing ritual on the beach below the house. At first wearing swimsuits, when they realized how private the beach was, both Sheila and Jan would lie nude on the beach for at least an hour each day and both soon acquired gorgeous tans. Sheila would often carry Jan to the edge of the water and the two would make love, the water lapping around around them as Jan rode Sheila to orgasm after orgasm. Within a year the house was finished inside and out, topped off with a new roof they had laid themselves with some help from Michael. The grounds now sported new plantings and the three admittedly were proud of their accomplishments. Just a few touch-ups remained.

After some initial snafus with communications, Sheila and Michael's consultancy settled into a steady income. Jan finished two books and was into a third, her advances and royalties, while not enormous, gave her a satisfaction in helping with providing an income. The winery would become profitable within the year and so, in all, the Tompkins maintained a very comfortable, if not lavish lifestyle.