Chapter 31

Eve was standing in the bedroom doorway, naked. She said, "Haven't you ever had a naked woman welcome you home before?" I was speechless, frozen in place, staring. Her smile faded. "Do or say something before my courage runs out."

"Eve, put some clothes on and then come out here. We need to talk."

She jerked like I had hit her. I sat on the couch. After a moment, she came out crying but clothed in jeans and a tee shirt, her feet bare. She sat beside me on the couch crying. "I'm so embarrassed. I expected many reactions but not that. I will call Joan to come get me."

I said, "That will be your choice and I won't stop you. However, if there is hope for us, we need to talk. Leaving will merely end it. Nothing will be solved."

I turned to face her more and handed her the box of tissues that lived on the end table. She began to dab her eyes while looking at me. I said, "We have been building a relationship on excitement and a powerful physical attraction. I'm more to blame than you because I've been flooding the situation with adrenaline. I've also slept with you carnally and most enjoyably. That is wrong by my beliefs.

"Eve, once you said that you would even be my sex toy. I don't want a sex toy. I want a partner in life. I would like to be married again. I want to be part of a loving relationship with another adult. The sex has been fantastic but ill-timed. I knew it when I did it and that realization has become even more real when I saw you just now. That's not why I love you and want you in my life. The sex is getting in the way of that."

She looked at me. "Linda said that standing in the doorway naked was not a good idea. She said that, after we married, you would react the way I wanted you to react. She told me that the best she hoped for in this was that you would talk. Tracey offered me her best wishes but admitted she wouldn't have the guts to do that with Matt."

"Bill, I'm used to getting my own way. You've talked about my career as a barrier to our being together. I think it's that I'm not used to being with someone who is an equal, much less is my superior in many things.

"I had you investigated. You are richer than I am and I have enough put away to retire today. You own many buildings around here and that's just the tip of the iceberg. You have some nice rental homes in Montgomery if you wanted to use one while being director. You have many other investments and holdings."

I said, "If I planned to stay as director for long, I would take one when it comes up for the lease to be renewed. I don't plan to stay up there. I like it down here. I'm comfortable. No one here knows that I'm somewhat wealthy. I plan to keep it that way."

Eve said, "Bill, what I really want to know is how do we fit together? Resolving that issue is more important to me than anything I can think of."

I said, "I think we need to determine if we can live together happily on a day-to-day basis. I'm old fashioned. I would castigate my son had he done what I have done with you."

Eve chuckled. "I shouldn't have been willing, no eager, to make love to you to put it properly. To be blunt, you screwed my brains out and I totally loved it. However, if you think we need to rethink the physical side of our relationship, I will do that. You need to understand though that you are sexy, incredibly sexy. In that, I have a lot of women agreeing with me including your daughter in-law who is happily married to your son. Tracey says that there are women at the EOC who are hot for you. She says you are a hot poppa to her now though, if you hadn't pushed her on Matt, she would have pushed on you. Joan agrees with Tracey but only after she met Todd."

She took a deep breath. "Bill, I want you to name each issue that troubles you. I want this to work but I need help in fighting the issues for an 'us' to happen for the long haul."

I took a deep breath. "I want an 'us, ' Eve. I'm just trying to be a little bit practical about the issues that face us. I guess the first one and the one that is uppermost in my mind is you have a career that I think is important despite what you have said. That career is not in rural Alabama but primarily based in Nashville."

she said, "Bill, I understand what you are saying. I have been successful in my career. I want to continue that success for as long as it works for me. That brings benefits and challenges. One of the benefits is that I can move the show around. Actually, the national ratings from Birmingham and Atlanta are fractionally higher than those for the Nashville shows. There have been discussions on moving the focus to Atlanta which makes sense. I didn't want to be trapped as a Nashville talk show hostess. Joan has a studio designer, an engineer, and a construction guy with her this afternoon looking over your building. We swiped the key. They will be back soon though Joan promised to call before they leave Luverne to warn me.

"We have talked to Mason and Margaret of XYZ and they want to come on board as a primary sponsor and are very interested in the show moving to Luverne. They have a major plant in Dothan and like the tie-in.

"Jones and Jones is vying to join with them. They like the tie-in also. They have a plant in Opp. Moving here for the show is rapidly becoming a reality. It will play well. My primary viewers are women and horny old men." She grinned. "Most of them are southern though we are growing stronger up north with every rating survey. I think broadcasting from Luverne can happen and work well. The engineers will tell us the details.

"That disposes of that issue. What's your next one?"

I said, "Our ages. I'm twelve years older than you. You will have to take care of a doddering old man at some point though you will still be going strong."

She laughed. "You need to give up on that argument. I have viewers who are clamoring for me to have you back on the show. No one has mentioned age but you. I think it's time to give that dog a rest. What's next?"

"Eve, it still concerns me."

She looked me dead in the eyes. "What? Am I too old for you?"

I shook my head negatively. I think I actually whined. "No."

"Like I said, Bill. You need to quit flogging that dog. No one buys into it in the least but you and you don't have convincing reasons." She paused. "Was Jan your age?"

"Yes. She grew old and died before my eyes. I couldn't do that to someone."

"Bill, give me a chance to live and to grow old with you. You and Jan had a great marriage. I don't think she would want you to remain single for the rest of your life." She had me! She continued, "I don't want to remain single for the rest of my life either. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. However, I will feel better about facing whatever tomorrow may bring with you. Please, dear. I want you. I really want you to desire to marry me. I think we can make each other happy."

I made my decision and gently pushed her hands from me. I rolled off the couch onto one knee and said, "I've wanted this with you for a while but was concerned that it was just something passing. I love you and have for a while, Eve. Marry me. I'll do my best to make you happy as long as we both shall live."

"Yes!!" She launched her body onto mine. We wound up on the floor with her on top kissing joyfully. We finally came up for air. "When?"