Chapter 17

The next morning the nanny called early and said that she had a flat and that she would be a little late. I left to go to the office with Peggy and Brenda stayed to wait for the nanny. The nanny always rode in with one of us to the day care center. It made it easier that way. She could take care of the children while one of us drove. Brenda dropped the children off and then left for her office at the paving company.

That evening we sat around the dinner table discussing our day. I told the women to go and play with the kids for a while and I would do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. I cleaned the kitchen and then made a quick spin around the house picking up the toys and anything else that was out of place. After the kids were in bed we all sat down to watch some TV.

"Paula has been talking all day what a wonderful time that she had Saturday," Brenda said.

Peggy shot her a glance and Brenda responded, "Oh no, she's not talking about our living arraignment. She just can't stop telling me how much she enjoyed our cookout. When I asked her if she wanted to come out this Saturday she was walking on air. I think that girl's in love with you Damon."

"Ok, knock it off. She's just lonely because she doesn't know that many people here," I said.

"Nonsense," Brenda snapped, "Every man that comes in the office tries to get her to go out with them. She turns every one of them down."

Peggy turned to me with a big smile, "Husband, that girl is in love with you."

Again I made a strategic retreat to bed. Brenda told me that she would be along in a few minutes. I went to the bedroom and took a shower. When I had finished my shower Brenda still wasn't in the bedroom. I went to the door and heard them talking in a low voice. I couldn't make out what they were saying and I began to go over everything that I had said that night; thinking that I might have said something that made one of them angry. I couldn't think of anything that I might have done.

When Brenda came to bed she immediately came to me and we began to make love. The way she made love to me that night told me that it was not her that I angered. I resolved to find out what was bothering Peggy the next day. It was two hours before Brenda and I got to sleep.

The next morning it was if nothing had happened. They were both laughing and joking while each was getting their child ready to go to the day care center. I didn't bring up the fact that I had thought that I might have made them mad the night before. You don't go through the jungle kicking sleeping lions.

The day was typical; as soon as I opened the door one of the project managers dropped a problem on my desk that needed attention three days ago. It was almost lunch time before we had the problem on the way to being solved. I called a meeting of the project managers and laid down a few guidelines for keeping a project on track. I stressed the importance of planning and not letting any of the other contractors on the project upset your plan.

Brenda called me from our other company for some things that needed my attention so I drove to her office. Once I got there I knew that I would have to spend the rest of the day and part of the evening there to help estimate two new projects that were closely tied to each other. If we lost either of the bids on the projects it would be economically unfeasible to take the other one. As soon as I walked in Paula looked up and immediately got a big grin on her face. As I roamed about the office her eyes followed me.

Peggy pulled into the off shortly before five and said that they were taking Paula to dinner. When I mentioned that I had to work late they said that my mother had the children and they were taking them to the cabin for a long weekend. I had the estimators waiting for me so I turned and went back to the estimating department and started work.

I wasn't at the dinner that night and the following is what I found out later went on at the dinner.

Peggy, Brenda and Paula went to one of the better restaurants in Scottsdale that night. When the hostess started to seat them Peggy asked to be seated where they could talk business without interruption and in private. She knew that the restaurant had small private dinning rooms for just such purposes. The dinning rooms were decorated like a private dinning room in someone's home. The waitresses only entered the room when paged; so complex business issues could be discussed without any interruptions.

After they each had a drink in front of them Peggy turned to Paula, "Brenda tells me that you keep asking about how it is living with Damon."

Paula started stammering, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought that it's so nice that the three of you love each other so much and that you are so comfortable being together. I think that the three of you have the perfect life."

"Do you think that we are wrong in living together as husband and two wives?" Brenda asked.

Paula just shook her head, confused as to where this conversation was going. Peggy rang for the waitress and ordered drinks for the three of them again. They decided on their dinner order while the waitress was getting the drinks. After the drinks were delivered they gave the waitress their dinner order.