Chapter 4

It took a few false starts before Donna found a house that Jack felt comfortable about. It was a ranch bungalow with a walk-out basement and a bonus room over the two car garage. It would permit a workshop as well as a generous area for an office if he decided he needed one. He had been in the Valley for ten days now and it was clear that he needed something to do beyond looking for a house. He was not used to inactivity and knew it wasn't in his future.

His relationship with Donna was scorching and they were together every night. He had maintained his control over their love life, but she had no complaints. He was a skilled and powerful lover and she had never felt quite as satisfied with her life as she was at that moment. They were beginning to be seen together in public and as they walked the streets of the town, they would hold hands.

Jack had asked Donna to help him furnish his house and she was enthusiastic in her acceptance. They appeared to have similar tastes and Donna's keen eye for a bargain kept Jack's spending to a sane level. She was curious about where the money was coming from and he had no sense of urgency about finding a job, so she assumed it wasn't a problem. When her friends and acquaintances asked about the new man in her life, she simply referred to him as Jack and made no effort to hide their relationship.

They carried on as lovers throughout the spring and summer and Donna began to notice the changes that had come about in herself. While she knew Jack was genuinely happy with her body as it was, she vowed privately to make herself even more attractive to him if it was possible. She began to increase her visits to her health club from one to three per week and she increased the intensity of her exercises as well. She was not going to take anything for granted. She kept this from Jack and wondered how long it would be before he noticed.

There was another, more subtle change in Donna Remple. She felt less inclined to be a leader. She was less outspoken and more in tune with the consensus in her committee work. In her quiet moments, she took great comfort in her sense of well-being. She had Jack in her life and it had changed everything. He was both a man and a gentleman; that perfect combination that her ex-husband Jim had been unable to achieve. She was admitting to herself now that she had fallen in love with him.

Jack had started a computer consulting firm for small businesses. The little guy needed just as much help or more to manage his commercial affairs and he needed a system that would be cheap, simple to use and tie all the key elements together; inventory, banking, accounting and the dreaded regulatory forms for various levels of government that seemed to grow in number each month. His fees for this service were unusually modest. He didn't need the money and didn't want to put his work beyond the means of the size of client he would encounter.

It turned out to be a successful strategy and as he had with his former business, he established a reputation for competence and economy. It took some effort to control the number of customers and not end up working twelve hour days. He needed help that would think and operate to his standards. He put an ad in the local paper without much optimism.

Maurice "Moe" Desjardin had "emigrated" from Quebec three years earlier. His wife, Annette and their three children originally moved to Victoria as the result of a transfer by his bank employer. Like Jack, he rankled at the structure, waste and corporate foolishness of the institution and was constantly on the lookout for something more satisfying. His curiosity and familiarity with the bank computer systems, government regulation as it applied to business and the rapid increase in the number of on-line financial transactions sparked the ambition to establish himself in his own business as a consultant/programmer.

It was only a fluke that Maurice saw Jack Matheson's add in the Valley paper while he and the family were on vacation near Kye Bay. He called Jack and in the space of a one hour conversation, realized there was an opportunity for him and his family here. Annette loved Vancouver Island and loved their three weeks they were permitted at the sandy beaches off Comox. When Maurice broached the idea of a partnership with Jack in what would be his own business, she knew she couldn't tell him no. She had a job at the Credit Union and those skills were portable.

Maurice and Jack hit it off right away. They were in tune with each other on the business concept and since it was already established, the ground work was already done. They agreed on a method and price for a 50% share and Maurice moved his family in late July to their new home. The Desjardins' had realized a handsome profit on their home in Sannich and were able to buy a new home for less money in the Valley. Annette had to wait a couple of months for an opening at the Credit Union, but that gave her the opportunity to set up their new home and get the children registered for school the next month.

By September, Jack and Maurice were working smoothly as a team and since Moe took on a considerably larger share of the workload, Jack insisted they log their hours and that the income be distributed on that basis rather than a straight 50-50. Maurice gratefully accepted the agreement and their partnership thrived.

On a late October Saturday, Donna and Jack invited Moe, Annette and their children to dinner at Jack's house. Donna insisted on preparing the meal, although Annette equally insisted on providing the dessert. Their children; two girls and a boy, in that order, were aged 15, 13 and 8. The youngsters spent most of the time either watching TV or playing games on Jack's computer. As the dessert was served, the youngsters excused themselves and the four adults were left at the table to enjoy the wine and their conversation.

"Well, a toast to a very fine partnership." Jack smiled, offering his wine glass toward Maurice. The four touched glasses to murmurs of agreement.

"This has been quite a remarkable year for me." Jack said thoughtfully. "I sat down the other night and listed all the things that I have had happen to me or that I have done. I don't think I realized it until I wrote it all down."

"Well, don't just sit there ... tell us about it." Annette challenged.

Jack looked up and turned toward Annette and then Donna before saying anything.

"Well ... let's see ... I sold my business late last year ... almost exactly a year ago in fact. Then I sold my ... our house and then I ran away to sea." he said with a sardonic grin.

"I ended up here ... in Courtenay ... looking for a place to hide. Then I met Donna and she helped me find a place to hide ... her house." he laughed. "So just to prove I wasn't sane, I bought another house."

He held out his hands, palms up, as if to say "what did you expect?" He glanced over a Donna and saw her expectant look. "Oh yah ... something else crazy happened. I fell in love when I least expected it." He heard Donna's sharp intake of breath as he turned toward her. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to startle you." he grinned again.

Donna sat completely still as she listened to Jack talk. She could barely understand that he was declaring his love for her. It seemed so detached and so remote and yet he was only a couple of feet away from him and she could hear his voice and see his lips move. It must be so. It must be so. She blinked and then let her breath out.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought I'd tell Maurice and Annette what you already must know. I'm in love with you. It's as simple as that.

Donna sat for a moment and then rose and hurried to the bathroom.

"Oh! Oh! I think I just made a mistake." Jack said looking over his shoulder after her exit.