Chapter 5

Dinner that night was the first time that the three of us ate together. The conversation was interesting. MaryAnn looked spectacular dressed in slacks and a lace-trimmed blouse; just enough skin was showing to hold your gaze. I still wasn't clear as to her relationship with Uncle Joe. At times she seemed to be more than just an employee; but I guess that comes with the fact that she lived under his roof for the last several years and sees him practically every morning in the gym. I wondered if she knew about his health problems. If she didn't know now, she would later as his health started to deteriorate.

That subject was never to be spoken about; Uncle Joe had given me strict instructions.

"So, John, You did you see anything that interested you, today?"

I almost chocked on the food in my mouth. I saw MaryAnn smile for a second.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Joe."

"On your walk on the beach this morning; I saw you go down there just as I was getting ready to leave this morning."

"Oh, the beach. Nothing really stood out, everything was just so beautiful."

"MaryAnn, how did your day go today? Did you get everything done that I asked you to take care of?"

"The morning was great, very enjoyable," she said as she glanced over at me. "I got all of the information that you requested and made some inquiries on the other business matters. The information is in the report on your desk."

"Splendid. Splendid. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of reading to do this evening. I'll see you tomorrow in the gym?"

"Yes, I'll be there," rubbing my sore muscles.

"See you then. Good night. Oh, one more thing: John, please from now on just call me Joe"

When he left the room, I looked over at MaryAnn and asked,

"Is he always like this? He never seems to relax; he's always on the go."

"Pretty much. He's been like this ever since I've known him. Driven is the best way to describe him."

For the rest of the evening, we talked about our tastes in music, films, and sports. We found we had a lot in common. The only area that we seemed to be at odds was our favorite baseball teams. She was a Dodger fan, while I rooted for the Yankees. We kidded each other as to which team would end up in the World Series.

She was so easy to talk to; I never wanted the evening to end.

"I think I'm going to turn in. Tomorrow we'll give your arms a chance to heal; we'll concentrate on your legs and your stamina. Good night, John. Sweet dreams."

"The same to you."

That night I had very sweet dreams indeed, they all starred MaryAnn and her beautiful body.