“If you like it, it was worth the money.”
“I like it, all right. You’re just not going to get much wear out of it.”
“Why not? If you like it, I’ll wear it a lot.”
Josh pushed the straps down her shoulders. “Somehow I don’t think so. Even though white is great, I prefer you in brown—as in skin.” He felt her shiver when her breasts were exposed. When she was fully naked before his eyes, he studied her every curve. It had been too long since they’d been together. Too long. He vowed never to let anything keep them apart again. This, being with her, making love to her, was too important. It was life sustaining for him.
He captured her gaze with his own and maintained it as he joined with her. His look spoke words that were too voluminous to be spoken now. It spoke of his love, his need, his desire to protect her and keep her safe. She was his haven and he wanted her to know that he was hers.
She responded beautifully as she always did, her concern and care for his pleasure obvious. When she lowered her eyelids, he kissed her. A kiss that sealed their bodies and hearts together in all the places that mattered. It seemed right that at that moment they shattered together.
Nine
Josh smiled. His wife was working her magic in the early morning hours. It had been awhile since she had welcomed the morning this way. He kept his eyes closed while his hands moved to her waist to help with her movements and they fell into a rhythm of their own. When he knew he couldn’t take it anymore, he opened his eyes and pleaded with her to come with him. She looked as if she was going to deny him, but in the end, they went together to that place of warmth and peace. He pulled her to him, kissed her sweaty brow, and fell back asleep.
When he awoke the second time, she was propped on an elbow looking at him. “Good morning, sweetheart,” he said.
She stroked a finger down his chest to his waist. “Just good? Surely it was better than that.”
Josh stopped her finger before it moved into dangerous territory, and he placed it to his lips for a kiss. “Maybe that was an understatement. How about earthshaking?”
She placed a finger between his lips, pulled it out, and pushed it back in again. “Better.”
Josh sucked on her finger, moving his tongue up and down its length. “Maybe you need to refresh my mind.”
Leaving her finger in his mouth, she moved to cover his body with hers once again. “Remember anything now?”
Josh groaned as she pressed against him. “My memory seems to be coming back.”
She laughed a carefree laugh that he hadn’t heard in a while. “Seems to me more is coming back than your memory.”
Josh raised his hands to touch her breasts. “It’s getting warm in here, isn’t it?”
Gloria covered his hands with her own, encouraging him in his ministration. “I don’t feel warm.”
Josh took that statement for the dare that it was. He rose up and pulled her down so he could caress her more fully. At her first moan, he asked, “Not warm?”
She groaned again. “Maybe a little warm.”
Josh continued to caress her, his hands massaging down her back to her hips and thighs. “Getting warmer?”
Gloria groaned again, a sexy sound from the back of her throat.
Josh rolled so that he was poised over her while she lay on her back. “I thought so.”
“Now, Josh. Now.”
He rolled off her, onto his side, delaying their pleasure. Her skin was hot to his touch. “What’s the hurry? We’ve got all day.”
“Josh . . . I can’t wait.”
Josh moved his hands to her flat stomach and drew circles around her button navel. When he moved to kiss her there, she moaned.
“Just a little while longer,” he said, continuing his assault on her senses.
“Josh . . .”
Finally, he gave in to the moment and allowed them the pleasure they both sought. They were one. Together. Soon they were soaring.
***
It was heaven to wake with Josh’s head on her breasts, their bodies entangled, the smell of love all around them. She wished they could stay like this forever, but she knew they couldn’t.
They hadn’t talked about his trip to North Carolina and she knew they had to. Thoughts of the talk didn’t scare her as they once had. She knew they’d work through it. Together.
“What are you thinking about?”
Josh’s question surprised her. She thought he was still asleep. She smiled and answered. “You.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “Good try, but what were you really thinking about?”
“Us.”
His look told her knew there was more. “How about us and North Carolina? Do you want to talk about my trip now?”
She nodded. As if sensing her need, Josh pulled her into his arms before he began talking. “They’re going to make me an offer.”
That part she had figured out. “Are you going to take it?”
“I want to. What do you want?”
She pulled out of his arms and looked at him. “I want all our mornings to be like this morning, with our only concern being how to pleasure each other.”
“But what do you want me to do about the job?”
“I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy.”
This was harder than Josh had expected. “It’s a great opportunity for me. The position is better than the one I had at General Electronics. They haven’t given any specific salary numbers, but I know it’ll be a significant increase over my old salary.”
“I don’t want to leave my job.” There. She’d said it.
“They have a relocation counselor who helps with placing spouses. The company has a policy against hiring couples, but they’ve promised to help find something for you in the Raleigh area.”
“But I was just promoted. How will I ever find a job as good as the one I have?”
“Believe me, Gloria, I understand,” Josh said, his hand caressing her shoulders. “This isn’t something that I ask lightly. I just don’t see that we have many options. Either we stay here or we go to North Carolina. I’ve pretty much exhausted all my resources here. I just don’t think I’m going to find a job in Atlanta.”
“And you think I’ll find something in North Carolina?”
Josh nodded. “I think you will. There are some big banks there. With your track record, you’ll find something.”
“I don’t doubt I’ll find something, but I don’t want something.” Gloria knew she was whining, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I want what I’ve established here.”
“I don’t know what else to say.”
Gloria silently thanked God for Portia. “I have another option for us.”
“Well, don’t hold back. Tell me what it is.”
Gloria spoke slowly and softly. “You could go to North Carolina and I could stay here.”
Josh felt his muscles tighten. Were his worse fears actually coming into being? “You mean separate? You want a separation?”
She pulled back and looked up at him with widened eyes. “No, Josh, that’s not what I want at all. I’m talking about a commuter marriage.”
“A commuter marriage?”
“Yes. You go to Raleigh and I stay here. I’ll look for work in Raleigh and you’ll continue to look here. The first one that finds something will move.”
“A commuter marriage? Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Marriage means together.”
She lay her head back on his chest and tightened her arms around him. “We’ll be together in spirit and we’ll see each other often. We just won’t go to the same home each night.”
“Or to the same bed. Is this what you really want? You want a commuter marriage?”
“No, it’s not what I want, but what other choice do we have? It would be a mistake for me to move without having a job lined up as much as it would be a mistake for you not to take this job. This is only a temporary solution.”
That was the first mention of the word temporary, Josh thought. Maybe they could make it work temporarily. “How temporary? How long will we have this commuter marriage?”
“We could set a time limit. Six months, nine months, a year. If, after that time, neither one of us has found work in the spouse city, we’ll decide who’ll give up their job.”
“Seems like we’re just postponing a hard decision.”
“That’s a defeatist attitude, Josh,” she said, hugging him tighter. “You just said you thought I’d find work in Raleigh. If you really believe that, you shouldn’t be so upset.”
She had him there. She was right. Though he didn’t put too much stock in his finding work in Atlanta, he felt pretty confident she would find something in Raleigh. “I want to go on the record as saying I don’t think this is a good idea, but I don’t see any other option. We’ll try it, but only for a specified amount of time. How about three months?”
“Come on, honey, that’s not reasonable. We’ll need more time. How about nine months?”
“Let’s compromise. Six months?”
“Okay, six months.”
Josh felt as if he had made a pact with the devil. How would they make this work? Married people were meant to be together. He understood Gloria’s position, but a part of him was disappointed that she wouldn’t even consider leaving her job to follow him.
***
“They made the offer. I start the new job in two weeks.”
Elliot looked up from the workbench in his garage. “You aren’t wasting any time at all, are you?”
“I’ve been out of work for almost eight months. I think that’s enough waiting.”
“Point taken. Have you figured out how you’re going to manage the separation?”
He and Gloria had talked the issue to death. Josh knew she was as afraid of doing this as he was. Neither one of them had voiced the one concern that hung between them. What if their marriage, their love, couldn’t handle the separation? “Yeah. We have a plan. We’ll be together each weekend, and of course, holidays and vacations. One weekend, she’ll go to North Carolina. The next weekend, I’ll come here. It’ll work out.”
Josh saw the skepticism in Elliot’s glance. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Elliot asked. “Are you having doubts about this?”
Josh knew Elliot thought he and Gloria were crazy to even consider a commuter marriage. “It’ll only be for six months.”
“And what if neither of you finds anything? How will you decide who should quit their job and relocate?”
Josh shook his head. He and Gloria had come close to discussing this more than a few times, but they never had. Instead, they focused their energy on positive thoughts about one of them finding suitable work. “We’ll work it out.”
“If you say so, man.”
Josh knew Elliot wanted to talk more about it, but since Josh didn’t, he changed the subject. “Have you found a partner yet?”
“Not looking for one,” Elliot said. “After you turned me down, Marilyn and I decided to go it alone. Now, if you were to change your mind, I might reconsider. What do you say?”
Josh shook his head. “Not this time. See me in six months. You might be the answer to all my problems.”
Elliot laughed. “If you ever want in, just let me know. Did you get to look over that proposal I gave you?”
“It’s in the car. I made a few changes and reworked the numbers. It looks good. Really good. Gloria looked it over, too. You should call her at the bank. She might be able to help you out.”
Elliot’s eyes lit up. “She really thinks I have a shot at getting the money?”
“From her response to your proposal, I’d say your odds were better than that.”
Elliot grinned then. “What do you know? Maybe I should ask Gloria to be my partner?”
***
“I’m glad you two came over tonight,” Marilyn said, pouring coffee for herself and Gloria.
Gloria felt guilty about the times since that first fateful dinner that she and Josh had turned down their invitations. “I’m glad, too. I’m embarrassed it’s taken us so long to get over here.”
Marilyn handed Gloria a cup. “Elliot knew Josh was out of sorts because of what happened that night. We didn’t want you two to be embarrassed. We’ve been where you are and we know what you’re going through.”
“I guess that’s why it was so easy for me to talk with you. I’ve wanted to call a couple of times since that night, but I never did.”
“Well, you’re here now and that’s what’s important. Let’s not worry about the past. When are you and Josh leaving for North Carolina?”
“I’m not going this weekend.” Josh had suggested she go up with him, but her work schedule wouldn’t allow it. “I’m in the middle of a major closing and I can’t take time off right now. Josh is driving up Sunday and he’ll be back Friday night. I won’t be able to go up until the following weekend.”
“Has he found a place to live yet?”
Gloria shook her head. “He’s staying in a hotel. He’ll look at some places but we’ll make the final selection the weekend I go up. That way it’ll seem more like our place.”
“Well, it seems like you’re getting off on the right foot.”
Gloria put down her coffee cup. “I hope so, Marilyn.”
“Having second thoughts?”
“No second thoughts. It just doesn’t feel right. Josh shouldn’t be leaving like this.”
“He’s not leaving. He’s going to work and he’ll be home in a week.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself. Sometimes I’m convinced this will all work out, but sometimes I wonder if we’re putting our marriage at risk.”
“Are you and Josh having problems?”
Gloria shrugged and stood up. “No new problems. I just don’t know if we’ve worked through the old ones.”
“I’ll listen if you want to talk about it,” Marilyn encouraged. “Just remember our husbands are in the garage.”
Gloria laughed softly, thinking of the last time she’d shared a secret with Marilyn. “I won’t say anything that I don’t want Josh to hear.”
Marilyn smiled with her. “Just wanted to remind you. Now what’s going on?”
“We’re relying so much on this new job. Almost like it’s going to get us back on track, but I know that Josh has as many reservations as I do. If things were good between us, it wouldn’t matter. But things aren’t.”
“You aren’t getting along?”
“Recently we’ve started to put the pieces back together, but now we’re going to be separated. Is this separation going to bring us closer or pull us farther apart?”
“You want to know what I think?”
“Of course.”
“I think this will be a good time for the two of you. A break will do you good. Josh needs this, Gloria. Elliot has his fuel project. Josh needs this to feel like a man again. You have to let him go and you have to be happy about it.”
At the sound of the men coming in from the garage, Gloria sat back down on the couch. “Thanks for saying that. I needed to hear it.”
Ten
“Two bottles of your best champagne, please,” Josh said into the telephone.
“Josh, you’re being too extravagant,” Gloria said. “We don’t need champagne.”
Josh sauntered over to her; happy this trip was turning out so well. When he and Gloria had boarded the plane five days ago, he had told her they were going to Raleigh. He had failed to mention the stopover in Bermuda. Her response and their time together made the entire trip worth it. “I’m hosting this party and I think we need champagne.” He pulled her up from her seat on the bed and into his arms. “Nothing is too extravagant where you’re concerned. I love you and I don’t want you to forget it because I’m not going to be around much.”
Gloria looked up at him, the love in her eyes plain for hi
m to see. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too. We have to make the best of this situation until one of us finds another job. I’ll try my best to make your weekends in Raleigh special.”
She smiled then. “You’re so good at making me feel special, Josh. Thanks for this weekend.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. We’ve gone over a rough patch and we made it. A little worse for the wear but we made it.”
“It was rough going for a while there, wasn’t it?”
He squeezed her to him. “That’s all behind us now.”
“I hope you’re right, Josh. I’m nervous about my interview next week.”
He pulled back to look at her. “I don’t see why. You’re going to knock them dead, sweetheart.”
“I don’t think that’s an objective evaluation,” Gloria said.
“It may not be objective, but it’s true. You know as well as I do that there’s not much in a bank that you can’t do.”
“That’s another thing that has me so nervous. I have no idea what position I’m interviewing for.”
“I can hardly believe that myself, but it must be something similar to what you do now. Why else would they want to interview you?”
“I hope you’re right, Josh,” she said.
“I know I’m right. But even if I’m wrong, it won’t matter. We have time for you to find the job that you want. Not just anything that’s available. We’re going to make this commuter marriage seem like the best thing since our honeymoon.”
She pulled back then and looked up at him, her eyes full of skepticism. “Huh?”
“I’m planning some special weekends for you in Raleigh. This trip is just the beginning of what I have in store for you, Mrs. Martin.”
“Is that a challenge, Mr. Martin?”
He shook his head. “A challenge means you have a reasonable chance of outdoing me. I can tell you now that’s not possible.”
“I think that’s a challenge and I’m taking you up on it. The weekends I plan for us in Atlanta will rival anything that you plan.”
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