Afterwards, we broke into predictable groups to chat. We ladies took our drinks outside to the pool side. The guys disappeared inside the house, probably to PJ’s brown room, to watch sports, drink some more or both.
Outdoors was a pleasant temperature, with a clear summer sky. Marlene turned on the pool lights and some soft jazz. As we settled into the comfortable aqua deck chairs, I realized this was an unusually close group of women. They were all connected to the athletic program at Curtis, and shared many common memories of life as a basketball coach’s wife. They also shared a common curiosity about PJ. Since he hadn’t dated much since he’d been at Curtis, they were anxious to find out more about this Southern girl who apparently captivated their leader. I suspect one or two might be suspicious, both of me and my motivations. But the questions were polite, if not somewhat pointed. The first question was gentle enough and I anticipated it.
“How did you and PJ meet?”
“I’ll tell you as much as I can, but some things I might just have to keep to myself … until we get to know each other better.”
The women all grinned at the implication. I told them about meeting PJ many years back, and how he had immediately hit on me. They all had a good laugh about that. Seems like he flirted with all the women, although he rarely follows through. They thought the part where Randle wasn’t angry because I was the prettiest woman there, and PJ couldn’t help himself, was perfect. When I told them about PJ signing the program photos and the inscription, they gave a collective sigh. ‘Ah … How sweet.’
I didn’t want to go too far into my state of mind, but I did tell them about finding the program recently and crying as I re-read the inscription.
“At that point, I began dreaming about PJ McCoy.”
“What did you dream?”
They really wanted details. “Well, I dreamed enough to know that I had to see him again.”
I gave them a huge smile and a slight nod of my head. They knew I was not going to tell them, but they already assumed they knew. I told them about the Coach’s Convention, and my plan to get PJ to Jimmy’s and how he snubbed me that first night, and how he came back the next day. I let them know we spent much time together on Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t actually say anything about spending the night with PJ, but I’m sure they suspected.
Joy couldn’t contain herself any more. “Did you sleep with him? How was he?”
Once Joy opened the question, they all chipped in.
I just laughed back and said. “I was satisfied the whole weekend.”
“And”?
“You’re a tough crowd, and I’m not talking!”
I refused to tell them the whole story, certainly not the juicy parts. But, I told them about that first kiss, and about our long discussions on Sunday. But not about Saturday night nor about loving him so hard Sunday morning that we couldn’t do anything for the rest of the time we had together! Those were my wonderful memories and I kept them for myself.
We continued talking well into the night, when the men came outside and reminded us that they had work to do next day. Everyone left around 11:00 once the ladies got together to straighten up the kitchen.
We said our goodbyes and walked back into the house. No sooner had the door closed, when PJ asked. “What did you actually tell them about us? What about the weekend?”
He really seemed worried.
“I’ll tell you, if you’ll tell me what you told the guys.”
“I didn’t tell them anything …not much anyway. I just told them that I was a lucky guy to have met you again.”
“And?”
“Well, I did tell them we slept together.”
“And?”
“That you are totally awesome.”
“And?”
“That’s all sweetheart, I promise.”
I could see him sweat.
“Did you tell them I wounded you?”
“No! No! Now what did you tell the girls?”
“I told the girls you had a tiny manhood, and you were lousy in bed, and that I was very disappointed.”
“No, you did not!”
“No sweetie, I told them you had the tool of a stallion and kept making love to me all night long and that you’re awesome in bed and I had twenty real orgasms that night.”
PJ laughed that loud awful infectious laugh of his.
“I am so glad you finally told them the truth.”
I took his hand as we walked to the bedroom. “Sweetheart, after all that lying, I’m worn out. Why don’t we go to bed, get a good night’s sleep? Tomorrow, we can take a swim, visit the school and you can show me your beautiful campus?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
I didn’t rest well that night. My mind wouldn’t settle down, so I drifted in and out, never really getting into a proper deep sleep. I was thinking about the problems at home and about PJ’s friends and about the bed’s hard mattress and that the room temperature was a little cool. But mostly I was in an unfamiliar place with a man I had only met a week ago. A man I suspected I could love, but yet was still a relative stranger.
And, this was his home territory and not mine.
I tried to calm my nervousness by rolling over to PJ, gently laying my hand on his arm. When that didn’t help, I slipped closer, nestling my back to his chest and my hips against his lap. Unconsciously, PJ reached his arm over my side, under my arm, and grasped my breast without waking up or making any other movement. I put my hand over PJ’s hand to keep it there. The full body touches, and the familiar hand lightly holding me, was comfort enough to fight the insomnia demons and surrender to sleep.
But it was not enough to keep me from waking up at my normal time of 5:30am. I quietly rolled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, before slipping out of the bedroom into the hall, wearing just the tee-shirt he had given me to sleep in last night.
I wandered across the living room and over into the kitchen. Much to my delight, PJ had one of those single-cup coffee makers. I located the coffee, and proceeded to make a welcoming cup of the deep roast breakfast blend.
Heading for the patio, I walked past yesterday’s newspaper, picked it up and decided to find a comfortable chair under the canopy next to the pool. It was a quiet morning. The sky was just beginning to change from black to light gray, and gradually to a pale blue. There was an orange glow to the early sky indicating rain for the day. The morning temperature was a bit cool, but I was too lazy to get up and go inside. So I slowly drank my coffee, and watched the dawn wake up. The calmness of the pool water, the chirping of the early birds, and the slight mist hovering over the flowers and shrubs, brought images of a fairyland with a happy mother and father, and three playful children romping on the lawn.
I couldn’t help letting my mind drift back to the plans Randle and I had when we first married. I wanted a house in the suburbs and three perfect children. I don’t have that now, and that dream had faded. But I wondered if I could hope for the dream again, or if I would always long for the excitement and convenience of living downtown? Before this past weekend my choice would have been obvious, but now I don’t know. I don’t want to give up what I have, but all this around me is appealing.
I had shut my eyes, deep in my thoughts, in fact so deep I didn’t hear PJ approaching. But I did feel the warm blanket being placed gently over my lap, and the warm socks pulled over my cold feet. I definitely felt the kiss that graced my lips, and heard the loving sound of good morning.
“Good morning, lover,” I replied sleepily. “Hope I didn’t wake you when I got up. Thank you so much for the blanket, it’s a bit chilly out here.”
“I woke up and you weren’t there and I nearly panicked. Glad I found you.”
“Hey, me too. I like this time of day. I often come outside in the early morning just to sit, drink a cup of coffee and think. Something about the quiet, I guess.”
I lay on the lounge and PJ sat in a chair. We both let the quiet engulf us. After a few minutes, I broke the cal
m. “PJ, you have a great place here. I could get used to living like this.” I didn’t expect a response from him; I was just stating the obvious.
So I was a bit surprised when he sat up in his chair and turned to me. “Charley, I’ve been thinking a lot about us. I know this is sudden, given that we’ve only known each other for a week and a half, but why don’t you move in with me? I’ve got plenty of room, and you’ve already just said you could get used to living like this.”
I was definitely not expecting that. “I … don’t know …” I stammered.
Now he started hard selling the idea. “Ronnie and Wilma can run Jimmy’s. You can make regular trips back to check on things. We could even set up conference calling to allow you to meet with Ronnie and Wilma about any problems.”
And finally he added the closing argument. “Besides, it would give us time to get to know each other a lot better, and make some plans for our future if we decide we have one together.”
I let out a nervous laugh. I needed time to think how I wanted to reply and blurted out. “PJ, I’m not sure I could physically stand the constant lovemaking you and I would do. In the morning, we would mess around before getting up, we are already late for that one by the way, and next I could come to the gym for a lunchtime quickie. At night, after dinner, we would need to make love again before we go to bed. And maybe in the middle of the night, as well! Let’s see … seven days a week, three or four times a day. Can your mighty warrior handle that?”
PJ laughed out loud. “I sure as hell would like to give that plan a try. We might have to get some special lotion from the Hustler Store and plenty of pain medication. But I’m up for the challenge, if you’ll come live with me.”
PJ was serious, he wasn’t kidding around. I sat on the edge of the lounge, and reached over to take his hands in mine. “Seriously, PJ, we just haven’t known each other long enough to be making those kinds of plans. I would love to spend a lot of time here in your world, but the reality is I live in a different world. And I’m not sure I want to give it up. I’m not as sure as you that Ronnie and Wilma can handle all of the details of running a multi-million dollar business. I deal with the bankers and the vendors, and handle all the advertising for the Bar. We’re just starting a line of products that capitalizes on the Bar’s reputation, and I’m not sure they can manage that and the Bar. And don’t forget there is the investor group wanting to partner with us.” I continued to ramble, voicing every reason I could think of why living with PJ was not a good idea as he listened intently. “Sweetheart, I love the relaxed atmosphere here, but honestly, I also enjoy the excitement and rush of the city. I love the theater, and the pro sports and the faster pace of life. A short break from that is like a vacation, and I love taking a break … but I also look forward to getting back to the pressures and deadlines.”
“We have pro-sports in Cincinnati, and the theater opportunities are fantastic,” he responded immediately. He wasn’t going to give up, and I loved him for it.
“I know, but … I love Nashville.”
All of this was true, but it wasn’t the real reason I was reluctant to agree to PJ’s plan. I paused a few minutes while PJ sat in silence again, internalizing my reaction to his proposal. “PJ I need to be honest with you because you deserve it. A big reason I can’t live here with you is simple and complex at the same time. At home, I’m my own person. I’m known at Church, and in the business community and socially, as Charlotte Howard. They know what I’ve done, and they respect me for it. If I came to live with you, I would always be known as the Coach’s girlfriend, and maybe eventually as the Coach’s wife. I would be invited to serve on the ladies committees, not because of who I am, but because of my relationship to you. I would have no identity of my own. I need to be my own person with my own reputation. I really want you, and have a future together. But I’m just not ready to give up everything … not yet.”
I felt good about getting my feelings out on the table, but I was apprehensive about how PJ would react. I chose to remain silent … and pray for the best.
God, please help him to understand and accept me as I am and still love me. I have to be honest with him.”
PJ didn’t seem to know how to react to my answer. I guess his proposal was so obvious to him that he didn’t think there would be any objections. He sat with a blank stare on his face. And then he went off on a totally different interpretation of what I had said. “Do you mean you don’t want us to see each other, after all this? Is the last two weeks just about sex? I hope not! But you’re pretty adamant that you wouldn’t live with me now, or ever, as long as we were away from Nashville?”
“No … no PJ, that’s not what I said. Please don’t think that. We’ve only really known each other for a week now. I just want to take it slow and let it happen. I’ve made relationship decisions quickly in the past, some have worked out, but most have not. This is too important for us. I don’t want to screw this up. God, please understand.”
We sat in silence, our knees touching, holding hands with heads bowed, while we considered the conversation.
After a long pause, PJ broke the silence. “Charley, I apologize for pushing too hard. You’re right. We haven’t known each other long enough to be making this commitment. Maybe someday in the future, okay? Another thing you’ll learn about me is that I’m like a bull in a china shop. When I see what I want, I bull ahead without thinking. I’m a basketball player and a coach, and I guess quick decisions are part of who I am. I don’t want to make a mistake either, so I’m willing to take as long as we need.”
“Thank you sweetheart, I appreciate your understanding.”
Thank you, God.
The look on his face told me he was also relieved. I guess we both knew we had stepped back from the edge of a deep precipice we probably couldn’t climb out of. I know that’s how I felt. The tension was still hanging in the early morning air, but it did seem like it was now retreating.
PJ broke the stalemate. “Hey sexy, let’s go inside and see if those scissors, razor and shaving cream work. If there is going to be as much action as you indicated over the next two weeks, we should get prepared!”
I was relieved, so I took his hand and almost pulled him toward the sliding doors inside.. PJ’s proposal and my response were put aside by mutual agreement, but I suspected the issue was not over, and it could mean trouble for us and would have to be dealt with eventually, if we ever get serious about each other.
Chapter Thirty-Five
As we walked inside, he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. The warmth and smell of his body made me forgot where I was, it didn’t seem to matter; I could be in Nashville or Middletown or Australia. The place was irrelevant; I was in the arms of the man I loved.
He leaned close and whispered, “I can’t wait to use your goodie presents yet; especially the razor and shaving cream.”
“I’m not so sure I want you near me with that razor in your hand.”
“I promise, I will devote all my attention to you and be careful. I can’t afford another injury from your vicious attacks.”
“Just remember,” I added playfully. “I will be having a chance with you as well.”
We entered the bedroom with the still rumpled covers on the bed, giggling like teenagers and headed for the closet to retrieve the goodies.
We enjoyed each other for the better part of the morning, laughing, loving, whispering tenderly, exploring and talking. We lay in each other’s arms, each physically drained, but sexually and emotionally fulfilled. I couldn’t forget our discussion on the patio, but I pushed it back to that part of my brain reserved for all the things I need to think about sometime else. But I knew it would have to be dealt with eventually.
Just not now, later.
Last night, and this morning had become a prelude for the next two weeks. Each day, we discovered new aspects of each other’s character and heart. I’m impulsive and impatient. PJ is determined and calculating, but impatient as wel
l. We both enjoy physical contact; little things like holding hands, and messing with each other’s hair, and laying hands on each other’s leg while driving. I enjoy his arm around my shoulder at the movies. And I am always amazed when he opens and holds the car door for me. These are little things, but such important things to me.
We regularly met PJ’s friends. We explored Middletown and made trips into Cincinnati and Dayton. One day, I challenged the Big Boy to a round of golf. He won, but only by four strokes. We got a Baskin-Robbins afterwards.
I could feel our relationship maturing slowly but steadily. We found new reasons to like each other, and a few minor irritants as well. He just doesn’t listen before butting in with his comments.
I insist on controlling the car's instrument panel, radio, air conditioner, and I had to call him on his speed, and tell him of every stop-sign and traffic light. He stopped one time, a little frustrated, and got into the back seat and said. “Tell you what, you drive from now on.”
The main thing we discovered was that our love didn’t depend on sex. We just enjoyed and were comfortable with each other’s presence … but we didn’t neglect sex by any means! We found new and interesting places to explore each other; on the grassy knoll in right field at the baseball field, in PJ’s office in the gym, in the hot tub reserved for players in the training room, in the back seat of his Dodge Ram extended cab, at the last remaining drive-in theater in Ohio, in PJ’s swimming pool, but especially in our bed at home.
For me, and I hoped too for PJ, this was the most wonderful time I had ever had. Forgotten was the conversation about me moving in. I forgot about Randle. Jimmy’s Bar and Grill went to the back of my mind, and I only called Ronnie twice to see how the business was going, and to see what was happening with the investors group.
Charley Page 17