Dear readers, this chapter is part 3 of a multi-part story. I would recommend that you first read part 1 and 2 and even the pre-quel, "The Reluctant Neighbour". Hope you enjoy this (and like the characters as much as I do).
*****
"Hey Rob, are you up yet?" Joanne shouted from the bottom of the first floor stairs. She heard the shower running and headed up to the second floor and Rob's bedroom.
Joanne had worked late on the day Rob arrived home and had not met him after the rugby game as planned. She decided to stop by Rob's home on the way into the office the next morning.
Seeing the guest room door open, she poked her head in looking for Shannon as well, but was surprised to see that the bed was untouched. No one had slept in it last night. Joanne groaned.
She moved down the upper floor hallway and, seeing that Rob's door was open, peeked around the corner. Stepping back quickly Joanne gasped. At first it looked like Rob's rumpled king size bed was empty. But at the top corner a wave of dark blonde curls cascaded over a pillow and then turned toward her. Shannon!
Shannon's eyes opened at the sound of footsteps coming into the room. She just caught a glimpse of Joanne as she stepped back into the hall.
"Joanne! Wait! Please!" Shannon called out, trying to shake the sleep from her head.
Joanne ignored her. She quickly slipped down the hall and then the stairs to the first floor.
Shannon came to the top of the stairs and yelled again for Joanne. But she was gone.
*****
Rob had promised Joanne this wouldn't happen. He was completely honest about how much he enjoyed sleeping with Shannon at the resort in Vietnam but he insisted it had been a combination of circumstances that had led to their affair. Away from the resort and back in Toronto Shannon would have a world of men to pick from and he would have Joanne.
Joanne trusted the sincerity in his words. Her success as a lawyer depended on her ability to cut through the lies that guilty people invariably put forward. She believed him.
But then she had met Shannon and began to doubt. Joanne sensed that, to most men, Shannon was simply irresistible. But would it be inevitable? After all, Rob was old enough to be her dad.
Besides having an almost ethereal beauty, a combination of delicate and extremely cute facial features and subtle curves on top of the smoothest, sexiest legs Joanne had ever seen on a woman, Shannon was naturally charming. Underlying what was a genuine sweetness Joanne also sensed a very competent mind. There was no possibility of her being accepted into UofT med school without a very high level of intelligence.
Joanne's was reeling - a state of mind she rarely experienced. She thought, 'So where does this leave me? Do I just walk away from Rob and let him play with his little sex kitten?' That thought sent a shudder down her spine and a tightening of her stomach. Rob had come into her life after a long spell without any serious relationships. She was enjoying the stability and wanted more.
Through her twenties and thirties Joanne had exactly two extended relationships. One began while still in grad school and she had expected to marry Phillip, a fellow law school classmate. Phillip ended their relationship when he became interested in a legal assistant at the small law firm he worked at. Joanne sensed he was uncomfortable with her success as a criminal lawyer at a prestigious firm. Phillip mostly worked on real estate transactions and occasionally a divorce case while Joanne was becoming well known amongst the small circle of very prominent trial lawyers.
Still, she was shocked when he abruptly ended their relationship. They had shared an apartment for over 4 years and Joanne and Phillip had talked children in the context of marriage. They both had agreed they wanted kids when they were ready. In retrospect, she suspected their waffling on marriage had more to do with his uncertainty. The stories of how the legal profession was devastating to personal relationships abounded but somehow she never saw it happening to herself.
Tom had come along in her early thirties. He was a member of her evening running group. Tom was a software developer who specialized in having fun outside of his job. He took everything lightly and Joanne enjoyed his take on life. It was very different from the world of criminal lawyers whose private life, if they allowed one at all, would centre around building their fortune and the material world around them. Tom was happiest when playing with his toys; his kayak, his mountain bike, his many different skis and his rock and ice climbing gear. He expanded his world to include Joanne, who was drawn into his life of outdoor adventure. She liked the distance it provided from her law practice and it was fun. Tom was fun and their physical relationship was as fun as the games they played.
Slowly during this very hectic relationship Joanne came to the realization that Tom would never really move beyond his games and pursuits. He seemed determined to be a big kid for the rest of his life. After five years or so of fun Joanne knew that Tom would never have children, would never want to build a home and a future beyond his next adventure. As much as she enjoyed being with him on all his activities she started to yearn for more. She never officially ended their relationship, she just stopped going on his trips. After some time of distancing herself from him she just accepted that it was over. While he seemed genuinely disappointed that she wasn't joining him on trips, or in his bed, he never delved into the real issues of their relationship.
After Tom, she had resigned herself to being permanently single. And then, Rob had come into her life
****
In her office, high above the city streets, Joanne sat staring out the window. 'Is this it?' she thought, 'The end of yet another failed relationship? Is it me? Do I give up without a fight? Let him have his little babe and forget him?'
The hollowness this left in the pit of her stomach was unbearable. 'I can't accept its over,' she moaned to herself. 'We are good together. Shannon is only an aberration for Rob. He can't help himself around her. But do I want to be around them now? Not really. Its just too weird.'
Deep in thought, she startled when her cell phone rang and vibrated. Shannon! She recognized the 403 area code of Shannon's Calgary phone. Hesitating only a few moments, she punched the connect button. 'Okay', she thought, 'lets hear what she has to say.'
"Joanne here," she said as flatly as possible.
After several seconds of blank space on the line Shannon almost whispered, "Joanne, hi, its Shannon."
"Hi yourself. What can I do for you?" Joanne asked coolly.
"Umm, I think I should apologize."
"You think? For what?" Joanne shot back.
Silence again, then, quietly, "Sleeping with Rob."
"Hey kitten, Rob's a big boy. He picks you. Enjoy."
