Grace returned from her trip to Home Depot looking a little weird, like she’d seen a ghost. When I asked if she was okay, she just fake-laughed and said she was hit on. Made sense as I thought about it; my beautiful wife in a store full of guys? Yeah.
She said she was looking at stuff for the shelves she was building and was getting ready to text me but noticed some construction-looking guys and thought she’d ask the pros instead. She went on to tell the story in great detail about how this guy turned and smiled at her. He was wearing dress jeans and a buttondown shirt with his company’s logo – the company name matching his own.
He sent his two workers on with his shopping list and stayed to offer his expertise. He was ‘sooo nice and patient with me’ (was that a dig at me?). By the time they were done ‘Adam’ offered to swing by and take a look and help out if she wanted. And…air-dropped his e-card asking for photos as she went along. I clarified she asked him for help first; who hit on who again? Beside the point.
“Oh my gosh, you’re giddy! You’re actually blushing!”
Grace was completely swept off her feet and immediately regretted going to the store all frumpy. She wasn’t of course, but that’s how she felt. I asked if she told ‘Adam’ her perfectly capable husband could give her all the help she needed, only half-teasing. She answered by realizing she was so dressed down she wasn’t wearing her rings. Once the giddiness died down, Grace got to work, dismissing the whole thing. I predicted she’d hear from him later today, in as little as two hours.
Grace got busy on her project and I got busy watching TV. Sure enough, her phone chimed two hours later with a ‘how’s it going?’ Aside from the shock of the text, Grace was matter-of-fact and responded with photos and a question or two to take further advantage of his generosity. They were texting back and forth and Grace mentioned he had taken a residential job with the exact kind of landscape she wanted for our house and admitted she was interested in how it would turn out.
Grace has always had a playful affinity for home maintenance ‘guys’ so I wasn’t terribly bothered by any of it. She finally set her phone down, sighed, fluffed her hair and resumed her work. Her phone chimed again maybe 30 minutes later and she gave a startled gasp, which startled me. “What?”
“He wants to meet me for coffee tomorrow and take me to the job site so I can see his work.”
“Ha ha…he wants to get into your Pleasant Valley yoga pants!” I laughed, making reference to our upper middle class bedroom community.
“He was pretty flirty.” She thought about it and looked down at her perceived frumpy clothes. “And I have no idea why. He’s a contractor; he’s probably hustling business.”
I partially agreed. “Perhaps. You’re still beautiful even when you’re dressed down; combine that with a woman taking on a guy’s project? That’s pretty hot; every guy likes that. Whether you go or not you need to reply; don’t leave him hanging.”
“Well I DO want to see his ‘landscape;'” she tried not to smile at her double entendre. “Seriously though, I’d like him to see me a little more presentable just for my own pride. Is that bad?”
“I get that; whether you go or not, he’s staring at his phone waiting for you.” I didn’t want to be the husband that expressly forbids it; she can make her own decision.
She thought for a minute and swooshed her reply without telling me what she decided; guess it wasn’t any of my business.
Grace must have really been into this. She loves her sleep-in weekends but this morning was up at 6:00 to meet him at 7. I could tell she was trying not to overdo it. My 45 year old wife defies age. We’ve been married 23 years and I can say with certainty she’s more beautiful now than she was on our wedding day. True, time was beginning to catch up with her figure but in a most flattering way. Her tall, 5’10” frame made it easier to age gracefully. The curves on her hips, thighs and Pleasant Valley signature fake c-cups only made her more desirable. Long auburn hair and green eyes melt hearts and still make my knees weak.
Grace just wore casual jeans and an oversized sweater but made up her face and hair like she was going out; complete with all her jewelry. I could tell she wanted to look good for her own self respect so hopefully any agendas beyond landscaping would be off the table when he saw her ring; she was out the door right on time.
Grace ended up coming back home a little before noon, glad she went. She was impressed with his work and Adam was pleased she accepted his invitation. I asked how the coffee went and she sighed, saying it started out a little awkward but that quickly passed and ended up being a nice event. She’d planned on assuming innocence and just let him notice her ring, which he did right away. The only real awkward part was him admitting he’d hoped they could meet for a drink to celebrate the completion of their respective projects. She said she’d love to but didn’t think her husband would be too keen on it; stating the obvious in an effort to apologize for the earlier misunderstanding and give them a chance to laugh it off. She really looked like she had a nice day; not quite as giddy as yesterday but still walking on a cloud.
I was glad she went; every man likes it when other guys find his wife attractive. Grace nodded, feeling validated she was still ‘hot’ enough to be hit on. “You’re lucky it was only coffee. It could have been a drink later tonight; probably still could be.” We tease each other like that a lot. The security of a long marriage allows latitude for girl-friends for me and guy-friends for her with zero jealousy. I liked it but I felt kind of bad for the guy and asked how it ended. Grace motioned with her phone and said they’d stay in touch. “I mean, we kind of hit it off. He gets 99% of his work from the husband and the wife stays out of it, at most picking out the flowers. I think I impressed him with how much I know. All the research I’ve done for our house paid off I guess.”
“Must be nice for you too, having someone with that kind of knowledge you can talk to.” That was a deliberate self-inflicted wound. I figured I’d get it out there and save her the trouble. I’ve been doing yardwork all my life and don’t really care for it; Grace loves it and has taken charge of the home improvement projects in every house we’ve had.
Grace had her new friend. He sent zip folders of his plans, prospects and even gave her the password to his cloud drive. All the access and interactions took her favorite hobby to a new level. She was basically working for him for free with as much research and input as she gave; being an accountant she even helped with his books.
The next step was inevitable and anyone could have seen it coming. “Hmmm; Adam wants me to come to his house this week and help him plan his own landscaping.”
Adam worked 7 days a week and without a wife around to help him, he’d neglected his own 2 acre lot. I told Grace it was like how auto mechanics drive the lousiest cars. He was ready to change that with some time between jobs. Grace had some ideas and was excited, feeling like she had a personal stake and accepted without a second thought. I gave my full support, though I did have some level of concern with my wife’s growing friendship with a vulnerable divorcee with more in common with her than I have. That concern is easily eclipsed by Grace’s new spark for life. That joy coming from a platonic relationship with by all accounts a gentleman, is a small price to pay. She already had Friday off and thought about giving the day back but she’s taking it for sure now.
Grace was only supposed to walk around with Adam and help with vision and planning but wore old clothes just in case. Always looking nice, she fixed her hair up in a ponytail underneath an exercise cap with flawless makeup as always. They had a midmorning coffee together on his deck soaking in the vision before walking around with large contractor-grade tape measures, paper plans and an ipad to view possibilities of ornamental rocks, stones and greenery. Best of all, she reminded him he could write it off as a showcase for his business. I stayed busy working from home as usual; normal Friday for me. The texts started rolling in:
‘OMG, this place is so awesome! I could go crazy here spending his $.’
‘Glad you’re having fun.’
Her next text came an hour later accompanied by a few pictures.
‘So much potential here. We kind of got started a little. Glad I’m dressed for it!’
‘Who didn’t see that coming? 🙂 Glad you’re having a good time.’
I’m surprised she was working in the daytime heat, but I guess not surprised. We exchanged a couple more texts and she came home looking as fresh as she’d left, but – wearing a worn out pair of gym shorts and one of his company logo t-shirts, collapsing on the couch saying how exhausted she was.
“You look great for having worked outside all day.” I motioned to her clothing. “Your clothes uh, shrunk; sort of.”
Grace blushed, giving her patent fake laugh. “I was dripping sweat, dirty and covered in dust and pollen. I didn’t want to get my car all dirty; soooo…he let me shower and without a change of clothes the only thing I could do is wear an old t-shirt and shorts he set out for me. He said he’d wash my dirty clothes for me if I left them there,” and fake-laughed again, as if just now realizing how bad that sounded.
I looked over our texts and pieced the day together. “You had coffee on the deck, got started about 9:30; stopped for lunch. It got too hot so you stopped working around 1:30. Yada Yada, came home 3 hours later in his clothes, while he’s washing yours. Sounds like a porno.”
Grace scoffed. “Don’t be rude. It sounds bad but yeah, that was my day.”
“I have no doubt! You’d be able to come up with a much better lie than that. At least you’ve already showered.”
“I need another. I smell like a guy.” She caught herself as soon as she said it. “Not like that! All he has is men’s soap; I smell like Old Spice.”
Her short shower gave my mind a chance to wander around this new friendship and how foolish I was to support it. Still, I haven’t seen her this happy and motivated in a long time. Her body language didn’t point to anything improper. It was good seeing her have a chance to put her knowledge to good use.
Grace was in mid-sentence as she rounded the corner from the bedroom, tussling her hair. “…I’m so glad I had today off. Are you up for going back tomorrow? We barely got started. You can come early and help or come later. Adam said he’d cook out for us and we can hang out by his awesome pool. He’s anxious to meet you.”
I was pleased with the honest gesture; sounded like he wanted to include me to show he had no ill intent. “I’m going early but I didn’t tell him when you’d be by; I didn’t want to volunteer you for hard labor but it’d be fun. I think he wants to include you so it wouldn’t feel too weird about us being friends.”
I was up for it. I needed to go but more than that I wanted to go. A little manual labor would be good for me. Grace said we’d take it slow; get started early, work for a while and maybe take a break and get into the pool; work some more and end by sundown for a fun cookout together.
We were off Saturday morning before 8:00 in our work clothes. Grace was prepared this time, taking a beach bag with our bathing suits and a change of clothes for me – she already had spare clothes there. It was fun. We cleared brush, set mulch and dirt, hauling away the old stuff. Having pro-grade equipment makes all the difference. We were on pace to finish early with all three of us working. Most importantly, Adam was a generous host and genuinely likable guy. I could see how they’d become friends. He has strong charisma, if a sadness about him, still hurting from his divorce. Grace was her normal self, completely comfortable making herself at home.
I didn’t tell Grace it was my turn for weekend duty but took it ‘on call’ instead. I reassured my wife’s new friend it’s really just a formality. My level is hardly ever needed. I’d worked on-call weekends before and Grace never knew. My phone jinxed me right about noon. I was lucky I heard it. I apologized for leaving early to handle a power outage in one of our facilities; shouldn’t take long and I’d likely be back in an hour; 2 at the most. They didn’t seem bothered but I was more concerned about welching on my promise to help than leaving my wife with this guy in a high-testosterone environment. Work was in chaos by the time I got home. An hour later, there was still no end in sight and I sent Grace a remorseful text:
‘This sucks. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell Adam I’m sorry I had to bail but I’ll be back.’
‘Aww sorry; come back when you can. We’re almost done for the day. Can’t wait to get in the pool! We’ll leave the front door unlocked. Just come in when you get here. You’ll be here for dinner I hope?’
You see that? ‘We’ll’ leave the door unlocked?’ Hit my ears odd. Guess she’s feeling at home. The work crisis finally wound down 3 hours later and I felt comfortable enough to step away without feeling like I was bailing on my second responsibility of the day. As instructed I parked in front and quietly walked through the unlocked front door. The house was quiet and I could see Adam and Grace through the back window sitting on the porch. Adam sat in an expensive padded patio chair adjacent to Grace, who was reclined in a matching chair with her bare feet crossed on his knee, his hand resting on her ankle. Smoke rose from a built-in grill; and also from the tip of a long white cigarette between Grace’s fingernails held in a most feminine way next to her sun-highlighted red hair. They looked so peaceful I nearly turned around and went back home.
Both greeted me warmly; genuinely glad to see me again. I didn’t make too much fuss over-apologizing. Grace said our bag was in the bathroom. She never made any show of moving her feet off her companion. Tall glasses of ice and clear liquid and lime wedges signaled her evening. The guest/hall bath was empty but Adam’s work clothes draped across a valet led me to the master bedroom. Surely not… Grace’s bag was next to the valet with her work clothes, socks and underwear strewn about the floor as if in our own house; the shower still wet from use. The scene looked odd, causing an explosion of racing thoughts in my head. I worked to control those thoughts as I found my swimsuit and rejoined them.
The sun was going down as we finished up an awesome mixed grill smorgasbord with skewered vegetables. Grace made herself at home, refilling drinks inside, managing the playlist on Adam’s phone and returning to the pool. If anyone else showed up they were sure to think Grace & Adam were hosting their out-of-place looking single friend. We all got into the pool, drifting around and going back and forth from the hot tub into the main pool. Grace was juiced enough to be flirty without even realizing it. Adam was friendly and accommodating; asking all about my job and family, really trying to make me feel at home and comfortable.
All good things come to an end and having cleaned up our mess as if we were never there, Grace retired to the master bath again and changed into her spare clothes. Adam thanked us again for our help and staying for companionship. He and Grace talked business and how he’d call her again to scope some plans he had working and we were off.
The sex that night was fantastic; more enthusiastic than normal. I knew what and who was on her mind but didn’t care as long as I was the beneficiary though for a fleeting moment I wondered if Adam had already been there.
The morning text caught me off guard:
‘Hey thanks again for coming over. It was great meeting Grace’s husband I’ve heard so much about. She’s a fantastic woman and has been a lifesaver for me; you have no idea. I’m beyond grateful to have crossed paths with her. Your generosity in allowing us to be friends is not lost on me. She’s made a huge difference in my life and work. She’s too humble to take credit for anything but her woman’s touch has brought in so much business for me. Sorry too long; just wanted to say thank you for allowing her friendship with me.’
I took it at face value and figured it deserved a dignified reply; took me a minute after backspacing over a few times:
Thanks Adam. You’re good for her too…
Thanks Adam. She’s a better person for your friendship as well…
Thanks Adam. I’m glad you’re in her life now…
Thanks Adam. And she’s an awesome lay! Feel free to…
‘Thanks Adam. I’ve seen a renewed spark in her too. She loves your work and has a definite talent. She makes everyone’s life better doesn’t she?’
Grace contributed so much Adam offered to pay her a commission, apologetically acknowledging he couldn’t pay her actual worth; she even found cheaper suppliers that saved him a ton of money. She’d do it free but accepted his payments for the sake of his pride rather than hers. And since he officed from his house, she’d increased her visits there.
Whenever we were at home together and her new ‘job’ wasn’t a topic of conversation, we were in our normal life; meaning we were just bumps on logs with no life. Grace looked up from her phone with an elated smile and said Adam invited us over again this upcoming Saturday; no work this time. We’d just go straight to the fun of the pool, grill and just hang out. He contracted a large property she designed for him. It was his largest payoff to date and he wanted to celebrate with his ‘chief designer.’ I was happy for her and she was rightfully proud of her accomplishment. I wondered where I fit in; pretty obvious he was including me out of respect. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciated the gesture but this was their celebration.
I took the opportunity of that conversation to press a bigger issue. I asked Grace if she was at all tuned into his affinity for her. She wasn’t too coy about it, finally acknowledging how odd their close friendship looked from the outside. Early on she was indeed concerned about leading him on but that thought faded as their business interactions increased. However, now that they were spending more time together that concern was beginning to surface again. She knew he liked her but the numerous times they’d talked on a personal level, he strongly reiterated he’d become accustomed to his single life. Adam was a dedicated bachelor now. As much as he still missed his ex and still deeply loved her, he’d accepted their parting was the right move and he was much better off on his own. What he really missed was the simple human companionship Grace brought back into his life. His comments about not knowing how he could do it without her and how important she was to him were sinking in. She knew he had a growing crush on her but I turned the conversation to her and her feelings. We both knew her main interest was the work. However, her personal interactions with such a masculine guy can’t be dismissed.
Grace stammered for words and I let her off the hook. “There’s an undeniable chemistry there. And don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with it. I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. I think if you don’t clear the air, at some point one of you two is going to press that envelope and you’ll both feel guilty. I mean, first you’ll feel good, and then you’ll feel bad;” my feeble attempt at lightening the situation.
“Why don’t you go by yourself this weekend. I know I’m invited but let’s face it, if you go by yourself you’ll enjoy each other’s company without feeling like you have to include me. My advice: just be friends, no shop talk.”
Grace answered without looking at me. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. You sure you’re good with that?”
“Well let me be blunt. If you had the chance, would you take it? I’m kind of being rhetorical; don’t feel like you have to answer.”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you if that’s what you’re asking; but I think going over there for dinner by myself is gasoline on a fire.”
“Is it still cheating if your husband is telling you to go by yourself?”
She fake-laughed, not knowing how to respond.
“Seriously, if you had an understanding and I don’t know, got that conversation out of the way then all the pressure’s off.”
“I can’t believe you’re encouraging me. That’s incredibly selfless and very weird.”
“Honest truth. I might be as excited as you are,” I finally acknowledged. “I bet he doesn’t have to take medicine. Our sex life isn’t the greatest. And you deserve the greatest. It would make me happy if you had a uh, good time. I don’t want to get crude on you. I don’t want to sound pathetic either but you deserve some latitude. I’m saying this out of pure love I guess. And if you’re going to do this I can’t think of a better guy.” I was starting to stammer and since I was pouring my guts out, I might as well get it all out. “Call me weird if you want, it’s just that…you’re so beautiful and so perfect, it’s like it’s not fair to keep you all to myself. It’s all out of my love for you.”
“Well thank you. I’m definitely feeling the love. It’s still weird but I feel the love.”
Saturday came and Grace was getting ready. I’d sent my regrets and Adam said he understood. She didn’t let him in on our conversation. It was by no means a done deal and she wasn’t going to initiate anything. She’d resigned to letting the night take its course. If things progressed Grace was free to do as she pleased; if not, then it would be a nice night between two friends. Either way, this night would be a defining moment for them.
I was left with the quiet of the house wondering if I was generous or foolish. I didn’t receive any texts that night and didn’t expect any. I dropped her off but we didn’t make any plans on how she’d get home. I’d get her if she called, Adam could bring her home or honestly, she could stay there if things got crazy. The evening came and went and I eventually went to bed.
The stumbling around woke me up around midnight. I sat up and told her she could turn the light on. Grace set her bag down and sighed.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She started to undress but stopped.
“Eight hours over there. Guess you had a good time.”
“Yeah. You were right to stay home.”
“Things progress?”
“Things progressed. You were right; it just kind of happened. Neither of us started anything, it was just natural. We talked our way through it so there was no misunderstanding or any expectations. We just Yada Yada.” she smiled and fake-laughed.
I was expecting her to get right in the shower but she sat on the bed, apparently wanting to make sure I was okay. I gave her a kiss of reassurance and held her hand. She recoiled as I leaned in to kiss her. “I’m not sure you want to kiss me right now.” I kissed her anyway and she kissed me back in a nice, tender moment.
I stilled her as she tried to get back up. Instead, I moved into the bathroom, ran a hot bubble bath and led her in from the bed, quietly lowering my wife into the tub. Grace looked up at me with wide eyes and mouth slightly open in a look of disbelief. Few words were needed as I soaped her up and lovingly bathed her, starting with her shoulders and arms and working my way down to her waist. I lifted her feet up one at a time and squeezed the washcloth through her toes, feet and all the way up her legs into the foamy water. Grace looked embarrassed and tried to take over but I stopped her. She scoffed in embarrassment, whispering she couldn’t believe I was doing this. I just answered with a kiss.
When she was ready, I lifted my wife out of the bath by her hand and dried her off from head to toe and led her back to the bed.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m lucky to have you; I just want you to know how much I love you.” I knew however much I’d verbally expressed my support to her I still needed to go to these lengths to prove it and stave off any regret she might have.
It was sinking in; Grace was looking more at ease and I was getting the feeling her nervousness was more about worrying how I’d react than anything having to do with feelings of regret or guilt. In fact, her face showed no signs of any of that at all. I had to break the ice.
“Not going to ruin the friendship?”
Grace laughed. “No, I think I made his week; he said it’d been so long. He was like a little puppy dog. Well, at first; then he was big dog.”
The floodgates opened. She went on with increasing energy to detail their evening together starting with a relaxing afternoon on the back porch, a little bit of work talk, some time in the pool, dinner, and more time in the pool under the party lights into the late evening; all the while the physical contact turned to affection which turned to intimacy, culminating in bed together. Grace was still too amped up to go to sleep and I was willing to listen and remain supportive, lying across the foot of the bed with her toes in my face caressing her arches and taking an occasional nibble. I really wanted to jump her myself but didn’t want to push my luck.
So what’s next? She said they’d continue working together of course and Grace thought it important to call him the next day just to make sure he knew we were okay. She did just that and he was just as relieved as she was.
The seal had been broken. I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to. I didn’t want to. I thought Grace looked happy before; this was a new level. Who wouldn’t be? She had the best of both worlds; living a good life with a loving and supportive husband; and working for a guy-friend with some newly found benefits.