Page 2 of Just the Three of Us

I met John in basic training, and we became fast friends. We always had each other's backs, and I was devastated when he said he no longer wanted to serve. But it had been twenty grueling years, and he wanted to settle down. Less than six months later, he told me he had found the one and would marry her as soon as he could convince her they were meant to be together.

Am I even ready to see Shannon again? I'm not sure. What I do know is that I want to be there for my best friend, and I think whatever business proposition he has for me will be a great opportunity for both of us.

I see a beautiful woman at the end of the bar making eyes at me, but another woman's eyes are on my mind already, so I ignore her and finish my drink.

Chapter 2

Shannon

The doorbell rings, startling me even though I've been expecting it. John gets up and opens the front door to greet Sean. I hear laughter and backs being slapped in joyful reunion, and I get closer so I can see. They're embracing like the good friends they are, and I haven't seen John this happy since our wedding day.

I walk back into the living room and pace across the carpet. They'll get to me shortly. I'll just let them have their moment. I can't see Sean very well from where I'm standing, but he's wearing jeans and a t-shirt that fits him so well it could make any woman's mouth water. Then John ushers him in, and I get blasted by that stupid, inconvenient attraction again.

He turns to me with heat in his eyes and then offers me a smile. "Shannon, there you are." He comes forward and kisses me on the cheek, giving me a small hug that lasts too long and too little at the same time.

"Welcome, Sean." I manage to say. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Whatever John's having is fine, thank you, Shannon."

I fix him a whiskey on the rocks and hand it to him, our fingers touching for a second. Then, I quickly leave them to their reunion.

"You should have told me it was a formal occasion. You two look like movie stars. I feel like a bum in this getup." Sean says.

"No, no. I just wanted to celebrate your return in style, is all." John assures him.

"Well, thank you, I'm honored."

I return with John’s drink and signal for them to sit down in the living room. I'm too nervous to drink anything, so I just sit quietly beside John. He puts an arm around me and squeezes. Sean looks more rugged than when I first met him at our wedding. Being in service to our country is a challenging gig, and it shows. But… I need to get my head together.

The boys keep talking about everything and anything, and for the next thirty minutes I just smile and nod my head. Pretty soon, it's time for me to get the food out of the oven and set up dinner. I tell them fifteen minutes until it will be served.

"Is it ok for me to go put my suitcase in my room and freshen up?" Sean asks.

"Of course, let me show you where it is." John gets up and walks him toward the guest room we've set up for him.

When he gets back, John gives me a quick hug and helps me plate the food. He looks very serious to me and I wish I could do or say something to help him relax. Maybe…

"You know, we still have ten minutes, and the downstairs bathroom is available." He looks at me, surprised, and I wink at him. He just chuckles.

"Sometimes you're too much, Shannon."

"I'm just saying…" And I give him a hip bump.

"I love you, baby. Now just keep that pussy in line for the duration of this dinner."

Ha, as if I have any control over that thing. It has a mind of its own. Thankfully, it's relatively calm right now, so I just keep arranging stuff on the table. Pretty soon, Sean is back and looks hungry.

"I hope you like pot roast, Sean. I was hoping for some barbecue but to no avail."

"I'm not grilling anything until I've built that barbecue pit I want out in the backyard,” John mutters. “That tiny grill isn't good for anything."

"Grumble, grumble, promises, promises. That's all I've heard for the past six months." I pipe in with a smile on my face.

"I can help you with that, John. Have you designed it yet?"

"I've just been doing some research on the internet. Viewing some ready-made blueprints and such, but nothing has called to me."

We sit down to eat, and it's actually nice to hear them making plans to work together. This is probably a nice in for John and his business proposition, so I elbow him gently. He doesn't take the hint.

---