2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shannon

T he 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.

"Shannon, why are you poking me? Stop that."

I take a sip of my wine and roll my eyes.

"She's probably signaling it's the right time to tell me your business proposition."

"Wha… how do you know about that?" John's eyebrows raise.

"I've known you for twenty years, my friend." He looks expectantly at us.

"Well, I guess if the cat's out of the bag already, I better just come out with it. Yes, I have something in mind for us, business-wise."

"What is it?"

"I want you to partner up with me at my security firm."

"So it'll be divided into three parts?"

I jump in at that. "Dear God, no. It'll be you guys 50-50. I want out."

"You don't want to be a part of it?" Sean asks, a frown on his forehead.

"I don't know anything about security or running that type of business. I don't want that responsibility, and I might just want to start a business of my own someday, and I want to be free to do that."

"You could always get a 2% and be the tiebreaker."

"I'll always side with John, so you might as well give him 51%."

"Enough talk about percentages. Fifty-fifty is good for me, and we are reasonable men who can work disagreements out if anything ever comes up." John says.

"Is there even enough work for two of us?" Sean asks.

"I want to expand into a new market. Once I tell you about it, you'll be itching to get started."

"Okay, I like the sound of that. So let's drink to new partnerships." Sean lifts his glass, and we join him.

I'm really happy for John. His friend is back, and now they are partnering up. The next few months will be intense, but he needs that in his life. He's getting bored and needs this new adventure. Now I'm just worried about the post-dinner celebration John will want to have. I'm a screamer, and we're not used to having guests. But hopefully, it will incentivize Sean to look for a place to live—pronto.