Down time
***Chris and David's Apartment***
Christine is frantically trying to pack her clothes for her and David's trip. They leave in 3 days. She is trying on everything she owns, and nothing fits. She steps on the scale in her bathroom, and is shocked by what she sees. She has lost 35 pounds since she began eating healthy and working out every day after her cancer battle was over. Drinking lots of water helped too. Chris can't believe it.
She goes to her dresser, and digs out the clothes from the back of the drawer that she hasn't been able to wear in ages.
She tried on the shorts first. They fit perfectly, and some pairs were even looser than they needed to be. She tried on the tank tops next, and the cover-ups. They all fit wonderfully too. She hesitated, and then put on the bikini that she had not had the guts (or the waistline) to wear in years. It fit like a glove, and she looked amazing in it. She started to feel self-conscious in it, because she wasn't used to showing so much skin.
She was looking in the mirror at herself from every angle, when David walked in. He whistled at her.
"Oh babe, you are looking so hot…." She literally took his breath away.
"Really, David? It's not too much? I don't normally show this much skin". The bikini was a halter top, skinny strap, and was a deep purple. The bottoms were just bikini brief bottoms in deep purple.
"Babe, you are beautiful to me no matter what you wear, but you gotta believe me- you are really looking hot!". He kissed her then, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I am going to have to go shopping. None of my clothes fit!".
For the next hour, she modeled clothes for him and he told her how pretty she was in all of them. She had found a few things in her closet that would work for their trip, but she was still going to have to buy more.
She grabbed her phone and texted Bridgit, and they made a shopping date for the next day.
Christine was panicked, wondering if they were going to be able to find her anything before the trip.
***Bloomingdale's ***
Bridgit saw Chris coming in, and ran to give her a hug.
"Right this way, Ms. Cagney, I will pick out some lovely things for your trip. This will be so fun".
Chris followed Bridgit as they walked to the dressing room that Bridgit used as an office.
"I am going to take your measurements so that we can determine your size range, and we will go from there".
She measured Chris and wrote down each one, and then used a handy chart to find the best sizes.
"We will try a couple sizes up if we need to, and down if you'd like, but it looks like you are a size 8."
"Excuse me? I haven't been a size 8 since I was 8! That's impossible! Why, I have been a 14 for a few years now… and a 12, a time or two. But never an 8!"
"Trust me, Aunt Chris. You lost a lot weight from your chemo. You also lost a lot of weight after your chemo, and you have been working out. You are eating healthier, drinking water…."
Chris nodded. Bridgit was making sense, but still… a size 8? No way.
Bridgit went and got Chris a pair of cute, denim shorts that were slightly distressed in a size 8. "Try them on. You don't have to get them, but try them on. If they fit, you are a size 8".
Chris took them in to the dressing room, and tried them on. Sure enough, they fit. Cagney was a believer, who was still in shock.
She walked out to show Bridgit and Bridgit squealed when she saw her!
"They fit! I told you! Ok let's find you some more stuff!" She grabbed her hand and they went to the racks. Bridgit picked out some shorts in all different colors, some longer and a couple pairs shorter. She picked out some really pretty tops, and some Capri pants that she knew Chris would love.
She sent Chris with the clothes to the dressing room while she went to the bathing suit section. After making a few selections, she returned to the dressing room.
Chris had tried on all the shorts, and she liked them, but in the end, she decided to put a pair of black shorts, a pair of red shorts, and all 5 pairs of capris in her 'yes' pile. She tried on the tops and loved the sparkly strapless top that Bridgit had picked. She selected a few racer back tops and several V-neck ones also. Her 'yes' pile was growing very large.
"Aunt Chris, try these. I found some bathing suits for you, and these pieces are great to mix and match".
Chris held up each of the bathing suits that Bridgit had picked. She had done well, picking ones that weren't too sexy or too revealing. Chris liked the tankini ones, and put those in the 'yes' pile also.
She ended up getting a basic black spaghetti strap bikini, and a hot pink one also.
Bridgit helped her pick out some comfy yoga capris and pajamas, to lounge around in. All Chris needed now was some shoes- she grabbed a few pairs of flip flops and one pair of sexy strappy sandals that she could wear to dinner.
She had just put her 'yes' pile on the counter when Bridgit came over with the last piece.
"Aunt Chris, you gotta try this on. It's a little unconventional, but it's gonna look hot on you, I just know it."
She was holding up a halter sun dress, and she also had a strapless one as well.
"you could wear these to dinner with David on your trip! If you get a good tan, you will look amazing in this!"
Chris went and tried them on, and loved how they fit.
She emerged from the dressing room and put them in her 'yes' pile. "What the hell!".
Bridgit rang her up then, and Christine almost had a heart attack when she saw the total. $758.91. Bridgit gave her a discount then, and took 20% off, bringing the total down to $607.
Chris hesitated for a moment and then decided to go for it. She had done the work, and made the commitment to eat healthy and workout every single day. She had lost the weight and the inches, and she needed the clothes. So she pulled out her gold card, and told Bridgit to put it on there.
"Great Aunt Chris! I will come over tomorrow night to help you pick out jewelry! I will even bring dinner!".
"Sounds great, see you then1 Thanks so much for helping me".
Chris somehow managed to carry the 5 bags out of there, and headed home.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Buying new clothes put Chris on a cleaning frenzy. David had helped her get the bags inside and carried them to the bedroom for her.
"I can't wait to see what you got, babe".
"Well you will. But first, I have to make room for all of these new clothes".
She set about in her closet, pulling out everything that was bigger than a size 12. She left a few size 14's that still fit snugly, and a few pieces that were sentimental to her, like the sweater her dad Charlie gave her, and David's favorite blouse of hers. The rest of it was going to Goodwill. She made a pile in the hallway outside her closet and she was amazed at how much more space she was going to have now.
She asked David to bring her several garbage bags, and they packed up the pile and he told her he would take it to the goodwill the next day.
"That's the best idea, so that I don't change my mind". But she knew deep down, she would never let herself get that big again. She really enjoyed being healthier and having more energy.
David took the bags to his car. While he was gone, Chris laid out the new clothes.
She had put on the Pink bikini top with the black bottoms, and was looking in the mirror when David came in.
"Oh yeah, Christine, good choice". Seeing her in a bathing suit was really getting him excited.
She showed him the cover-ups and the shorts and the tops and the capris, and the dresses. He loved every single thing she showed him, and she took tags off and packed them into her suitcase right then. One more day….
*** Mary Beth and Christine's office, the next morning***
Christine and Mary Beth were in the office, going through case files. Mary Beth was excited too, she and Harvey had decided to go on vacation at the same time, since Alice was going to be on a school field trip to Washington D.C. Harvey and Mary Beth had chosen Bermuda, and couldn't be more excited about it. They had always done the cabins in the mountains, the historical trips, things like that. But this time, it was for them, and they wanted the peace and quiet and the relaxation. So they splurged a bit and booked an all-inclusive resort to Bermuda. 6 days and 5 nights at the Grotto Bay Beach resort. Surprisingly, Feldberg had agreed to let them take vacation at the same time, when they pointed out that it would be easier for him to do without a team for a week than to come up with alternate assignments for the partner that stayed.
"We leave Monday, and we will be back next Saturday, mid-day. We got an overnight flight Friday night, so maybe we will sleep on the plane. I am all packed, and ready to go, and Harvey isn't packed at all. We leave Monday….".
"David isn't packed either, and we leave tomorrow".
"The struggle is real, Chris".
Mary Beth's phone rings then, and Chris can tell that it's Harvey.
"Harvey, we can't do that, can we? Oh yes, that is a good idea. What about Alice?...Well that's very nice of them. Ask her if she really wants to do that, and explain to her that she will have to get packed tonight completely…she said yes. Ok, well then, yes. I will make the reservations for us, and when I get home, we can take Alice together. Love you too." They hang up.
"change of plans, Mary Beth?"
"Yes. Alice got invited to spend the weekend with her friend's family and they are going to spend the weekend at her grandmother's house because it's closer to the airport. They were going to take her to the airport for us because our flight was leaving earlier. So now, Harvey wants us to change our flights to one leaving tomorrow, and he says we can stay at a cheaper resort for 2 nights, and then switch on Monday".
"That sounds like fun. I can help if you like". Mary Beth nodded.
"How about you look up the flight times for tomorrow from LaGuardia to Bermuda, USAir, and I will look up the hotels in Bermuda and try to find us a place".
"Agreed, partner".
Mary Beth got to work finding them hotels in Bermuda. It took a few minutes of digging around on Google, but she finally found a room for them at the Royal Palms hotel. She booked them a room for 2 nights.
"Mary Beth, I found you a flight. You will leave JFK at 11, and have a layover in Boston. You will arrive in Bermuda around dinner time".
"Sounds great. Book it please!". She handed Chris her credit card.
"Done!". Chris handed the card back to Mary Beth.
Just then, her cell phone beeped. David had sent her a text.
"Please call me. Urgent".
She called him right away and he told her that he came home to grab a case file and he checked his home email while he was home. The airline had canceled their flight. They were rebooking them and gave them 2 options. First option was a 6 a.m. flight with a longer layover. 2nd option was a noon flight out of JFK with an arrival time of an hour later.
"Which one do you think we should pick babe? I vote for JFK, because we won't be as rushed"
"Can we still get first class?"
"They didn't say we couldn't. I don't see why not."
"Ok, let's take that one. Are you home for the day? I will be home soon".
"Yes I am. Maybe we can try out your new bathing suit in the Jacuzzi…"
"Bathing suits are for public, honey. Gotta go, see you soon. Love you".
"I like the way you think. Love you too".
She hung up the phone, and turned her computer off.
"well Mary Beth, are we ready to say goodbye to this place for a week?"
"Most Definitely , Partner."
They grabbed their things, and turned off the lights. Vacation had just begun!
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris walked in and found David in the bedroom, packing. He had his suitcase on a side table and his clothes were hanging all over the place.
She wandered into the bedroom and hugged him, and kissed the back of his shoulder.
He turned around and kissed her hungrily.
"Let's try out your new suit… I can't wait to see how it looks off of you."
He was kissing her neck and driving her wild. "Honey, Bridgit is coming over in about an hour, to give me some jewelry advice".
"Good thing I am a fast worker…" He picked her up and carried her to the bed.
"David….what if we lose track of time…."
"The door is locked, right? We have an hour….."
They gave into the passion and made love. Knowing that Bridgit was coming made it more exciting.
***1 hour later***
Chris and David made sure to have their clothes back on before Bridgit got there.
She arrived right on time, and had brought pizza and a salad. After they ate, she and Chris went to go through Chris' jewelry box and clothes for the trip.
"What color do you wear most often, Aunt Chris?"
"Black and blue".
"Well then you need silver or gold jewelry. If it's a jeweled top, then you need simple jewelry, because you don't want the jewelry to compete with the jewels in the outfit. I also recommend that you do either earrings or a bracelet on vacation, not much more than that".
"I can do that. I have mostly earrings and bracelets anyways". Chris opened her jewelry armoire and pulled the drawers out.
"Here, go nuts. I completely trust your judgement".
She had already packed her pair of diamond earrings that Charlie had given her when she turned 21. She always wore those.
"You have some really great stuff here, Aunt Chris! Where did you get this diamond bracelet?"
"My ex-husband. I got custody of all the jewels when we divorced".
"He had good taste! Ooh, I love this emerald bracelet"
"I bought that with his credit card after I found him cheating on me".
Bridgit laughed. "You are the greatest! I would never be able to be that bold".
Bridgit helped Chris select some nice jewelry pieces, that weren't too flashy.
"Hey, Bridgit, how late are the stores open? I just remembered an errand I need to run, and I want you to come with me".
"Till 10 or 11 at least. It's Friday night, they usually stay open late".
"Let's go, I will fill you in on the way".
She told David they were running one last errand and would be back soon. She kissed him goodbye and she and Bridgit left.
***Chris' car***
"Bridgit. I just realized that this is the first trip that David and I have taken as a couple, since we got involved again. And I am not prepared for it, like I should be".
"Well, what do you need?"
"I don't want to take my ratty old pajamas on the trip. But I have no idea where to get prettier, sexier ones".
"I know just the place, Aunt Chris!". Bridgit told her how to go, and a few minutes later, they were parked outside Victoria's Secret.
She rolled her eyes but she decided to trust Bridgit and give it a shot. She might find something, and she wouldn't know until she got there if she was going to.
They walked in, and Bridgit led her past the hardcore lingerie to the back, where the softer stuff was.
They looked around for a bit, and Chris was very interested in a robe she found.
Bridgit came over to her and eyed the robe. "We can definitely work with this".
She set about finding pieces, and before Chris knew it, she had found the night gown and a sheer little camisole that would both look extremely sexy with the robe.
"Aunt Chris, what is your underwear situation like?"
"I don't think I fully understand the question, Bridgit. It covers what it needs to cover, ok?"
"That's good, but what is like? Is it sexy, lacy…. Or is it plain Jane?
"Plain Jane is not as bad as it sounds".
Bridgit grabbed a few more essentials, and brought them back to Chris. Chris was ok with the lacy bra and the lacy briefs, but she said absolutely not to the thong. Bridgit decided to compromise and put the thong back.
They found a few more sexy pieces and then they went to checkout.
"Thanks for your help, Bridgit. Please don't breathe a word about this to anyone".
They headed back to the car.
Chris dropped Bridgit off at her loft, and promised to send her pics from Petit St. Vincent.
Then she headed home to David.
***Chris and David's apartment***
David was busy packing and Christine was able to hide the bag from Victoria's Secret in her suitcase while he wasn't looking.
"Did you get what you needed babe?"
"Yep, and I took Bridgit home afterwards. I didn't want her riding the subway at night".
"Smart. What else do we have to do to get ready for the trip?"
"I am all packed, and I will take these sheets off in the morning. I printed off our documents and they are in my purse. I think all that's left is to get a good night's sleep. We need to be at the airport by 10".
He zipped his suitcase and put it by the door. Chris had decided to change into one of her new nightgowns.
She took her wig off, and put a scarf on. She put the new nightgown on and was walking towards the bed when David came back in the room.
He grabbed her and kissed her, and he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
"Vacations are about romance". He kissed her neck and shoulders, and the side of her face. "Our Vacation started right now…"
"Lucky us". Christine kissed him back as David turned off the light.
***The next morning***
Chris and David were so focused on romance that they only slept about 4 hours. They woke up when her alarm went off, and quickly showered, and had coffee. They walked out the door right on time, and decided to take a Cab to the airport, instead of paying to park.
They arrived at the airport, got checked in, and made it through security.
Chris bought a new book to read on the plane, and an eye mask. They boarded the plane right on time, and settled in to their 1st class seats.
"Happy vacation to us…" David said, as he kissed her.
"Happy, happy". She kissed him a few more times.
"Oh how cute! Isn't this just great?" Chris turned to see who was talking to them.
Mary Beth and Harvey had upgraded, and were sitting across from them in first class.
'Looks like we are on the same flight as you two lovebirds to Boston. Then we go our separate ways".
"Well what a small world". David and Harvey decided to sit together so Mary Beth and Chris could sit together. The aisle was short, and David took the aisle on side and Chris took the aisle on the other. They held hands across the aisle for a bit.
Mary Beth and Chris chatted easily and enjoyed the hour long flight.
Mary Beth couldn't believe she was in first class. She was very giddy.
The flight landed in Boston, and they all got off the plane.
The couples said goodbye at the gate, and hugged and shook hands.
David and Christine headed to their gate, and David went and grabbed them breakfast.
Pretty soon, they were boarding the next flight. First class again.
They settled into their seats, and after takeoff, they reclined, and Chris put the arm rest up. She snuggled into David's arms and fell asleep shortly after.
Their flight landed around 5 p.m., and they made their way off the plane to baggage claim, then to their shuttle. The shuttle was taking them to a boat, that would then take them to the resort.
This was just the beginning of a very intimate, relaxing week.
To be continued…