Dallas, Texas

Shaking Jack's hand as he hovered at the front door, ready to leave, JR felt surprisingly good; for an evening with his family, things had gone remarkably well and that was a weight off his shoulders. He wasn't the biggest fan of family dinners, they usually meant time for everyone else to bond and him to feel left out or singled out, but tonight had been ok, good even. Apart from Lucy's questions and statements of disbelief, everyone else had accepted and welcomed his news. His father had his own way of saying things, a way he wasn't a big fan of, but he'd come to accept, so although he wished his father had just straight said, 'I'm proud of you son' and expressed his pleasure in the family getting along, things hadn't quite gone that way. His mother was a different story though, where she, like his father, rarely just came out and said that she cared for him, loved him even, tonight she had actually made an effort; the way she had said what she'd said though was enough to make him suspicious that something else was going on in the background. He would have to ask Sue Ellen what she knew about his conversation with his mother, because from how it sounded, she knew something.

"Thanks for the invitation tonight; I really hope you meant what you said about trying harder and getting to know each other because I'd like to go for that drink sometime", listening to his cousin's words, his thoughts were pulled away from his mother and back to the present. "I did, and I'd like that too", nodding, he attempted a smile, though the situation was still somewhat new and strange to him and he couldn't help thinking about that as they spoke. For a long time he had resisted any friendly interaction with Jack and now they were going to attempt to be friends, he was capable of that, but he was also a slow mover when it came personal relationships and sometimes when he was faced with other people's expectations of his emotional reaction his natural response was to freeze. He had frozen and lost Sue Ellen during the period of their relationship between her graduation and their engagement because he hadn't been able to push himself forward with the development everyone, including Sue Ellen, expected. Eventually he had seen the error of his ways though and proposed, winning back the only woman he had ever loved and gaining more out of their relationship than he had ever expected possible. Jack was nowhere near as important as Sue Ellen was, but he could see similarities in the relationship he had with each of them; he was going to have to push past his hesitation if he was to make any progress with his cousin or the rest of his family.

"I'll hold you to that", seeing Jack grin, he had no doubt that his cousin would pester him if he didn't make the effort he'd promised he would. Perhaps that wasn't a bad thing though, it had been a long time since anyone had pursued a friendship with him and he liked the idea of someone other than Sue Ellen and John Ross actually looking forward to spending time with him. "I can be a decent guy when I want to be, you'll see", grinning back, his confidence began to return; he wasn't a recluse or truly socially stunted, he just happened to have lived a life where business relationships had been placed ahead of personal relationships and it took some conscious effort to break away from that way of thinking. There was a difference between going out for drinks to discuss business and going out for drinks just because, for reasons that didn't really have an expected outcome, simply for fun. In marrying and then losing Sue Ellen, he'd had to learn that for him, the way he regarded his female social connections just wasn't acceptable if he wanted to stay married; male social connections were somewhat similar, business associates were fine, as were friends if he had any, but socialising in certain situations was dangerous. He had to be careful with what he did now that he was married, but until recently, it hadn't really been a problem where friends were concerned, because quite simply, he didn't have many, or any, friends. That was changing now, for the first time since he had been a college student he was actually spending time with other men just for fun, without a business agenda lingering in the background.

"Sue Ellen", watching Jack turn his attention to Sue Ellen as he made final moves towards leaving, JR's thoughts switched suddenly as he witnessed his cousin's friendly goodbye gesture, a quick kiss on the cheek and a short touch of Sue Ellen's arm, to which she smiled politely, nodded and said goodbye before watching him walk outside. The small actions between his wife and cousin were most likely completely platonic, he knew that, he trusted Sue Ellen and he'd seen Jack actually flirting with women he was interested in and this wasn't the same, however, despite knowing what made sense, he couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit possessive of Sue Ellen.

"That'll be nice, won't it? I think we're both onto something good here; you're making friends with Jack and maybe even Bobby, and I'm becoming friends with Pamela and hopefully some other women". Listening to Sue Ellen as she closed the door after seeing Jack out, it suddenly hit him why he felt so possessive of his wife, he was making plans to go out with his new friends and she was supporting him, but the idea of her doing the same made him uncomfortable. Lunches with Pamela Barnes were one thing, but going out drinking and dancing was another thing entirely; he could deal with hearing stories of Pamela's working day, but he'd seen her and her friends out on Saturday night and the thought of his wife being a part of that scene made him cringe. Now that he thought about it, even the idea of her making friends with the wives of other Dallas businessmen made him feel a bit uneasy; they'd had a few conversations about how she missed the social life she'd had in college, but before now, he hadn't quite realised how much he disliked the idea of her re-entering that world. They were adults, not college students, so frat parties and football players were not something he had to consider, nor were pageant escorts or ex-boyfriends, but still, the idea of his wife, a married woman, going out to a bar or club on a Saturday night, potentially without him, that did not sit well with him at all.

"Mhm, it will, and I think we are. Speaking of other friends, I've got a few ideas about who I can introduce you to". Not mentioning his discomfort, he changed the subject slightly as they returned the living room by themselves; he did have a few ideas about who Sue Ellen could be friends with, whether she was going to actually like his ideas was another thing entirely though, especially with the way she'd decided she wanted to socialise now. It occurred to him that he could just tell her how he felt and why he thought if she wished to go out dancing, they do it together, however, somewhere in the back of his mind he didn't want to reveal everything just yet because he knew she'd ask for the same thing in return. He hadn't done anything to harm their marriage during his evening out with Bobby and Jack at the weekend and it seemed silly for him to have to include her in everything he did as if he couldn't be trusted, even if that was essentially what he wanted to ask her to do for him. Somehow, it was different, he was a man and she was a woman and the way people perceived and treated them was different; he expected that if he told her that though she'd be upset and start a whole conversation about trust again, which he didn't want to have, because he trusted her, but other men were a different story.

"You have? That's wonderful. Tell me about it while I make us a drink?" focusing on his comments about his friendship matchmaking, Sue Ellen smiled genuinely and lightly brushed her hand against his as she sashayed across the room to the drinks cart, causing his mind to wander again. It was true, he'd done some thinking about potential introductions he could make, mostly though he'd ended up mentally striking off women he didn't want Sue Ellen to meet and unfortunately, that list was longer than the list he would be comfortable showing her. Any women he'd slept with, escorted to an event, or encountered in any more personal sense than polite conversation was automatically out, as were women who were married to men who despised him for any reason, whether it be personal or business related. With those cuts, finding women who weren't members of the DOA and who had personalities, manners, and bank balances that may pair well with Sue Ellen was a challenge, however, he did have a few ideas, and if he could facilitate a friendship one of those women, he hoped his earlier thoughts and fears would be avoided.

To be continued…