Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews!
Chapter 60- The Thanksgiving Vendetta-Part 1
"Do you have a minute?" Jim asked as he stood on the threshold of Johanna's office Friday afternoon.
She smiled as she turned away from the shelf of law books. "For you? Always."
He returned her smile; wondering how long that sentiment would last when she heard what he had to say. It had to be done though, there wasn't any getting out of it, he thought as he shut the door and moved across the room toward her.
Johanna's smile widened as he reached her, her arms slipping around him as she stole a quick kiss. "How did you do in court?" she asked.
"Pretty good; I won."
"I knew you would," Johanna told him lovingly, her lips brushing against his once more. "I'm so proud of you."
Warmth spread across his chest and he pulled her closer, hugging her tightly, his eyes closing as he leaned his cheek against her head for a moment, breathing in the soft scent of strawberries that always clung to her.
"I guess we have something to celebrate tonight," she murmured. "I can't wait to go out with you tonight. I've been looking forward to it all day."
Jim sighed. "About tonight…"
Johanna pulled away from him and gave him a sharp look. "Not again, Jim."
He nodded reluctantly. "I'm afraid so…business dinner came up just a little while ago."
Annoyance flicked across her face. "This is the second Friday in a row!"
"I know; I'm sorry…believe me I hate it too."
She blew out an aggravated breath. "Who is it this time?"
"The same client as last week."
Johanna studied him. "Are you sure this client is a man?"
He chuckled. "I'm positive. He's a pompous old man."
"I hate him," she remarked.
"I'm not too fond of him either."
"Why does it have to be dinner?" she asked; her tone showcasing her annoyance. "We didn't get to go out last Friday because of him; Saturday you went to a football game, Sunday we each had to go to our parents…"
"I know," he said, moving closer once more. "But I did talk you into staying with me Sunday night…I believe it's the second or third time I've accomplished that feat…remember?" he asked as he dipped his head to press kisses against her neck.
"I remember," she sighed; her eyes fluttering shut against her will. "We were late for work Monday."
"It was worth it," he murmured against her skin. "Don't you think?"
"So worth it," she whispered as he pressed her back against the wall.
"And I stayed with you Wednesday night….and again last night…because I just didn't want to be away from you."
"I know," Johanna said as she tried to keep her train of thought as his hand wandered. "I just hate when our plans get ruined."
"I know, baby," he whispered, his lips finding hers once more. "I hate it too."
"Baby?" she scoffed softly. "You're trying to dig your way out of a hole."
"Just keep in mind that the pompous windbag pushed me into the hole," he replied, his fingertips managing to get beneath the hem of her sweater.
"My mother called demanding I come to dinner tonight and I told her no because I had plans with you," Johanna stated.
His fingertips trailed along her rib cage. "You gave your mother the brush off for me?"
"Mhmm…didn't even hesitate."
Jim grinned. "That's sweet…and somewhat sexy too."
"You think everything's sexy," she retorted as she captured his hand and tried to drag it out from under her sweater.
He evaded her tactic and captured her lips in a soft yet passionate kiss. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. If I could get out of this and keep our plans, I would."
"I know," she murmured. "I'm just being selfish; I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be, I like being selfish with you too. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Johanna smiled and drew him back for another kiss. "I'll hold you to that."
"You have my word…and as soon as I'm through with that meeting I'll be walking through your door."
"You better or I'm going to come looking for you…I might have to be without you for dinner but I better not have to sleep alone tonight."
He pulled her against him tightly. "Believe me, sweetheart; you don't have to worry about being lonely tonight," he told her before kissing her.
Their kisses lingered, his hands still wandering as her nails dug into his shoulder. "We can't do this here," she whispered breathlessly after a few minutes.
"Sure we can; we did it in my office…we need to give yours a try."
"That was different," Johanna said between heated kisses. "It was after hours…and besides; I ended up needing a pregnancy test after that occasion."
He laughed softly. "You're on the pill now; we don't have to worry."
"We still can't do this during business hours," she told him, her hand snaking between them to push him back a step. "Tonight…we'll have to wait until tonight."
"That's so far away," Jim breathed.
"I know," she replied; her tone just as disappointed as his.
"I hate business," he remarked. "I hate business hours; I hate business dinners…they keep me from the far more important business of you."
She giggled. "I'm not too crazy about business at the moment either. Now I'll have to call my mother back and tell her I'll be there for dinner."
He patted her hip. "Well at least your mother will be happy…as for us…well, I guess we'll have to be happy later."
Against her better judgment, Johanna griped the lapels of his jacket and pulled him close for another kiss. "I'll be waiting for you at home."
"I like the sound of that," he stated.
She didn't get a chance to respond as Sharon's voice sounded on the intercom. "You two might want to break up your love fest in there; Sally called, Jim you have a client coming in to bring you some information you wanted and Jo, you have a meeting in a half hour…it'll probably take you that long to get your head back out of the love haze."
Johanna smirked even though her secretary didn't see it. "Thank you, Sharon."
"What's with her?" Jim asked. "Is the honeymoon over already? I haven't seen Phil today."
"They're having their first married fight," she whispered.
He nodded. "Didn't take them long, did it?"
"Nope…they're having a difference of opinion about how to decorate the house."
Jim gave a short laugh. "I was expecting a better reason but somehow I'm not surprised."
"Me neither," she said, allowing him one last kiss. "Do I look alright? You didn't mark me, did you?"
He looked her over thoroughly. "No; I didn't leave any marks, sweetheart…I make no promises about that later tonight though."
She grinned. "You didn't mess up my hair?"
"No; it's fine. Do I have any of your makeup on me?"
"No; I've never left makeup evidence on you," she told him. "I use the smear proof lipsticks."
"And I love you for it," he quipped.
"Anything to make you happy," she teased.
"I'll see you later, sweetheart. I'll drop you off at your mother's before I go to my meeting."
"Alright; I'll see you then…but let's not make this bailing on Friday night thing a habit."
"Word of honor," Jim stated. "I don't like it anymore than you do."
"I know," she sighed. "There are no hard feelings; I'll be waiting for you at home."
"It should be against the law to have business dinners on a Friday night," Jim declared as he let himself into Johanna's apartment and dropped his briefcase by the door.
"I agree," Johanna replied with a smile as she watched him lock the door and toss his keys onto the stand. "Doesn't the world know that Friday night is ours?"
"Apparently they've missed the memo," he remarked while crossing the room to give her a quick kiss before he shed his coat and carried it to the closet.
"So how was it?" she asked, watching as he made his way back across the room on his way to the kitchen to get a drink.
"About as expected," Jim said. "The usual business mumbo jumbo that takes up all of twenty minutes and then the gloat, brag and boring stories of a client who has more money than he knows what to do with and he thinks that makes him highly interesting to everyone else in the world."
"But he's wrong?" Johanna asked lightly as he returned to the room with a cold can of soda in hand.
"He's so wrong," he answered; giving her a grin as he settled down on the couch with her. "I can overlook a few stories…but over an hour's worth is way too much."
"Poor baby," she teased.
He tweaked her side, making her squirm and drop the notepad and pen that had been lying on her lap but she left them on the floor for the time being. "I must've looked bored at some point," Jim stated.
"Why do you say that?"
"He asked me what I was thinking about."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him I was thinking about my girlfriend and how I was going to get back in her good graces now that I had canceled on her two Fridays in a row."
Johanna laughed. "You did not say that."
"I did," he replied seriously.
"Oh my God, you didn't. What did he say to that?"
Jim smiled. "He told me to buy you something shiny because women are easily distracted that way."
Her brow rose. "Oh; he's one of those."
"Yeah; he's one of those…among other things. You know there are some clients who end up seeming like friends; some you can deal with well enough, and then there's the ones you can't stand no matter how much they're paying you."
"Don't I know it," she replied. "I had one from the latter category last month."
"I remember…but I did enjoy the amount of baking you did during that case…I also enjoyed your other method of stress relief."
Johanna smirked at him. "When don't you?"
"That's true, whether it's stress related or not."
"That probably goes without saying," she quipped. "Was your mention of me your subtle hint to him not to call you next Friday?"
Jim laughed. "Yeah; but I'm not sure the message was received…you know, given that he's 'one of those'."
"Well you just tell him that if he keeps taking you away from me, I'm coming after him and I won't be distracted by any shiny objects he has," she teased.
"I have to admit, I'd kind of like to see that…sounds very sexy."
Johanna laughed as she picked up her notepad and pen. "At least you got away from him earlier this week than last week."
"Yeah by a whole thirty minutes and only because he got a call at the restaurant from his son about some other crisis…that I hope to God he doesn't need a lawyer for."
His girlfriend shook her head. "You get a little testy when your Friday night gets interrupted, don't you?"
"Yes; I want to be here with you, or out with you or just anything with you," he stated. "Work is supposed to be done by five at the latest, and then it's supposed to be our time and by the end of the week, I just look forward to coming home to you."
A soft smile touched her lips before she stole a kiss. "I look forward to it too," she told him. "I miss you when you're not here."
He wrapped an arm around her and glanced at the notepad she held. "What are you doing?"
"Making my shopping list for the market."
"Are you taking requests?"
"I already know all the things you like to have and they're always provided," Johanna quipped. "Unless you have something new to add?"
Jim shook his head. "No, nothing new; just get all the usual things and I'll be happy."
"Consider it done."
"What was up with your mother calling the Friday night family dinner? What couldn't keep until Sunday?" he asked.
"Well for one, they're going out of town for the weekend so there will be no Sunday dinner at my mother's…"
"Great; I'll bail on my mother, make fried chicken Sunday."
"Jim!"
"What? I have to make up for tonight somehow. You're a much better dinner date than Kurt Jacobson….way better looking too."
"I should hope so."
He grinned as he nuzzled her hair. "No dinner date compares to you."
"Laying on the charm tonight, Mr. Beckett?" she asked.
"Only for you."
She smirked a little. "You must have expectations."
"I do; I except to enjoy the rest of my night by relaxing here with you. Any other reason for the Friday dinner?"
"It was also to discuss the holidays."
Jim sighed. "Holidays sneak right up on us, don't they?"
"They do; but since Thanksgiving is the holiday of eating, I'm sure you don't mind."
He nodded. "I'll give you that one…but I have a feeling your mother sprung something on you."
"She's invited the Westons," Johanna announced.
"What?! Why? Is she trying to recreate your sister's rehearsal dinner?"
"I have no idea; I think she's lost her mind…although there's evidence of Colleen instigating this little to do."
"What does your father think of this?"
"He's not thrilled…but Mom told him if he wants to eat he'll sit at the table and behave himself…now if he actually behaves once the food is in front of him, that's another story."
"Are the Westons actually going to show up? From what you told me about them, I'd assume they're the 'catered Thanksgiving' type of people…people I don't understand and have no desire to."
"Yeah; that's my take on them too but they're coming…because Colleen and Paul couldn't agree on who to spend the holiday with…so Colleen pleaded with Mom to invite Paul's parents…and brother."
"The nerd who thought he stood a chance of getting his hands on you?"
She nodded. "Yeah; Henry."
Jim couldn't help but laugh. "This dinner should probably be videotaped."
"Probably won't be too entertaining considering that Frankie bailed faster than a rat on a sinking ship," she replied as she grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table. "Within seconds of my mother's announcement, Frankie declared that they would be going to Valerie's grandmother's for Thanksgiving. Valerie looked a little surprised by the news…like maybe they had been discussing it but hadn't made a final decision yet."
"I guess it's been made now," he chuckled. "How do you feel about spending Thanksgiving with the Westons?"
"My dining experience with them at the rehearsal dinner was enough to last me a lifetime. I'm not going…especially if Frankie, Valerie and the baby aren't there."
"What about your grandmother? She's usually there on the holidays."
"She's going to Aunt Rita's this year…no word on if she made that decision before or after learning of Mom's guest list."
"Probably after," he replied.
"That's what I think too."
Jim reached for some popcorn as Johanna jotted a few more things down on her grocery list. "I can't imagine that your mother is going to let you get away with not showing up for Thanksgiving. What are you going to do, go with your grandmother to your aunt's?"
"No; my mother would kill me if I chose Rita over her."
"Then what are you going to tell her?"
"I already gave her an acceptable excuse," Johanna replied. "I told her I'm having Thanksgiving dinner with you; now if you would somehow run into her somewhere, just tell her that we had a nice time and everything went well. She'll never know the difference."
"Where are you really going to be if you already have a story made up for me to tell if the occasion calls for it?"
"I'll be right here at home, making my own Thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry; I'll keep a plate warm for you," she told him.
Jim shifted so that he could meet her eye. "If you think that I'm letting you spend Thanksgiving alone; you're crazy lady. You're going home with me for dinner."
Johanna laughed. "No, I'm not. I wasn't hinting for an invitation, honey. I just told my mother I was going with you because I knew it was the one excuse that she'd accept."
"I realize that, but you're going with me. I'm not going to be sitting at my mother's table knowing you're here alone."
"It's okay; you'll come over when you're done; I don't mind."
"I mind."
"Jim; your mother hates me…she hates me so much that she crashed our lunch with my mother and not only told her about the one thing I never wanted her to know, but also implied that we have some kind of wild, scandalous sex life."
Jim grinned. "Well, there are times when we get a little wild."
"Yes; but the whole world doesn't need to know it."
"Point taken; but my mother also said at that disaster of a lunch date that I could bring you to dinner anytime I wanted."
"She only said that to make herself look good…not that it worked."
He smiled. "It didn't work for you; but me, as her loving son, I took her word as pure sincerity and I'm going to remind her of it and hold her to it."
"No," Johanna said with a shake of her head. "Please don't; it won't end well, I know it."
"It'll be fine; Dad will make her mind her manners. Michael and Natalie and the kids will be there as will Andrew and Madelyn and Grandma; she won't make much fuss with so many people around to call her on it. It'll be fine, don't worry."
"Jim; I am not walking into your mother's house and blindsiding her on a holiday; no way."
"Who said anything about blindsiding her? I'm going over there tomorrow anyway to help Dad give his car a tune up, I'll just bring up that I'm bringing you to dinner with me and everything will be fine; you'll see."
"Uh huh," she replied; her tone far from convinced. "Before you go help your Dad in the morning can you drop me off at the market; I want to get a turkey before they're picked over."
"You don't need a turkey; my mother is good at turkey."
"I'm buying a turkey."
"Okay but you're not going to need it," he remarked as she put her finished list on the coffee table. "I'll tell you what we'll do; you drop me off at my Dad's and then you take the car and go do your shopping. You can pick me up later in the afternoon, alright?"
Johanna smiled. "You're going to let me borrow Renee for the day?"
He laughed. "You know that you can use Renee any time you want; I've talked to her about it; she knows that she's your car too."
"She's my car too?"
"Of course."
"That's so sweet," she murmured before kissing him.
He drew her into his arms. "I thought you knew that my car was your car…like your groceries are my groceries."
She laughed softly. "It's a fair trade."
"I think so," he said with a nod.
She snuggled back into his side; her arm wrapping around his midsection. "If you really don't mind me taking your car, I would appreciate it. I hate taking a cab to and from the market. I feel like I have to carry everything at once so I don't have to pay while it waits for me to carry one armful up and go back for the next."
"You don't have to worry about it; there's no reason for you to do that when you can use the car. I don't mind and it's already settled. You drop me off tomorrow and go do your errands; take your time."
"Thank you," she murmured. "Now how about we forget about work and holidays and just get comfy here and watch TV for a little while…unwind…and then get back to that business we started in my office this afternoon."
Jim chuckled quietly as they shifted around so they could curl up together on the couch. "I love the way your mind works, sweetheart."
"Remember that the next time I make you mad."
His fingers sunk into her hair as her head settled against his chest. "No need to go thinking things like that; everything's been just right, hasn't it?"
"Yes; it's been perfect…especially now that you're home tonight."
He pressed a kiss against her hair. "My thoughts exactly," he said quietly. Lately he only felt at home if she was with him, and it didn't matter if he was in his apartment or hers…it was only home if she was there beside him. The thought should worry him…but it didn't…it made him think about bigger things…like proposing. She laughed softly at something on the TV screen as his fingers threaded through her hair and he smiled at the sound. He wanted to be with her every night…maybe it was time to seriously consider taking the next step.
"Dad," Jim said and then trailed off, the question he was about to ask coming to an abrupt stop on his tongue as he and his father worked on Robert's car the next day.
"What is it, son?" his father asked as he looked up from the spark plugs they were changing. "You and Johanna aren't having problems again, are you?"
"No; nothing like that…everything's been really good between us…great actually," he admitted, his tone growing quiet.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"But?"
Jim shrugged. "I don't know."
His father smiled. "I think you do, so just spit it out; it's just between us as always."
He blew out a breath. "How do you know a woman is the right one…you know…the right one to marry."
"I already told you she's the one, now go buy her a ring and be done with it."
He laughed. "Dad; I'm serious."
Robert wiped his hands on a rag and looked across the car at his son. "Let me ask you a few questions, okay?"
"Okay," he said with a nod.
"What was the first thing you thought of this morning?" Robert asked.
Jim thought for a moment. "Johanna."
"Is she always your first thought in the morning?"
He gave a nod. "I'd feel safe in saying yes."
"What's the last thing you think of at night?"
"Johanna," he said without hesitation.
Robert nodded. "When you're having a bad day, who makes it better?"
"Johanna."
"When you're having a good day, who do you want to share it with? Who makes it even better than it was?"
"Johanna," he answered.
"Is she the person who makes you happy?"
"Yes."
"Does she make you laugh?"
"Yes."
"Is she the person you seek comfort from?"
"Yes."
"If she had a problem or was hurting, would you go out of your way to protect her or to solve her problems and take away her pain?"
"Yes, always. I'd do anything I could for her."
"When you think about what you want to do for her, what is it, in a general sense?"
"I want to make her happy, I want to make her feel loved and beautiful and special…I want her to feel every good thing in the world."
Robert smiled a little. "Can you stand the thought of her being with a man who isn't you?"
Jim frowned. "I think we know that the answer to that is no…I did put a dent in Mom's car in a fit of rage about a colleague taking her to lunch and we weren't even dating then."
His father gave a laugh. "That's true; the answer to that questions is a resounding 'hell no'."
"Is that the end of our question and answer segment?"
"No," Robert replied. "One more; close your eyes."
"Close my eyes?"
"Just do it."
Jim closed his eyes reluctantly. "Okay, now what."
"Now, it's five years down the road, who's beside you?"
"What?"
"Focus, Jimmy. It's five years from now, you're still successful, you're a little older, you're more settled…who's standing there beside you when you turn your head to look."
The image formed in his mind. "Johanna."
"Open your eyes."
Jim did as he was told. "Now what?"
"Jimmy, you know a woman is the right one if she's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last person you think of before you go to sleep. She's the one if she makes bad days good and good days even better. She's the one if she makes you happy, if she makes you laugh, if she's the person you seek comfort from. She's the one you're meant to be with if you put her needs and feelings above your own; if you'd go out of your way to protect her, to solve her problems, to take away her pain. She's the one if all you want to do is make her happy. She's the one if you can't stand the thought of her being with someone else…she's the one if you picture the future and see her there with you. Based on your answers, Johanna fits all of those things, doesn't she?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she does."
Robert smiled. "Then Johanna's the one…but deep down, you probably know that, don't you?"
"Yeah…I guess I do…I just like a second opinion sometimes."
"There's nothing wrong with that. May I ask why you're pondering such deep meaningful things like this?"
Jim shifted on his feet and then moved away from the car to go the fridge to grab a beer. "I've just been thinking about things."
"About Johanna being the one?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds like there might be something connected to that."
He opened his bottle of beer and sat down on one of the folding chairs. Robert took his cue and got a beer of his own and then settled down in the other chair. "What is it, Jimmy?"
"I just…I've been thinking…"
"About?"
"Marrying her," he finally admitted aloud.
Robert smiled. "I think that's a wise decision."
"But isn't it too soon to be thinking about marriage?" he asked; a touch of desperation in his voice. "We've only been together for about six months."
"In a dating sense you've been together for six months…but really it's longer than that. The two of you have been in a relationship for a few years, Jimmy. You may have called it friendship but it was love all along. You were there for each other, supported each other, took care of each other. You were always confidants, you depended on each other. There was love…a lot of love…attraction…desire. You've been with Johanna longer than six months. Look at the six months as the 'labeled' time frame; but don't discount the three years that came before it because they were just as important. There's no law that says you have to wait a certain amount of time to be married, now is there?"
"No."
"Then it's not too soon."
Jim raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah; but…"
"But what?"
"We broke up for a week because I got uptight about a joke about marriage. I accused her of rushing us into it…and I feel like I robbed her of any hope of getting married one day. She even came right out and told me that she'd never ask for marriage because she knows I don't want it. How can I go from that to thinking about buying her a ring a few months later?"
"You tell me," Robert replied. "What's been happening in the time between that debacle and now?"
He shrugged. "We've been together…"
"I know, but do you feel like you've grown closer in these months?"
"Yeah…I think we have," he said with a slight nod. "I didn't even think it was possible for us to be any closer but…somehow we are. We've gone through some things and it wasn't always easy but it's like it made us better…."
"What kind of things?" his father asked. "And I'm not asking to be nosy, just to help you understand why the leap can be made."
"I know," Jim replied. "We went through something that made us talk about things…important things."
Curiosity crossed Robert's features and he tried not to pry but he needed to know to help his boy out. "Important things?"
"Yeah," he said as he squeezed the back of his neck.
"Something you don't want to mention?"
He sighed. "It's not really not…didn't Mom tell you what she found out from Natalie?"
"No; your mother hasn't mentioned anything about you that she's heard from Natalie," Robert replied. "What is it?"
"Not long after we got back together, Jo thought she might be pregnant."
His father's eyes widened a bit but he made no lectures or snap judgments. "And you discussed marriage if the test came back positive?"
Jim shook his head. "She didn't tell me when she first discovered there might be a problem. I had to drag it out of her after the fact because of the way she had been acting all that week…and when she told me, I got angry because she didn't tell me in the first place. I stayed mad for a few days…and then finally, I went and talked to her and we talked things out…and we talked about how it wasn't the right time for a baby…but one day it would be."
Robert gave a nod of understanding. "So you've already discussed having a child together one day."
"Yeah…and given what we broke up over, that probably should've sent me running, shouldn't it?"
"Some might think so," his father replied. "But why didn't it?"
"Because…she's the only person I can see myself wanting to have a baby with," he answered quietly.
"So you weren't angry when you learned that there could've been a possibility of a baby?"
"No; I was just angry that she didn't tell me…but I get why she didn't. She was afraid I'd be angry, that I'd leave her…she was thinking about what things would be like if she was pregnant and unmarried. In the end I didn't blame her for being afraid to tell me…if I had been in her shoes, I probably would've felt the same way."
"It is a very scary thing for a woman to face in that situation," Robert replied. "I'm glad you were able to come around to that way of thinking and talked things out with her…and it goes to show that you've been seeing her as a part of your future for awhile if she's the only one you can see yourself having a child with."
"Yeah…that should probably scare me…it should've scared me then."
"But it didn't…because you love her…she's the one."
"It's not too soon?" Jim asked once again.
Robert shook his head. "No, son; it's not too soon. Like I said before, you and Johanna have been together for longer than your officially labeled relationship. It's been three years…it's not too soon at all. But let me ask you something else; is this scare you two had the reason you've been thinking about marriage so seriously at this point in time?"
"Honestly, no. I mean if she had been pregnant we would've been married by the end of the week because I would've demanded it, but it's not that…I thought maybe it was at first but it's not."
"Then what is it?"
Jim took a drink of his beer. "I just hate being away from her, you know? Days when we go home together either to her place or mine, it always feels so right and I never want it to end. I hate it when things keep us apart, like we had plans last night but I ended up having to have a business dinner and I just hated it, I couldn't stand that I had to cancel on her again and I couldn't wait to just go be with her. When she spends the weekend with me, she usually goes home Sunday evening after she has dinner with her mother…but I've been picking her up and convincing her to come back home with me so she stays until Monday morning. I stay with her on Wednesdays…and sometimes Thursday too just because I don't want to be without her. When she's with me, the apartment feels filled…and when she's not, it's just…."
"Empty?" Robert said knowingly.
He nodded. "Yeah…and I hate it. I hate when she's not there. I don't think she likes it either…sometimes she sneaks into my apartment in the middle of the night because she can't sleep…and yet she's always asleep within minutes once she's next to me."
His father smiled. "She feels secure with you; she knows she's safe; you'll take care of her; it lets her sleep easy."
"It's always in my mind though that she wouldn't have to be out in the dark if she'd already been there."
"That's a good point."
"Last night we were watching TV together and it was nice…it's always nice, but there was just something about it that made me think about marrying her because I want every night to be with her."
"Anything else that's making you lean in that direction?"
Jim gave a slight shake of his. "I keep trying to make a big list in my head…and all I keep thinking is that I love her and I want to be with her…that I can't ever see myself feeling this way about someone else."
Robert smiled. "Then maybe you should start letting yourself believe that it's not too soon…that it's okay to be thinking of marrying her. You don't need a big list; the two most important things are there already. You don't have to run out and propose tomorrow, think about it a little more if it'll make you feel better; and if you still feel sure, then start looking for a ring, because I honestly think you're ready; but wait until you're sure you're ready."
"That's the problem; I think I am…and then I think that I shouldn't be because of the things we already discussed, the break up, and the length of time we've been together…but it's still there."
His father nodded. "It's going to keep being there, Jimmy. Your heart wants what it wants…and it wants Johanna. But like I said, think about it a little longer if it'll make you feel better. It doesn't have to be done right away."
Jim gave a sigh; feeling a little more at ease about the topic now that he had discussed it with his father and he figured it was probably time to broach the idea of getting Johanna invited to Thanksgiving dinner. "There's something I might need your help with," he stated.
"What's that?"
He took a drink of his beer and gripped the half empty bottle. "I want to bring Johanna with me to Thanksgiving dinner."
"So bring her," Robert replied. "I don't mind; your brothers and sister won't mind either."
"They're not who concerns me…my mother might mind."
His father chuckled. "What doesn't your mother mind?"
"Good question but I'll let you ask that one. You know that lunch debacle I told you about?"
"When your mother joined the lunch you were having with Johanna and her mother?"
"That's the one."
"Yes; what about it?"
"At that lunch, Mom told Naomi that I could bring Johanna to dinner anytime I wanted…"
Robert grinned. "Well then getting her invited won't be a problem, now will it?"
"Oh I figure it's going to be a little bit of a problem…that's why I was hoping you might want to do your son a favor and you know, kind of ask for me…while I remind her of what she said…"
His father chuckled. "Why have I gotten elected to do the asking?"
"Because…you're so good at making asking sound like a gentle command."
"That's a slick line if I ever heard one," Robert remarked in amusement.
Jim grinned at the older man. "What can I say; I learned from the best."
"I can't deny that," Robert quipped. "Come on, let's finish this car and then we'll go get my future daughter-in-law invited to dinner."
"Dad; don't you think it's a little soon for that title?"
"Just taking it for a test drive given our earlier conversation, son. Don't worry, it won't leave the garage."
"I appreciate that; if I do ask her to marry me sometime soon I want it to be a surprise…I also don't want Mom to have a stroke in advance."
"You have my word of honor," Robert promised. "Everything will work out just fine."
Jim felt trepidation sliding down his spine as he and his father stepped into the dining room where his mother was fussing with the flowers she had placed in a vase on the antique sideboard. "Lizzie," Robert stated as they moved toward her.
"Lunch isn't ready yet," his wife replied as she continued to arrange the flowers. "It's got another twenty minutes."
"I wasn't asking about lunch," he remarked.
Elizabeth eyed her husband and son, a hint of suspicion lighting up her bluish grey eyes. "What are you two up to?"
Robert smiled warmly, his hand slipping around her waist. "We're not up to anything; it's just that Jimmy wants to bring Johanna to Thanksgiving dinner…."
"No! Absolutely not; I will not have that girl at my table!"
"Now, Lizzie," Robert said, his hand curling into her waist. "Don't be that way."
"You said I could bring her to dinner anytime," Jim remarked. "That's what you told me…in front of Johanna's mother."
"I didn't mean it!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Then you shouldn't say things you don't mean," her son replied. "Because I took your word for it…I thought you were being sincere…I mean why would you lie about something so trivial?"
"You knew I didn't mean it!"
"The boy is right," Robert remarked. "If you didn't mean it, you shouldn't have said it. Now you told Jimmy, along with Johanna and her mother that she was welcome to sit down at our table anytime…Jimmy has picked the time he wants. He wants to share Thanksgiving with the woman he loves, he wants her to be apart of our family for the day and you basically already invited her by making the statements that you made. I already told Jimmy that it's fine…he's bringing her to dinner with him and I expect you to behave yourself and treat her kindly while she's a guest in our home…I also expect it outside of our home, but apparently we need to work on that."
Elizabeth glared at him and jerked away from his touch, sweeping across the room to fuss with a vase on a corner stand. "Why isn't she eating with her own family? I find it hard to believe that she'd want to be at our table over her own mother's."
Jim decided that he should embellish the truth a little but he figured it was for a good cause. "Johanna's sister's in-laws invited the family to join them for the holiday."
"So why isn't she going?"
"She doesn't like her sister's in-laws and doesn't want to spend the holiday with them…especially when her brother and his family aren't going to be there. Her grandmother is spending the holiday elsewhere as well so she was going to stay home and eat alone…and I can't have that, Mother. I'm not letting her sit at home by herself on Thanksgiving when she can be here with me…I want her to be here with me. You said I could bring her anytime…I told her she could come with me but she won't unless she knows you're okay with it…so just this once, can't you put aside whatever your issue is and just let me bring her so I can be happy? If she can't come then I'm not coming either because I'm not letting her be alone."
"That's quite a speech you had prepared," his mother said with a scoff.
"Mom; please. I'm not asking for much."
"Seems like it to me. You know I don't like her and yet you want me to share a meal with her."
"You've already shared a meal with her," Jim retorted. "We all had lunch together…it was a disaster but she got over it pretty well…not that I want a repeat of it…I figure in your own home it might go better since you're such a lovely hostess."
"Don't try to suck up to me!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not; I'm being sincere."
"Uh huh; tell her to go with her parents; that's where she belongs."
"Lizzie; you're being ridiculous," Robert remarked. "Johanna's a nice girl; it isn't going to hurt to let her come have dinner with us. I'm sure she has her reasons for not wanting to join her parents…and Jimmy wants to spend the holiday with her. They probably haven't gotten to spend a holiday together as a couple yet; have you?"
"No; not a major one," Jim replied. "Just Halloween."
"Seems fitting," Elizabeth quipped.
"Mother…"
She blew out a breath. "No, Jimmy. I don't like her."
Anger licked his veins. "Only because you won't let yourself. You want to hang on to notions that aren't true; you want to be a snob. She took a lot of crap from you at that lunch, Mother. She kept her mouth shut more than she would've if it had been someone else. You degraded her and humiliated her in front of her mother and yet she still hasn't said a bad word about you for it. I think letting her join us for Thanksgiving would be a nice way for you to apologize for what you did and to show her that you can be open minded and accepting of her presence in my life."
"He has a point, Elizabeth. I do believe you owe Johanna an apology for your behavior…and maybe this would be a way to deliver it without having you choke to death on the words," Robert told her.
"I'm not sorry for anything I said at that lunch," Elizabeth retorted. "And I shouldn't have to let you bring your girlfriend to my home for the holidays."
Jim shoved his hands into his pockets. "Okay; you don't want her here, that's fine…but I'm not going to be here either."
"Oh yes you will!"
He shook his head. "No; I'll be at Johanna's eating with her. Maybe we'll see you next year."
Her eyes widened. "You really won't come without the princess?"
Jim held her gaze. "No; I won't. If she's not welcome, neither am I."
Elizabeth's lips pursed in aggravation as she continued to eye her son. He just wouldn't let that girl get out of his system.
"You let Michael bring Natalie when they were dating," Robert reminded her.
"I don't like her either," she retorted.
"But she's still at the table every other year," Robert said. "You got over it. You also allowed Andrew to bring his girlfriend last year."
"We see how long that relationship lasted," Elizabeth stated.
"Rumor has it that you were the one who sent that girl running," Jim replied. "She told Andrew that she couldn't date a man who's mother so obviously hated her and she didn't relish the idea of being your chosen victim every time your paths crossed."
His mother smiled a little. "It was just as well; that girl was all wrong for Andrew. She was too flighty. Andrew needs a woman who can settle him down not add to his restlessness."
"Andrew's not restless; he's just laidback and carefree," Robert stated. "He needs a compatible companion; not a tyrant to reign him in."
"And don't ever start that business of thinking Johanna's all wrong for me," Jim remarked. "Because she's not; she's just right."
Elizabeth scoffed. "I guess if that's what you want to believe you'll have to learn the hard way."
"So can Johanna and I come for Thanksgiving or not?" Jim asked. "Because if she can't come then I'm staying home with her."
Robert eyed his wife. "I already said she could come…and given that this is my house as much as it is yours, I believe I have the right to tell our children that they can bring whoever they like."
"Fine," Elizabeth retorted; her gaze shifting from her husband to her son. "Bring your little Princess. Maybe it'll make her change her mind about wanting in this family."
"Mother…swear to me you'll be nice to her…please."
"I'll be myself and nothing less," Elizabeth remarked. "She can stay at one end of the table and I'll stay at the other and I'll tell you right now, she is not coming here for Christmas so don't even think about it."
"No problem; we'll go to her mother's for Christmas," he quipped.
Elizabeth glared at him. "You will be here with your own family where you belong."
"Johanna's my family too."
"Did you put a ring on her finger?"
"No."
"Then she's not your family."
Jim eyed her. "That can be easily changed."
"Don't marry her, Jimmy!"
"Mind your own business, Lizzie," Robert said. "He loves her and she loves him; they're a good match and if they want to get married, I'll be more than happy for them."
"Good; you go ahead and be happy, but I won't be. Jimmy; you inform the Princess to mind her manners while she's in my house or she'll be out the door so fast her head will spin."
"You don't have to worry," Jim remarked. "Johanna will be a perfect lady as always. And just so you know in advance; don't get offended when she doesn't eat your pecan pie; she's allergic to pecans."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Sure she is. She's probably just a picky eater."
"Mother; people don't lie about food allergies. She's allergic to them; anything that she thinks about ordering in a restaurant that has nuts on it, she always asks if it has pecans; if it does, she doesn't get it. Her mother and brother have the same allergy."
"Does she eat peanut butter?"
"Yes."
"And she eats other kinds of nuts?"
"Once in awhile but not often. If she has something that has nuts in it, it usually has to do with ice cream."
"If she can eat peanut butter and eat other nuts then she's not allergic to pecans," Elizabeth retorted. "You can't be allergic to just one type of nut."
"Yes you can," Jim said sternly. "I only told you about her allergy so you wouldn't get offended when she turns down the pie in favor of the cherry one Grandma will bring."
"So I guess I'm supposed to cater to Miss Prissy's supposed allergy," Elizabeth said sharply. "And I'm not buying she's allergic to pecans no matter what you say. She's just picky."
"She is not but I'm not going to argue with you about it. Let's just have a nice holiday okay? Don't attack her like you usually do and everything will be fine."
"We'll see," Elizabeth stated. "We'll just see how fine it all goes."
"Your mother will behave herself, Jimmy," Robert remarked as he gave his wife a look. "Because if she doesn't and she starts something with Johanna for no reason; she's not going to have a very peaceful holiday, I guarantee you that."
Elizabeth smirked at both of them. "Sit down and I'll go check on lunch…and I don't want to hear another word about Princess Johanna or Thanksgiving."
Jim kissed her cheek. "Thank you for your gracious invitation; we're looking forward to seeing you."
His mother glared at him. "You're just like your father."
He grinned, his blue eyes gleaming. "Thank you for the compliment."
Robert chuckled as his wife stormed from the room. "Don't worry, Jimmy; I'll settle her down, it'll be fine. You and Johanna will have a nice Thanksgiving with us, you'll see."
Jim smiled and nodded…he hoped it would be a nice Thanksgiving.
Johanna breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled up in front of Jim's parents house and found him and Robert standing on the porch. She had been dreading having to get out of the car and knock on the door to let Jim know she was there. She could just imagine how Elizabeth would've liked seeing her on her doorstep…and she was sure the woman would've made a big deal out of her driving Jim's car. She shook off her thoughts as the men approached the car and she rolled down the window as Robert came to the driver's side. "Hello, Robert," she said with a smile.
"How are you today, dear?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling merrily.
"I'm alright; did you boys behave yourselves today?"
The older man chuckled. "I suppose you could say that although we gave a good effort to find mischief."
Johanna laughed. "I don't doubt that."
"Are you driving home?" Jim asked, capturing her attention.
"Is that my cue to get out and move to the passenger side?" she asked.
"No; I was just wondering if you wanted me to drive."
Johanna glanced at his father. "I think he's lying; I think it's my cue…he doesn't like my driving."
"Is that true, Jimmy?"
Jim shook his head and headed for the passenger side of the car. "Not at all…although sometimes she speeds."
"Who doesn't?" Robert asked. "I remember having to dock your allowance for a few speeding tickets."
Johanna laughed. "The truth comes out; you speed too Mr. Law of the Road."
Jim smirked at her. "Don't get too cocky, Sassy. I saw how you get out of speeding tickets."
Robert chuckled as he looked at Johanna. "Use a little feminine charm do you?"
She shrugged. "Not too much.
"More than necessary," Jim remarked. "She puts so much sugar in her voice it's a wonder that cop in Virginia didn't melt on the spot."
"Can I help it if he was easily flattered?" she asked.
Jim scoffed. "Don't forget the halter top…I'm sure that went a long with him. He spent a good amount of time looking at it instead of your face."
"The same could be said about you," Johanna replied without missing a beat; making his father laugh in response.
"I don't doubt that at all," Robert remarked. "It's a man's nature to admire."
"What's a woman's nature?" she couldn't help but ask.
"It's a woman's nature to let him if she so chooses."
She smiled. "There's no denying that the two of you are related; you're just like each other."
"Oh I don't know," Robert stated. "I think Jimmy might belong to the milk man."
Johanna shook her head. "He looks too much like you and Mrs. Beckett isn't the milk man type of woman."
"You don't think?"
"No…the way she acts I'm surprised she has children at all."
Robert grinned. "I'd say something about that but I don't want to scar either one of you with details you don't want to know."
Jim shuddered. "Please don't."
"Don't worry, son; you're safe. We're looking forward to you coming to Thanksgiving dinner, Johanna."
Johanna's smile faltered. "What?"
"I told you that you were coming with me," Jim stated. "You knew I was telling them today."
"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it!" she exclaimed.
Jim smiled. "Sweetheart, you should know me better than that."
She sighed. "I really don't think it's a good idea for me to come here, although I appreciate the invitation, Robert."
"Nonsense," the older man said. "Why shouldn't you come?"
Johanna eyed him. "Your wife hates me."
"Lizzie's fine with the idea," he replied. "Jimmy and I talked to her about it and she said you could come."
"Uh huh; which one of you was holding her down when you got her to say that?"
"No force needed," Jim remarked. "We had a pretty easy talk about it and it's fine and you're coming."
"We'll discuss it later," she stated; her tone hinting that she wasn't all that pleased with the idea.
Robert bumped her shoulder with his knuckles. "If you don't come, I'll feel offended…you don't want to offend an old man, now do you?"
She smiled. "I don't see any old men around."
"Are you trying to charm me like I'm one of those traffic cops you use your wiles on?" he asked.
"Depends; did it work?"
"Nope; I'm old enough to have built up a small immunity to fluttering lashes, even if they are attached to a pair of beautiful green eyes. You're invited, you're welcome here, Jimmy wants you to spend the holiday with him, so you just go ahead and get your pretty little head wrapped around the idea."
Her brow rose and she glanced to Jim. "You've been told," he stated. "I wouldn't go against him…I know from personal experience that he can be a harsh disciplinarian if he needs to be."
"But he's not my father."
"I'm practically your father-in-law," Robert quipped. "It's almost the same thing."
"Dad!" Jim exclaimed.
Johanna patted Jim's knee. "Don't worry, honey; I've completely disregarded the statement. As for Thanksgiving; we'll discuss it at home."
He gave a nod. "Let's go."
"Jimmy; you make sure she doesn't wiggle out of this," Robert told him.
"I won't; she'll be here on Thanksgiving; don't you worry."
Robert chuckled and leaned in the window to press a fatherly kiss against Johanna's head. "You be a good girl now and do as you're told this once. I promise everything will be fine and Lizzie will be on her best behavior."
She smiled. "See you later, Robert…try to stay out of trouble."
"I'll do my best," he quipped. "Keep my boy out of trouble."
"I'll try," she promised before rolling up the window and pulling away from the curb with a wave.
They were silent for a few minutes as she navigated the streets but finally she broke the silence. "I really don't think it's a good idea," Johanna stated.
"Why?"
"I should think it's obvious."
"It's fine," Jim assured. "We talked to Mom and she said you could come."
"What did she say?"
"She said I could bring you."
"Exact words, Jim."
He sighed. "I believe her exact words were "Fine, bring her."
"Jim," she said as she side eyed him.
"She said, "Fine, bring the princess"."
Johanna breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. "Definitely not a good idea."
"Why not?" Jim asked. "She said I could bring you."
"Jim; she won't even use my name!"
"She said your name today…and princess isn't such a bad nickname if she has to give you one, now is it?"
"It's a very sarcastic princess," she retorted.
"Well sometimes you're sarcastic…and you're like royalty in my eyes…I'm even willing to buy you a tiara."
"Should I wear it to Thanksgiving dinner?"
He shook his head. "I wouldn't…it would only bait her. We'd save it at for at home…during our alone time."
"I'm not even going to ask where that train of thought is going," Johanna stated.
He smiled. "The train is going to a happy place."
"You better rein in the happy train because I'm not sure about this idea of me going with you to Thanksgiving dinner. I bought the stuff to make my own dinner and I'm not sure I'm comfortable going to your mother's knowing how she feels about me. I know you and your father probably brow beat her into accepting this idea and it's just going to be a problem once I get there."
Jim blew out a breath. "Johanna…"
"Here it comes," she muttered.
"Here what comes?"
"Your annoyance," she answered. "You always call me Johanna when you're annoyed; any other time it's Jo."
He cut her a look. "It's not the only time I call you Johanna and you know it."
"I don't count when we're in bed," she remarked flippantly.
"I do," he stated. "I count it more than anything."
"Let's not get started on that topic," Johanna said as she stopped for a light.
"Fine; we'll go back to the original one. I was about to say that I want you to go with me. If you're not going to be with your family then you should be with me…I want you at dinner with me. I didn't brow beat my mother; she's fine."
She shot him a skeptical gaze before the light changed. "Don't you think it's kind of a lot of pressure to have my first meal with your family on Thanksgiving?"
"No; a lot of people use holidays to get that out of the way."
"Is that what this is?" she asked. "You feel like I need to have dinner with your family and you want to get it out of the way? Because I have to tell you, lunch with your mother was enough to last me for awhile."
"It's not going to be like that this time; I promise."
"I don't know," she said hesitantly. "Can I just think about it for awhile?"
"You can think about it…as long as your answer is yes," Jim replied.
"Jim," she sighed.
"Sweetheart; you know you'd rather go with me."
"Yes; if your mother didn't hate me."
"Dad will make sure she minds her manners; it'll be okay…please say you'll go with me. It'll be our first Thanksgiving together…isn't it time we had Thanksgiving together?"
Johanna exhaled a weighted breath as she pulled up in front of her building. "I'll think about it…that's all I'm willing to give at the moment, okay? Let me see if I can convince myself and gather the nerve to actually walk into her house and sit down at her table."
"Okay," Jim relented. "If that's all I can get for now, I'll take it…and work on convincing you."
"Fair enough," she told him. "For now let's just go get ready to go out to dinner…so you can make up for canceling last night's date."
He chuckled. "Alright, sweetheart; holiday talk is shelved for the rest of the evening."
Johanna smiled. "Good; I want to enjoy the night," she replied; thinking to herself that the possible nightmare would come soon enough.
As the days passed and Thanksgiving drew near, Jim was beginning to lose hope of convincing Johanna to join him at his mother's for dinner. He kept after her about it, introducing it as a topic of conversation anytime a moment presented itself. He had promised her a hundred times that it wouldn't be the terrible experience that she clearly kept envisioning. Johanna in return kept telling him that she'd think about it…and he couldn't help but note that she'd been thinking about it for days. Judging by her stalling and the turkey thawing in her refrigerator, Jim had a strong feeling that her answer was a no.
He frowned as he sat across the table from her as they ate lunch at one of their favorite diners. The thought of showing up at his mother's without her wasn't pleasant…he could already imagine Elizabeth Beckett's smirk and the barrage of comments about the invitation being snubbed. She'd bring it up forever…and she wouldn't hesitate to throw it in Johanna's face anytime their paths crossed. The thought was enough to make him shudder and renew his efforts in persuading her. He wasn't above using guilt as a last resort…and given that it was Tuesday afternoon of the holiday week, guilt was the only card he had left to play.
"Jo," he said; breaking through whatever it was she had been pondering so seriously as she finished her French fries.
Her gaze flicked to his, a sheepish smile coming to her lips. "Sorry, honey; I was trying to prepare my closing argument in my mind. For some reason this one doesn't seem to be coming as easily as the others…it seems so cut and dry that I don't have much to work with but I'm afraid of leaving something unexplained and giving the jury a reasonable doubt."
Jim shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I was thinking too. You'll do just fine once you get started…seems to me that some of your best arguments have come to you on the fly. Don't over think it or you will psych yourself out."
Johanna gave him an appreciative smile and stole a fry from his plate. "You're right; over thinking doesn't do it any good. I like to have a basic script in mind but sometimes it doesn't always work out that way."
"No it doesn't," he agreed; seeing an opening; "And speaking of over thinking…"
She tried not to grimace but she couldn't help it; she knew what was coming. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend Thanksgiving with Jim; she did…she just didn't want to spend it with his mother anymore than she had wanted to spend it with her sister's in-laws. She couldn't seem to win; she could either go to her mother's and most likely be miserable while putting up with the snotty Westons or she could go with Jim and be miserable putting up with bitchy Elizabeth. She'd much rather just stay home and make her own meal. She didn't mind eating alone; she ate dinner alone a few times a week, it wasn't a big deal. "Jim…I think I know where this is headed," she stated as she reached for her soda.
"Most likely," he replied. "But I'm going there anyway. I know you're hesitant about going to dinner with me at my parents, but sweetheart; it's not going to be a problem. You can't let her scare you or she wins."
Johanna's brow rose. "Your mother doesn't scare me; I just respect her hatred of me."
"She said you could come…and if I go there on Thursday and you're not with me after she said I could bring you, I'm never going to hear the end of it and it's going to be another black mark against you in her book. You'll be shunning the invitation of the family and she'll never shut up about it. I'll have to listen to it all through dinner…do you want to put me through that? Not to mention the fact that she'll bring it up anytime she sees you…do you want to deal with that?"
She blew out a breath as she eyed him. "You're guilt tripping me?"
Jim shrugged. "It's all I have left…but it's all true just the same. She'll never let it go if you don't come."
"She'll never let it go if I do," Johanna remarked. "She's still mad that I went the birthday parties of Mikey, Danny and Angie."
"That's none of her business; it's not her house…and you'll be there in December for Alicia's; unless you have something more important to do on that date."
"Jim, how can I go there knowing she hates me, knowing that she's probably going to make some comment about me having a holiday meal with your family and how you haven't spent a holiday with mine?"
"I already took care of that," he replied. "I told her we're going to your mother's for Christmas."
"What!?"
"What?" Jim asked. "You don't want me to go with you on Christmas?"
Surprise was still written across her features. "I don't even know if I'm going!" she exclaimed. "It depends on who my mother invites."
He gave a quiet laugh. "I didn't say it actually had to happen, Jo. I just told my mother that."
"No; it's fine," she replied; feeling anxiety build within her. "You can go to my mother's for Christmas…you want to meet my father anyway; may as well get it over with. I'll tell my mother you're coming with me, it won't be a problem…although I usually spend the night there on Christmas Eve…she's not about to let me share a room with you in her house so I'll go back to my place after midnight mass and get up early and go back to my mother's…you could just meet me there later in the day…but if you're going to do that I may as well stay there..."
"Johanna," he said, trying to head off her rambling as he took note of her foot tapping under the table.
She sighed. "I suddenly hate holidays…why is it so much pressure!"
"Because you're making it that way," he told her. "Listen; I didn't mean to invite myself; we don't have to go to your mother's for Christmas; you go to yours, I'll go to mine we'll meet up afterwards."
Johanna shook her head. "After you already told your mother that you were spending Christmas with me? What would you tell her? No matter what you say she's going to think it's a lie; she thinks I'm hiding you from my family and I'm not…its just this 'first time as a couple' thing is kind of stressful on the holidays; I mean you already have to put up with the nuts you're related to and whatever amount of crazy they bring to the table and then you're supposed to introduce the sane, unblemished person you love into the mess and it's just…who does that!? How do people do that? I have never taken someone home with me for a holiday. Never. Of course my past isn't that extensive and no one I was seeing could ever hope to be on par with you and of course I'll take you, I don't want you to get the wrong impression, I want to spend every day with you. I just…"
Her words were cut off as Jim picked up a forkful of cake and shoved it into her mouth. "Stop," he told her. "For God's sake stop doing that."
"Stop doing what?" she asked after swallowing.
"That thing you were just doing," he replied. "What's the proper term for it…freaking out?"
"I think I have a right to freak out," she retorted. "This is all getting thrown at me so suddenly and I don't know how to handle it, okay? I know how your mother feels about me; your sister doesn't seem to care much for me given the way she acted the last time I saw her. After the way things went down during our vacation I kind of feel awkward about seeing Michael and Natalie again…and then with Christmas…I just worry about my father being a complete and total jackass to you because you're the person I love. I know it sounds terrible to think the worst of him…but he doesn't give me much choice. I know it needs to be done and if Christmas is the chosen time, that's okay…maybe it'll distract my mother from the fact that I'm sticking to my word and not getting my father a gift…just like I didn't get him anything for his birthday. I didn't even go over there."
Jim blew out a breath; he hadn't realized she was so uptight about family holidays…wasn't he supposed to be the uptight one? He kind of thought he had cornered the market on the job. "Listen; I'll make you a deal," he told her. "You go to Thanksgiving dinner with me, and if it isn't the complete disaster that you imagine, then we'll go to your mother's together for Christmas. If Thanksgiving is a disaster, then we'll hold off on having Christmas at your mother's until next year, okay?"
Johanna sighed. "I hate to say this, but I don't want to have dinner with your mother…I'm sorry."
Frustration licked his veins. "Really? You can't do this one thing for me?" he asked tartly. "I don't think I ask much of you, Johanna. I don't complain when I have to wait five extra minutes when I'm picking you up because you're not ready. When we broke up and got back together I let you institute your every other weekend rule for where we stay. I let you off the hook all the time when it comes to meeting your father. I let you talk me into taking Greg along on our date when he got dumped on you without warning…and believe me; I didn't want to do that at first either. You've taken me to your grandmother's once and that's been the end of involvement with your family and I don't say a word about it but maybe my mother is right in this instance. Maybe I do give more when it comes to including you with my family than you are…and yet I don't complain, because I don't really care…but I care about this. I want you to go to dinner with me. All I'm asking for is one meal, not a blood donation."
Johanna's gaze dropped to her plate; his words stung and she couldn't help but feel like he was playing dirty…especially when he claimed not to be bothered by something but was using it against her anyway. She felt like her back was against the wall though. "Alright," she said softly. "I'll go…and no matter how it goes, you'll have Christmas dinner with me at my mother's."
"Fine," he replied with a tense smile; knowing that he'd played the right cards…but feeling a twinge of guilt for it.
She took a sip of her soda and then released a breath of resignation…Thanksgiving with Elizabeth Beckett it was…God help her. "What time will you pick me up?"
"I'll already be with you; you know I stay with you on Wednesday nights."
Johanna gave a nod. "What time will we be leaving?"
"Dinner is usually around 4:30 or 5 but I usually go over around noon to watch the football games with Dad and my brothers."
Way too many hours to be under the same roof with Elizabeth, Johanna thought to herself; and really, what did he expect her to do while he was with his father and brother being a typical man? "I see…and what am I supposed to do while you're engaged in male bonding?"
"The women usually congregate in the kitchen," Jim answered.
"Uh huh…and if your mother doesn't want me in the kitchen with her?"
He shrugged. "Then you'll stay with me and watch the game."
She somehow managed to refrain from rolling her eyes; he seemed to think that just because she had been a high school cheerleader that there must be some love of the game of football in her…and there wasn't. What had been there in her school days was the desire to wear the cheerleading uniform and to learn the dances and cheers. She hadn't given a damn about the game; she didn't even understand all of it.
"The kids going to be there?" she asked for confirmation.
"Of course."
"Where will they be?"
"In Dad's den; there's a TV in there and their toys are in there."
Johanna nodded. "I'll be in the den with the kids."
Jim gave her a smile. "Don't worry so much; I'm sure you'll be included with the rest of the women. Everything will be fine, you'll see."
She pasted a smile on her face that she hoped looked convincing. "I'm sure it will be…do we need to bring anything?"
"Bring anything?"
"Yeah; you know, like food? Some people ask the guests to bring certain things to take the stress of the hostess."
Jim shook his head. "Don't bring anything; she'd get offended…and then things wouldn't be alright at all."
"A simple we don't do that would've sufficed," Johanna remarked. "But while we're on the topic; anything else I need to do to avoid offense with your mother?"
He breathed deeply. "Just…"
"Just what?"
"Just try not to let her get to you…don't engage in battle."
"Okay," she replied; making a mental note that she was to be a doormat. "Anything else?"
"Don't compliment her too much or she'll think you're lying."
"I don't see that being an issue," Johanna replied. "I'll tell her that the meal was good and thank her for the invitation but I draw the line there, I'm not kissing her ass."
Jim shook his head. "Definitely don't do that. Just be yourself and don't worry too much and…you know…if she makes a few small little remarks, maybe you can pretend not to hear them."
"Fine," she replied. "I'll stay out of her way as much as possible to make my presence less painful for her."
"I'm sure it's going to be fine," he stated. "It's just a few hours, Dad will be there and she'll be busy…it'll be fine."
Johanna eyed him. "Who are you trying to convince; me or you?"
"I'm convinced," he stated. "I have faith in her."
She smiled and nodded as if she believed that…but she didn't; and she knew that deep down inside he didn't believe it either…but into the woods she'd go.
Johanna berated herself Thursday morning as her hand trembled while swiping the mascara across her lashes; Elizabeth Beckett shouldn't have this power over her…and yet she apparently did. She recapped her mascara and closed her eyes; it wasn't just Elizabeth though; Jim's whole family would be there, minus his brother William and she didn't feel all that comfortable with seeing Madelyn again given the way things had gone between them at the cabin during the summer. She felt awkward about seeing Michael and Natalie too due to that same summer debacle…it was a good thing the three oldest kids had celebrated their birthdays before the summer or she wouldn't have gone to any birthday parties. It wasn't that she was holding any grudge against them; she liked Michael and Natalie…she just hadn't liked how they suddenly had a problem with her and Jim's relationship once they were all under one roof. She didn't like how they had implied that she and Jim couldn't control themselves and would allow the children to see something they shouldn't. It was silly but the accusation had hurt her feelings and left her feeling out of sorts about seeing them again…and she hadn't seen them since the summer.
Johanna breathed deeply and exhaled slowly; Michael, Natalie and Madelyn were only minor worries though. Her biggest worry did indeed lie with Elizabeth. The woman hated her, there was no rhyme or reason to it, no logical one anyway and there was clearly nothing she could do to change it. She wasn't one of those people who felt like everyone had to like her; for the most part she didn't care who disliked her…but Elizabeth was different. Elizabeth was Jim's mother…and since she hoped to be with Jim for as long as he'd have her, Elizabeth was going to pop up from time to time and she'd really rather not dread it. Her boyfriend's mother seemed to thrive on being dreaded though…and she couldn't help but wonder what tricks Lizzie might have up her sleeve.
How was she supposed to get through this? Would Elizabeth use dinner as an opportunity to tell the rest of the family the details of personal life? She was still upset by the fact that Elizabeth had knowledge of her pregnancy scare…and she was still hurt that the woman had seen fit to inform her mother of it. She didn't want to fight with her today; she didn't want to embarrass herself or Jim with that sort of behavior, especially when she was a guest in their family home.
She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror; she didn't want to go. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would come from it and she hoped to God that it wouldn't be something that would set her and Jim back ten steps. Things had been going so well between them…some new level of depth achieved in their relationships ever since her scare. They'd had some serious conversations; deepened their connection, grew even closer. She didn't want anything to jeopardize that.
"Are you ready yet?" Jim asked as he stepped into her bedroom. "It's almost noon."
Johanna glanced at her watch. "It's only 11:35."
"There's traffic to consider," he remarked. "The game will be starting by the time we get there."
"Nothing's going to happen in the first five minutes; they have to sing the national anthem, flip their little coin and line up in the center of the field so they can run right into the horde of people who want to take the ball off of them. I mean, really, why does a player who has the ball run straight into a mass of opposing players when there's space on either side of them to run through? It makes no sense."
Jim squeezed his forehead. "I've explained the game to you, Sweetheart."
"You might have explained it but it still doesn't make sense."
He released a breath that seemed to carry the air of male suffering at the fact that the woman before him couldn't understand what seemed to him to be a very simple game. "I'll go over it with you again another day," he told her. "It's really not that complicated"
Johanna shrugged. "It seems like it to me…and it's too long. They stop the clock every three seconds; it gets annoying. If they didn't do that, it wouldn't take them hours to play 4 innings."
"Quarters, sweetheart. Football has a quarters, baseball has innings…how do you not know this; you were a cheerleader!"
"I told you; I didn't care about the game," she said with a wave of her hands.
"Then why be a cheerleader?"
"Because I liked the outfit and I liked the idea of cheering. It was fun and it gave me something to do…and when I started high school I was looking for a way to fit in and cheerleading helped with that. I loved being a cheerleader; especially my first year when Frankie was playing. It was fun to cheer for him when he'd make touchdowns; it made us a little closer. But I didn't give a damn about the game."
"Obviously."
She rolled her eyes. "Forgive me for being illiterate when it comes to sports…it just wasn't my thing with the exception of a few gymnastics classes when I got tired of taking ballet."
"You took ballet?"
"Yes; from the ages of four to thirteen. I got tired of it after that and Colleen was making it into some type of competition about who could get the most praise so I moved on to gymnastics and she moved on to tap."
"Gymnastics?"
"Yeah but only for a year; Dad didn't really like the idea of it…but by then I knew how to do a lot of flips and tumbling and all of that and it came in handy when I took up cheerleading."
"Cheering for a game you don't even like."
Johanna sighed. "I just wanted to make friends and look cute in the uniform, okay? I was a teenage girl, I wanted to feel pretty and somewhat popular…the popularity thing didn't work out like I thought and wanting to feel pretty was just typical teenage vanity that I got over quickly."
Jim smiled. "You look more than just cute in that uniform."
"I'm glad you cherish that memory."
"I do…and you still haven't answered my question. Are you ready?"
She looked in the mirror and frowned as she smoothed a hand over her plum colored dress. "Do I look alright?"
"You look fine…you looked fine in the other four outfits you've had on today."
Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at him. "I don't want to wear something that your mother will consider slutty."
"As long as she can't see your lingerie, you're fine."
"You think my lingerie is slutty?"
"No!" Jim exclaimed. "I'm just saying you don't need to worry about your damn clothes. You're fine. The dress is perfectly acceptable; you're beautiful as always. Put your shoes on, get your purse and your coat and let's go!"
"You don't have to yell," Johanna retorted. "I just want to make a good impression for you."
"Quit worrying so much about this," Jim remarked. "You're driving yourself crazy. It's a dinner, what's the worse that can happen?"
"That's what I'm afraid of finding out," she replied as she shoved her feet into a pair of heels and grabbed her purse. "But I promise I'm not going to do anything that can be construed as starting trouble. I'm not going to embarrass you."
Jim blew out a breath and gently caught hold of her as she went to move past him to get to the door. "You never embarrass me," he stated. "I'm sorry if I've somehow put that thought in your head."
"You haven't…I've put it there along with a hundred other thoughts but I promise I'm going to do my best today. I don't want it to be like our lunch date was."
"It won't be," he told her. "Dad has made her promise to be on her best behavior; it's all under control."
Johanna nodded and brushed a kiss against his lips. "Okay…let's go get it over with."
He laughed quietly. "It'll fly by; you'll see. I'm sure Angie will bring her Barbie dolls…you can play with her to pass the time."
She smirked at him. "Playing Barbies with Angie sounds like the highlight of the day so far."
Jim took her and gently pulled her across the threshold of her room. "Don't over think it, Sweetheart; by tonight you'll be wondering why you worried at all."
"At least we can hope so," Johanna remarked as she paused at the closet to grab her coat; but privately she wasn't anywhere near convinced.
…to be continued