"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we haven't even been together a week yet and we're already fighting".

"More importantly, we're making up".

"Jonathan! I'm serious".

"I am too. It was an argument. And I'm sure it won't be the last one we have."

"I'm just saying, I don't want us to argue all the time. I mean, I finally feel like I have a voice, and I know that I can speak up for myself and hold my own, I just don't want to have to do that with you".

"I don't want to argue with you either. But I know that if we do argue, we'll get through it".

He kissed her forehead.

"And I also know that at some point, we won't be living 3 hours away from each other".

"Hopefully sooner, rather than later".

She kissed him and then went and opened the fridge.

"Want me to make you dinner?"

"Later, baby".

He picked her up and closed the fridge and then carried her to the bedroom, with her laughing the whole way.

***Later that night***

Jonathan and Jennifer were in bed. They had just made love 3 times, and were just enjoying laying in each other's arms.

"Do you have any big plans this weekend?"

"Yeah. To spend it with you".

"I know that, silly. I mean plans for you and me".

"We can do whatever you want".

"Darling, why don't you call Jack, and tell him you're staying overnight? I'll call my boss and take tomorrow off and we can fly back to LA in the morning together".

"I can do that".

She climbed out of bed and put a nightgown on, while he called Jack.

He came and found her in the kitchen putting the flowers in the vase.

"Jack said we can fly out in the morning".

"Wonderful".

She grabbed the phone and called and left a voicemail for her boss that she wouldn't be in the next day.

She set the flowers on the tv stand, and then returned to him in the kitchen.

He was looking through the menus she had in the drawer.

"Taco Rio?"

"Yes please".

She wrote down her order and he called it in. She poured herself a glass of wine, and got him a glass of water, and then they headed back to the bedroom.

She wedged herself behind him and gave him a back rub while he watched tv.

"Baby, if you want me to stay awake long enough to eat dinner with you and cuddle with you, this isn't the way to do it".

"Darling, your shoulders are so tense".

"Oh yeah…right there…..oh that feels amazing".

She used deep pressure and really worked his shoulder knots out. He managed to stay awake somehow.

Their dinner arrived, so they gave it a rest and went and answered the door.

They decided to eat in bed, so she got them all set up and he found them a movie to watch.

They had just finished eating, when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Miss Edwards, it's me, Max. I hate to bother you and Mr. H., but he gave me your number in case of emergency, and he just got an emergency phone call from the office. Is he where I can speak with him?"

"Yeah, hang on. He's right here".

She passed the phone to him.

"Hello? Hey Max….oh I see. Ok, thanks".

He hung up and quickly dialed a number.

"Sorry, darling. This will only take a minute".

"No problem".

He talked for a few minutes and then hung up.

"Everything ok?"

"No, actually. Max told me that someone from the office called. So, I called them back. Hart Industries was doing a deal with someone I was in the Navy with. He started out as my sergeant, and then he became my mentor and my friend. His name was Henry Ridenhoiser, and he was absolutely brilliant, in many areas. After he retired from the Navy, he started an engineering firm that quickly became a success, mainly dealing in rebuilding and reconfiguring large electronics. He came to me about 6 months ago and told me he was thinking of selling, and asked me if I was interested. I told him I was and we agreed to talk when the time was right, which ended up being 2 weeks ago. His wife came home last night and found him. He had a massive heart attack-the widow maker, they call it. She called the office to let me know what the arrangements were".

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry".

He wiped a tear away, as he gathered their trash and took it to the kitchen and threw it away.

He came back to bed and climbed in and put his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him and just held him.

"I know how hard it is to hear your mentor died".

"Yeah, it sucks".

"Tell me what you're thinking".

"I'm thinking that I'm only 40, and he was only 52".

"Well, that's not that big of an age gap. But honey, we don't know if genetics played a role in this or not."

"It's a longshot that it did, but I suppose it could have".

"Why do you think it's a longshot?"

She lightly scratched his back and played with his hair while they were talking.

"Because, I remember while we were in the Navy, we ate about 10 meals together every week. Probably more than that. And when I got out of the Navy, we would meet for dinner every couple of months or so. And at every meal, extra salt and a big bowl of gravy were his two favorite staples. And he was always very quick to admit that he was allergic to exercise. There's a legend that says he paid his way through bootcamp."

She chuckled.

"Jonathan, you are younger than he was, you are more physically fit than it sounds like he was, and if genetics played a part in this for him, there's nothing you can do to avoid that".

"I feel like one of my parents has died".

Jennifer didn't know what to say. She just held him and loved on him all night long till they fell asleep.

***The next day***

They woke up around 7, and Jennifer quickly packed a bag for the weekend.

They stopped and picked up breakfast and then headed to the airport.

Jonathan was like a statue, quiet and sad. She had never seen him like this.

He barely said two words to Jack as they boarded the plane.

Jack pulled Jennifer to the side.

"Is he ok?"

"No, he's not. He's suffered a loss and it's still fresh".

"Got it".

She went and sat by him, and they took off shortly afterwards.

She laced her fingers through his and patted the back of his hand.

"When we get to the house, I'm going to shower and then head to the office for a bit and see if this deal can be saved. I won't be gone long".

"Want me to go with you?"

"Oh, that's ok. I won't be able to concentrate if you do".

They landed, and exited the plane, and then headed to Jonathan's house.

His house was one-story, ranch style, and had 4 bedrooms. Max had one bedroom and bath at one end of the house, and Jonathan had one at the other. There was one guest room, and one office. Jennifer felt comfortable in his house, because it was so homey and cozy.

They pulled up into the garage and parked and went inside.

Jonathan carried their bags to the bedroom.

"Hey you two".

"Hey Max".

Jennifer went to him and hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Hiya Miss Edwards".

"Hey Max".

"Hey Mr. H."

Jennifer followed Jonathan to the bedroom. He had that look in his eye and she knew what that meant.

As soon as the door was closed, he took her in his arms and kissed her with enough passion to straighten her hair.

She returned the kiss as she fumbled with his belt buckle.

"We have to be quiet", he murmured against her lips.

"That just makes it hotter", she murmured in response.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. H., you want I should make you two breakfast?"

He sighed.

"No Max, we already ate".

He kissed Jennifer again, and started unbuttoning her top.

"Mr. H., you got a phone call. Call the office and speak with Deanne".

He sighed.

"Ok Max, thank you".

Jennifer put her hand on his chest.

"Honey, he obviously wants to talk to you. We can do this later".

"It's Friday. He usually goes to the track on Fridays. We will have the whole house to ourselves this afternoon. Think you can hold out till then?"

"I'm sure I can".

She kissed him and then leaned against his chest while he called his office.

They spoke for a few minutes and then he and Jennifer headed to the kitchen for some more coffee.

Jennifer and Max stayed in the kitchen while Jonathan went and showered.

"Mr. H. ok?"

"No, he's not. The emergency call from the office last night was about his Navy Sargent Henry passing away. It's really shook him up".

"I hate to hear that. I know how special he was to Mr. H."

"Yeah, he really was".

Jennifer poured a cup of coffee for Jonathan and then took it to him.

He was just finished getting dressed.

"Brought you a refill".

"Thanks".

He took a nice long gulp and then set it down.

"Can you check this tie?"

"Certainly".

She straightened his tie and then kissed him.

"Perfectly handsome".

"So, the arrangements are visitation tonight, services tomorrow. I hate to interrupt our weekend but I feel as if I should go".

"I completely understand. Want me to go with you?"

"Sure, that'd be nice".

"Where did he live?"

"Oregon. But the services are here in Los Angeles, because he only moved to Oregon two years ago. He wanted to be buried here in Los Angeles, near his parents".

"That's sweet".

He went and got a garment bag out of his closet and then held his hand out to her. She took it and they headed to the kitchen.

"Max, can you take this and drop it off at the cleaners? Same day service, please".

"Sure, Mr. H."

"I'll be back in a couple of hours".

Jennifer and Jonathan walked out to the garage.

"Bye honey".

She leaned up and kissed him a few times.

"Bye darling. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can get back".

"I'll be fine".

She gave him a few more kisses and then he headed out and she went back inside.

Jennifer spent a relaxing morning in the backyard on the hammock getting some sun while she waited for Jonathan.

He was back by lunch time, and had picked up lunch for the both of them.

She was just coming back inside when she saw he was home.

"Hi handsome".

"Hi. You look all sweaty".

"I was just lying on your hammock".

She went to him and kissed him.

"So, there's this new wrap place that just opened up across from my office. I got you a loaded veggie wrap, and their house dressing on the side".

"Sounds wonderful".

They had a nice lunch and were about to cuddle up on the couch when Max came in and told them he was going to the track.

"I'll be back later, Mr. H. Your suit will be delivered by 5".

"Perfect, Max. Thank you".

As soon as he left, Jonathan turned the tv to a soft music channel.

He and Jennifer were like wild animals. They couldn't get each other's clothes off fast enough.

They made love on the couch, on top of the piano, on the washing machine. They finally took it to the bedroom and did it a few times in bed, before they were both exhausted.

"I feel like we are in high school, and my father is at work and we are sneaking around".

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hated that I was kind of short with him this morning, but I swear, he always knows when I want to be alone and that's when he has to talk to me".

"He means well. You and I can have sex anytime, Jonathan. He won't be around forever".

"You're right. I need to be more patient".

She leaned over and set the alarm on his nightstand and then they took a short nap together.

The alarm sounded all too quickly for both of them.

Jennifer got up first and got a quick shower, and then Jonathan jumped in behind her.

She put on a purple sweater and some black pants and some modest black pumps that she had brought in case they went out to dinner at a nice place.

Jonathan looked very sharp in his best suit, and put on a blue tie that Jennifer hadn't seen before.

"When I left the Navy, Hawk, that's Henry's nickname, gave me this tie. He looked me square in the eye and told me "Son, a job interview can be a failure from the start if you don't have a good tie on". I've never forgotten that. I've never held it against someone if they had on a bad tie, but I always thought about it".

She straightened his tie and then kissed him.

She put both hands on his chest.

"You can do this. He's in a better place, now".

He nodded and kissed her again.

They headed to the kitchen and left a note for Max.

Jennifer went and checked the front door and found that his suit had been delivered.

She quickly ran and hung it up in his closet and then came back.

They got in the car and headed to the visitation. She laced her fingers through his as they drove along.

He pulled them into a parking spot, and then came and opened the door for her.

They held hands as they walked inside and got in line to go in.

"Jonathan, hi. What are you doing here?"

He turned around.

"Hi. Darling, this is James Sterling, and his wife Laura. This is my girlfriend Jennifer Edwards".

"Hello, it's lovely to meet you".

"Hi, likewise".

"How did you know Henry?"

"He was a good friend of my father's. They lived next door to each other for about 10 years. How did you know him?"

"He and I were in the Navy together. He was my mentor".

"Small world".

"Yeah, it is. He was a good man".

"Sure was".

Just then, another woman and her husband walked up.

"Jonathan, what are you doing here?"

"Hi. Darling, this is Dr. Susan Kendall, and her husband, Drew. Susan, Drew, this is my girlfriend Jennifer Edwards".

"Hi, it's lovely to meet you".

"Lovely to meet you as well".

"Susan, how did you know Henry?"

"She didn't know him. I did. He gave me my first job, when I was first starting out".

"Small world. He was my Sargent and mentor in the Navy".

They all stood in line together and shared Henry stories as they moved up in the line.

"So, how long have you two been together?"

"We've known each other for a few months, but we've only been official for about a week or so".

"Wait, are you saying that you were with Jennifer when we tried to set you up with Fallon? If so, I apologize. I had no idea".

"No, I'm not saying that. I wasn't with Jennifer then, I was just wishing I was. But even if I didn't know Jennifer at all, Fallon and I wouldn't have worked out".

"She's sweet, but she's hard to get to know".

"If you want to pass along some advice to her, tell her to start with dialing down her aggressiveness to about a 5. The night I met her she was pegging somewhere around a 940".

Susan chuckled.

"I'll find a way to subtly tell her".

As soon as they got into the chapel, Jennifer took a seat and waited for Jonathan to pay his respects.

It was open casket, and that always skeeved her out, big time.

She was filled with pride though, when she saw him saluting Henry in his casket.

Susan came and sat with Jennifer, and so did Laura.

"So, how did you and Jonathan meet?"

"I was living in New York, and he owned the paper I worked for. I'm a journalist. And I wrote an article that exposed some members of the Senate for being unethical. They wanted me to testify before them on who my source was and I refused. So my boss called his boss, who called the head of the company-Jonathan- and he called me in to his office and told me that I had to do it and that I didn't have a choice. So, even though I thought it was a waste of time, I agreed. And he went with me".

"I saw that on Tv! You were brilliant! You really held your ground".

"Thank you".

"Ok, so I admit, I didn't see it. But why did you think it was a waste of time?"

"I, as a journalist, am protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. I don't have to reveal my source to them or anyone. And as an elected official, they should know that. So, I felt like it was a waste of the taxpayer's money to assemble everyone together, just for me to remind them of that, and they thought if they strong-armed me, I would give in. But my journalistic integrity is something I refuse to compromise".

"I see your point".

They chatted with her about various things, and then a few minutes later, the men came over.

"Darling, I'm going to run to the ladies' room. Do you mind?"

"Not at all".

She stood up and headed to the bathroom, leaving Jonathan with all of them.

"Jonathan, she's a doll! We just love her".

"Yeah, she's really sweet".

"Thanks. She's one of a kind".

"She mentioned living in New York. How long is she out here?"

"Well, she doesn't live in New York anymore. She lives in San Diego now. But we are committed to spending weekends together and anytime we can, really".

"Well, we hope to see her again".

"I'm sure you will".

Jennifer came back to him then, and laced her fingers through his.

Jonathan turned to the others.

"Are you guys coming to the services tomorrow?"

"Yes, we are".

"So are we. We will see you there".

They all walked out together, and said goodbye in the parking lot.

Jonathan opened the door for Jennifer and then after she was in the car, he slid into the driver's seat.

"How about some dinner and maybe a dance or two?"

"I'd love that".

He took her to a lovely Italian restaurant that had live music.

"Darling, this place looks extravagant".

"Only the best for you, baby".

He leaned over and kissed her.

They were given the best seat in the house, and sat down and began to look over the menu.

After they had placed their orders, they headed to the dance floor.

They only had eyes for each other as they held each other and moved to the music. Jennifer loved how he held her hand so delicately and so close to him. He loved how she rubbed her hand on his shoulder as they danced.

"You have some really nice friends, honey. It was so sweet of them to all come to the visitation".

"Yeah. It boggles my mind that we didn't figure out till now that we all knew him. And they loved you, by the way".

"You think so?"

"I know so. They told me so when you went to the bathroom and they all said they wanted to spend time with both of us".

"That's very sweet of them".

They danced to a couple of songs, and then headed to their table.

After a very romantic dinner, they headed home and changed into their pajamas.

Jonathan gave Jennifer a back rub, and really rubbed out her tense spots. She was so relaxed by the time it was over, she could hardly form a sentence.

He laid down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Penny for your thoughts".

"Oh, I was just thinking that I need to spend more weekends in Los Angeles".

"I completely agree".