Author Note: Remember – Jackie Burkhart is a can-do girl. Anything she puts her mind to can usually get done! (Well, my version of Jackie anyways)
Chapter 41 – My Place or Yours
"My cooking doesn't kill you – we both work and I think I'm madly in love with you."
Eric still couldn't believe she said it first. He had been so afraid that she would tell him it was too soon after the divorce but it wasn't. This felt so new and raw and wonderful and he couldn't believe that she wanted them to live together.
Jackie came out of the bedroom and sat down next to him on the sofa. She put a hand on his thigh and said, "I think we should get a new two-bedroom apartment. I heard there's one on the first floor with brand new carpeting. What do you think?"
"I'd like that."
"Plus you just bought new furniture. So that's good." Eric looked at her. "Oh, you just want to live with me because I got new furniture." He teased.
"Of course, that's every girl's dream. Plus you better have a good mattress." Bossy Jackie was back and Eric smiled. "What else do you require?"
"Separate phone lines - I mean my phone is also my business phone so that can go in the office bedroom. We can save money on rent and utilities and groceries. Oh, and we need a bigger kitchen table." She noticed Eric was not talking as much. "Is this too fast for you? Do you need more time to think about it?"
"What? No! This is good – I just like listening to you talk." He did – he really did. She smiled and told him about some other things he knew he wouldn't remember. "…and you have to get the extended cable channels."
He kissed her head. "Anything you want my dear." He looked at his watch and was surprised at how late it was. "Hey, I have to go in early tomorrow. Do you want to sleep over?"
She looked at him like he was dim. "Of course, how else am I going to check out your mattress?" Eric pretended indignation and scooped her off the couch and carried her to the bedroom where he dumped her on the bed. She laughed and bounced a little. "Too early to tell Forman, we may have to break this puppy in."
Eric laughed and went to brush his teeth.
*
When his alarm went off the next morning he reached over to hit the snooze and wound up with a mouthful of hair and a soft warm body murmuring, "Good morning." He smiled and lay back against the pillow for a few minutes. Yeah, this was a great way to start a Monday morning! "Hey, I need to jump in the shower." He climbed over and out of the bed snagging a sleepy kiss on the way to the bathroom.
Jackie listened to Eric singing in the shower and smiled. He was so funny and he made her feel good about herself. She contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep or making some coffee and starting her day. Coffee won and she threw on one of Eric's tee-shirts and quickly made the bed.
By the time he was out of the shower, a hot pot of coffee had been brewed and his room was semi clean. Jackie was sitting at the kitchen table browsing through an old magazine. He came in and poured a cup of the hot drink. "Is that my favorite tee-shirt?"
She looked at the blue shirt with a picture of a boat. "I don't know, is it?"
He grinned. "It is now." She laughed. "Hey I'm going to see Mr. Engels this morning about that empty two-bedroom. You haven't changed your mind have you?"
Eric smirked, "Are you kidding? I'd have to be crazy not to live with you. I just hope you don't snore."
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Mouth breather."
"What? Me? No way. I'm a quiet sleeper."
Jackie sipped some coffee. "Yeah, just keep telling yourself that." She teased. Eric slid on his watch and shoes. "Can I call you today?"
"You can try. I probably have 50 messages on my machine. I might not be home for a while." Eric knew that but liked asking anyways. He dropped a kiss on her cheek. "Don't forget to lock up okay?"
He watched as she unfolded her self from the chair and walked half naked back to the bedroom. Man what he wouldn't give to stay home today!
*
The Happy Days Hotel barely missed him while he was gone. Eric determined that not much had happened or his hotel staff was entirely too well trained. He couldn't be sure. He called a manager meeting so see what the issues were and then let everyone go about their day. He sat at his desk and looked at the ledgers. Mouth breather. God, she was too funny.
Jackie tackled getting that freshly painted; newly carpeted apartment in her name like a cowboy wrestles a steer – no mercy. After she was through, Mr. Engels practically begged her to take it and offered to help her move furniture. "No thank you. I just need the keys."
Now she stood in the empty apartment that was bigger than her upstairs one and started determining what furniture went where. She decided to have mercy on Fez and give him her old bed. She called the telephone company to get her phone switched and called her cleaning crew for help offering double what she usually paid if they could move it all in one day.
She contacted the utilities companies and faked that she was Mrs. Forman and transferred Eric's phone to the new apartment. Transferred over the cable and got the premium stations and set to work on washing clothes with her trusty apartment sized washer/dryer unit.
By the end of the day, she was putting her fresh linens on Eric's bed. She hung some cheery pictures on the wall and decided it was a nice bedroom. This was an actual first for her. Although she had roomed with Fez, they never shared a bedroom. In fact, she never shared her bed with anyone but with Eric it just felt right. She didn't understand it but the thought of waking up next to his warm body was something she wanted to do everyday for the rest of her life.
*
Eric came home from work to find Jackie sitting on the hood of her Mustang waiting for him. He grinned, "What are you up to?" She slid off the hood and into his arms. "I have a present for you."
"Really – I don't have anything for you though." He touched her silky hair that gleamed in the mid September sunshine. She held open his hand and dropped something in his palm. "You can have this back."
He opened his hand and saw his house key in his palm. 'You're giving me back my key?"
She smiled and handed him a wrapped box. Eyeing her suspiciously, he unwrapped the packing to find a new key lying on a bed of velvet. "Okay, what's this?"
She giggled. "It's the key to our new apartment." Jackie was jumping up and down with excitement.
Eric was bewildered. "What do you mean?" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along the sidewalk past his apartment and around the corner of the building. There was a big red bow on the front door. "Use your key."
Eric didn't know what to expect. He slid the key in the lock and let the door swing open. To his surprise he found a delightful blend of Jackie and Eric furniture and belongings that looked like they had been there forever. Eric's new furniture with Jackie's decorative pillows covered the sofa and chair. There was a washer and dryer unit in the dining room, a much larger kitchen and a big window that let in the late afternoon sunshine.
Eric turned to her, "Sweetie, when – how did you do this?" She only smiled. "Like you said, I know people who know people and I tend to get my way. Oh, I transferred your phone and all the utilities." She pushed him in the door for the grand tour.
Eric noticed that everything had been stored and put away with the exception of a couple bags of old linens. "I thought we could give the leftovers to Fez or donate them to charity." Eric looked at the second bedroom office and was impressed with the efficiency and her ever present day planner next to the telephone.
"Come on, tell me you like it."
Eric didn't know what to say, what she did was incredible. He felt like he was finally home; not in some random apartment or living with his parents. This was a place that he really wanted to come to after work, a haven to relax and enjoy spending time with Jackie. His girlfriend – his more than girlfriend…"I love it. You truly amaze me."
She launched herself into his arms and he hugged her tightly to his chest. His chest felt tight and he swallowed hard. Don't be a pansy and cry just because she gave you the best gift in the entire world! His voice was thick, "Can I take you out to dinner? I mean you've outdid yourself here and I don't think I want us to dirty up the kitchen."
She laughed, "I'd love to go to dinner, but no Olive Garden okay? Maybe some fried chicken?" Eric liked the way she was thinking. "We could pick it up and bring it back."
"Oh, I got all the premium cable channels too!"
Eric was stoked, "So I can watch more than lady wrestling?" Jackie cupped his cheek with her hand, "You can watch actual movies and I think this weekend is a Star Wars special." Eric let out a shout of glee and spun her around several times. "God, this is so great! Let me wash up and we'll get some food!"
Jackie smiled as she watched him look for the bathroom. She heard a shout, "Hey we have matching towels! There's a rug on the floor! Hey wash cloths too!"
She knew he would love it – Eric was so easy to please. How could Donna have not seen it?
*
Eric turned in the driver's seat and cautioned Jackie, "Now listen, my folks are real funny about things like living in sin okay? So just tell them we're sharing expenses and my dad will think we did the smart thing. Got it?"
Jackie smirked. "I got it. But if they ask…."
Eric's eyes got big. "No! Please don't – I'll be ruined. Do you really want to see me walking around with a foot in my ass?" Eric turned off the ignition as they were sitting in the Vista Cruiser in the Forman driveway. Jackie was still laughing. Red Forman had so many ass-feet it was a wonder he could still walk.
Kitty saw them as they approached the sliding glass door. "Eric honey – hahahaha – we haven't seen you in a while! Oh, there's Jackie!" She hugged the small girl and yelled for Red. "Hi Mrs. Forman, we got back Monday from Orlando."
Red came out of the living room. "Oh, so did you see Bob?" Jackie shook her head, "No but he told me plenty of pirate jokes." Red laughed, "Yeah, he tried that first one on me and I had to stop him. I told them that pirate's aRRRRn't funny." Jackie laughed but Eric didn't get the joke.
"Sit down. I made cake." Kitty pointed to the table and brought over some chocolate cake. "How was your trip?" Eric told his folks about the private jet and the beautiful time share they stayed in and how much fun Disneyworld was. Red grinned, "Yeah, Jackie gets the good trips. Your mother and I decided to take our Bermuda trip at Christmas. She wants to be sitting on the beach drinking Pina Colada's in the sunshine while you dumbasses are freezing in six feet of snow."
"Wait, we're not having Christmas this year?" Eric beseeched his mom. She smiled, "Oh honey, we'll still get you a gift, but I don't have to decorate since it's just your dad and me." She turned to Jackie. "Oh, I found some of that lace Brooke wanted for her wedding dress. There's a little fabric shop that just opened up on the way out of town. I'll get their number so you can call them."
"Thanks Mrs. Forman. Her dress is going to be beautiful. We're making a mini dress for Betsy – she'll be so cute!"
The women kept talking and Red looked at Eric who was looking all moon doggy at Jackie. "Son, I have something in the garage to show you." Red excused himself from the table and Eric followed him outside. His dad switched on the inside lights and grabbed a tool from the bench and started polishing it with an oil rag.
"Son, what's going on with you and the Loud One?"
Eric didn't expect his dad to be so blunt. "I love her Dad. I don't why or how, but I can't live without her."
"Eric you said the same thing about Donna."
"I know, but this feels different. She makes me feel better about myself and I have actually spoken to Donna and didn't want to go running after her. Jackie even loves my family – how can I not adore someone like that."
Red grinned. "Yeah, we love Jackie too. She was a godsend for your mom when you were gone and she kept the girly-girly element in the house while Samantha and Donna hung out in the basement. She's one great girl. So don't screw this one up!"
Eric didn't know if that was a warning or a blessing. "Thanks – I think." Red clapped him on the shoulder. "Whatever you do, don't forget that girls love holidays!"
*