Chapter 42

Mac ordered a huge amount of food from room service that evening-then turned to AJ and asked what he wanted! "I thought you were ordering all that for both of us!"

"No, when I have an evening with nothing to do, I like to snack all night."

He shook his head in bemusement, at where she could put it all and still remain so slim, and then took the menu from her to order his own dinner. The food arrived and they ate their meal, with much of the food left over. Mac thought about propping herself up in bed to listen while AJ read to her, but she figured she would be so bored that she would fall asleep and she didn't want to be rude to him. So instead, she chose a chair in the sitting room and just put her feet up on the coffee table.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable on the couch, Sarah?" he asked thoughtfully.

"No, I'm fine, you go ahead," she told him, not wanting to tell him that she had figured the couch would also become a sleeping zone for her. He smiled at her, able to read what she was thinking. Most people felt like Sarah, that an evening with nothing to do but read a book would be boring in the extreme, but he hoped that she would keep an open mind while he shared this quiet time with her.

AJ got out the oils for relaxing that Ms. Bea had sold him for this evening. He put them into the little pot and lit the tiny candle under it, noticing the wonderful scent started filling the room right away. "That is a fantastic scent, AJ. Do you know what it is?"

"No just something she said was for relaxing," he told Mac, having no idea that Ms. Bea had heard 'sensual evening with my wife' when AJ had said 'quiet evening of relaxing'!

Settling into the corner of the couch, he turned the nearby lamp on just bright enough to read by but still leave the room with a pleasant glow. AJ began to read, "The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. Forward:

"What's this you're writing?" asked Pooh, climbing onto the writing table.
"The Tao of Pooh," I replied.
"The how of Pooh?" asked Pooh, smudging one of the words I had just written.
"The Tao of Pooh," I replied, poking his paw away with my pencil.
"It seems more like the ow! of Pooh," said Pooh, rubbing his paw.
"Well, it's not," I replied huffily.
"What's it about?" asked Pooh, leaning forward and smearing another word.
"It's about how to stay happy and calm under all circumstances!" I yelled.
"Have you read it?" asked Pooh.

Mac was giggling in her chair.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"I can just picture you and Harm in that conversation," she answered saucily.

"Yes…well…I think the next one definitely has YOU written all over it, Sarah."

"Oh?"

"Yes, just listen to this…

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.

"Mean!"

"But true, Darlin'!"

"I guess so," she sighed. "Okay, let's see if we can find the rest of the gang in there!" She encouraged him to go on reading, hardly aware that he had not even finished reading the forward and she was hooked.

He hid a smile and continued reading. The third time he stopped to show her one of the cute little illustrations in the book, she moved over to the couch so he could share them with her. Since he was tucked into one corner, she curled up next to him and leaned on his shoulder while he read. She said that she could see the pictures better that way.

Time passed and they snacked on the leftover food with Mac hiding a self-satisfied grin when he ate as much as she did. Acknowledging her victory with an accepting nod, he went back to reading. Mac was truly surprised that she was enjoying spending her evening this way. She had always loved the sound of his voice, had often thought that she could just sit and listen to him for hours and here she was, doing just that!

To be continued….