Author's Note: The disclaimer is as in earlier chapters. I encourage you to read them first since this chapter picks up immediately after Part 3. There is some sex relevant to the story in this chapter, but it's not very graphic or hardcore. If hardcore actions with lengthy, graphic description is what you're seeking, please look elsewhere. To those still reading, thanks for reading. One part remains after this one.
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ChoicesโPart 4: The Chance
Unsteady fingers typed,
"Hi, lil' sis! How are you? Call me."
He added his phone number and hit send. The phone rang a few seconds later.
"Hi, Rob! Is it really you after all the years?"
"Deana! Yeah, it's me. It's so good to hear your voice! I think I'm still in shock at getting your note. I must admit the Dee thing really threw me, though. I almost deleted the request but then saw your picture. How are you?"
"Sorry. I switched to Dee when I started my first job shortly after college. There was already a Deanna with two 'ns' in my office so I became Dee to avoid confusion. It was easier to just go by that. All my friends do now, but you can still call me Deana."
"Perfect! So how've you been? I see you're a Winslett now, so married? Kids?"
Deana replied, "Rob, my husband passed away of colon cancer almost three years ago. It was too late they found it. He was six years older than me and we were married for ten years, so we didn't have any children together, but he was a great husband and a very good stepfather to Jack, my son from my first marriage. We won't talk about that, okay? Jack's started his MBA part-time at Whorter now while working for one of the big accounting firms. What about you?"
Rob gave a brief rundown on his life. When he finished talking about Lisa, he added. "That was almost twenty months ago. I'm interested in someone again now, but we're taking it slow."
"Details, big brother?"
He laughed. "No, it's way too early for details now. I'll give you the G-rated version if it works out."
He heard her huff before she said, "Well, I'm happy for you and hope it works out for the best. I may be interested in someone, too, but so far, he hasn't given me the time of day."
"Deana, you always were the sweetest girl I knew. If the guy can't see that, then he's probably an idiot and doesn't deserve you."
She was silent for a few seconds before replying. "Yeah, that's happened before.
Time will tell on this one. Say, speaking of time, look at that. It's getting late and I have to get to bed. I'm flying out to New York in the morning with my boss for meetings this week. You take care, big brother."
"You, too, little sister. Have a safe trip. Let's talk more when you get home, okay?"
"Talk to you then. 'Goodnight."
Rob hung up the phone, thinking about what she'd said. The way she'd thrown it in, he suspected that her crush was on her boss. As he got ready for bed, he whispered, "Good luck with him, Deana. And please don't get burned."
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As his discussions with Erin had continued, he'd thought more and more about taking the chance and moving on to a new phase is their relationship. Because of the distance between them and their past history, it was a risk, but a chance he was increasingly considering.
On Thursday night, Erin asked, "Rob, would you like to get together sometime soon?" It wasn't the first time she'd asked, and this time he could almost hear the longing in her voice.
He hesitated, not immediately putting her off as he'd done when she asked in the past.
Maybe it's time,
he thought,
time to take the chance.
Switching views on his computer screen, he looked at his calendar for the next few weeks. "Erin, is that an invitation for me to come for a visit?"
"Yes," she said, almost too excitedly. More calmly, she added, "Yes. You can stay here with me so we can spend more time together."
He was ready to put a toe in the water with a visit, but she was asking him to jump right in. "Erin, I'm not sureโ"
"Rob, my guest bed's pretty comfortable, if you'd prefer it. You might like mine, too, though. The choice'll be yours, okay?"
"Thanks, dear." He paused for a few seconds before he decided. "I have some time in early May that looks clear. I might be able to fly in on Friday evening and stay early until Tuesday afternoon if that would work for you." He gave her the proposed dates.
"That sounds great, Rob. Let me check with my boss in the morning to see if I can get the time off and I'll let you know for sure, okay?
By noon on Friday, Rob had confirmation from Erin and, by mid afternoon, a round trip ticket from the airline. With that knowledge, he felt his excitement level growing and was soon struggling to put the thoughts out of his mind.
It wasn't enough. That night after their call, Rob tried to take a cold shower to calm his desire, but it didn't have the desired effect. In the end, he turned the water temperature up and gave in to his urge. With his eyes closed and desire in his heart, he went slow and leisurely at first, increasing his speed and intensity when he got close. It wasn't long before he sent jet after jet flying as he thought only of Erin.
He cursed his weakness as he came down from his high. He had now committed to seeing her and giving their relationship a chance, but he could only hope that, when the time came, he would be able to make the right choices about what to do rather than being blinded by whatever it was that he was increasingly feeling for her. Then, if the time was ever right for it, he could only hope that he wouldn't feel guilty for being with her for real.
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A message popped in on Rob's phone on Saturday morning. It was a photo of a smiling Deana in Times Square. The message with it said,
"Sorry, got in late last nite. Do u have time 2 talk?"