It Began with a Phone Call

To Women With the Courage to Call

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"Mr. Jameson, I have a Bethany Timmons on the phone for you. Do you want me to put her through?"

"Yes, Toni. Thank you."

Bethany Timmons? I know she was a former client, but I can't remember what I did for her. Or was it them?

The phone rang.

"Hi Bethany! How are you?"

"Hi Mr. Jameson. Please call me Beth. I guess the first thing I should tell you is Walt died about 8 months ago."

"Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that! He was young, wasn't he? Do you mind my asking what happened?"

"He was 38. Heart attack. It was a Saturday and for once there was no soccer game to go to, so we slept in. We were down in the kitchen making something for breakfast. Suddenly he said, 'Help me!' He dropped to the floor before I could react."

"Wow. Had he any history of heart trouble?"

"None. In fact, just two years before he took out a $2 million life insurance policy and qualified for the top underwriting class."

"Well, an insurance company took a big loss on that one. I'm glad you have that. Walt obviously loved you."

There was silence and some sniffling.

"I'm sorry, Beth. I should known better, having gone through this myself. It really is alright to cry, though."

"Thanks. It just smacks you up the side of the head now and then, doesn't it? I find the grief receding slightly, but the loneliness hangs around longer."

"It sure does! Well, Beth, is there something I can help you with?"

"I think so, but first I want to be sure of something. I'm not a current client of yours, correct?"

"That's right. The work I did for you was completely finished. I don't know the date, if that's important."

"I know when it was. It was just after your wife died. The point is, I'm not presently a client."

"That's correct. Is there something you need from me."

"Yes, there is. I would like you to go out to dinner with me."

"Ummm,... "

Beth was laughing. "Just to be clear, I'm asking you on a date. I want to take you to dinner. Since I'm not a client, my brother-in-law says it's not a problem under the ethical rules."

"That's correct, Beth. You just caught me by surprise."

"Mr. Jameson..."

"I think at this point we should be Sam and Beth to each other."

"Oh, thank you! Sam, I want to spare you an embarrassing moment. You've had a lot of clients. You can't possibly remember them all. It's perfectly ok for you to tell me you can't remember what I look like."

"I'm still embarrassed to admit that."

"I'm going to email you a photo, with my cell number."

"Beth, wait. My answer is yes. I'd love to go to dinner with you. Go ahead and send the photo, though, so I know who you are when you pick me up. Or, would you rather I drive?"

"Sam, I would love it if you would drive. How is Friday evening for you?"

"I'm available. Sounds perfect."

"One other thing I need to tell you. This is my first date since Walt died. My friends tell me you feel like you are cheating on the first date. Just so you understand if I'm looking over my shoulder."

"I'll probably be looking over mine as well. This will be my first date since Brenda died. Two cheaters on a date!"

"I guess we can poke fun at each other as we look! In my email I'll give you all the information about what time to pick me up and my address, ok? Please call me or email me if I forgot anything important.

"Oh! The place we are going to is dressy. Wear a suit and tie. Actually, I picked this so I can wear my little black dress and attempt to impress you! I'm so embarrassed that I just said that, though!"

"I'll try to find a clean tie, without food stains."

"Stop! Please tell me you are joking!"

"It's the risk you assumed when you asked me out, Beth! Thanks for calling. Were you nervous to call?"

"This is the first time in my life I've asked a guy out over the phone. Now I see why guys were always so nervous. I wanted to die!"

"I thought you were rather smooth. I'm impressed!"

"You are a kind man, Sam. Look for my email, and thanks for accepting my invitation, sight unseen."

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After I got off the phone, I pulled up my digital file for Beth and Walt. I did their estate planning. I made a note of his death in my file. Trust-based planning. She is now 35.

Fifteen years between us. Well, she may not know my exact age, but she knows I'm older, so that must not bother her. The difference doesn't bother me, either. Now if she was 25... yikes!

I checked my email. There was hers. I opened it and without reading the body of the email, I opened the attachment. Her photo.

I remember her now! She is cute. It seems to me she was petite, like about 5'3" and no more than maybe 115 lbs. Very fit.

I studied the photo. I don't know how old this is. Not too old, I think. Strawberry-blond hair. Nice smile. Blue eyes.

That's about all I'll know until we meet.

I read the email:

Sam, thank you so much for accepting my invitation to go out with me. It was nerve-wracking! I'm so glad I never had to do that before! You were very kind to me through my nervousness!

Please pick me up this Friday night at 7 pm. We have a reservation at the RingSide Steakhouse at 2165 W Burnside in Portland at 7:30. Although the restaurant lists business casual as its dress code, my dress code for this date is dressier, as I mentioned on the phone.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

Beth

I replied right away.

Beth

Thanks for the email. I had forgotten how attractive you are! Of course, that might not have been an appropriate observation two years ago. We will pretend I didn't notice back then!

I'm looking forward to our date Friday. Counting the hours.

Sam

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Friday

I arrived at Beth's house 5 minutes early, which was intentional because of the joke I had planned for her. My tie was hideous! I found an old tie in my closet that was frayed. I should have thrown it out years ago. I created some food stains and tried to clean them off so they would look old.

It was a masterpiece! Of course, I had a very nice tie in my pocket!

Beth's home is in a nice neighborhood and is well-maintained. The lawn looked great and even the hedges had been trimmed. She probably hires someone. I certainly do!

I rang the doorbell. The door opened.

"Hi Beth, I brought you some flowers."

"Ummm, thanks, Sam. Ummm, Sam, your tie... "

"This was the best one I could find. It almost goes with this suit, don't you think?"

Beth just stood there, her mouth open. She was clearly in a state of shock!

I burst out laughing! "Beth, you are too easy!"

I reached in my suit pocket and pulled out the nice tie. "Give me a minute and I will wear this one instead."

I took off the old tie and handed it to Beth. She was doubled over laughing.

"I can see I need to be on top of my game with you! You had me believing it. I admit it. I fell for it!" She wiped away a tear.

I started to put on the new tie, but Beth interrupted. "May I do that for you, Sam? Sit in this chair."

"You can tie a tie standing in front of me?"

"One of my many talents!"

She did it about as fast as I could have! I looked in the mirror. It looked perfect.

"Thank you, Beth! Shall we go?"

"Let me put these flowers in water. Thank you, by the way! I got so distracted by that tie!"

"I wanted to make a memorable entrance."

"That you did!"

I had been watching Beth since I entered. That little black dress is stunning, or rather, Beth is stunning wearing it! It is short, mid-thigh, and shows off her fabulous legs. It's also cut low, and she has the perfect amount of cleavage to take advantage of it! She will be a head-turner at the restaurant!

I held out my arm, and Beth put her arm through mine.

I have two cars, a 1999 Ford F-150 with a zillion miles on it and a 2023 Lexus LS. I was so tempted to drive the Ford, but I figured I would be pushing my luck! I opened the door of the Lexus for her, of course!

The drive to the restaurant was fun. We talked all the way. I found Beth to be easy to talk to, and I was surprised at her great sense of humor. She was totally upbeat and happy.

We were soon looking at our menus.

"Sam, this is my treat. Please don't pick the cheapest thing on the menu. Order whatever you want."

"Thanks, this is a real treat tonight. We could be at Burger King, and I would still feel that way. I think this date represents several firsts. Our first, your first since Walt, my first since Brenda and my first date with a client."

"Former client."

I laughed. "That worried you, didn't it?"

"A little bit."

We ordered our food, and I had some questions.

"Beth, why did you pick me as your first date?"

"You are going right for my weak spot, aren't you?"

"I am? Not knowingly."

"Well, I remember after Brenda died, we had a final meeting in your office. Your sense of humor was definitely muted, and I was crying inside for you. Little did I know, of course...

"I remember thinking, he's going to be a great catch for some lucky woman! He's handsome, poised, funny, personable, sexy as hell!"

Beth was blushing. "I still think that, Sam."

"I never thought of myself as sexy. You, on the other hand! You are one of the sexiest women I've ever dated, and that's going clear back to college. Plus, you are drop-dead gorgeous in that dress!"

"Thank you for that compliment. I suppose we never can see ourselves the way someone else sees us, particularly from the opposite sex."

"I assume you know my age."

"I think you're about 50, right?"

"Right. You aren't bothered by the 15 years between us?"

"Not at all. I think older men are very sexy, anyway, but you are over the top. Does that difference bother you?"

"Not in the slightest. Now if you were 25, that would be a bit much. Fun, but a bit much."

"You men are all alike. Always chasing the babes."

"Let me point out it was the babe who chased me!"

"You just keep scoring points with me, don't you?"

"Just stating the facts, ma'am."

"Ma'am? And just that fast, you squandered them!"

I reached out for her hand and kissed the back of it. "My deepest apologies!"

"Whew, a heart flutter scores big points!"

"Dare I be so bold as to ask another question? If you don't want to answer, I'll understand. What are you hoping comes of our date tonight?"

"I'm happy to answer that! I'm hoping you will want to keep seeing me. I already know I want to spend more time with you."

"I know I'm jumping around with my questions, but I just thought of this. I don't remember how many children you have."

"Just one. Jacob is 16, just finished his sophomore year in high school."

"Did you decide to stop with one, or is that just the way it worked out?"

"We wanted more, but Walt's sperm had really low motility and low volume. We were lucky to have Jake!"

"I know I am asking really personal stuff, but I long ago got used to people answering whatever I asked. Do you still want more children?"

"Wow, that's a big one on a first date, but I appreciate being able to be so open with you. I'm uncertain about that. I mean, I got used to having only one a long time ago, so it's a new thought that the door might open again.

"But what about you? How many children do you have?"

"Brenda and I have three. Alex is 27 and married with 2 children, Beth (except her name is Elizabeth) is 25 and married with 2 children, and Maya is 22 and single, living on her own."

"Sam, since we are being so open and direct, and obviously neither of us knows what this date may lead to, but are you open to more children?"

"Hypothetically, if you and I married, I definitely would be."

"Why do you put it that way? Why me?"

"You impress me immensely. I think if we married and you wanted another child, I would be excited about that. I think you are probably a fantastic mother, and I also know how having a child together is such a special thing."

There were tears in Beth's eyes.

"Sam, I hope we have a future. You are an easy man to love."

"I find myself somewhat smitten by you already, so as far as I am concerned, tonight isn't a one-off thing. Absolutely not, and I know you feel the same way."

"I do, Sam. I really want that, if I can be so direct."

"That seems to be the theme tonight," I said as I placed my hand on hers.

More tears in her eyes.

"Sam, you are really getting to me tonight! I am feeling so emotional!"

Just then the waiter appeared with our food. As we ate, our talk returned to lighter fare. Ironic, since our food was heavy!

"My steak is fabulous, Liz! How about yours?"

"So good! Have you eaten here before?"

"No, but I will again, now that I have been here once! Have you eaten here?"

"No. My brother-in-law recommended it."

"Your brother-in-law. Did you say he's an attorney? That isn't Bob Timmons, is it?"

"That's him! You know Bob?"

"We practiced in the same firm about 20 years ago or so. I think he was fresh out of law school at the time. Went to Harvard Law, right?"

"That's him! What a small world!"

"I remember him as a really nice guy and an excellent attorney."

"I didn't tell him I was going out with you, so I'll tell him who I was out with when we talk next."

"He's an older brother to Walt?"

"His oldest brother. There are two more in between them."

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We talked all the way back to her house. Not having dated in a lot of years, I realized I had no idea what to do when we got there.

I pulled into her driveway, got out, and opened her door. I walked her to the door.

"Sam, thank you so much for going out with me tonight. I loved it. More even than I hoped. I think the ball is now in your court. I hope you will want to see me again."

"I thought I made clear how I felt about you. I used the word 'smitten.' That's a legal term, you know."

Beth laughed.

"Maybe the only way to convince you is this way."

I kissed her. She seemed to hesitate for a second. Then her arms went around me, and we kissed passionately. She moaned. Her tongue tentatively sought out mine. I held her tighter. Finally, we both needed air! She put her head on my chest. Both of us started laughing.

"Wow, Sam! I had no idea I was represented by an attorney who could kiss like that."

"Well, I may need to look over my list of former clients and see if any more might kiss that well."

"Hey! No more former clients! For now, you are mine. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am!... Oh, shit! I did it again."

"I can forgive that slip of the tongue if you slip your tongue back in with mine!"

"That's a terrible pun! However... "

I kissed her again. It was deep, probing, wet and long.

"I need to leave before this gets any hotter! Thank you for asking me out. When are you available next week?"

"Does it have to be next week? I'm available tomorrow, all day and tomorrow evening. Basically, the entire day tomorrow."

I laughed. "Instead of coming up with an idea when my brain has less claim on my blood supply, how about if I call you tonight?"

"I will sit by the phone!"

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I arrived home a few minutes later, went in and changed out of my suit.

I sat down to have a drink. That was an amazing first date! There was some serious chemistry and attraction there. And those kisses!

I need to think of something for tomorrow!

I decided to send an email to Beth and follow it up with a call.

Beth

I had so much fun with you tonight. Thanks again for inviting me, overlooking my unfortunate gaffes and for helping me to prove we both remember how to kiss!

I think we learned important things tonight. We get along great and there is a definite attraction between us. We both are hopeful something can come of our new relationship.

I am going to call you in a few minutes to talk about an idea I have for tomorrow. I definitely would like to spend the day with you, if that is ok with you.

Your new friend,

Sam

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I called Beth and we talked for 90 minutes! The first part was the reason I called. I asked whether she had ever been to Silver Falls State Park, east of Salem. She hadn't. I described it to her, how there are 10 waterfalls on a 7-mile loop trail. She was enthusiastic about that! I will pick her up at 9 and she volunteered to pack a picnic lunch.

Then we talked about everything under the sun. It was so much fun! It ended this way:

"Beth, I feel like kissing you goodnight again after this call. I wish I could."

"Why don't you get your butt over here and kiss me, or are you just all talk?"

"I'm out the door. Watch for my truck!"

I drove over to her house--it's only 15 minutes from mine--and we kissed goodnight again on the front porch! We were left breathless again.

We said good night and I drove home.

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It's a little over an hour from Beth's house to Silver Falls. I used that time to quiz her about places she had seen in the state already. I learned she is not from Oregon originally, but from Colorado. She came here to attend the University of Oregon, met Walt, married and they settled in Lake Oswego, where Walt grew up.

Beth has not spent a lot of time on the coast. She has not been to Hood River, on the Columbia, but has been to Multnomah Falls.

She likes to hike and swim, and she runs 3-4 mornings each week. She said they have a swimming pool, so during the warm months she spends a lot of time there and sunbathing.

We arrived and parked. We had each brought a small backpack, so we put two bottles of water in each. We also threw in a couple of granola bars and some chocolate.

We decided to make the hike and then come back for a picnic afterwards. We picked up the Trail of Ten Falls near the famous South Falls.

Beth was wearing yoga pants, which were just about as sexy as her LBD from the night before! She has an amazing, tight ass! With as straight a face as I could muster, I suggested she should lead out and set the pace. She smiled. "You just want to stare at my ass!"

"Well, can you blame me? I mean, look at that! It's a thing of beauty!"

She walked over and kissed me. "Did it occur to you I might want to stare at your ass? How about if we trade off and share the leering?"

I like her a lot!

The hike was a lot of fun, and incredibly scenic. We saw all 10 of the falls, although Winter Falls didn't have much water flowing over it, since it's now summer. We haven't had much rain recently.

I loved watching Beth. Not just her ass. I loved watching her face, her enjoyment of the nature around us and her happy smiles. As we were standing and looking at Double Falls, the tallest in the park, although not the most famous, Beth stood next to me and put her arm around me.

There was a bench close by, so I suggested a short break for water and snacks. Once we had recharged, I was about to get up when Beth stopped me.

"Wait a second! We are about two-thirds of the way around this loop, and you haven't kissed me yet! I object!"

I was laughing over that. She straddled my lap, facing me, and kissed the hell out of me. I was hard in a hurry!

"Sam, I think at least part of you likes me!"

"You know, there is something highly unfair that men have such a visible sign when aroused, but women just get wet, in private."

"Good point! Sam, FYI, I'm wet from sitting here and feeling your cock right under my pussy! Is that better?"

"I think in the interest of full disclosure, that works!"

She kissed me again. It was a long and explorative kiss.