This story was originally published in 2007 as Quartet, Jenny. It has been edited and improved (I hope). I'll let you, the reader, be the judge of its quality.
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On a particularly warm, sunny Saturday afternoon in July, Tom Blanton met Jenny McGuire at Ingrid and Steve Inhalt's house party. It was a small party with only eighteen invited guests. The excuse was the sixth anniversary of the completion of the renovation of their house. Of course the builders, Tony Blanton, sons Tom and Vinnie were invited, along with their families.
Vinnie begged off, claiming a pre-arranged date with a new girlfriend. Tony and Louise accepted, as did Tom, albeit with no partner. Brant Cardmann, the architect of the renovation, and his wife, Julianna, came as did several of the Inhalt's neighbors.
Ingrid and Steve were popular in the neighborhood since they had supported a fight to stop a strip of condominiums being built along the edge of the ridge below, virtually spoiling the south-west view for the area residents.
George McConnell, Steve's partner in the sailboat 'Matron of the Sea,' came along as did Jennifer McGuire, Ingrid's friend and interior decorating consultant. Jenny, as everyone called her, was also a "single."
Tom and Jenny were introduced by Ingrid, who in very unsubtle fashion made sure each knew the other was unattached. The two chuckled politely at Ingrid's transparency, but weren't uncomfortable. Jenny had seen Tom around the village, and knew that he was the heir-apparent to his father's successful construction and renovation business.
Tom had seen Jenny at the New Classics furniture store where she worked. She had sold some new living room and bedroom pieces to Tom's parents over the past few years. While Tom had also purchased items at the store, he had been looked after by another of the sales consultants.
The two chatted politely for a few minutes and then circulated among the other guests for the next hour or so. When the food was brought out, they both sought out a chair, and as luck would have it, they found themselves sitting beside each other.
Jenny McGuire was a twenty-nine-year-old divorcee from an early marriage. She was five foot six inches tall and a nicely sculptured one hundred and twenty-five pounds. She had dark brown hair cut above the shoulder and simply styled. Her complexion showed a light tan on her face and arms, highlighting her most remarkable feature; her dark brown, almost black, eyes. She was attractive without being beautiful. Pretty was the word most people used to describe her.
Jenny had an eight year old daughter, Nicole, from her brief marriage. They lived in a rented house on the eastern edge of the village. She began working at the furniture store before she was married, and had risen from "gopher" status through the ranks to senior consultant. The product of her efforts was her ability to command a nice salary plus commissions.
There was talk at the store that she might begin accompanying Norman McDonald on buying trips with an eye to eventually becoming the principle buyer. The owner was in his early 60's and was finding the travel and pressure of the business to be increasingly demanding. Jenny loved the work and loved the McDonald family and it showed. Her customers remarked on her knowledge and good taste.
Jenny had everything except a man to share her life with. She had dated and even slept with a few men, but most of them didn't want her ready-made family, and the others were not her type. She had married young, and lived to regret her haste.
The only true love of her life at present was her daughter, Nikki. Her nickname was the only remaining souvenir of her ex-husband, who had coined it virtually at birth. Her ex was long gone and out of her life, thankfully. His dubious past had probably caught up with him, and Jenny really didn't want to know his whereabouts.
Tom Blanton, eldest of the two sons of Tony and Louise Blanton, was 28, a bachelor and undoubtedly the future of T. Blanton and Sons, Builders and Renovators. He was a graduate of BCIT with a Construction Technology Certificate. He had been working with his father since he was fourteen years old and had been a studious and helpful son.
He was five foot ten inches tall and powerfully built. At 190 pounds, his chest, arms and legs showed the effects of years of physical labor. With his short cropped blonde hair and seemingly all-year-around tan, he was an impressive figure. His father was particularly proud of him as he brought new ideas and technical changes smoothly into the business.
At first, his father had resisted the changes, sure of the tried and true methods he had carried with him for over four decades. But as the building codes changed, the materials evolved, and the procedures and regulations moved on into the twenty-first century, he knew that his son was the only one capable of keeping up.
Each day Tom became more the business leader. After getting over the shock of being surpassed by his son, Tony took great pride in his Tom's abilities. Their business had never been better or stronger. They had more work offered than they could accept. Many evenings, the family would gather and talk about whether to expand and become a larger concern, or stay a family business.
Vincent, the younger brother, was all for expansion. He saw it as a way to make the business a more desirable acquisition by a larger firm. Tom surprised his father by suggesting that their current size would bring them all the income, security, and satisfaction they could wish for, and consistently voted against expansion.
Tony was torn between the two options, but in his heart he was more comfortable with their size as it was. Louise, who also had a vote, abstained because she did not want her two sons to feel she was choosing sides. Secretly, she knew Tom was right. They had a good life and wanted for nothing ... with the exception of a wife for each of her boys; not to mention grandchildren.
As they sat side-by-side on the crescent shaped patio, Jenny and Tom found conversation easy and were comfortable in each other's presence. Tom asked Jenny about her business, and was interested in how she had progressed over the years. She told him of her failed marriage and her daughter, and how she was saving to buy the home they were currently renting from the elderly owners.
She worried that they would pass away before she would be able to afford the purchase, and that would mean moving. She didn't want to have to uproot Nikki and move to a new area. It would mean new schools and new friends for Nikki, and likely a long commute for her.
"Do you date?" Tom asked out of the blue.
"Not lately," she sighed. "I haven't met anyone that I wanted to go out with. When I do and they learn about Nikki, well, that usually turns them off."
"That's a shame," Tom said sympathetically. "Guys can be really selfish that way."
"How do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean, they're thinking of themselves, what they want out of a relationship. As soon as there's an obstacle or something, it's easier to bail out."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Jenny asked carefully.
"No, no, not at all. But I know the type," he said quickly.
"And you're not one of them?"
"You don't sound convinced." He grinned as he gazed at her.
Jenny smiled. She enjoyed trying to keep Tom off balance for a bit. As she watched him, she was aware of his very male presence. As yet, there was no sign of a macho display. He was different.
Tom was turning more frequently to look at Jenny. She was very attractive, and obviously both a successful career woman and single mother. His clumsy stab at the dating question wasn't rebuffed, and he was looking for a way back to learn more about her personal life.
"You're an eligible bachelor, Tom. How is it that you aren't married?" Jenny asked.
"Whap! Right in the kisser," he laughed. "I guess I deserved that."
"Huh?"
"Well, I wasn't very subtle when I asked you about dating, was I."
"No harm done, then?" she questioned.
"No harm done."
The food and drink continued to flow, but as the afternoon turned to evening, the party began to dwindle. By six, only half the guests were still there and Tom couldn't remember when his folks left.
