Being a landlord during the prolonged shutdown was not ideal. Bars, restaurants, gyms and clothing stores all closed for months at a time or just simply defaulted on loans and went into bankruptcy. People couldn't pay their rent and banks closed on property owners who couldn't make their mortgages.
Luckily Tina and Jessie and Nate were not overextended, which allowed for them to stay afloat and even do a little speculation on properties. Nate still didn't want Monica to move in before marriage, but when her mom Audrey got sick with Covid-19, he softened.
Life was just too short.
Luckily Audrey make a slow but full recovery because after their first and only date, Nate and Audrey became golf buddies. She could beat him in a round of 9 if she used the Lady's Tee Blocks and they walked their clubs around the course so she generally used the Men's Tee. Now, they took a cart and she used the Lady's Tee and still lost. But she was getting better. And Nate missed his golf time with what he fully believed would be his mother-in-law before too long. And their bonding took nothing away from his love with Monica, which is why Audrey had given Nate her blessing on their latest round of golf.
Before he proposed- which he mostly had planned- he wanted just a little bit of help from Tina and Jessica. He needed to ask for their help and was sure they would help. They loved Monica and were glad Nate had found her- or she found him. They had called a working dinner meeting for the next night, and Monica was of course invited to come along since her role in their partnership had become more and more important.
Damn. He was close, but not quite ready yet. Why couldn't they wait another week? But they had been adamant so Nate and Monica had accepted their invitation. But this gave him the opportunity to ask one of the ladies and maybe solicit some last minute womanly advice on his plan.
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They met at the upscale seafood restaurant and bar that the ladies had opened in the ground floor of their Court Avenue District apartment- one of their many gambles that had paid off gloriously. During wine and appetizers Jessie asked Monica to come with her so Monica could see what they had been discussing, so they excused themselves.
Now alone with his ex-wife, Nate asked Tina for help in his proposal.
"How do you plan on doing it?"
"Well, I had planned in coming here and..."
"STOP! That's so overdone. Nate, you love her, right?"
"Yes," he said, knocked back on his heels. He didn't know if he should defensive or offensive but he was going to lose control of the conversation. But he did want their opinion.
"If you want to do dinner and propose, at least go to and Italian restaurant and have a violinist..."
"Nice idea...in 'normal' times," he said.
"Fair enough. Skydiving? Axe throwing?" Tina threw out.
"Scuba diving?" he asked.
"How about..." just then the other two came back so Tina and Nate changed the subject. Monica looked stunned? Confused? Different than when she left anyway and Nate noticed the wink and slight nod Jessica gave Tina.
After small casual conversations and dinner, the ladies asked for Nate and Monica to come upatairs for a business proposition. "I thought that's what dinner was," Nate asked. Looking at Monica, who nodded, he decided to follow them.
In the elevator, Monica took his arm and laid her head on his upper arm. She seemed "clingy" for Monica. As the elevator door opened and the ladies stepped off, Monica quickly said, "I think we should think about their proposal. I'm on board."
Confused, he looked at her but her poker face only smiled.
What "proposal"? He wanted to propose- that's the only "proposal" he was interested in.
They got right to the point. "Nathan," Jessica said, "Tina and I want to have a baby to raise,"
"Adoption?" he asked. "Do you need help?"
"Yes, we need 'help', Nathan, but not that kind," Tina said.
"Okay...?" he said. He didn't see it coming until...
"We'd like you to father a child with Jessica," Tina said.
Wow. Mind BLOWN!
"Uh, you mean, like at a clinic, right?" he asked.
This time Monica spoke up and said, "That's expensive and the lawyers get rich. Earlier, when Jess and I went into the back, she asked me, and we now think..."
Monica paused, then continued, "We think 'traditional methods' would be better.
"What?!" Nate couldn't believe this. Part of him was excited, but mostly he was upset. Pissed maybe.
All three ladies- three of the most beautiful ladies he knew and he'd slept with them all.
Jessica. Redheaded firepot, sexpot. Smart, funny, likeable but she had stolen away his first love...
Tina, his ex-wife. First love, still beautiful. She had broken his heart but he still loved her almost as much as he could ever love anyone. Anyone except...
Monica. Beautiful, youthful, energetic Monica. He didn't deserve her, but she loved him deeper than he could imagine. He didn't deserve to have any of these three even talk to him, yet they all desired him, even the lesbians. Life just didn't make sense, and now all three wanted him to fuck Jess and knock her up.
Monica had an idea that was different than ours, but it shoukd work," Jessica said.
Now it was Tina's turn to look confused.
Monica spoke up again, "Going through a lawyer or to a clinic is costly and by no means a guarantee. WE think, if I warm you up and you just finish in Jess, that should work."
