Jacquline looked on in secrecy as she watched her husband work in the backyard. It was just simple chores – but she loved watching him move, loved the way his muscles moved. Husband…she smiled at herself and twisted the ring on her finger. It had been a long time since she was a wife, and then to a man who did not love her. She was happy to again be in a relationship where she was loved for who she was, and not for her name or status.
There was very little about her new marriage that she did not like. She loved her husband, loved her step-daughter, and took their trials and tribulations in stride, being as supportive as she could. she was just unsure of one thing – the attraction they’d found in one another. It was never acted upon, she knew…and she didn’t wholly disagree with it. She could entirely see why either would be attracted to the other. She just wasn’t sure if she wasn’t highly keen on it because of their relationship, or because she was somewhat jealous.
Yes, she had told Claude there was nothing wrong with his being attracted to his daughter, and she still believed that, because she could understand why he’d be attracted. Hell, she’d seen some of the video of Mandy and Timur, and found herself attracted in a similar manner, though he didn’t know that and she wasn’t about to tell him she’d been in his office for that purpose. Likewise, Claude had told her that Mandy had a similar curiosity about him, and had done as much as she had – gone into her father’s office to see video, though Mandy had never said anything to Jacqueline directly.
So why did it bother her?
Jacqueline sighed, her fun times watching Claude work in the backyard spoiled. From time to time the issue cropped up in her mind, but she always pushed it aside. She supposed now was as good a time to work through it as any. Besides – maybe if she worked through it, she could get over it that much simpler. Still…if she had been stuck on it this long, there was little likelihood that she could work through it herself.
But who to talk to about it?
Charles was a psychiatrist, but she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable telling him this. There was Brandon, who wouldn’t judge the situation and was easy to talk to, but it also seemed a little awkward to talk to her boss and domitor about one of his other employees. But what about Michael? She and Michael chatted on a regular basis, and she knew Mandy kept very little, if anything, from her best friend. Moreover, she knew Michael had been with Mandy at least once, and considered Claude his ‘unicorn’.
It was decided. She would talk the matter over with Michael, and hear out what he had to say. Satisfied with this conclusion, she pulled out her phone, and left him a voice mail: Hey Michael, it’s Jacqueline. I’ve been missing our regular get-togethers, you’ve been so busy. I was hoping you could carve out some time in your busy schedule for us to have tea at your place, per usual. I do have an ulterior motive – nothing heinous, I just need to talk. Let me know if you can, ok? Catch you later.
Now it was just time to wait. She headed into the kitchen, and poured herself a half glass of wine, then went back to the window to watch Claude, sipping as she enjoyed the view.