Chapter 16

“I didn’t interrupt your girls night, did I?”  Jon picked up his wine glass and took a sip.  “How was the movie?”

“Half way through, they fell asleep.”  She laughed softly.  Climbing out of the bed, she pulled the door to not to wake the girls.  “Still trying to figure out where they had room for popcorn and soda, after the dinner they put away.”

“They’re kids, if the girls are anything like my three boys, they can eat all day, and still be hungry.”  He drained his glass and got up and headed to the kitchen. 

“I just hope they’re easy to get up and get to church.”  She climbed back into the bed.  “They had a blast today with your kids, it’s all they talked about on the way back.”

“Yeah, I know Jake enjoyed the girls being there, too.”  He put the glass into the sink and added water.  “Ro I’m not so sure, he’s a little shy at times.”  Jon remembers the one time Romeo wasn’t so shy, but that was before Dot got in such a bad way.

There was that silence that always happened. 

“So when are their parents picking them up?”  Jon wanted to see her tomorrow and thought about asking her to join him and his kids, at his parents, for lunch. 

“I have them till Monday after school.”  Colleen leaned back on the pillows and smiled, she was glad he called. 

“Well, my parents have a huge family lunch tomorrow. Dad’s working on some new sauces to sell, and he uses us to test it on.”  Jon laughed a little, as he left the kitchen and headed upstairs to his bedroom.  “You think you and the girls would like to come eat and be guinea pigs with the rest of us?”

“I can ask them when they get up, I can call you.” Colleen hoped they said yes. “I'll call you.” 

They hung up so she could get some sleep.

Jon was passing Jake's door when it opened.

“You asking Miss O’Sullivan to lunch tomorrow?”  He followed his dad into his room and climbed onto the side of the bed.

Jon walked into his closet to change, grabbing his sleep shorts off the floor.

“Yeah, is that okay with you?”  Jon headed to the in suite bathroom.  He wanted Jake to say ‘sure no problems Pops.’  But he knew that might be pushing it.

“She going to bring Leslie and her sister?”  Jake asked.

“Yeah, she has them all weekend.”  Jon told him, not holding his breath, but thinking that might make Jake’s decision for him.

“Yeah, I guess so.”  Jake mumbled.

Inside his head, he just jumped in the air and did a fist pump, like he did on stage.

“Does this mean you and Miss O’Sullivan and going to...date?”  Jake asked.

His inner jump just landed wrong and fell off the stage.

“I want to, if it’s okay with you and Roe.”  Jon never moved to the doorway after starting the shower to warm up.

“Steph and Jesse talked to Roe and me about you two dating. How we should let you, you know, start dating again.”  Jake inspected the toe of his shoe, not looking up to where his dad was standing.

“How do you feel about that?”  Jon wasn’t really sure he wanted to know the answer to that question. But he couldn’t take the words back now.

“I guess it’s okay, I like Miss O’Sullivan, she’s a neat teacher and she saved my as, I mean butt.”  Jake finally looked up to where his dad was standing. 

There went that stage jump again inside Jon.

“She did do that,” Jon said from the doorway.  “She’s going to ask the girls tomorrow when they get up, so I’ll know tomorrow if they’ll be coming to lunch.” 

Jake got up and headed to the bedroom door, as far as he was concerned, this talk was over with his dad.

“Okay dad, good night.”  Jake said as he left the room, closing the door.

Jon finally took a deep breath, that meant three of his kids were okay he was going to start dating.  That left Romeo, after he showered he would go and talk to him.  His inner stage jumper, held up for that final leap.  Jon smiled and hummed the whole time he showered.