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“True.”

“Since she’s got a good relationship with her ex, I’m going to assume the problem isn’t that she’s afraid of getting’ serious. She’s not going to be your boss for very much longer, so I’m gonna guess she’s still more concerned about the difference in your ages than anything else.”

“Yeah, she’s mentioned that a couple of times, but I don’t care how old she is.”

“I know, and if your genders were reversed, no one would bat an eye. I’m just saying that, as a woman of a certain age, I’m more than familiar with how most of the guys my age are dating twenty year olds, and I’m sure Jordan is too. If you want to be with this woman for the long haul, you need to be yourself, show her that you’re mature, and do your best to convince her that you won’t get tired of her and move on to some younger woman whose boobs are still perky.”

I winced at Lillian’s frank response.

“Make her dinner, and for God’s sake, talk to her about your concerns and get her to talk to you about hers. If you can’t talk to each other, you’ve got no hope of making things work.”

“You’re right Miss Lillian, thank you for your advice.”

“Now tell me what you’re makin’ for dinner so I have an excuse to stay down here a little longer.”

I felt better after talking to my friend. Lillian was right, it was time for me and Jordan to have a long talk about our feelings and the future. I just hoped that I wasn’t totally misreading things, and that her feelings and idea of the future aligned with mine.

After hanging up with Lillian, I made two quick phone calls, then got busy prepping for dinner.

Jordan knocked on the door promptly at five p.m. Setting down the cucumber I was slicing, I wiped my hands and went to answer the door. She was wearing a cute sundress that hit her mid-thigh, along with sandals and a little sweater. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders in soft waves, making me realize that I’d never seen it down before. Jordan always wore her hair pulled back in a bun or a ponytail.

“Hey,” I said, stepping forward to give her a hug. “You look great. I like your hair down. It’s real pretty.”

I caught a bit of it between my thumb and fingers, touching the silky strands like I’d never seen hair before.

Jordan cleared her throat. “Thank you. Are you going to show me around?”

“Of course,” I said, stepping away. “This here is the living room.”

“You bought this as a fixer, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, pleased that she remembered. “There was a lot to do. I re-did the floors myself, painted of course, and completely remodeled the kitchen and bathrooms. Leo helped me re-brick the fireplace and replace the mantel, and him and George helped me with the deck outside.”

She looked around, taking in the dark hardwood floors with colorful area rugs, mustard colored walls, dark baseboards, and huge picture windows. She pointed to the navy blue couch and matching chairs, situated around a multicolored geometric patterned area rug.

“It’s so cute,” she said sincerely. “I like the color scheme you’ve got. Everything looks comfortable.”

“I don’t know what it looked like before of course, but you’ve done a great job.”

I led her back through the dining room, briefly showing her the two small guest bedrooms, one of which was filled with tools and paint, and the bathroom. She poked her head in, looking suitably impressed. When we got to the master bedroom she made a happy sound.

“Oh my God, the view from this room!”

I’d arranged the entire room to take advantage of the view of the woods behind my house.

“It’s what sold me on this house, despite the shitty condition it was in when I moved in,” I explained.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked as we headed towards the kitchen.

“I bought it when I was thirty,” I said. “So, five years. And it’s taken me this long to get it into such good shape.”

“Well you’ve done a great job with it, really. I love it.”

Without thinking, I asked, “I’m glad you like it. Can you imagine yourself living here?

Jordan

My mouth dropped open at Jim’s question. Thinking it must be a joke, I laughed it off, but his face stayed serious.