Free We're Just Friends: Short Story Prequel to Pam of Babylon #8 by Suzanne Jenkins Page B

response. Here’s the transcript of her message.
    Jason, I understand needing to stay in touch with Joyce. But the rest of it, the omission, running away from me on the beach, I don’t understand. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but I know deceit when I see it and I won’t tolerate it, ever.
    If you think I can be dismissed so easily, we need to reconsider our engagement. Perhaps you need to revisit your intentions for proposing. Why do you want to get married? I looks to me as though you need to stay single and be free to spend time with other women and not make excuses to a wife.
    Please don’t call me back unless you are prepared to commit to me one hundred percent. Goodbye.
    I’m sure the version you heard of our disagreement is much more dramatic than mine was. Pam can be very, shall we say histrionic . I know she’s over menopause, but sometimes I get the feeling a little hormone replacement therapy is in order. Could you mention it to her? I don’t think it would go over very well if I did.
    So I called her and said I was one hundred percent committed to her. She came back with this shocker; she wants to get married next spring. I think it’s unreasonable to do so that soon, but I want to be with her and will do it on her terms.
    I hope this will give you insight into our relationship. Any advice?
    Yours truly,
    Jason Bridges
     

Thursday, August 27
    Sandra Benson
    Lang, Smith and Romney
    32 Exchange Place
    New York, New York 10005
    Dear Jason,
    Thank for you for taking the time to write me. When we met, I felt we really hit it off in spite of Pam doing her best to keep us in different rooms. She spent so much energy making sure we didn’t speak to each other I wondered what she was afraid of. I feel disloyal talking to you about her. But since you initiated it, apparently with her blessing, I’ll forge ahead. First of all, let me say Pam never said a word to me about the weekend. She has too much pride to admit anything like that to another woman.
    You already know how Pam and I met. It was in the worst possible circumstance. I was in love with her husband, and he was in love with me. I don’t know if you realize Ted’s late husband, Ashton told her that Jack was getting ready to leave Pam for me. Yet she was able to look beyond it and see that we had common ground on which to build a friendship, in spite of our age difference.
    Now baby Brent binds us together no matter what happens. I don’t think she yet grasps the significance of me having her grandson. No matter what happens, baby Brent will always be there.
    Regarding Pam’s anger when she discovered you were in Babylon; I think if my boyfriend made a trip that resulted in him being across a sand dune from me, and he didn’t tell me he was there, I’d be ticked off, too. She isn’t the jealous type, so I doubt if your dinner with Joyce was the real issue. If you’d let her know you were coming to the island a day early because you had plans, she’d have been fine. I think.
    Let’s get together for coffee, shall we? On your way into Babylon, you should stop off here at the office.
    Yours truly,
    Sandra
     

Friday, August 28, 10 am.
    Manhattan
    “Call on line one.” The receptionist called through to Sandra’s office. “Hey Sandra, it’s Jason,” he said after she picked up the phone. “I’m getting ready to leave Philadelphia. I’d like to take you up on getting together to talk. I should be downtown by noon. Are you free for lunch?”
    “Hi Jason,” she said, leaning over to look at her reflection in her computer screen. “That’d be fine. I’m on the 32 floor. Text me when you get into town. 212-550-9890.”
    Three hours later, her phone beeped, signaling a text message had come in. I’m downstairs. Traffic was horrible and I’m so sorry I’m late. Calling his cell phone from her office phone, he answered on the first ring.
    “Sorry again.”
    “No problem, Jason. Get on the left bank of elevators and come up.