The next morning Amanda woke first, showered and dressed quickly due to the chill and started their coffee. A big picture window showed soft snow falling, but when she walked outside there was almost no wind. It was so beautiful and the snow and the wooded landscape made everything seem so perfect. She heard the shower and Jon soon joined her.
“I think this is a perfect day for a trail ride. Dress warm though, okay? You can never tell when the wind will pick up.” He had a cup of coffee with him and had already dressed, so they stood outside for a few minutes, enjoying the snow and the comfortable temperature without a wind to chill them.
“Hey, I want to call the kids before we go. Haven’t talked to them in a few days.”
She nodded for him to go ahead, she would be in within a few minutes. She came in at the end of his call with his children and heard him speaking to Stephanie, his oldest, that yes Amanda was someone very important to him and he wanted them to get to know each other.
“Honey, I know change is hard. I know you wish your mom and I would have worked things out, but that didn’t happen and it’s not going to. Steph…Stephanie, honey, we both love you so much. We’ll always be your parents, baby. Yes, I will. I love you.”
He hung up with a wistful look on his face.
”It’s hardest for Stephanie. She hoped Dot and I would get back together, but she has come to accept Eric and she will with you too.”
She moved to him, putting her arms around him from behind. “Kids always want their parents to get back together, Jon. You’re giving her time to adjust and I’m sure that’s the right way to go.”
He leaned back against her, taking strength from her undemanding presence. Their moment was interrupted when Amanda’s cell rang. She dug it out from her purse and looked at the caller ID.
“It’s Susan.”
She answered. “Hey girl, how are ya?”
Susan’s voice on the phone was loud enough for Jon to hear.
“Don’t you ‘hey Susan’ me, Amanda Lee Matthews!”
Manda mouthed “oh shit” to Jon.
“You are in a world of shit girlfriend and you better start talking to me RIGHT NOW!”
“Susan…”
“Are you or are you not shacked up with Jon Bon Jovi?”
“Susan! I am not ‘shacked up’ with anyone. Why are you asking me about this?”
“Why am I asking you about this? You know Janet from my office? The Bon Jovi freak? Well, I had to hear it from her, INSTEAD OF MY BEST FRIEND, that Jon Bon Jovi has a new love interest! You’re in People magazine for Christ’s sake!”
“People magazine?” Amanda shook her head in astonishment. She knew Jon could hear Susan as her friend was that loud.
“Amanda Lee, you better start talking to me!”
Jon mouthed, ‘Amanda Lee?” and she glared at him.
“Sue! Shut up already!”
“I don’t freaking think so. ‘Oh I met a guy named John, he’s from New Jersey’…” she quoted Amanda back to herself. “Did you forget to mention the tiny little detail that it was goddam Jon Bon Jovi?”
Jon was making motions for Amanda to put the phone on speaker. He was laughing so hard he just had to get in on this conversation.
“Susan! I’m putting the phone on speaker…”
Her friend hissed at her. “Don’t you dare…” Amanda pushed the button, “PUT THIS PHONE ON SPEAKER!!!” Susan’s voice was suddenly louder.
Jon piped in then. “Hi Susan!”
“Who the hell is this?”
“Jon.”
“Jon? JON?! YOU BITCH! YOU DID PUT ME ON SPEAKER!”
Amanda was laughing hard herself now. “I said I was putting you on speaker!”
Laughing harder, she said loud enough for her friend to hear, “Susan, say hello to Jon Bon Jovi.”
There was silence from the other end of the line.
“Sue?”
“Amanda Lee you cannot possibly expect me to talk to Jon Bon Jovi!”
“Susan, you already ARE talking to Jon Bon Jovi! Now, say hello to my boyfriend, Jon.”
They then heard a mumbling into the phone which sounded suspiciously like “you are so freaking dead’ and then Susan’s voice.
“Hello, Jon.”
“Hi Susan, nice to speak to you. I hear you know ALL Amanda’s secrets. We’re going to have to talk.”
Amanda gaped at him. “JON!”
He grinned wickedly at her.
They then heard, “Amanda, tell me that I am not talking to Jon Bon Jovi and that he did not hear everything I just said…please?” The mortified whine in her voice caused further hysterics in Jon and Amanda.
“Susan, yes you are talking to Jon Bon Jovi and yes he did hear everything you said because you were SO FREAKING LOUD!”
“Oh my god! Then it’s true. You’re in New Jersey with Jon Bon Jovi.”
“Actually, right now we’re in Tahoe, but yes the other part is true.”
“You’re in Tahoe! Tahoe? What’s in Tahoe?”
Jon, apparently having borrowed Richie’s devil for the moment, answered her. “Well, right now we’re in Tahoe in a gorgeous cabin where in a few minutes I’m going to take this lady for a long ride.” He made motions to Amanda referring to their upcoming horseback ride.
Again there was silence from the phone but they could hear muttering in the background they could not quite make out.
Amanda’s eyes twinkled at Jon. She simply could not resist. “Sue? Honey? I’m gonna go now, okay? You know what they say, save a horse, ride Bon Jovi.” With that she hung up the phone, not knowing now whether she was laughing at her own daring or at Jon’s face at what she said.
Holding her sides from laughter, she managed to get out, “Oh come on, Jon, even I’ve seen THAT sticker!”
Laughing together, Jon couldn’t resist. “You think she’s gonna want to meet me?”
“Only if she’s manages to stop sputtering! Ya had to tease her, right?”
“Oh yeah, that was just too good to pass up! And you should talk! Mine was bad, yours was worse!”
“We are both so wicked, Bongiovi!”
“I think this is a perfect day for a trail ride. Dress warm though, okay? You can never tell when the wind will pick up.” He had a cup of coffee with him and had already dressed, so they stood outside for a few minutes, enjoying the snow and the comfortable temperature without a wind to chill them.
“Hey, I want to call the kids before we go. Haven’t talked to them in a few days.”
She nodded for him to go ahead, she would be in within a few minutes. She came in at the end of his call with his children and heard him speaking to Stephanie, his oldest, that yes Amanda was someone very important to him and he wanted them to get to know each other.
“Honey, I know change is hard. I know you wish your mom and I would have worked things out, but that didn’t happen and it’s not going to. Steph…Stephanie, honey, we both love you so much. We’ll always be your parents, baby. Yes, I will. I love you.”
He hung up with a wistful look on his face.
”It’s hardest for Stephanie. She hoped Dot and I would get back together, but she has come to accept Eric and she will with you too.”
She moved to him, putting her arms around him from behind. “Kids always want their parents to get back together, Jon. You’re giving her time to adjust and I’m sure that’s the right way to go.”
He leaned back against her, taking strength from her undemanding presence. Their moment was interrupted when Amanda’s cell rang. She dug it out from her purse and looked at the caller ID.
“It’s Susan.”
She answered. “Hey girl, how are ya?”
Susan’s voice on the phone was loud enough for Jon to hear.
“Don’t you ‘hey Susan’ me, Amanda Lee Matthews!”
Manda mouthed “oh shit” to Jon.
“You are in a world of shit girlfriend and you better start talking to me RIGHT NOW!”
“Susan…”
“Are you or are you not shacked up with Jon Bon Jovi?”
“Susan! I am not ‘shacked up’ with anyone. Why are you asking me about this?”
“Why am I asking you about this? You know Janet from my office? The Bon Jovi freak? Well, I had to hear it from her, INSTEAD OF MY BEST FRIEND, that Jon Bon Jovi has a new love interest! You’re in People magazine for Christ’s sake!”
“People magazine?” Amanda shook her head in astonishment. She knew Jon could hear Susan as her friend was that loud.
“Amanda Lee, you better start talking to me!”
Jon mouthed, ‘Amanda Lee?” and she glared at him.
“Sue! Shut up already!”
“I don’t freaking think so. ‘Oh I met a guy named John, he’s from New Jersey’…” she quoted Amanda back to herself. “Did you forget to mention the tiny little detail that it was goddam Jon Bon Jovi?”
Jon was making motions for Amanda to put the phone on speaker. He was laughing so hard he just had to get in on this conversation.
“Susan! I’m putting the phone on speaker…”
Her friend hissed at her. “Don’t you dare…” Amanda pushed the button, “PUT THIS PHONE ON SPEAKER!!!” Susan’s voice was suddenly louder.
Jon piped in then. “Hi Susan!”
“Who the hell is this?”
“Jon.”
“Jon? JON?! YOU BITCH! YOU DID PUT ME ON SPEAKER!”
Amanda was laughing hard herself now. “I said I was putting you on speaker!”
Laughing harder, she said loud enough for her friend to hear, “Susan, say hello to Jon Bon Jovi.”
There was silence from the other end of the line.
“Sue?”
“Amanda Lee you cannot possibly expect me to talk to Jon Bon Jovi!”
“Susan, you already ARE talking to Jon Bon Jovi! Now, say hello to my boyfriend, Jon.”
They then heard a mumbling into the phone which sounded suspiciously like “you are so freaking dead’ and then Susan’s voice.
“Hello, Jon.”
“Hi Susan, nice to speak to you. I hear you know ALL Amanda’s secrets. We’re going to have to talk.”
Amanda gaped at him. “JON!”
He grinned wickedly at her.
They then heard, “Amanda, tell me that I am not talking to Jon Bon Jovi and that he did not hear everything I just said…please?” The mortified whine in her voice caused further hysterics in Jon and Amanda.
“Susan, yes you are talking to Jon Bon Jovi and yes he did hear everything you said because you were SO FREAKING LOUD!”
“Oh my god! Then it’s true. You’re in New Jersey with Jon Bon Jovi.”
“Actually, right now we’re in Tahoe, but yes the other part is true.”
“You’re in Tahoe! Tahoe? What’s in Tahoe?”
Jon, apparently having borrowed Richie’s devil for the moment, answered her. “Well, right now we’re in Tahoe in a gorgeous cabin where in a few minutes I’m going to take this lady for a long ride.” He made motions to Amanda referring to their upcoming horseback ride.
Again there was silence from the phone but they could hear muttering in the background they could not quite make out.
Amanda’s eyes twinkled at Jon. She simply could not resist. “Sue? Honey? I’m gonna go now, okay? You know what they say, save a horse, ride Bon Jovi.” With that she hung up the phone, not knowing now whether she was laughing at her own daring or at Jon’s face at what she said.
Holding her sides from laughter, she managed to get out, “Oh come on, Jon, even I’ve seen THAT sticker!”
Laughing together, Jon couldn’t resist. “You think she’s gonna want to meet me?”
“Only if she’s manages to stop sputtering! Ya had to tease her, right?”
“Oh yeah, that was just too good to pass up! And you should talk! Mine was bad, yours was worse!”
“We are both so wicked, Bongiovi!”
He looked at her that way again and his voice was soft. “Let me show you how wicked I can be,” as he took her to heaven once again.
I like Susan!!!!!!!! I can sympathise with how she would feel, tho! I'd have to kill my friend if they kept such a secret for that long!
Wicked Jon huh. Can I get a piece of that lol.