Misunderstandings
by Beej
"I can't believe that I'm nervous,"
"C.Mon, Luv," Terry said, wrapping his arms around Jean. "It's only Dino."
"It's not only Dean, it's Dean and...a girl! It's also the first time we've seen him since we got engaged."
"I won't let him tease you, Jeanie," Terry hugged her giggling, then went serious. "He knows I'll kill him if he says or does anything to upset you."
Jean looked up into Terry's eyes and realised he meant every word. "Terry, he's your best friend. He isn't going to say anything bad."
Terry smiled down at her and kissed her soundly.
"Wow!"
"That good, eh. Right, grab your bag and let's make a move. Wouldn't want to keep his sorry arse waiting at the airport now would we."
Jean picked up her bag and jacket and took hold of Terry's hand as they left the penthouse and headed down to the garage. They were soon headed south out of the city on their way to Kingsford-Smith, arriving well before the flight was due.
"I love airports," Jean said as they walked into the International Arrivals Terminal.
"Whatever floats your boat, Luv," Terry replied. He'd been in enough airports in his life for the fascination to have worn off years ago, but he was happy to go along with Jean to watch the tired long haul travellers make their weary way through the gate, most to be greeted by friends and family, but some having no-one to meet them after their long journey.
Terry had fun pointing out the different passengers to Jean, joking with her about being able to tell at a glance what class ticket they were holding. Jean dug her elbow in his ribs and told him not to be so mean. He grinned and told her he would be right back. He headed off to the cafe and was soon back with a cuppa for them both. They sat in the meeting area and drank their tea, smiling at each other and holding hands. Terry never got tired of touching Jean, holding her hand was one of his favourite pastimes, much to Henry's delight every time he caught them. Terry didn't care though, he still didn't understand what he'd done to deserve her, but would never be able to thank her enough for being his girl.
His girl was now grinning from ear to ear and pointing. There was laughter coming from the arrival area followed by cheers. They walked over to get a better look at what was going on. A redhead was riding on the back of a luggage trolley, two suitcases and an attractive lady piled on the front. Dino had arrived. Terry laughed out loud at the sight of his friend. Even after the 14 hour trip from LA, Dino was still as hyper as ever.
Dino pushed the trolley through the welcoming crowd and stopped, looking round for any familiar faces.
"Oi!" Terry called. Dino looked towards the sound of the voice and smiled.
"Tio, my man" he yelled, rushing towards his friend and trapping him in a bear hug. "And the beautiful Jeanie." He released Terry and grabbed Jean for a hug and a kiss. "Hello, beautiful. You feeling better now?"
Jean smiled and kissed Dino back. "Yes thanks, Dean. I'm 100% again, and just a tiny scar. You could do me a favour and tell Terry that I'm okay to pick up something heavier than a paperclip now."
Dino grinned and looked over at his friend. He was just about to say something when a delicate cough sounded behind him. "Oh shit; sorry darling. I didn't really forget you were there. Terry, Jean, I'd like you to meet someone special to me. This is Lulu."
A stunning raven haired young woman stepped out from behind Dino and looked at the couple he'd been talking to. Jean noticed that her eyes lingered a bit longer than necessary on Terry. Luckily she wasn't a jealous type, and was used to the affect he had on the female population.
"Hello, Lulu," she said, holding out her hand.
"It's Louise, actually," she replied. "Dee likes to call me Lulu though."
Terry raised an eyebrow at his friend but said nothing, turning to Lulu and holding out his hand. "G'Day, Luv, Terry Thorne."
Lulu took it in both of hers and smiled. "Dee has told me so much about you I feel that we're friends already," she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
"Okie dokie, then. Let's hit the road. You okay staying with us, Dino, or would you like somewhere more private?"
Dino looked at Lulu, "What do you think, Honey. You wanna stay with Terry, Jean and Henry or would you rather a hotel?"
"Henry?" she asked.
"He's my son," Terry replied. We have a guest room though so it would be no bother.
"I don't want to put you out. I'm pretty tired from the trip, maybe we could stay with you tonight and go to a hotel in the morning?"
"No worries, we can arrange that. When we get home we'll make arrangements for you. The Park Hyatt is nice, and it's close."
"Thanks, Ter," Dino said. "It's probably better if we do that, give you lovebirds more space."
Lulu looked at him in askance. "Terry and Jean only recently got engaged," he told her.
"Oh, so Henry isn't yours, Jean?"
"No, he's from Terry's first marriage. He's grown up and at Uni here in Sydney."
"Ah, I see. Well, I look forward to meeting him."
"That won't be today I'm afraid, he's up in Brissie right now. He'll be home tomorrow though so I'll book a table and we can all go out for dinner."
"Good idea," Dino smiled, looking around the car park for Terry's jag. "Okay, my friend, where you hiding her?"
Terry grinned and pressed the remote, watching as Dino turned towards the beep from the car. Instead of the jag, Dino was looking at a shiny red Mazda3 sedan. He looked back at Terry.
"It's more cost effective around the city, mate, and Jeanie isn't scared shitless to drive it like she is with the jag."
"Can you blame me?" Jean laughed in reply. "That car means almost as much to you as Henry does."
"It has to be the same age as him at any rate," Dino laughed.
"What can I say, I love classic cars," Terry said in his defence.
Lulu ran her hand along the sleek lines of the Mazda. "This is very nice. I love the colour. Maybe I can have a go at driving it while we're here."
"Not too sure about that, Luv. It takes a bit of getting used to...driving on the proper side of the road, not the car," Terry grinned. Lulu glared at him for a second, then realised Jean was watching her, so smiled sweetly, waiting for Dino to stow the bags.
As always, Terry opened the passenger door for Jean and held her hand as she lowered herself into the seat. He made sure she was comfortable and strapped in before shutting the door and going round to the drivers side and getting in. Lulu looked pointedly at Dino until he followed suit and held the back door open for her as well.
There wasn't too much traffic on the expressway so they made it back to the city in record time. Terry pulled into the parking garage and into one of his spaces. He helped Dino get the bags out of the back while Lulu looked over at the jag.
"So that's your 'baby' then," she said.
"Yes," Jean answered, "I share Terry's affection for her...and the BMW...and the Harley."
Terry came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Darling, if I had to chose between you and the car, you'd win hands down every time."
"Get a fucking room, you two," Dino groaned picking up the bags and heading towards the lift. By the time they reached the penthouse floor Lulu was visibly flagging, she wasn't used to long distance flying. She perked up a bit when the lift doors opened. She looked out and realised there were only two front doors on the floor. Her curiosity peeked.
"Are there only two apartments per floor in this place?" she asked.
"No, Luv, just on this floor. I own one of the penthouses," Terry told her. He opened the door and stood back to let Jean and Lulu enter before him. Lulu looked around and smiled.
"Very nice, tasteful but understated. A home, not a showcase."
"Glad you approve, Luv," Terry replied, winking at Jean.
Dino carried the bags towards the guestroom and motioned Lulu to follow him. "C'Mon, doll, you can freshen up and then maybe take a nap."
Lulu smiled at Terry and Jean, then followed Dino into the guestroom. The door closed behind her and Terry and Jean were left staring at each other. "Interesting girl," Terry remarked.
"She seems taken with you," Jean replied, reaching up and kissing him.
"Really? I didn't notice."
"That's what I love about you, Terrence. You're completely oblivious of the affect you have on the female population."
Terry snorted and led Jean into the kitchen. He picked her up and sat her onto the counter-top, standing between her legs and hugging her. "You're the female I care about, Jeanie. As long as I have a good effect on you I'm more than happy." He kissed her soundly and only stopped when he heard a cough behind them. Turning, he saw Dino grinning at them.
"Lulu flaked out so I thought I'd come in search of coffee. Didn't mean to disturb you two," he grinned. "How about you show me the hardware, sweetheart," he added, taking hold of Jean's left hand. He examined the intricate ring and looked over at his friend. "Hey, Ter, it's like the apartment...tasteful and understated." He held up his hands in mock surrender when he saw the light flash in Terry's eyes. "Terry, it's beautiful, really, it's just right for Jean, nothing too ostentatious."
He poured himself a cup of hot, black coffee and walked towards his friend, and whispered in his ear, "And I bet it cost a bundle too."
Terry grinned at the last remark. "Nothing but the best for my girl. Got a matching wedding ring too."
"Ya really think she's gonna marry ya?" Dino grinned, punching Terry's arm. "You should thank your lucky stars you got as far as putting an engagement ring on her finger," he winked over at Jean.
"I'm a traditional girl, Dean. I like commitment, and that's what Terry is...committed."
"Sometimes I think he should be," Dino laughed, dodging out of Terry's reach.
"Why is it you're never tired, mate?" Terry asked jokingly. "You should go join your young lady for forty winks."
"Nah, I'm good, thanks. Besides, she's sprawled out all over the bed, no room for me." He slumped down on one of the sofas and made himself comfortable.
"Is there anything Lulu doesn't like to eat?" Jean asked. "I thought I'd cook for us this evening."
"That's one of the things that attracted me to her. She's not one of these girls who eat like sparrows or exist on salad leaves. She'll eat anything you put on a plate for her, then more often than not see if there are any seconds."
Terry and Jean sat on the sofa opposite Dino and he watched as Jean curled up against Terry, her legs tucked up under her. He smiled at his friends, pleased to see how happy they were in each others company.
"So, mate. Where'd ya meet her?" Terry asked.
"Believe it or not, she just fell into my arms." Dino replied. "Wyatt was over from London and I'd just left him at his hotel. A taxi pulled up outside and she stepped out. Trouble is, the heel broke off her shoe and she went flying."
"You caught her then," Jean stated.
"I surely did, Jean, my love. I took her inside and got her a drink, asked if they could get her shoe repaired, and chatted to her while we waited. What can I say, she laughed at my jokes, and could actually string more than a couple of words together in a sentence...and before you say anything, Terrence, yes, nothing like the girls I usually attract. Believe it or not, I think I'm ready to settle down myself, and am finally getting past the 'bimbo' stage of my life."
"Well, good onya, mate. I'm pleased for you. What does the lovely Louise do for a living?"
"She's an accountant," Dino smiled.
"Best looking accountant I've seen. You want to sign her up?" Terry laughed.
Just then, the bedroom door opened and a sleepy looking Lulu walked towards them. "Sorry, I must have dropped off for a bit. Have I been asleep long?"
"Only about half an hour, sweetheart. Can I get you a drink?"
"Coffee would hit the spot," she replied. "You have a lovely home here, Terry. The guestroom is bigger than my apartment." She looked over at Jean as she burst out laughing. "Have I missed something?"
"No, Louise, it's just that the first time I ever saw Terry's guestroom I said the exact same thing," Jean explained.
"Ah, right. So, you're newly engaged. Can I ask how you both met?"
"Hasn't Dean told you? I'm Terry's pa. We've worked together for years."
"Oh that's nice," she replied, smiling openly at Terry.
Jean decided on pasta for dinner and Terry set about helping her prepare the meal. They pulled out all the stops and made the pasta from scratch; they were determined to make Lulu feel welcome. If she was the one who was going to make Dino grow up and think of settling down, she was very special and worth spoiling.
Lulu was amazed to see Terry rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck in. She thought he was just going to lay the table, or at the most make the salad. His job was to make the pasta while Jean made the meat sauce, he then made a cheese sauce to die for, and they roped Dino in to make the salad. They cheated on dessert though and had a generous helping of chocolate and cream gateau that Jean had picked up from her favourite cake shop in town, the same one, incidentally, that Terry had popped into while the engagement ring was being resized for him.
"This has been an amazing evening," Lulu said, trying to stifle a yawn, "but would you think me terribly rude if I excused myself and headed for bed? I think the benefit of my cat nap earlier has worn off and I could sleep on a rail."
"No worries, Luv. You have a good night and we'll see you in the morning," Terry said, standing up to hug her goodnight. Dino stayed with them long enough to help them clear the dinner things away, scraping the leftovers into the disposal before rinsing off the plates and placing them in the dishwasher. That finished, he said goodnight and followed Lulu off to bed.
Terry and Jean looked at each other and smiled. They walked back into the lounge room and flopped down onto the sofa. "Alone at last," Terry sighed, wrapping his arm around Jean's shoulder.
"What do you make of her?" Jean asked.
"Too early to tell, Luv," Terry replied. "Dino seems taken by her."
"Smitten, I'd say," Jean replied, hugging her man.
They stayed wrapped in each others arms for a while listening to the music playing low on the sound system, then Terry stood up and held out his hand towards Jean. He kissed her forehead, and hand in hand they made their way to the master bedroom.