Page 92 of The Work Wife

Jamie was usually content with what she had and what she did. However, there was a fine line between being content and being lazy, and Jamie thought she may have wandered across that line.

When she’d graduated from college she had the same goals as most of her friends. Find a great job. Check. Find a great guy. Not so much. Get married. Not even close. Have kids.

She felt a little sad on that last one. She actually did like kids and loved playing with her friends’ children. But she wasn’t ready. Mainly because she hadn’t completed the steps in between.

She’d met the first goal and gotten stuck. The great guy was out there and she had been doing her best to find him. Okay, so maybe her best wasn’t searching the Go Fish dating site, waiting for a nibble. But she thought she’d start with the easiest solution first.

“We’re going to be talking this morning about our goals,” Misty said.

“My goal for today was to lie on the beach and finish my first drink before ten.” Curt couldn’t help himself.

“That is a short-term goal. Today we’re looking at long-term goals. It’s important that your partner understand where you want to go in your life. What expectations you have for your future together. Many times couples go off on their own goals without knowing their partner’s goals and they don’t end up at the same place.”

Jamie frowned. It was bad enough that she hadn’t moved toward her goals. She couldn’t imagine how much harder it would be if she was forced to align her goals to another person’s.

Unless that person shared the same goals. She glanced to the man sitting next to her. They had so much in common, what if they were heading along the same path and didn’t even know it?

“It’s easy for us to assume the other person is happy with the way things are at that moment. And they may very well be, but people change. Relationships change, what we need and want change as we move through life. Without knowing where our partner is heading, how can we know how to help them reach their goals? Or ask them for what we need to reach our own?”

Jamie looked at Wes, who looked back at her with what she guessed was a mirror expression of confusion. They’d never discussed their life goals.

“So rather than jump in the deep end of the pool, let’s start small. Let’s talk about today. Curt has already shared what he wants to accomplish today. Take a moment to look at your partner and tell them what you want to do for the rest of the day.”

Wes turned to face her, taking her hands in his—though that wasn’t part of the exercise. “You can go first,” he offered, always the gentleman.

“I kind of liked Curt’s idea, only I would throw in a book.” She smiled.

“That does sound good. I was thinking I’d like to go hiking. They have an excursion leaving at ten thirty, but relaxing would be nice too.”

Jamie tilted her head to the side and squeezed his hands. How many times did he change his goals to match hers because it was easier? She hadn’t realized.

“We could do both.” It would be nice to go for a hike. “Let’s go do the excursion, then we can come back and spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach before dinner.”

“Wow. I think we’ve just mastered compromise.” He laughed.

“And we didn’t even have a workshop on compromise.”

“Go us. We’re rocking this marriage shit.”

They were instructed on how to make the next goal and the next. And how those long-term goals weren’t written in stone. They needed to stay fluid for the things life threw at them.

They held hands as they went back to the cottage to change. With moves like choreographed dancers, he tossed her the sneakers from her suitcase before grabbing two bottles of water from the mini-fridge. She threw some sunblock in her day pack and he added the water. It took them eleven minutes to be ready to get to the bus.

Their guide was a charming man who promised a morning full of beautiful sights and waterfalls. Jamie patted Wes’s leg in excitement and he linked his fingers through hers. No one from their group was there to witness his affection, so she knew it was just for her.

Things between them were changing. She found she wasn’t afraid of the change. Instead she was just as excited about what came next for them as she was about seeing a waterfall.

* * * *

Wes held out a bottle of water to his wife as they caught their breath from the climb. They were getting quite the workout, but the view was worth it. Green trees covered the mountainside, plunging down to meet white sand and blue water.

“It’s beautiful,” Jamie said after wiping away a drop of water from her lip with the back of her hand. “To think I would have missed this if we had only gone with my goal for the day.”

“As beat as I am now, I’m looking forward to fulfilling your goal.”

They stood, silently staring at the view for a long moment.

“What are your long-term goals?” Jamie asked. They had discussed techniques in class, but not the goals themselves.