Boswell, LaVenia (7 page)

            Jen knew right then her mom asked him to encourage her relationship with Jas.  Jeeze.  What was it about him that had them all on his cheering squad?  Just because he’s a genuine good guy, plus has money and okay his smarts, still doesn’t ring her bell.  It takes a lot more.  Wish they’d leave things alone.

            She was trying to find a way to answer Thomas when her cell went off.  This time it was Scott again.  She stopped the ringing.

            Tom noticed her ignoring the call but said nothing.  Getting up he stated, “Never mind if you don’t want to talk about it.  But know this, I do love you baby sister and I’m always here for you.”  He left for his room to get his bags packed to return to
Gainesville
when their parents return home.

            Glancing at her watch she realized Jason would be there in less than an hour. 

            In her room she opened her closet and choose a pair of straight legged jeans.  She grabbed an actually brand new pink knit tube top, her first one ever, and a heavy brushed cotton, cream colored button up shirt with long sleeves and pink cuffs and collar.  It had her favorite Twilight cast of characters emblazoned on its back.  She buttoned the shirt from the bottom to just below her tube top.  She double checked to make sure the cuffs were buttoned well, they tended to come loose and she didn’t want the bruises on her wrists visible to anyone.  Cream knee boots worn over her jeans along with her shell necklace with earrings completed her outfit.  She also picked up a short jean jacket in case the air grew too cold.  It was a pretty clear, crisp day out, temps in the high sixties, unusual for their January winter.

            Her wig just required a bit of maneuvering with the curling iron after her shower and shampoo to get the curls just right again, which did require a talent she would have to learn.  Her own long hair was strictly wash and wear

            When she came home with the
Alice
wig, knowing it was all the rage again, she was happy she could now have her long hair and enjoy her
Alice
look too.  She thought it was a safe and easy way to express herself.

            Her wig freaked out her Dad.  He didn’t like her new hairstyle one bit and growled, “Your hair had been beautiful before you chopped it all off.”  Seeing the angry look on her face he’d added more softly, “But since you’re such a beautiful young lady anyhow, I guess I can learn to live with it.  But I liked the long hair better!”

            Like, well, yeah.  Then she showed him it was just a wig.  Was he ever relieved!

            She waited to hear a car horn when the door bell chimed.  She was in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher while Thomas was in the foyer tossing down his duffle bag for his return to the
Gainesville
hospital. 

            Thomas bellowed out, “Well, hi Jason.  Been a while big guy.”  She could hear back slaps and shoulder punches.  Guys were so gladiator physical with one another, she just didn’t get it.

            “So, you and sis are going to a beach bash, huh?”  She’d heard this clearly but now they were talking too low for her to pick up on the conversation from the kitchen.  Hum, what now?  Grabbing the small purse she’d made of layers of cream ruffled lace sewn over pink velvet she decided she better get to them before they had cooked up something, knowing her brother.  She was sure and certain she wouldn’t like whatever it was, since she simply didn’t trust men of late.  They seemed determined to undermine the very best of her intentions.

            When she saw Thomas had his arm around Jason’s shoulders and they had walked into the great room, head to head talking low, she was stumped.  Jason shook his head no several times and from his side view he looked upset, which was a rarity for Mister Cool and always Calm.  Neither had seen her coming down the hall or where she’d stopped in the doorway.  Thomas apparently asked Jason something and after a long pause Jason pulled out his cell phone, punched it a few times and turned to show Thomas something on the phone.

            Jennifer carefully stepped back further into the hall and peeked around the corner at them.  When she heard them both gasping and sporadically giving out low curses, and Jason never cursed, she watched with increasing fear as both men clenched and unclenched their fists.  She was afraid, but didn’t know why.  It was bad, whatever it was.

            Tom began talking rapidly and even quieter to Jason, as odd as it was, her brother seemed to be calming Jason down about something.  Whatever for?  Jenny went to her room, trembling slightly, and called out, “I’ll be there in just a minute, I’m trying to find something.” 

            Tip-toeing through the hall she peeked around the door again.  They were sitting chair pulled up to chair and Jason was patting Tom on the shoulder, like reassurance or something.  The roles looked reversed now.  Huh?  What in the world were they up to?  Jenny was about to burst with curiosity. 

            Suddenly their voices returned to normal level and they stood up shaking hands.  Her eyes widened in complete disbelief as Tom gave Jason a big bear hug.  Both guys hugged for about half a minute.  For pities sake, Jennifer thought.  She couldn’t imagine what was going on.  But there was fear in her from seeing their reaction to whatever had been on the phone.  She wasn’t certain if she wanted to know what it was all about or not, what with the anger both showed.

            While raffling through her small purse she stepped into the room.  “Hi guys.”  Looking up she admitted, “Hi Jas, I thought it was you.  You could have honked, I was almost ready.”

            Both fellas stood there staring at her.  She realized with surprise that Jason looked at least five years older than Thomas.  Thomas was nine years older than her, making him twenty-seven.

            Jason finally managed to say, “Hi Jen, uh, what . . . what did you do to your hair?”

            “Got this
Alice
pixie cut hair style.  I just love it!” she answered with a happy grin.  Let him stew.  She knew most guys liked long hair, how would he feel if he thought her’s was gone?

            He looked over at her brother who shrugged his shoulders, also thinking her hair was cut.  She’d worn the wig while he’d been here.  He hadn’t even asked her about her hair.  Brothers!

            Thomas suddenly grunted as he came stalking swiftly across the room to her.  Grabbing her arm he whirled her around and out into the hallway.  When he’d oddly marched her halfway to her room he hissed, “Where do you think you’re going with that top on like that?!”

            Irritated and baffled, Jennifer exclaimed, “My top?!  Are you crazy?  What’s wrong with my top?”  She looked down and only now saw that without a bra the tube top tended to outline her form like a second skin and revealed far more than she’d been aware.  The worse part was the stretch knit material had also drawn up on itself and actually shrunk while she’d been wearing it.  Way over half her feminine assets was now visible.  Even her clothes were fighting against her she decided with weary anger.  Still it wasn’t nearly as revealing as the bikini she’d bought on sale to wear this summer, it was her very first one too.

            She snorted with irritation a time or two trying to decide what to do.  She could insist on keeping it on and have an all out battle loud enough for Jason to hear, because she got loud when she was angry or she could change the top.  She was siding with the battle, just for the principle of her determining her own type of clothing, when Jason called out from the great room, “Uh, Tom, could I speak to you for a moment, please?”

            Casting her a nasty glare Jenny figured was supposed to sear her eye balls out as they burst into flames Tom walked back into the room where Jason was waiting.

            Jennifer was still fuming and snorting in the hallway when Thomas returned.  She gave him a look that should have frozen his feet to the carpet.  Instead, he walked over and told her to button up three buttons and she could go.

            Refusing to be obedient - he wasn’t the boss of her!  She just glared at him.

            “Sis, I love you and I don’t want to see you hurt or for people to get the wrong impression about you.  Please, button those few buttons to keep me from worrying so much about you I might wreck on the way back.”

            Well, since he was now asking so nicely and all.  She buttoned her blouse to cover the tube top.

            With a look of dire warning he added, “Now promise me, you’ll keep that buttoned tonight.”

            “Jeeze, Louise,” she muttered, but nodded her head.

            Jason suddenly walked into the foyer, went to the front door and held it open for her, acting as though he hadn’t heard every word she and Thomas had said.  He should have been an actor, she begrudgingly decided, Players By The Sea would have loved to clone several of him.