Page 04
"So let me ask, have anyone of you betrayed..."
"No, never! If you ever infer Jamie or I ever cheated on one another again, stepmother or not, I will bitch," mouthing the word for Suzie's sake, "slap you," Krissy said testily, taking Rhonda aback. "We are not like the two of you. I know Jamie will never cheat on me, nor will I ever cheat on my husband, so get that thought out of your heads."
"I'm sorry, Krissy, I didn't mean anything by it; I'm just trying to wrap my head around all this and how you're marriage has been going since you two thought it wise to keep it from us," Rhonda said; trying to get her foot out of her mouth. "Now, how about we sit down for dinner, and we can continue to discuss this."
"Missy, Dafne, Rachel!" Krissy squealed in joy as she met her friends at the airport, as the three of them flew in for her and Jamie's renewal. The three women howled in excitement as the group hugged and hopped around.
"Nice to see you again," Steven said, holding out his hand to Jamie, who was standing out of the four laughing women.
"You too, so I see you and Missy are still together," Jamie replied, shaking the man's hand. He did find it weird that Missy and Steven were going hot and heavy, given the nearly twenty-year age difference between the two of them. Recounting the civil wedding he and Krissy attended along with Dafne and Rachel when Missy contacted Krissy about it last year.
"Yeah, what can I say? She's a firecracker in bed," Steven mused, peering back at his wife, who was giving him that sultry look he's grown to love seeing on her face. "Don't worry about it, it was years ago, and I wasn't in the picture," he said when he noticed Jamie's uncomfortable look. "So you know what I'm talking about."
"True. So how's it going for the two of you?"
"Good, some ups and downs; Missy has never been in a long-term relationship before, so it's taken her some time to get used to the role of being a wife," Steven stated; their honeymoon night played out in his mind; reminiscing how she was like a wild animal as she rode him for a good portion of the night while he had her writhing for the other half. "I see you and Krissy are still together. How's it been going for the two of you?"
"Had a fight before we returned here; other than that, can't complain," Jamie said offhandedly.
"Oh? What about?" Steven asked, taking an interest in Jamie's and Krissy's life, given how he knew Krissy and Missy would never drift apart. So he knew he had to make nice with the young man next to him, or he was sure Missy would be displeased with him and also the threat of withholding sex from him. That was not a fate he would let happen, given how he's had the most sex in the past three years than he could remember with his now ex-wife.
"Krissy took a job up here without telling me about it."
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm," Jamie hummed as he nodded.
"You okay with it?" Steven asked in a friendly voice.
"Not how she went about it, but it doesn't really matter where I live; as long as she's there, all that matters, you know?" Jamie spoke, looking over at him. He ignored the 'awes' he was getting from the four ladies.
"I do," Steven nodded in response.
"Babe," Krissy's voice carried over the distance as her shoes squeaked on the polished wax floor surface, "if we don't leave, we're going to be late for our appointment," she said, knowing how the sunlight that was filtering through the airport windows played along her body. She did hope Jamie enjoyed how the light played along her curves.
"Is it that time?" Jamie muttered, quickly getting his phone out to check the time.
"Mmmhmm," Krissy hummed, pleased he was taking this part of their lives just as seriously as he did with their college years.
"Right, then we should get going then, you going to be alright taking Dafne and Rachel to their parents' homes?" Jamie asked, peering over at Steven.
"Sure, knowing Missy, she'll have my hide if I let anything happen to her friends," Steven stated with a boyish grin.
"You know it," Missy's sexy voice came from behind Steven, "you two get going; you better let us know which house you choose because we are so having a housewarming party," she uttered with vehement nods from the two that stood slightly behind her.
"We will, but we'll have to see what the real estate agent has to show us," Krissy said, slipping her hand into Jamie's as she waved to her friends.
"You best be ready for tonight!" Rachel called out to them as they neared the doors.
"We wouldn't miss it!" Krissy returned her friend's call, knowing the dinner with the four of them was in lieu of hers and Jamie's bachelor and bachelorette party they would've had if they had waited the four years to get married.
"Honey, I hope we're like that in four years," Missy sighed, resting her head on Steven's right shoulder as she watched Jamie and Krissy walking towards their SUV.
"Me too," Steven whispered, lightly kissing Missy's forehead before leading the three of them over to the rental counter so he could pick up the car he had paid for that weekend.
It was getting late in the afternoon, and the agent's fourth house she had shown to the couple that she thought was far too young to be buying a house the size they were standing in as the woman watched Krissy moseying the master bedroom while Jamie stood off studying her reaction to the place. After the first two that she thought would be perfectly suited for the needs of two what, she thought were newlyweds. She's come to watch the woman since it was Krissy that torpedoed the first two showings. She just didn't think the two before her could afford the two-story, Tudor-style house they were currently standing in. Even if the owner was going through a messy divorce and wanted to sell the place quickly, she just didn't think they had the money to put down on that kind of home.
"So?" Her eyes flickered over as she heard Jamie's voice filling the bedroom.
"Is the pool functional?" Krissy asked, peering over at the woman.
"As far as I know it is, the owner didn't say there was any problem with it," she answered, watching how Krissy returned her attention to staring out the window and down at the pool. Silently pleading with whomever that the couple before her wasn't pulling her leg.
"Babe?" Krissy cooed softly, knowing the amount of money the owner was asking for was a lot of money. She knew she had been pushing her husband a lot in the past few days; she just hoped he would give her this one last thing since she thought the house would be perfect to raise their family in.
"Hmm?"
"I like it; what do you say?" Krissy asked, turning to look at Jamie while resting her ass lightly on the sash of the window. Watching how Jamie looked around the room before dropping his chin into his hand. She knew four hundred thousand was a lot of his money to ask him to part with, but she knew this was for a very good cause. All the other homes they looked at she just couldn't see the future she hoped to have with Jamie in them. Here, she knew she could raise their babies in the laughs they would share, the giggles that would echo off the walls as one of them chased after their child.
"You sure this is the place you want?" Jamie asked for clarification.
"Mmmhmm," Krissy nodded, already picturing what their bedroom would look like.
"Don't you think it's kind of big?"
"Only for now it is; I'm sure sooner or later you'll be working on making this house nice and full," Krissy said with a coy smirk. "Just think of it; Suzie and Ben could come over, spend the night and play in the pool without Rhonda worrying about daycare or a babysitter. Plus, the thirty minutes it is between these two houses is enough to give them pause before attempting to come barraging into our lives, and I know you like that. Also, it's in a very good school district," she stated; it was also very close to the school she would be starting at once the school year began.
"Alright, I still think it's kind of big for us, but I can't deny it's a nice place," Jamie said, coming to terms with parting with that much of his money. Not that he was concerned about it; after all, his Uncle Martin was the one that has been managing his money for him, so he had a nice sum stashed away for when this time came, not including the money he still had from all the other things his father had left for him after his death. He would have haggled down twenty grand of the price, but the owner had already cut the price in half just so he could sell the house quickly. So he knew he wouldn't be able to get the price any lower.
"I promise we're going to have a lot of fond memories in this house," Krissy said sweetly as she slid her arms around Jamie's waist.
"We'll take it," Jamie stated, looking at the real estate agent. Who, as you would expect, had a flabbergasted look on her face; it was only her quick thinking that her mouth wasn't hanging open.
"Are you sure? This is a very expensive house? Wouldn't one of the smaller homes be more suited to your price range?" she asked; she just didn't want to put them in a home that she assumed they couldn't afford.
"I am," Jamie nodded sternly, feeling Krissy squeezing him tighter to her.
"Well, if you come back to the agency, we'll get the paperwork started for your mortgage; it will take some time to..."
"No, I think you misunderstood me. We'll take it today, no mortgage; I'll have the check for you by the time we return to your agency," Jamie said, cutting her off.
"Okay, if you say so, say we'll meet back at the agency in thirty?" she said, looking at her watch. Unsure if she's just been pranked, to her thinking a man as young as Jamie was couldn't have the money to buy the place out right.
"We'll meet you there," Krissy said, smiling warmly at the woman. Walking out hand in hand with Jamie, whipping out her phone, snapping a quick pick of the front of the house, and sending it off to all her friends, Rhonda and her father.
"It's a nice house, Krissy, but I think you and Jamie need to look for something smaller for a starter home," David sent back. Rhonda sent something similar to what her father had just sent. Looking over at Jamie when he lightly patted her forearm, telling her not to worry about what they thought given how they didn't think they would last this long. Her grin rose the corner of her lips when Jamie also told her just think of the looks on their faces when they showed them the house. Krissy was texting her friends like crazy while Jamie went to get the cashier's check for the house as she sat in the car in the bank's parking lot. While Dafne and Rachel were going to stick around to try and find a job close to the city to stay around their parents and family, Missy would be leaving after the renewal with her husband back to Washington.
Not that she could blame her, Missy had her own life to live, and she knew Missy was eager to start a family with her man. She was happy Missy found someone she could be close to, just like she was with Jamie. Leaning over and placing a kiss on Jamie's right cheek, knowing he was putting up with a lot of stuff just to make her happy. She wasn't saying it was only one way. She was planning on making this work for them. She would make sure all his ruffled feathers were smoothed over, no matter how long it took to do it. She just hoped Jamie could find a job close to home, knowing the reason Rhonda had cheated on his father was that Darriel had taken a job in NYC since he couldn't find one within the city or close to it, which left Rhonda feeling unappreciated and lonely. Krissy wasn't saying what Rhonda did was right, but she could understand why Rhonda felt like that. She was just going to ensure she didn't follow in her parents or Rhonda's footsteps.
"I was wondering if you two were going to show up," their real estate agent said, getting up from her seat to greet the two of them as they neared her desk. She kept what else she would say to herself, given the looks she got out of the two of them.
"Here," Jamie said, eager to be done with the rude woman. "Now, what paperwork do I have to sign?" he asked as he and Krissy sat down across from the woman. Noting how the woman was staring at the check he had just handed her.
"Oh... yes, paperwork," she stammered, knowing she had just made twenty grand for the sale of the house. Gently laying the papers down on her desk between the two of them, she knew she would still need to get the owner's signature before the sale was complete, who she had called on the ride back to her office, informing him that he had a buyer. Who was on his way to sign the papers as she watched Jamie signing his name on the dotted line. "As soon as the owner arrives and signs off on it, I'll call you to inform you when you can pick up the keys to your new home," she said after ensuring everything was in order.
It had been a month and a half since Jamie and Krissy moved into their new home. Their renewal was a blast, at least amongst hers and Jamie's friends, her family was not pleased to learn of their deception. Not that it really mattered to Krissy; she already knew what they thought of Jamie, except her grandmother, who took the news rather well, given how Reina laughed madly at the news. Reina thought it was a hoot that the two of them had pulled the wool over all their eyes for so long. On their honeymoon, Krissy presided to fuck Jamie to death, which she nearly did, given how Jamie looked like death warmed over as they were honeymooning out on Nags Head on one of the Outer Banks islands. They did make the four-hour drive down to Wilmington just so Jamie could see his family for a few days before they had to return home. Still, Krissy was worried when Jamie hadn't found a job after he had sent out numerous resumes to a lot of the companies around the city.
"I don't know what to do, Mom," Krissy sighed as she and Rhonda sat on her couch in her living room while Ben sat very close in front of their TV while Suzie was in school while Jamie was out once again looking for work. "It's not like he's not trying to find a job; it just seems no one is willing to hire him."
"I know the feeling," Rhonda said sadly, knowing that was the reason Darriel had to take the job in New York. "Well, it's a good thing you don't have a mortgage to worry about; I know that would have been very stressful trying to pay for this house," she stated; she was slightly annoyed that they had gone ahead and bought the place, and shocked that her son had bought it outright. She just didn't think her son would have been so frugal with his money. "Let me make a call, watch Ben for me, please," Rhonda spoke in a motherly voice as she got to her feet after pulling her phone out of her purse. "Hi honey," she greeted after the line connected as she stood in Jamie's and Krissy's kitchen. While she might have been dismayed that they had bought their own place when she thought they should have been saving for a house. She was impressed with how Krissy had decorated the place.
"Hey honey, I thought you were over at Krissy's," David answered, not referring to the house as Jamie's, given it was his name on the deed.
"I am, listen, didn't you say your accounting department was shorthanded?" Rhonda asked, referring to the night that David had come home complaining about the wait times he had to endure for their department to get them the numbers they needed for whichever project they were working on.
"I did; why?" David asked if he thought where this was going; he knew he wouldn't like it.
"Well, you know Jamie has that degree in accounting and has his CPA, and Krissy's worried about how Jamie hasn't been able to find a job in the city. So I was thinking, maybe you could put a word into your HR department to at least take a look at his resume," Rhonda said, knowing how the two of them have been at odds with one another more so since Jamie and Krissy had returned home.
"I don't know honey; I don't think Jamie has the mentality to work..."
"David, are you really going to say my son doesn't know about work ethic? Have you completely forgotten the job he had? That he got on his own, worked it for two years, or are you saying you don't want to help out your daughter simply because you don't like her husband?" Rhonda asked in a testy voice. "I'm getting real tired of this attitude, David."
"Fine, I'll make some inquiries," David grumbled.
"See that you do, or you can sleep in the guest bedroom," Rhonda snapped, hanging up on her husband. She has grown very tired of dealing with David's poor attitude towards her son over the past month and a half. It's started to put a strain on their relationship. With raising a rambunctious four-year-old and a curious eight-year-old, it was tiring work, and her husband's attitude wasn't helping.
Two mornings later saw Krissy and Jamie at their kitchen table with her eating her morning cereal while Jamie pushed around his own as he scanned his phone for job opportunities that were within the surrounding area. Lately, Jamie's felt like a rat on a wheel going nowhere with his job inquiries. It seemed to him that he was just banging his head against a brick wall even though he was qualified for the job. If he had to guess, the people he talked to saw his college as some backwater Podunk school. He was trying not to end up like his father, spending far too much time traveling and not enough spending it with his wife. He was not saying that his father's work was the cause, yet he could see how that would put a strain on a marriage. Nonetheless, if his mother had actually gotten a job, then his father wouldn't have needed to travel so far every day for work.
"Honey," Krissy's voice caused Jamie to peer up from his bowl, "baby, I know how hard you've been looking for a job, and I know you don't want to constantly be living off the savings you've worked hard to keep filled with us both in college and not working," seeing how he was listening, waiting for her to get to the point of the conversation, "so I talked to Dad last night, hear me out before you go off on me," noting the annoyance in Jamie's eyes as he leaned back in his chair, "there seems to be an opening in the accounting department at Dad's company, and he put in a word for you. All I'm saying is just give it a chance, okay?" Krissy spoke; she knew it would be a touchy subject, given who was involved.
"So your father knows I can't land a job, huh?" Jamie asked, crossing his arms.
"Jamie, don't be like that; Dad was just trying to help me," Krissy said softly.
"Explain?"
"Well, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to find a job around here, and I know what happened between your father and Rhonda," seeing the hardness in his eyes as she referred to how Rhonda started her affair with her father, "and I don't want our marriage to follow after them. So yes, I went behind your back and asked Dad to help get you a job because I don't want us to ever turn out like the two of them," Krissy said emphatically. A sigh escaped her lips when Jamie just surged from his seat and left her there at their kitchen table. Picking up Jamie's discarded bowl and her now empty one, she headed over to the sink, turned on the garbage disposal, and poured Jamie's breakfast down the drain. Her head snapped up when she heard their shower going, and a small smile formed on her face, knowing he might be upset with her meddling that he was at least taking the offered hand.
Her blue eyes lingered on her husband's back as his dress shirt rested gracefully against it. Her footsteps were light on the floating hardwood flooring as she ambled toward Jamie. Her arms slid along his waist as she lightly pressed her chest into his back. Her lips graced the back of his neck.
"Thank you for doing this, Jamie," Krissy whispered as she rested her right cheek on his back. "I know Dad isn't your favorite person, and I can guess how you're feeling right now. I'm not saying you have to take the job, but at least try to land it, okay? If something better comes along, I'll support you wholeheartedly in it. But this will be good for us; help us get on the right footing for our babies," she said with a devilish grin on her lips. She had a plan; if it worked out, they would be having their first baby by next summer break, so she wouldn't miss any work and could spend all summer bonding with their child.
"Oh? Already eager for babies, huh?" Jamie mused, peering over his left shoulder after he had slipped his tie over his head.
"You know I have been for some time now," Krissy purred, running her hands up his chest, loving how the fabric felt on her fingertips.
"I might, you know, if you pull this again, we will have words," Jamie said sternly as he unhooked his suit jacket from its hanger. His arms slid effortlessly through the sleeves before shutting his closest door.
"I promise, but I was only trying to help you; you can't be mad about that," Krissy uttered, hoping he knew she wasn't trying to rule his life, just that she was trying to keep him as close to home as she could.
"I know, but I don't want your father thinking he has any hold over me," Jamie said, kissing Krissy's forehead. He knew David would hold it over his head for however long he would work there if he was to get hired.
"Dad wouldn't do that," Krissy stated; her annoyance was clear as day.
"And you probably thought your father wouldn't be the kind of man that destroys a family either," Jamie retorted as he exited their bedroom. He knew he was going to pay for that once he got home. "I'll be back soon," he called out after getting his leather folder that held his resume.
Jamie was sitting across from one of the hiring personnel; he'd already forgotten the title the woman called herself as she looked over his resume. He noted how she had pulled out her phone; he could only assume the woman was looking up the name of his college. Jamie noted the woman's renewed interest in his resume when she put her phone down.
"Normally, we don't take walk-in applications, but since David put a word in for you," she noted the look in the man's eyes, yet his face remained placid, so she was just going to ignore it for the moment, "I thought the least I could do for him was to give you a chance. I see you're married, have you been married for long?" she asked, trying to build a rapport with Jamie.
"Little over four years now," Jamie said truthfully, noting the surprise in the woman's eyes.
"That would mean..." Her words trailed off as Jamie nodded, assuming what the woman was thinking.
"College and a marriage must have put a strain on the two of you," she said with a friendly smile.
"A little," Jamie admitted, wondering where she was going with all of this. If she was going to reject him, he just wished she would get it over with. Arching an eyebrow when the woman opened a drawer and pulled out a tablet along with a few sheets of paper.
"We give all prospective employees a test to see if they have the skills we're seeking," she stated, opening up the app and pulling up the test program they had made to weed out the less stellar applicants. "Just follow those instructions, and the program is self-explanatory." It was also a test to see if the applicant could follow instructions. Her eyes watched Jamie intently as he picked up the packet and began the test. She was going a little bored just sitting in her office as fifteen minutes rolled by; even though the test normally took thirty minutes, the fastest applicant took twenty to finish; she wasn't saying his answers were correct, which they weren't, just that he finished in that time. She took great satisfaction in wiping the smug grin off his lips when she informed him that he had spectacularly failed a simple test if one were to follow the instructions to the letter.
"Here you go," Jamie spoke, snapping the woman out of her daydream.
"Finished already?" she asked, a little surprised as she checked her watch that read only seventeen minutes had passed.
"Yeah, pretty simple, although your question nineteen is wrong," Jamie stated, not in arrogance, just a fact.
"That so," she mused, keeping her smile from her face; they had thrown that one in to see if those wishing to work for them would spot the error. Typing in her passcode to unlock the results page, her eyes inched wide as she read Jamie had scored ninety-eight percent on the test. They were lucky to get anyone that got a ninety on it; it was unheard of to get an almost perfect score. Even the ones he missed as she read his comments they allowed the applicant to make after completing the assigned questions were technically right, given the changes in the financial world since the test was first made. She had been pushing them to update it, but the powers that be were slow to heed her words. "Would you mind waiting just a bit?"
"Okay," Jamie said; he really didn't have anywhere to be at that moment, given he's already put in applications around the city without a call back yet. He had started to think their HR departments were getting rather annoyed with him with all the calls to them he's been making. His thumb scrolled up his screen, looking for any company that he hadn't put his resume in with yet, hoping to find somewhere to work close to home. He wasn't about to let someone like David swoop in and steal his wife from him. He knew how attractive Krissy was, and a ring didn't stop some of the low-down men that were out there. He wasn't saying Krissy would fall for it, but he would rather be around so he could keep an eye out for those types of men. He had just finished typing out a text to Krissy when the door opened, and in stepped David.
"I see you're here," David said, keeping his emotions from his voice.
"As are you," Jamie said plainly. "Come to ensure I haven't made an ass out of myself yet?"
"Yes," David answered.
"Afraid to get your name all dirty at your place of work, hmm? I bet you they all think you're all squeaky clean? I wonder how these people would react if they knew the truth about you, Hoss," Jamie said in a monotone voice.
"I don't care what you think, Jamie, you've made it plainly clear there will be no relationship between us, and that's fine. After all these years, I kind of prefer it that way. No, I only did this because Krissy asked me to lend a hand. Whether or not you get the job, it's no skin off my nose; now that I know you're here, I can get to my desk," David said, walking out of the room.
Jamie just brushed off David's parting words; they meant very little to him. Then again, he knew he would have to deal with the man for a very long time. If he and Krissy hadn't gotten together, he would have lived his life down in Wilmington. Where he would have wandered the streets during the Azalea festival with his family and rarely, if ever, return to Torrington. Other than being pleasant while Krissy was around, that was all David could except from him. If he got the job, he would have to figure out a way not to interact with David as much as he could. Looking down when his phone dinged, reading Krissy's text wondering when the woman would come back. Jamie sat there for another ten minutes before the woman entered the room with a manila folder under her left arm.
"Well, I have good news for you," she said, sitting down in her chair with a smile on her lips. "We'd like to offer you a job, now you're starting salary will be eighty thousand dollars, and you'll have opportunities to increase it every six months during performance reviews. Now there are some factors that can get you a bonus due to some of the projects we've been commissioned for. We just need you to sign this NDA before you can be hired on," she stated, pulling out the form from the folder and laying it before Jamie.
"Wait... you mean I got the job?!" Jamie asked with a mix of shock and perplexed surprise plastered across his face.
"Yes, are you surprised?"
"Yeah," Jamie stammered.
"Good, I like being able to surprise the young, but we do need you to sign this," she said, patting the paper. "It's because of the work we do here. We can't have our clients... data just floating around, you understand?" she stated when Jamie had a questioning look. Laying another packet of papers in front of him, waiting as Jamie read through the paperwork, signing his name on the dotted line. "Good. Now, let's go get your photo taken and your ID card made." With that, the woman led Jamie out of the room and down the hall to the bank of elevators, where they took the cab down two floors; the flash of the camera caused spots to dance in Jamie's eyes as he tried to blink them away. Once they were done, he was shown how to reach the department he would be working in, watching how the woman slid her own card key into the reader and opened the door once the light turned green.
He honestly didn't think an accounting department would have so much security, but who was he to say otherwise? When they were inside, she proceeded to show him around the department. Jamie noted the curious looks he got from the other accountants, who were working on their own things before returning to their tasks. He was led to an office on the far west side of the department floor, where he was introduced to whom he learned was his boss. He couldn't place her age; if he had to guess, the brunet woman was in her mid-thirties, and the professional attire she had on did little to hide her more curvy nature. Not that he was looking, mind you; it was just so obvious that it was hard for anyone to miss.
"Ruth, this is Mr. Lancash, Mr. Lancash, this is Mrs. Ruth Braun; you will be reporting to her first thing Monday morning after we take care of your paperwork," she said with a friendly smile as she introduced the two of them.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lancash," Ruth said, holding out her left hand; being a left-handed person, once she was out of her parent's home, she reverted to her natural behavior that her parents deemed evil. Noting how the gesture took the man aback for a bit, as it always did when dealing with right-handed people, yet Jamie slid his hand into hers and firmly yet gently shook it.
"You too, Mrs. Braun," Jamie said kindly. He might not want to work at that company; nevertheless, he couldn't fault Krissy's thinking; he needed the job. So he would keep his foot out of his mouth for as long as possible.
"I'll take it from here, Selene," Ruth said, nodding to her co-worker.
"If you need anything, my door is always open," Selene spoke, waving to Jamie before heading back out the door.
"Let me show you where your desk will be," Ruth stated, taking charge. "I run a tight ship here. Work begins at eight on the nose and ends by four, maybe longer, depending on whichever client you'll be working on at any given time. At least in the beginning, I won't have you dealing with our larger clients until I know you have your feet on solid ground. We can't afford to have a mix-up that might just cost them a pretty penny in taxes, you understand?" she asked, giving him a thoughtful look.
"I do," Jamie nodded as they rounded the corner of a cubical.
"And this will be your desk; I like to space out my people so no one will be distracting each other. There will be no fraternizing on the floor, save that for the break room, which you will get two fifteen minute breaks, and an hour for lunch. You may have one personal photo on your desk, yet it can't be such a hindrance that it dominates the space. I'll have IT bring up a computer for you to use, and you can get what office supplies you need from over there," Ruth informed him as she pointed at the closet door. Her eyes moved along Jamie's right cheek, eyeing the scar that marred it. It was unsightly, unbecoming of an office worker in her mind.
She would just have to see about getting him to remove it. "When you come in on Monday morning, stop by the front desk where the building security is stationed at, and they will have your ID card waiting for you. You'll just have to sign some papers stating that you've been given it, then I want you to head up to HR and fill out your paperwork, once you're done with that, come see me in my office, and I'll put you through your paces. Now, you can find your way to the elevators, yes? Good," she said once Jamie nodded, "I have to return to work. I look forward to seeing you on Monday," holding out her left hand again, giving Jamie a good shake before the two of them departed.
Jamie set his jaw when he pulled into his driveway and saw Rhonda's van. Dealing with his mother was the last thing he wanted to do that day. As the front door closed behind him, loosening his tie as he walked into the kitchen. He didn't care if it was half past noon as he got a bottle of Yuengling out of the fridge. While he nor Krissy drank to excess, they still did have a beer every now and again. Setting his leather folder on the kitchen table before listening to the bottle top coming off and the metal clink it made as it struck the side of the trashcan as he tossed it away. That was when he heard the laughter of children from out back by the pool. Jamie watched how Krissy jumped in startlement as she sunbathed on the lounger closest to the back door when he knocked on the glass. He ignored the sight of his mother in his pool with Ben in a floaty car, shooting jets of water out the front of it while she was teaching Suzie how to swim.
"Before you get upset, I thought they could have some fun here using the pool before Suzie starts second grade and Ben goes into kindergarten," Krissy said the moment she stepped through the door and closed it quietly behind her.
"Okay, that's fine, but why is she here?" Jamie asked, pointing at his mother. "I thought you said when we moved here, I wouldn't have to see them. Yet the moment we've moved in, she or your father has been clambering around my house."
"Baby, don't be like this; I know this isn't you," Krissy cooed, snuggling up to him, allowing him to feel her near-naked body against his. "Did you really think Rhonda was just going to drop them off and leave?" A pout formed on her face when Jamie slipped out of her arms and headed towards the stairs.
"A text would have been appreciated," Jamie said, his voice trailing after him as he climbed higher, hearing Krissy's footsteps following after him.
"What would you have done if I did?"
"Stayed away until I knew they were gone," Jamie answered as he entered their bedroom.
"Really, Jamie?! Hasn't this animosity between the three of you gone on long enough? Surely you can't keep it up forever; there has to be some middle ground you three could at least come to terms on," Krissy said, trying to plead their case. She honestly thought over the years, it would have at least died down a little bit. It had while they were living in Wilmington; she just didn't think it would come roaring back when they moved back to town.
"When I've felt like they've been punished enough, then and only then will I budge; so far, they seem to be getting everything they want in life while my father got the shitty end of it. Does that seem fair to you?" Jamie asked, not in anger, just in coldness, as he slipped his tie off his neck and hung it back up. "The two people who consciously, wholeheartedly broke their vows, vows you and I took, and they have yet to suffer the consequences of their actions," he stated, peering over at her as he slipped out of his jacket. "If I did that to you, you would be hell-bent on making sure I pay, would you not?"
"Okay... yeah, I would," Krissy begrudgingly admitted. "But can you at least put on a pleasant face when they're around?"
"Have I not been?" Jamie asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Have I said one untoward word directed their way when they invaded my house?"
"No," Krissy said, sighing, knowing that was the best she would get out of him, at least for the time being.
"See, I've kept my sarcastic retorts to myself when they so just want to come bubbling forth," Jamie said with a hint of mirth in his voice, getting a small smile out of Krissy.
"Well, how did it go?" Krissy asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
"Text your father. If he keeps out of my way, I'll do the same, and we never have to see each other," Jamie said, hanging up his jacket, his head turned at the gasp that escaped her. His eyes were like ping pongs as they followed the bounce of Krissy's unsupported breasts as they jostled in her bikini top before she launched herself at him. His arms moved on their own, wrapping themselves around his wife, feeling her softness along with her coconut-scented sunscreen as it filled his nostrils. Those emotions he's kept hidden and buried in the back of his mind all melted away as her serenity wrapped around him like a warm blanket.
"I'm so happy you got it, Jamie; I was so worried," Krissy whispered into his ear, feeling her cheeks heating when she felt Jamie's hands on her ass. "Baby?!" she gasped when his fingertips slipped beneath the edge of her bottoms and skimmed along her eager lips. "Behave," Krissy chided, playfully slapping Jamie's chest. "There are little children here; you can't be touching me so wantonly like that," she purred with a twinkle in her eyes. "Why don't you change into your suit and come join us by the pool, please," Krissy spoke softly with a sexy smile on her lips. She did love how he was still hot for her as she was for him after four years together.
"I can't, huh?" Jamie responded with a coy grin, taking a step towards his wife, who took one behind her with a mischievous grin on her face as she did.
"Nah-uh, no naughty business while young minds are around," Krissy teased, swaying her chest, loving how Jamie's eyes savored the display as they followed after them as she had placed her hands behind her back before making a hasty retreat out of the room, knowing if she kept it up, she would have her husband between her legs. Not that she wouldn't love that, she so would. She did love it when Jamie's tongue was taking her to her seventh heaven, and she knew he loved it when her own sent him to his own world of bliss. She wasn't degrading Jamie's hard tool; she did love riding that thing every chance she could get. Giggling like she was eighteen again as Jamie called after her telling her she was no fun. "Later, honey, when we don't have guests," she retorted, trying to calm herself down as she descended the stairs. She didn't want Suzie or Ben to see how aroused she was at that moment.
"So I take it Jamie wasn't happy to see me here?" Rhonda asked from the shallow end of the pool as Suzie splashed around and led her little brother around the pool.
"A little; I didn't tell him you had stopped by; that's on me, so you don't worry about it," Krissy said, smiling down at her little sister, who begged her to join them in the water.
"Krissy?"
"Hmm?" Krissy hummed as she walked around the outside to the pool's stairs.
"Why aren't my eyes burning?" Rhonda asked curiously. She's always wondered why her son's and daughter-in-law's pool was unlike the others she's used in the past.
"It's a salt pool; while it doesn't burn your eyes like a chlorine pool does, it does still irritate them, just not as bad, or that's what the former owner told us when he asked to meet us when we went to pick up the keys. He also gave us some good info on how to maintain it and who to call should something happen to the generator," Krissy stated, pointing over to it.
"I was wondering why I didn't smell any chlorine whenever I'm here," Rhonda said, waving her hand through the water, feeling it had a silky feel to it than when she used the chlorinated pools throughout her life.
