The Contract

by Jerry D. Young

  “According to Jason I should, ‘Wait and be very selective of the offers you get when it becomes known that George will not be going with you.’”

  “Well, if you cannot go with George, or Jason…” Trinity said, suddenly smiling.

  “Do not start trying to fix me up, Trinity!” Sara said.

  Trinity let it slide, for the moment. “Who is Jason taking?” she asked instead.

  “I do not know if he has even asked anyone,” Sara replied.

  “Maybe he will wait till the last minute and then ask… Uh… Never mind,” Trinity said, seeing the look on Sara’s face.

  “Wise decision. He would not do that. But I hope he does not wait to see who else winds up without an escort, and take her, just to make her feel better.”

  “Why not? He loves to do things like that,” Trinity replied.

  “Sure he does. But he should take someone he likes, because he likes her and would enjoy being at the prom with her. There are a lot of the other girls that do not have regular boyfriends that have not been asked yet. Of course, it is still over a month away. But he should ask someone soon. Bootsi, or Pricilla or Kathy.”

  Trinity grinned. “Alan has not actually asked me yet.”

  “Or you,” Sara said with a smile.

  “Lord, I hope he does not. I might just wind up saying yes without thinking about it and break Alan’s heart.”

  They both laughed as they gathered their coats and went outside.

  They saw the boxes in the back of Sara’s truck. “I wonder where he disappeared to?” Sara said, looking around.

  “If there was more snow, I would say he was getting ready to ambush us first.”

  “It is not an ambush if he announces it first,” Sara replied. “You know he al-ways warns you before he clobbers you.”

  “Good point. Oh, there he is,” Trinity said, pointing.

  “Lord,” Sara said. “Ever since the day school ended last year, he is on his bike or roller blades more than he is off. He really missed his wheels while he was grounded.”

  “I know,” Trinity said as they watched Jason on his roller blades. “He really is very good.”

  “I know. Just like his dancing. So… effortless.”

  “And you will not even consider going with him,” Trinity asked.

  Sara smiled. “No. Though, I, like every other girl that has ever danced with him, that will be there, intend to get at least one dance with him.”

  “Yeah. Me, too,” Trinity said. “At least he does things like that more, now. Bootsi said they had a blast last Friday at that new teen club. We should have gone.”

  “George and I had a great time at the show, believe me,” Sara said.

  Trinity turned toward her quickly. “You know, you never did say much about that. Alan and I never did catch up to you after dinner.”

  Sara smiled. “Despite the problems with the prom,” Sara said, “George and I are still doing just fine, thank you very much.”

  “You are not telling me something,” Trinity said.

  “And, as Jason says, ‘A gentleman does not discuss such things,’ neither does a lady. And be very careful what you say. Jason is sweet on me. If I ask him to bury you under that mound of boxes in the back of my truck, he will.”

  “Hey! That is not fair! You are implying… something… I need details!”

  Sara shook her head. She called to Jason. When he joined them and switched from his skates to his boots, they entered Sara’s truck and headed out on their jaunt.

  When they returned Trinity and Jason heard Sara mutter under her breath. “You know,” Jason said, “If Mrs. MacDougal catches you doing that again, she really will get the rest of the staff to tackle you, hog tie you, and then wash out your mouth with soap.”

  “She would not dare,” Sara said.

  Jason just smiled. But if faded quickly. For the same reason that Sara had muttered in the first place. The sight of Jack Lawrence’s Mercedes in the circle drive.

  “I will park the truck in the garage,” Sara said. “You want to go with me, Trinity?”

  “Yeah. Anything to avoid the Shyster,” Trinity said, using the Commodore’s term for Jack Lawrence.

  “You want me to take you home, instead?” Sara asked. “Maybe I can stay overnight there, instead of you staying here.” She was half serious. It had been very difficult to not say anything to Lawrence since he had treated Jason the way he had. But the two things Jason was quite insistent about were being courteous to Jack Lawrence and referring to his stepmother in a courteous manner.

  “If Daddy and Miss Murcheson were not having dinner at the house, believe me, we would.” Trinity was seething.

  “If your Mr. Vandeuson and Miss Murcheson were not having dinner, you would not be staying the night, anyway,” Jason said dryly.

  “Just go see if you can get rid of him quickly,” Trinity said, jumping out of the truck to let Jason out, then climbing back in for the short ride around to the garages.

  The two girls entered the house and immediately saw Candy. “I do not suppose he is gone yet?” Sara asked.

  “Mr. Lawrence? Actually he is. But…”

  “Yippee!” Trinity exclaimed. “We should go thank Jason for getting rid of him so quickly."

  “I think there is something you should know, first,” Juliet said, joining them in the kitchen.

  Mrs. MacDougal touched Juliet’s arm lightly.

  Sara had looked around when Juliet spoke, but Trinity was tugging her arm. “Come on. Jason promised to show us that web broadcast. And you said we were having lobster. I do not want to miss either one.”

  From the staff’s actions Sara was sure that something was going on. She was still looking back over her shoulder as the kitchen door closed.

  “Hey!” she said to Trinity when Trinity suddenly stopped and Sara bumped into her.

  Sara looked around.

  “Ladies,” Jason said, standing next to a very tall, very blonde, very pretty, very…

  Sara ran out of descriptives in her mind. She listened to Jason’s introduction. Sara, Trinity, Miss Jeannette Lawrence.

  “Jeannette, my friends, Miss Sara Lee and Miss Trinity Vandeuson.

  “Jeannette,” Jason quickly explained, “is Mr. Lawrence’s niece. His brother’s daughter. From South Carolina.”

  “Hello, Miss Lee, Miss Vandeuson,” Jeannette said.

  Trinity and Sara heard the strong southern accent.

  “Trinity, would you ask Mrs. MacDougal to see to Jeannette for a moment. I need to speak to Sara in the study.”

  “Sure,” Trinity replied. She nearly ran into the door frame as she went to get Mrs. MacDougal, as she was watching over her shoulder to see what Sara was going to do.

  “Jeannette, if you would like to wait in the living room, Mrs. MacDougal will be right out to show you where you can freshen up for dinner.”

  “Thank you, Jason,” Jeannette said. “Are you sure this is not going to be too much trouble?”

  “I do not think it will be,” Jason replied. “Sara, could I see you in the study for a few minutes?”

  Sara followed along silently.

  “I am not going to like this, am I?” Sara asked as soon as the doors to the study were closed.

  Jason did not reply. “I know how you feel about Jack Lawrence,” he said. “And he is up to something. I think I know what it is, and have a plan to deal with it. Just as I have his other schemes.

  “As you can guess, it involves Jeannette.”

  “He wants her to stay here,” Sara said.

  Jason nodded.

  “He is your guardian. That does not give him the right to bring someone into your house to live.”

  “No, it does not,” Jason replied. “Jeannette’s parents are in South America, on business for an extended period. When he mentioned it was going to be difficult for him to arrange for her lodging while she is in the city, I offered to let her stay here, before he could state his reasons why she should.”
r />   Sara turned away from Jason, her anger evident.

  “I did put a condition on her staying here,” Jason continued. “It is conditional on your permission. If you say no, she will not be allowed to stay beyond tonight.”

  Sara spun around to stare at Jason.

  She studied his face, but as usual, it showed very little.

  “Why?”

  The same as always,” Jason replied. “You are Mistress of this House. You have the final say on whether or not we have a houseguest for an extended stay.

  “I did not put it quite that way to Jack Lawrence, for a couple of reasons. But he knows that Jeannette may not be allowed to stay.”

  “If you know it is a scheme, why would you want to have her here?” Sara asked. “Besides the obvious reason.”

  The movement was almost imperceptible. But Sara saw Jason stiffen ever so slightly.

  “I am sorry,” Sara said immediately. “That is unfair. Your sense of hospitality alone would have you offering, no matter what.

  “What if Mrs. MacDougal refuses,” Sara asked, looking for alternatives.

  “It is not her decision,” Jason replied, relaxing from the sudden tenseness he had felt for a moment. “It is yours. I am asking you, as a favor, to allow her to stay. But if you say no, I will support it completely.

  “You will not have to explain your reasons, either way, to me. And certainly not to Jack Lawrence.”

  “That is a good thing,” Sara replied, her anger close to the surface again.

  “What do you think his plan is?” she asked.

  “He is beginning to realize he may have more difficulty than he anticipated in accomplishing several things he intended to accomplish before my eighteenth birthday. I think Jeannette is part of a plan to overcome those difficulties.”

  “I do not understand. What could she do? Spy on you? You do not do anything! He may think we do more than just sleep together, but you have things set up so that would not be a factor, even if it was true.”

  “That could be it, though I doubt it. I would really rather not get into all the possibilities. I assure you, that even if you give permission for Jeannette to stay, if you change your mind, all you have to do is tell me, and I will arrange for her to leave. No questions.”

  “I am sure Lawrence told her about our relationship. If she even implies there is anything else going on, I cannot honestly say I might not… react… to it.”

  “I understand. I trust you. You will not do anything inappropriate. You have not when there were other provocations. You will not, with Jeannette, either, if the situation occurs.”

  “Your trust may be sorely misplaced,” Sara said. “Tell her she can stay.”

  “Are you sure?” Jason asked. “You know I have never lied to you. You do not have to say yes. You look very upset.”

  “I am upset! Jack Lawrence put you through six months of misery! Anything and everything he does upsets me.” Her voice softened considerably. “But I owe it to you to give in on this.”

  She saw him stiffen, again very slightly.

  “I will tell Jeannette she may spend the night in a guestroom and arrange for her to go to the Carlton tomorrow,” Jason said. “I will call Mr. Lawrence and tell him Jeannette will not be staying.”

  “I just told you she could,” Sara angrily retorted.

  “You do not owe me. I do not want you to give in. Either say yes because it is actually okay, or say no because you do not want her here.”

  It was the closest thing Sara had ever seen to anger in Jason. His voice had been calm, but forceful. She watched his face for long moments. She could see the muscle in his right cheek work slightly.

  “She can stay,” Sara said quietly. “Because it is okay with me. And it is okay with me because it is important to you. Not because I feel I owe you anything.”

  Jason looked her in the eyes for only a moment. He nodded. “I will tell her.”

  Sara followed Jason to the living room. Trinity stood to one side, talking to Juliet and Candy. Jeannette was talking to Mrs. MacDougal.

  “I thought I should wait until I talked to you again, Jason,” Jeannette said, her eyes cutting from Jason to Sara then back to Jason.

  Jason nodded. “If the rest of you will excuse us, I will explain the situation to Miss Lawrence.”

  “Oh, Jason, please call me Jeannette.”

  There was a very small smile on Jason’s face. “Very well, Jeannette.” Jason looked pointedly at Mrs. MacDougal, then Trinity.

  “Sara,” he added, “If you would stay, please.”

  Sara was already almost through the living room door.

  Jeannette looked at Jason for a moment, then studied Sara.

  When she turned around, after talking to Trinity for a moment, Sara saw Jeannette watching her. Sara frowned.

  Seeing the frown, Jeannette looked at Jason.

  “Jeannette,” Jason said, moving over to seat himself, “I am sure your uncle explained the situation here.” Jason saw her eyes cut to Sara, then away.

  “I am hoping,” he continued, “that you will keep an open mind and make your own judgments based on your experiences here.

  “Just ask Mrs. MacDougal or any of the staff if you need anything. Or, if you are shy about asking service staff for assistance, I am sure Sara will pass along your requests.”

  Jason smiled toward Sara, noting her startled look. There was a similar one on Jeannette’s face when he continued. “Since she has become a member of the family, I have not had to concern myself with any of the household activities.”

  He was looking at Jeannette again. “So, if you will excuse me, I will leave you to Sara. I want to check a project in the shop before we dine.”

  “But I thought…” Jeannette was saying as Jason rose.

  Jason turned and waited politely.

  Jeannette looked from Jason to Sara and back to Jason again. “I think I might have misunderstood Uncle Jack,” she said after a few moments.

  Sara noted the studied shrug that lifted Jason’s shoulders. “I will see you both at dinner.”

  Jeannette turned uncertain eyes to Sara after she watched Jason leave the living room.

  Surprised at her calmness, Sara managed a small smile. “Might as well get used to it. He never seems to act the way one expects.”

  “I think I must have done something to upset him. He seems much more dis-tant than Uncle Jack implied he would be.”

  As she led the way toward the entry hall, where she knew Mrs. MacDougal would be waiting, Sara suddenly realized that she was reacting the way Jason had essentially asked Jeannette to act. Keep an open mind and make judgments based on experience, not preconceived ideas.

  With a rather wry smile, Sara found herself being much more accepting of Jeannette than she expected herself to be. More than just distantly correct.

  “Mrs. MacDougal, I think Jeannette would be more comfortable in one of the family bedrooms, than in a guest room, as nice as they are.

  “Jeannette, I know you brought things with you, but if you lack anything, please just ask me. It is really hard to get everything you need for an extended stay in a set of suitcases.”

  Trinity was watching open mouthed. The staff, including Mrs. MacDougal had looked rather unsure of what might happen when Sara brought Jeannette to the entry hall.

  But ever the consummate professional, Mrs. MacDougal quickly began issuing instructions to the staff.

  Sara smiled at Jeannette. “The staff will get your bags up to the room. Our usual dining time is in about a half hour, but take your time. We will be glad to wait if you need more time to get settled.”

  Trinity was nearly hopping up and down as she and Sara went to the study. Sara barely had the doors closed before Trinity said, “I cannot believe you are being so nice to her! She is Lawrence’s niece! She has to be up to something. You looked like you were ready to do bodily damage when you entered the living room, but you sounded like Jason, when you came out.”

  S
ara smiled at Trinity. “I decided to do something Jason suggested,” Sara re-plied. “To wait and judge things on what happens, not on my preconceived ideas.”

  “Jason told you to do that?” Trinity asked, rather amazed.

  “Actually, no,” said Sara. “He asked… or rather suggested that Jeannette do it. I sort of just decided to do it myself.”

  “But what if she…”

  “There are too many possibilities, Trinity. She is just a girl like us. Jason is right. Lawrence could be up to something. Probably is. Jeannette may be part of it knowingly. Or she could be a pawn. I guess I just do not want to put her in a position I would not want to be in.

  “Hey, you know me! If it turns out I have reason to take action, do you not think I will?”

  Trinity grinned. “No doubts there. I guess I should just do the same, then, huh? Just see how things go.”

  “It is what I intend to do.” Sara smiled ruefully. “Considering my past history, we will just have to wait and see how long I actually manage to do it.”

  Trinity laughed.

  “Thank you very much for THAT vote of confidence!”

  Jason seated all three of the girls when they entered the dining room. Sara noted that Jeannette had waited to be seated, without hesitation.

  “Are you going to enroll in Kennedy?” Jason asked Jeannette. “Mr. Lawrence did not have a chance to tell me.”

  “I have enough credits to graduate,” Jeannette said. “Uncle Jack thinks I should just do that. My parents, too. But I think I should go, not just sit back and wait for my parents to get back.”

  “That is a couple of should dos,” Sara said. “What do you WANT to do?”

  They saw her lip quiver slightly. “I want to go home and be with my friends,” she said.

  Jason, Sara and Trinity could tell that Jeannette was suddenly near tears.

  “It is hard, being pulled away, especially with only a few months until graduation,” Jason said, pointedly ignoring Jeannette’s emotional state.

  Sara frowned slightly. “Jeannette, do you want to go up and lay down, or something?” she asked, with another quick frown at Jason.

  “No,” Jeannette said after a moment. “I am okay. I just… Mother just told me Monday that Father had the opportunity to go to Venezuela on an important job. She was going with him. I barely had time to say goodbye, with packing and getting ready to come. I thought I would be staying with Uncle Jack. I did not know he was going to bring me over here.”