"I’ll go talk to her now." Jamie started towards the door, anxious to get the issue settled. Once again she was pulled back by Ryan’s grip.
"Nah. She’s here now," Ryan reasoned. "Tell her this starts on Monday. That way she won’t think anything’s wrong."
"You’re a very sweet woman." Jamie slid her arms around her partner and gave her a generous hug.
"I have my moments," Ryan admitted with a grin. "But don’t let it get out."
"Your secret is safe with me." Jamie placed a few kisses on her smiling face before leading her into the bath for their second shower of the morning.
Part 6
Jamie flew in the front door at 5:20, struggling with two large grocery bags. Ryan jogged over to relieve her of her burden, and she gratefully relinquished both bags, ogling her partner as she did so. Ryan was wearing a red baseball cap which was backwards, as usual. Her hair was clipped loosely and stuck out beneath the bill of the cap. Only faded overall shorts covered her long frame. "Nice outfit," Jamie commented as Ryan turned to take the bags into the kitchen.
"Thank you," she responded over her shoulder. "It was as close as I could get to your request of this morning."
Jamie thought about that for a second and then laughed as she followed her lover into the kitchen. She recalled mentioning that she wished she could keep her partner naked at all times. Slipping up behind her visual delight as she put two six-packs of beer in the refrigerator, Jamie slid her hands in the unbuttoned sides of the jeans and tantalizingly stroked the nearly naked body for several minutes. Ryan's eyes fluttered closed, and her head fell back against Jamie's shoulder as she luxuriated in the feel of her lover's hands. "I love the look, Tiger, but you didn’t quite follow orders."
"It's cold today!" Ryan protested. "I was naked until the fog rolled in and my nipples got so hard they could have snapped off!"
"Oh, you poor thing." Jamie’s voice dropped to its lowest register as she moved around to the front of her body and locked eyes with Ryan. She slowly unhooked a shoulder strap, smiling seductively as one pink nipple was revealed when the oversized garment sagged down Ryan’s body. A fervid stare caused it to pop up immediately, and Jamie bent over to pull it into her warm mouth. Ryan’s hands immediately rose to rest on her partner’s head and a soft moan fell from her lips. After a few minutes of attention, Jamie pulled back to inspect the object of her affection. "It doesn't seem to have gotten any softer," she said with a questioning glance. Her index finger flicked over the pebbled flesh, creating goose bumps all over the taller woman’s torso. "Is it still cold?"
"Uh-uh," Ryan said slowly, her own voice taking on a seductive tone. "It's warm, and getting warmer all the time. The other one's still cold though."
"We can't let the other one feel left out," Jamie purred as she unhooked the second strap. The overalls dropped to the floor as her mouth warmed the other hard nipple. After a few minutes of this loving care, she straightened and looked up at her lover, a playful grin flitting across her features. "Are any of your other parts cold?"
Ryan slowly shook her head. "All of my parts feel very warm right now. Actually, some of them have grown decidedly hot in the last few minutes."
"Is there much we have to do before your family gets here?"
"Huh-uh," she said as she shook her head again. "I've made a salad, I've shucked the corn, and I just started the fire. We've got a good 30 minutes to kill."
"Hmmm, I wonder what we should do....30 minutes....Maybe we should lie down for a little nap. Would you like a 30-minute nap, Love?" Her hand had traveled to Ryan’s bare ass, and she lightly patted the smooth surface with her open palm.
"I think I could do with a five-minute nap," Ryan growled as she bent down to bestow a series of torrid kisses upon her lover.
30 minutes proved to be more than enough time for Ryan’s favorite kind of nap. Jamie ignored her invitation to make it speedy, and she teased the poor woman until she was nearly mad with arousal. When she finally allowed her release, Ryan actually needed a more conventional nap, but she struggled to stay awake and luxuriate in the delicious sensation of being held in Jamie’s tender embrace. At six o'clock sharp they hopped in the shower, and by quarter past they were both dressed and in the kitchen tending to dinner.
The family wasn't due until seven, but since they were never late, there was a good chance they would be early. Martin always liked to allow for a few major accidents and a natural disaster or two when he planned his departure time; true to form, he rang the doorbell at 6:30 on the dot. Ryan looked at Jamie and gave her a little shrug along with an adorable grin, having warned her partner that the proposed time was the outermost limit of when the family would arrive. They went to the door hand-in-hand to welcome the clan to their house.
Brendan and Martin stood on the deep porch wearing smiles and bearing a bottle of wine. They were pulled inside and welcomed with a surfeit of hugs, Ryan providing more than her share. Just when they were about to go into the kitchen, Conor arrived and was treated to the same welcome.
"Isn't this just grand," Martin said as he looked around the living room. "How many of you are there living here, girls?"
"Just us this summer, Da. One of Jamie's roommates is in L.A. right now, but she'll be back this fall."
"My, but this is a large home for three girls," he commented as he continued to look around. "I don't mean to pry, but however will you afford it, Siobhán?"
"Jamie's father owns the house, Da," she said by way of avoiding the direct question.
"Oh, I see," he said, although he obviously didn't. "Well, but you'll be paying your share of the rent then, won't you?"
"Let's talk about this during dinner." Ryan dodged an answer once again as she led them on a quick tour. Connor was particularly effusive about the redwood covering the floors and the exposed beams in the craftsman-style home. He pointed out a number of elements that Ryan had never noticed, making her a little uncomfortable when he went on and on about the quality of the workmanship. It was becoming obvious, even to Martin, that this was not a rental home that a trio of typical Cal students could afford, and she noticed that her father grew more pensive as they continued the tour. When they were done making appreciative comments, they all went out into the small, enclosed yard and watched while Ryan got the grill ready.
Martin went back into the house to offer his help to Jamie. "Would you be needing any assistance?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling.
"No, Martin. Everything's set. Your daughter is quite proficient in the kitchen, I've come to find out, and she got everything ready while I was playing golf this afternoon. But you could set the kitchen table with the things I laid out."
As he walked by her he asked in a low tone, "How is she faring?"
Jamie turned and smiled up at him. "She's doing great. I think the hardest part was leaving on Monday. Since then she's been fine. I've been keeping a close eye on her, though. We actually went running together today—Of course, I had to ride my bike to keep up with her."
Martin laughed at the accuracy of that statement. "She’s as quick as they come," he admitted, smiling fondly as he spoke of his daughter.
Jamie caught the hint of sadness in his deep blue eyes and grasped his arm lightly. "How are you doing, Martin? This is really hard for you, isn’t it?"
He turned his back, appearing to study the detail work on the redwood cabinets. "The child is 23 years old, Jamie. I have to let go of her some time."
The sad tone of his voice indicated just how much he hated that prospect, and Jamie flashed on the difficulty Ryan would have letting their own children leave the nest. Jamie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist for a hug. He patted her linked arms, grateful that she couldn’t see the tears in his eyes.
Ryan came bounding up the stairs announcing, "The fire is ready. Let's rock." When she entered the room, Jamie was just pulling away, and she immediately guessed that her father was having a tougher time than she was with this adjustment to their li
ving situation. "I knew it!" she cried, trying to lighten the moment. "I knew you were using me to get to the prize of the O’Flaherty family!"
Jamie laughed at her efforts, protesting her accusation. "If I had remained on the straight and narrow, Martin would have to fight me off," she agreed, "but I’m pretty happy with the distaff side of the O’Flaherty clan."
With a heavy sigh, Martin turned and joined in the teasing. "Jamie’s already claimed the prize of the family, Siobhán, and though I have not met the Evans family, I predict you’ve done the same."
"Well, the latter part of that statement is true for sure, Da." She wrapped her partner in a hug from behind and gave her a flurry of kisses, tickling her neck and ears thoroughly. "Hey, why didn’t you bring Duffy? He usually handles this for me."
"I didn’t want to confuse him, Darlin’. I think it would be hard for him to see you, but not have you go home with us."
"That makes sense," she agreed, wishing once again that Cal was in San Francisco.
"Let’s get dinner started," Jamie suggested as she handed Ryan a big platter of chicken and a bowl of barbeque sauce. "Would the boys like a drink?"
"Hey, fellas," Ryan called down the stairs, "would you like a beer?" Receiving two enthusiastic affirmatives, she turned back to Jamie and indicated the tray. "The boys are thirsty, Love. Put three on here, will you?"
"I’ll carry the drinks," Martin insisted, always the cautious parent. Ryan was greatly aided by all three men giving her advice on the proper way to grill chicken, and she accepted and ignored the advice with good humor. Jamie had come down to join them, and they all stood by the grill, soaking up the last rays of the weak sun while the hot fire warmed them.
When the chicken was ready they sat down to dinner, where everyone made appropriately glowing comments on Ryan's abilities as a grill cook. They tried to compliment Jamie, but she had to admit that she hadn't done a thing. "She really is a fabulous cook, though," Ryan said with pride.
"I'll second that," Conor said. "That meal you made down at Pebble Beach was killer!"
"You were starving, Conor," she reminded him with a chuckle. "It was just an Italian omelet."
"Whatever it was, it was killer," he insisted, unwilling to back down from his praise.
"So tell us how you’ve been spending your days, girls?" Martin asked.
"Yeah, Ryan." Conor’s mischievous blue eyes twinkled, and it was clear that he was about to put his sister on the spot. "Tell us how you’ve been spending your time."
"Don’t you go prying into your sister’s business," Martin warned.
"I just asked the same question you did, Da." The handsome face was the epitome of innocence as he gazed at his father.
"It’s not the question, lad, it’s the inference." He narrowed his gaze and reminded his son, "The girls are still on their honeymoon, and they don’t need to be cross-examined about their sex life."
"Sex? Who said anything about sex? Jeez, Da, that was the furthest thing from my mind."
Jamie was ready to crawl under the table, and Martin backhanded his son across the shoulder. "You’ve embarrassed Jamie again, boy. Now behave yourself, or they won’t be invitin’ us again."
"It’s okay, Martin," the still-blushing woman assured him. "I’m getting used to being teased almost around the clock. Your daughter is the worst one of the bunch."
"Hey! I…" Ryan started, but then decided that she may as well be honest. "You’re right." She beamed a smile at her partner and added, "But you love me anyway."
"This is true." Jamie gave her hand a squeeze and directed the conversation back to the original question. "Ryan gave me quite a little surprise yesterday morning," she informed the men, sparing a grin towards her lover.
"How so?" Martin asked, turning to his daughter.
"Well, I wasn’t going to say anything until I’d made up my mind, but I had a tryout for the soccer team."
"Soccer team?" Martin’s features grew dark, and his voice took on a low, rough tone. "With the phantom Coach Greene?"
Oh-oh…I guess absence did not make the heart grow fonder. "Come on, Da," Ryan urged. "I hadn’t signed my letter of intent yet. We really weren’t bound to each other."
"Letter of intent?" Jamie asked, trying to keep track of the conversation.
"Yeah." Ryan cast a quick glance at her partner, then another at her father. Deciding to answer Jamie’s question, she informed her, "Once a high-school athlete signs a letter of intent, you’re bound to that school. If you decide not to attend, you can’t go to another school and participate in your sport. I hadn’t signed with Cal when they dropped me, so I was free to play somewhere else if I wanted to. The bottom line is that they didn’t actually harm me by dropping me as a prospect."
Martin looked like he was going to burst, so Ryan quickly turned back to him. "They did, in reality, hurt me a lot, Da. But it was my feelings and my self-confidence that they hurt. All I’m saying is that they didn’t take anything tangible away from me."
"I’d kick a soccer ball right up her butt," Brendan growled, his dark face mirroring his father’s.
"Hear, hear!" Martin agreed, shocking everyone at the table with his approbation of Brendan’s uncharacteristically salty language.
"Hold on, guys," Ryan urged, trying to get the conversation under control. "I love soccer, and I’ve missed it…a lot. I know I could play in a rec league, but the competition is really good in the Pac-10, and that’s what I love. It’s only hurting myself to let my anger keep me from doing this."
The assembled men let her words sink in for a minute, finally agreeing that she had a good point. "Are you sure you can trust her, Darlin’?" Martin still wasn’t sold on the idea, but he wanted his daughter to feel free to do whatever gave her pleasure in life.
"No. I’m really not, Da. Before I give her an answer, I’m going to check out a few other sports and talk to some of the players on the team. I promise I won’t agree to do this if it will give her a chance to hurt me again."
Jamie piped up helpfully, "Since they don’t have a scholarship for Ryan, she might choose to play one of the non-scholarship sports."
"NO SCHOLARSHIP!!!" all three O’Flaherty men cried at once.
Ryan cast a sickly smile at her partner and muttered, "Thanks, Pal. I owe you one."
When dinner was finished, and everyone had been calmed about the scholarship issue, Brendan and Conor got up to start on the dishes. Ryan stood too, but Jamie insisted that since she had done the cooking, she couldn't clean. Martin had not been able to hide his worried frown for most of the night, so Ryan took the others up on the offer and asked her father to join her for a beer in the back yard.
The night was really too cold to be called pleasant, and the fog obscured every star, but neither of the naturally warm O’Flahertys were bothered by that fact. They each sat in a comfy chaise and acted as though they were watching the stars for a few minutes. "Jamie certainly has a lovely home," Martin finally said.
Here it comes…three…two…one…
"I don’t know much about this side of the Bay, but in the city a place like this would cost a very pretty pence."
"Umm-hmmm," Ryan agreed, waiting to see where this train was headed before she decided if she wanted to ride it to the end of the line.
"I can’t imagine that Jamie’s father bought the house to provide free housing to her friends, Siobhán."
Ohh…now arriving at "Guilt Trip Station" ! I think this is my stop. "I’ve offered to pay for half of the …incidentals, Da." She didn’t think this was the best time to bring up the cadre of service personnel affiliated with the house.
"Aren’t you taking the place of one of the girls who was here before, Darlin’?"
"In a sense," she agreed. "But I hope my position is a little bit more permanent than ‘housemate’." She said this in a light, joking tone, but there was a note of hurt in her voice as well.
"Now, now," he soothed, understanding the tone. "I didn’t mean to make light of
your commitment to one another, Siobhán."
"But you are, Da. That would be like you asking Jamie for money to live with us on the weekends."
He mulled that over for a moment, but had to disagree with his daughter. "That’s not so, Sweetheart. We’ve welcomed Jamie into the family. The Evanses haven’t had the opportunity to do that for you. Living here without their permission or even their knowledge is not how I would expect you to act."
"But I’m not creating any more expense for Mr. Evans…"
"No, but you are taking income away from him, Love. If not for you, Jamie would likely find another roommate to take the other girl’s place. Mr. Evans is losing that income by having you here."
Ryan thought about that statement for quite a while, mulling it over in her mind from every angle. Try as she might, she could not really punch a hole in the logic. "Okay," she finally sighed. "I see your point."
"Don’t sound so glum, Sweetheart," he urged. "You’ll feel better about being here if you do everything aboveboard. Once they know about you, you can all come to some agreement about finances."
"So….you wouldn’t be disappointed in me if I let Jamie support me this year?"
"Completely support you?" The surprise in his voice was evident. "Siobhán! Do you know how much it costs to support you?"
"Yes, Da, I know," she insisted. "But it’s the only way I can play a sport and keep my grades up."
"But she doesn’t work! How on earth…"
"She has family money, Da. It’s more than enough to support both of us."
"Ohh…I see…" he said slowly.
For the second time in the evening, Ryan was quite sure that he did not.
"Da’s worried that feeding me will send you to the poorhouse," Ryan murmured into her partner’s sweet-smelling hair. They were snug in bed, the chill in the house forcing them to cuddle for warmth as well as emotional succor.
Disclosures - SF4 Page 17
