Chapter 8
Eight
The moment had finally arrived. Jack’s parents landed in Detroit, rented a car, and were driving to his condo to meet his girlfriend.
Jack was in the living room, pretending to play it cool, while Kayla was primping in his bathroom.
He kept checking the time, wondering when she’d be done.
He’d spent the last two days preparing her for this moment and feeding her useful tidbits about his parents.
Jack hoped it was enough, and his parents would be convinced that he and Kayla were a real couple.
Finally, his bedroom door opened, and Kayla entered the living room. “Ta-da!”
Jack’s mouth gaped open as he took her in. Kayla was always attractive, but tonight, she was stunning.
“Well? What do you think?” she prompted him.
He snapped his jaw shut. “I think—”
“If it’s too much, I can change. I still have time before they get here, right?” She rambled when she was nervous. “I don’t usually wear dresses, but I thought the occasion called for it. Unless it seems like I’m trying too hard, in which case—”
“Kayla, stop. You look beautiful.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled at him with all her teeth. “Thank you.”
Jack might have continued admiring her, but they had work to do. “So, let’s go over it one more time.”
Kayla took a deep breath. “Your mom is Eileen, and your dad is Fred.”
He chuckled. “Very funny.”
“Your dad is John. I know this, Jack.”
“What were their jobs?”
“John was an engineer at General Motors until he retired. Eileen was a stay-at-home mom, with you, her only child. When you were in high school, she worked part time at a Hallmark store.”
“Very good.”
“See. I got this.”
“What else?” he prompted her.
“A few years ago, they retired to Marco Island. They live on a canal, where John goes fishing. Eileen likes reading, cross-stitch, and taking daily walks on the beach. How am I doing?”
“I’m impressed,” Jack said.
Kayla puffed out her chest, which drew Jack’s gaze there.
The dress had buttons all the way down the front and was belted at the waist. She’d left the top two buttons undone and showed the merest hint of cleavage, but it was still enough to whet his appetite.
Jack wondered how long it would take to undo all those buttons, one at a time.
“Is there anything else we should cover?” Kayla asked, breaking into his fantasy.
“Let’s go over the rules for showing affection.”
Kayla inhaled deeply, drawing his attention to her chest again. “We should touch occasionally, like a real couple would, but no kissing,” Kayla recited.
This was one of Jack’s hard and fast rules. It was mostly out of respect for his parents, but also for his benefit. Pretending to be a couple was one thing, but kissing was a big jump. If they went there, he was afraid he’d never be able to turn back from it.
“Not even a peck on the cheek?” Kayla asked.
“It’s not necessary,” Jack said.
“Maybe not, but it would be a nice touch, don’t you think?”
Jack sighed. “Not tonight.”
“Do you have a headache, dear?” she teased.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and they exchanged a look of panic.
“How about a kiss for good luck?” she joked. “Never mind. Just get the door.”
Kayla hung back while Jack went and answered the door. “Hey. You made it,” he greeted his parents.
Eileen immediately embraced him. “Hello, my handsome boy.” She said it no matter how old he was, and he didn’t have the heart to remind her he was all grown up now.
“Hello, son. Good to see you,” John said, shaking Jack’s hand.
“Where is she?” Eileen asked anxiously.
“She’s—” Jack began.
“Right here,” Kayla finished, joining them in the foyer. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson.”
Eileen moved forward and clasped Kayla’s hands. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“It’s Kayla, right?” John asked.
Jack had been so busy watching them that he’d failed to make the proper introductions. “Mom and Dad, this is my girlfriend, Kayla Green.” He’d practiced saying it so it flowed smoothly.
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” John said, shaking Kayla’s hand.
“It’s great to meet you both,” Kayla said, sounding sincere.
“You must be hungry after your flight. Come into the kitchen,” Jack said. Earlier, he and Kayla had assembled a tray of cheese, crackers, veggies, and dip. Due to their late arrival time, he knew his parents wouldn’t want a full meal.
“What would you like to drink?” Kayla asked, playing the perfect hostess.
“Water is just fine,” Eileen replied. “Flying makes me so thirsty.”
“How was your flight?” Jack asked as he and his parents sat down. Kayla brought four bottles of water to the table and then slipped into the chair beside him.
“The flight was great,” John said. He took a small plate and filled it with appetizers.
“He always says that, even though he sleeps through the whole thing,” Eileen complained.
Jack chuckled. “Like father, like son.”
Kayla gazed at him. “Really? You can sleep on a plane?”
Jack shifted uncomfortably. Shouldn’t his girlfriend know this about him? “We haven’t traveled together yet,” he explained to his parents.
Eileen eyed them with interest. “Not even for work?”
Kayla smoothly interceded. “We’ve been on the same flight before, but we didn’t sit together.”
“It was before we started dating,” Jack added.
“Ah,” Eileen said, as if it made perfect sense.
“Anyway, I’m like you, Mrs. Peterson. I can’t sleep on a plane,” Kayla said.
“Call me, Eileen,” she said.
Jack sipped his water, thinking it was a nice save.
“So, how long have you been dating? Jack was a little vague about it,” Eileen said.
“A few months,” Jack and Kayla answered together. They’d rehearsed this too.
“I didn’t say anything earlier because it was still new,” Jack explained.
Kayla smiled and nodded.
“So, is this okay with your boss?” John asked, ever the practical one.
“Yes. We’re rarely in the office together. We’re usually on the road, visiting customers,” Jack replied. At least, that was the truth.
“We meet for lunch a lot, which is nice,” Kayla said. Another truth.
Jack noticed she’d put a few veggies on her plate, but hadn’t eaten anything yet. Normally, she would have dug into the appetizers with gusto, especially since they hadn’t eaten much for dinner. She hadn’t wanted to be bloated when his parents arrived.
“Tell us more about yourself, Kayla,” Eileen prompted. “Jack didn’t say much other than you met at work.”
“Oh. Well, let’s see … I grew up in Troy, and my parents still live in the same house. It’s only a few miles away from here. I have an older brother, Collin, who’s married and has a baby on the way. He and his wife, Liz, live in Grand Rapids, on the west side of the state.”
She’s rambling again, thought Jack.
John smiled. “We’ve been to Grand Rapids many times. We lived in Michigan up until a few years ago.”
“Right. Jack told me,” Kayla said.
“Have some more food,” Jack implored his parents. Maybe if they ate more, they wouldn’t ask so many questions.
“Thanks, but I’m not that hungry,” Eileen said.
“We ate dinner before we got on the plane,” John explained.
“So, what do you two have planned while you’re here?” Kayla asked. She shifted in her chair, and her leg brushed against Jack’s. Before, if this had happened, he would have moved and given her more space. Tonight, he stayed put like a real boyfriend would.
As Eileen listed off things on their agenda, Jack decided to practice showing Kayla affection.
He slowly lifted his arm and swung it around Kayla’s shoulder, pulling her a little closer.
The next thing he knew, Jack was twirling a strand of hair that curled gently over her shoulder.
Kayla shifted again, but he couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable or wanted to get closer to him.
All he knew was the place where their legs touched was on fire.
“Mm-hm,” Kayla said, following along with Eileen.
“Of course, we have to visit my sister and brother-in-law while we’re here,” Eileen was saying.
“He’s not my favorite,” John chimed in.
Kayla chuckled, and the vibration traveled up Jack’s leg. His hand had a mind of its own as he gently massaged her shoulder. God, this felt good. Her body was warm and soft next to his, and the scent of her coconut body wash was intoxicating.
Suddenly, Kayla’s hand slipped under the table and landed on his thigh. She gave it a squeeze as she turned toward him. “What about you, honey? How do you feel about your uncle Ray?”
Jack stuttered. “Um … well …”
Eileen chuckled. “He hasn’t paid attention to a word I’ve said.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’m a little distracted.”
Eileen and John smiled knowingly, and looked pleased that Jack was distracted by his beautiful girlfriend.
Kayla’s hand drifted further up Jack’s thigh, and he tried not to squirm. “What about you, Dad? What will you do while Mom is running around visiting relatives?”
“I’m meeting up with some guys I used to work with. We’ll go out for a beer and watch some football.”
Jack zoned out again as Kayla began tracing a figure eight on his leg. Is she teasing me on purpose? To his chagrin, he was getting aroused. Two can play this game. Jack slowly moved his hand to the nape of Kayla’s neck and softly caressed it.
“My dad is a football fanatic,” Kayla said, without missing a beat.
“I hope we’ll get to meet your parents while we’re here,” Eileen said.
“Absolutely,” Kayla replied. She moved her hand down and squeezed Jack’s knee.
Is she enjoying this as much as I am? Jack figured she’d move away if she weren’t.
Shortly, John said, “Well, we should probably get going.”
“Already?” Jack feigned disappointment. He’d be spending plenty of time with his parents over the next several weeks. Right now, he had more pressing things on his mind and against his zipper.
“We’ll see you tomorrow for Thanksgiving,” Eileen said cheerily.
“We could have had dinner here, but Jack insisted we go to a restaurant,” Kayla said, trailing her hand up his leg again.
Jack couldn’t take much more of this. Removing his hand from her neck, he slipped it under the table, and covered her hand to prevent it from roaming. “It seemed silly to cook a big meal for just us four.”
“It’s fine. We understand,” Eileen said.
Usually, she was all about the big, traditional meal, but now that Jack had a girlfriend, she seemed agreeable to anything.
“As long as we have turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, I’m good,” John said. He stood, marking the end of the discussion.
Jack had a dilemma, and he gave Kayla a penetrating stare, hoping she’d understand. She eyed him closely, and her lips curved into a sneaky, catlike grin. “We’ll walk you out,” she stated, and stood.
Eileen rose too. “That’s okay. We’ll see ourselves out.”
Thank God! “Are you sure, Mom?” Jack asked politely.
“Positive,” John said. “It was nice meeting you, Kayla.”
“You too. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Kayla said cheerfully.
In the meantime, Jack stayed seated and smiled at the three of them.
“One o’clock, right?” Eileen asked.
“Yes,” Kayla confirmed.
“We’ll pick you up on the way,” Jack offered.
John walked away, but Eileen lingered behind. She leaned toward Kayla and lowered her voice. “We’re so thrilled about you and Jack. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
Kayla smiled sweetly. “Me too.”
“Goodnight, Mom,” Jack said, pretending like he hadn’t overheard. A few minutes later, the front door closed behind his parents, and he felt relieved.
Kayla scowled at him, punching her hands on her hips. “That was rude!”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “What was rude?”
“You didn’t even stand up when they left.”
Jack shoved his chair back and rose to his full height. Then he pointed to the bulge in his jeans. “This is why I didn’t walk them out!”
Kayla’s gaze dropped down, and she sucked in a breath. Then she burst out laughing. Laughter wasn’t what a guy wanted to hear when a woman was looking at his penis, erect or not.
“Sorry,” Kayla said, gasping for air. “It’s just so funny!”
“I’m glad you’re amused,” he grumbled. Jack picked up his water and chugged it down.
Kayla stared at his throat while he swallowed. Her laughter faded, and now she looked … aroused?
“You did this to me,” Jack groused.
“You’re not blameless,” she argued.
“What do you mean?”
“Playing with my hair, massaging my neck, rubbing my leg under the table.”
“You started it!”
“Just because I don’t have proof of what you did, doesn’t mean I’m not …”
If she couldn’t say it, he would. “Turned on?”
Kayla stared at him, her chest heaving. “Whatever. Let’s clean up.” Averting her eyes, she gathered the empty plates and took them to the sink.
Suddenly, Jack felt guilty for more than his physical reaction to her. He joined her at the sink, where they quietly rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Then they turned and faced each other.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. It’s not your fault that I reacted like a horny teenager.”
The corners of her lips twitched. “I’m sorry for contributing to you acting like a horny teenager.”
“You were just being a nice girlfriend.”
“Or a naughty one,” she teased.
Jack reached out and brushed her hair off her shoulder. “Either way, you did a fantastic job. We really convinced them.”
Kayla nodded, though she didn’t look happy about it. “Our rehearsals paid off.” She stepped back. “I’m going to get ready for bed. All this acting wore me out.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “I’ll wait here while you get your stuff out of my room.”
Kayla gave him a weak smile and quickly left the kitchen. Whatever intimacy they’d shared earlier had dissipated, and Jack was left behind in a cloud of disappointment and coconut body wash.