Mrs. Lewis ran up to Jennifer as she got off the train and gave her a hug. "Jenn, it's so wonderful to see you! I was saying to Carrie only last week how much her father and I missed not having you around."
Mr. Lewis also hugged her and picked up her bags and parcels. "I see
somebody
stopped in the City and did a little shopping on the way! Maybe I should say
a lot
of shopping!"
Jenn laughed. "I know, I guess I went a little crazy but I love shopping in New York! It's like no other place on earth. Where's Carrie?"
Mrs. Lewis replied, "No other place to make you go broke! I can't control my spending when I get there either! I know what you went through.
And my daughter is making up your room. She said she'd do it before we left for the lake house, then she said she'd do it last night. When it was time to pile into the car I told her I wasn't having a guest show up to move into a dusty room with no fresh linens and an unmade bed!
I guess that's part of why I was so happy when I heard you were coming. I always hope that some of you is going to rub off on Carrie."
Jennifer smiled inwardly and wondered whether Mrs. L would feel the same way if she knew that she'd spent the last four days as a New York City prostitute!
"I can make up my own bed Mrs. L, I really don't want you going to all sorts of extra trouble on my account."
"Jennifer, a bed with clean sheets isn't extra trouble! It's simple common courtesy which isn't always so common around Carrie."
Jennifer decided to change the subject. "So how's Ray doing?" Carrie's older brother played baseball for the Yankees minor league affiliate in Tampa but was recuperating from arthroscopic surgery at his folk's house.
"Playing the role of the wounded warrior to the hilt! He expects to be waited on hand and foot yet always seems to find the energy and strength to go into the City and party with friends of his!
I'm really glad you grew out of that crush you used to have on him or else he'd be recruiting you into his bevy of handmaidens. In addition to everyone in the family he's had two girls drive up on three different occasions to spend time 'nursing' him! He actually had one poor girl from Saddle River, New Jersey drive to Yankee Stadium to pick up a box of baseballs and deliver it to him here so he could play the role in front of some of the neighborhood kids.
He didn't want to go to the lake house with the family so he had a girl he knows from Tampa fly up to take care of him while we were upstate. We just dropped her at the airport this morning! That boy is turning into a spoiled...
Am I venting? I feel like I'm venting."
"Go ahead and vent! It's got to be healthy to let it all out once in a while." Jenn thought back to the days in middle school when she would have dropped to the ground and spread her legs any time Ray might have asked. She wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad one that he never did ask her. It was certainly ego-deflating back then!
As soon as the car pulled into the driveway the front door of the Lewis house flew open and Carrie came charging out to meet it. Jenn had barely opened the car door when Carrie grabbed her hand and started spinning her around on the front lawn. The two girls were laughing about nothing in particular when Mrs. Lewis called "Anyone want to help with the luggage?"
Carrie ran to the back of the SUV and started grabbing bags. "
Someone's
been shopping. What'd you get me?"
Jenn replied, "A 19-year-old houseboy but his muscles wouldn't allow him to fit in those bags so I left him in Penn Station."
Carrie called over her shoulder "
Mom
...can I borrow the car for a couple of hours?
Ah never mind...some other greedy wench has probably scooped him up by now!"
Between the two of them they got Jenn's bags and packages into the guestroom. Carrie asked, "Alright if I open and peek?"
Jennifer plopped herself down on the bed. "Sure."
"What do we have here?
Jennifer
, how long have you been sporting easy access panties in your wardrobe? I thought you were more the cotton Haines type!" Carrie held up the black lace crotchless panties Jenn had bought a few days before.
"Is there a new 'special someone' our girl's decided to give it up for these days?"
Jenn took the lingerie from Carrie's hand. "No, there's no special someone! Haven't you ever bought anything just because they looked pretty and because they made you feel hot just wearing them?"
Carrie shook her head. "Sure, lots of times, but here's a news flash. Cotton Haines are more comfortable and shit like this is worn to be seen...by somebody, anybody!"
"Alright! The truth had to come out sometime! I've got it bad for you and thought I'd make my move tonight!"
Carrie continued to go through Jenn's bags. "That makes sense." She held up one of the new dresses. "Tell you what girl, you let me wear this once in a while and I might let you have your way with me."
"How about tonight?"
Carrie looked up. "What's up?"
"I sort of have a date tonight in the City if the two of us can swing it without offending your folks."
"Oh, so we
did
spend our time in Manhattan productively! Details, I need details!"
Jenn sat on the chair by the window and said, "Well, I was having dinner at Del Frisco's and he picked me up!
We had dinner and we didn't wind up in the sack together, but I really wanted to."
"Look you, don't you think you're carrying this 'virgin bride' motif to a bit of an extreme?"
Jennifer looked Carrie in the eye. "
That
will no longer be at issue."
Carrie clapped her hands. "Well all right! I would never have pushed the issue but I'm happy that that's taken care of. How long ago did that happen and how come you never told me?"