the cheek. "Looks like you've settled in for the night." Fondly, she tweaked his nose.
"He has," Ronnie Monroe said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she came in from the kitchen.
Jennifer hugged her mother. "Is that fried chicken I smell?"
Her mother nodded. "Dinner's ready. Do you want to change first or go ahead and eat?"
"I think I'd like to put on something warm and comfy. Give me a few minutes, okay?"
Her mom nodded and settled on the edge of the couch next to Ed. "Take your time, Jenny. I'll pester your father for a while."
Jennifer grinned when she saw her mother lean down and kiss her father. Her dad reached up and cupped her mother's face. That's what she wanted, she thought wistfully. But true love had eluded her so far. She'd only found tepid relationships that ended with the same whimper with which they'd begun.
Her mother hadn't found lasting love the first time around either. Instead, Ronnie had found herself seventeen and pregnant. The boy, Jennifer's father, refused to acknowledge that he'd fathered Ronnie's baby.
Once again, Jennifer thanked the powers that be for Ed Monroe. He'd fallen in love with Veronica Thornhill and hadn't minded that a precocious teenager came with the attractive blonde. He'd never pressured Jennifer to accept him as a father. He'd just tried to be a friend to her. In so doing, he'd become the best dad any girl could ever have.
Jennifer kicked off her black ankle strap heels and peeled off the sheer black hosiery. Then she traded her black skirt suit for an old pair of gray sweat pants and one of her dad's old chambray shirts. She pulled on a pair of thick white athletic socks and grinned at herself in the mirror. What a different ensemble from yesterday's seduction outfit.
"Okay, let's eat," she said, walking toward the kitchen. "I'm starved." Though she'd seen her parents last week, she still found plenty to talk about with them. The one thing she omitted though was her run-in with Matt Penrose.
"Pass the mashed potatoes, Jenny," Ed said.
Jennifer handed him the big bowl full of buttery potatoes. "Dad, are we all set for the weekend?"
"You bet. Your mom and I are going down to the lake house Friday. I need to pick up the boat motor at the shop in Mabank. They worked on the carburetor and said the old Evinrude is like new. Maybe we won't get stuck out in the middle of the lake this time."
"Well, I hope they're right. The water's a bit cool to be swimming to the bank this time of year," her mother said.
"If we get stranded again, I'll let you swim for it this time, Veronica," Ed said, a twinkle in his eye.
"Shoot! Not me. I'll sit there until someone comes looking for us."
Jennifer listened to their good-natured sniping and again thought about what was missing in her life. Affectionately, she grinned at them. "Did you enter the tournament again, Dad?"
"Well, I didn't want to, but your mother made me."
Ronnie hit him on the arm. "Made you? Why, you liar." To Jennifer, she said, "He entered you too, dear. He's positive one of you can land that striped bass you tried to catch last summer and win the trophy."
"Hey," Ed said, "They can keep the trophy. It's that ten thousand dollar grand prize I want to come home with. There's a motor home I've got my eye on. That prize money will be a nice down payment."
Jennifer patted his arm and started clearing the table. "Well, you might win this time, Dad. I'm going to ask Alva and her friend Bill Dixon to come up for the weekend if that's all right?"
"Sure. We always enjoy seeing Alva. She and your mother can keep each other company."
Jennifer smiled. "That's what I thought too. And her friend Bill is a fisherman so he'll go in the boat with us."
"Sounds good." Ed rose and finished clearing while Jennifer and her mother began loading the dishwasher. "Bring anyone you want, Jenny. You know we've got plenty of room."
After they'd finished, Jennifer and her dad went to the living room while her mother looked through the
"He has," Ronnie Monroe said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she came in from the kitchen.
Jennifer hugged her mother. "Is that fried chicken I smell?"
Her mother nodded. "Dinner's ready. Do you want to change first or go ahead and eat?"
"I think I'd like to put on something warm and comfy. Give me a few minutes, okay?"
Her mom nodded and settled on the edge of the couch next to Ed. "Take your time, Jenny. I'll pester your father for a while."
Jennifer grinned when she saw her mother lean down and kiss her father. Her dad reached up and cupped her mother's face. That's what she wanted, she thought wistfully. But true love had eluded her so far. She'd only found tepid relationships that ended with the same whimper with which they'd begun.
Her mother hadn't found lasting love the first time around either. Instead, Ronnie had found herself seventeen and pregnant. The boy, Jennifer's father, refused to acknowledge that he'd fathered Ronnie's baby.
Once again, Jennifer thanked the powers that be for Ed Monroe. He'd fallen in love with Veronica Thornhill and hadn't minded that a precocious teenager came with the attractive blonde. He'd never pressured Jennifer to accept him as a father. He'd just tried to be a friend to her. In so doing, he'd become the best dad any girl could ever have.
Jennifer kicked off her black ankle strap heels and peeled off the sheer black hosiery. Then she traded her black skirt suit for an old pair of gray sweat pants and one of her dad's old chambray shirts. She pulled on a pair of thick white athletic socks and grinned at herself in the mirror. What a different ensemble from yesterday's seduction outfit.
"Okay, let's eat," she said, walking toward the kitchen. "I'm starved." Though she'd seen her parents last week, she still found plenty to talk about with them. The one thing she omitted though was her run-in with Matt Penrose.
"Pass the mashed potatoes, Jenny," Ed said.
Jennifer handed him the big bowl full of buttery potatoes. "Dad, are we all set for the weekend?"
"You bet. Your mom and I are going down to the lake house Friday. I need to pick up the boat motor at the shop in Mabank. They worked on the carburetor and said the old Evinrude is like new. Maybe we won't get stuck out in the middle of the lake this time."
"Well, I hope they're right. The water's a bit cool to be swimming to the bank this time of year," her mother said.
"If we get stranded again, I'll let you swim for it this time, Veronica," Ed said, a twinkle in his eye.
"Shoot! Not me. I'll sit there until someone comes looking for us."
Jennifer listened to their good-natured sniping and again thought about what was missing in her life. Affectionately, she grinned at them. "Did you enter the tournament again, Dad?"
"Well, I didn't want to, but your mother made me."
Ronnie hit him on the arm. "Made you? Why, you liar." To Jennifer, she said, "He entered you too, dear. He's positive one of you can land that striped bass you tried to catch last summer and win the trophy."
"Hey," Ed said, "They can keep the trophy. It's that ten thousand dollar grand prize I want to come home with. There's a motor home I've got my eye on. That prize money will be a nice down payment."
Jennifer patted his arm and started clearing the table. "Well, you might win this time, Dad. I'm going to ask Alva and her friend Bill Dixon to come up for the weekend if that's all right?"
"Sure. We always enjoy seeing Alva. She and your mother can keep each other company."
Jennifer smiled. "That's what I thought too. And her friend Bill is a fisherman so he'll go in the boat with us."
"Sounds good." Ed rose and finished clearing while Jennifer and her mother began loading the dishwasher. "Bring anyone you want, Jenny. You know we've got plenty of room."
After they'd finished, Jennifer and her dad went to the living room while her mother looked through the
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