Chapter 24

Jack’s Aunt Janice came running out the front door, wearing a blue bikini that was somehow magically holding things together, squealing in happy greeting before he’d even gotten fully out of the car. She ran into him and wrapped him up in a hug that would have made a Texas high school football coach proud. If he hadn’t healed himself and had a car behind him to stop the momentum, he probably would have fallen and cracked his head open again on their expensive driveway.

Aunt Janice was the spitting image of his mother, only a few years older. She was tall, blonde, and looked like a retired Swedish Bikini Team member--which she technically was. Back in 1991, Janice had been a model, living in Los Angeles and trying to become an actress. Her ‘big break’ had been an ad campaign for Old Milwaukee Beer where several girls who all looked like Janice had portrayed a fictional “Swedish Bikini Team”.

Jack had even seen a few of the commercials on YouTube. The whole basic premise of the commercials was these pretty blondes in bikinis delivering beer to guys or saving guys and giving them beers, or showing up out of nowhere with beers and the slogan, “Guys it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Aunt Janice was only eighteen when those commercials ran. And it was a break for her. She did actually get a few acting jobs, including the opportunity as a paid extra in 1997’s Titanic. She played one of the upper-class women in the background of three different scenes, including one where she’s seen in the same lifeboat as Molly Brown. She had no lines and was just there for background, but that’s her biggest claim to fame.

Her career had stalled out by then and even though she was only twenty-four, she met Uncle Elias and quickly decided to retire. Now, she was just over fifty years old, but still had the good looks that made her a bikini model.

Janice explained that his cousins were still in school and would be home in less than an hour and his Uncle Elias was working--of course--and would be home around dinner time. Janice showed him the guest room, which he’d stayed in during his last visit. She left him there to get settled and told him she’d be back by the pool if he wanted to come out for a dip.

He didn’t have anything to unpack. He was only staying the night and had only brought one set of clothes, his laptop, and his phone.

“Oh, I ... I forgot to pack a swimsuit,” Jack said, actually disappointed for forgetting. His family pool was nice, but Uncle Elias’ and Aunt Janice’s pool was amazing.

Janice put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, “That’s an easy fix. I’ll be right back.”

Jack did pull a few things out of his bag and plugged his phone into the charger. When his Aunt Janice returned, she handed him a red ball of spandex, “Here, this is one of Andrew’s suits. You two are about the same size now. You’ll be amazed at how big he is. He’s only fifteen, and already over six feet. Definitely got those Johansson genes in him.”