Chapter 8

When Jeff, Shawna, and Shelly rejoined the group back at the theme park, Amy shot Jeff a head-shaking smile. Shelly danced around between Jeff and Shawna, swinging their joined hands as she skipped along. Shawna seemed equally happy with a beaming, satisfied smile that lit her up from the inside.

“Seriously? Both of them?” Amy whispered as she leaned in, not quite letting go of Neal’s hand. “How does that even work?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jeff smirked in reply. “I was a perfect gentleman.”

“Fine!” Amy rolled her eyes and laughed. “Be that way. Shelly tells me everything.”

The whole group stayed together all afternoon, but each time Jeff sat for a ride or a rest he was bracketed on both sides by Shawna and Shelly. They floated around a lazy river, went off on a safari, and finally watched animals from a train ride around the park. Mom, Nessa, and Aunt Jackie just grinned at the three of them like they thought it was cute.

Despite the parents being around, Jeff caught sight of Amy sneaking kisses with Neal a few times and felt proud she was going for her vacation fling. The stunned look Neal wore the whole time made it obvious Amy was firmly in the driver’s seat.

Lori had no one special to hang out with and made certain everyone knew she wasn’t happy about it. While they walked around, she tried to force herself between Amy and Neal, then she tried to pull Shelly away from Jeff and Shawna. When none of that worked, her attitude really started circling the bowl.

“I don’t want to go see a stupid bug show,” Lori whined as she crossed her arms.

“You were excited when we planned everything last night,” Aunt Jackie said in a tone that indicated she was reaching the end of her patience with her youngest daughter.

Jeff had felt a little sympathy for Lori earlier, but the constant complaints had left him irritated. Shelly and Amy ignored Lori, as only siblings can. Shawna still had hope because she tried one more time to bring Lori along.

“Just look at all the cool animals there on the tree,” Shawna said, pointing out the sculpted lion emerging from a branch on the enormous tree at the center of the theme park.

“It’s not even a real tree,” Lori muttered and kicked at a stone on the path.

“It’s still brilliant,” Shawna said as she patted Lori on the back. “Right?”

“I guess,” Lori sighed.

“You want to sit next to me for the show?”

Lori looked up at Shawna with an expression that bordered on worship. “Really?”

“Yeah, if you lose that shite attitude.” Shawna raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Lori whispered as she looked down.

“That’s settled then.” Shawna tugged her close enough to drape her arm across the smaller girl’s shoulders.

Jeff and Shelly shared an eye roll but remained silent as Shawna led Lori into the dark waiting area for the show. After the theater doors opened and they all went in, Lori dropped into the seat between Jeff and Shawna. Shelly sat on his other side followed by Amy and Neal. The adults filled in the remaining seats, all of them clearly excited by the ant colony theme of the theater.

Lori leaned into Jeff and clung to his arm for a moment. Then she leaned a little closer and looked up to get his attention. “Would you sleep with me in my bed tonight?”

Shawna overheard the question and hid a laugh behind her hand. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she mouthed, Again?

Shelly must have heard as well, because made a click with her tongue followed by a frustrated sigh. Then she leaned over to whisper to Amy who barked a laugh.

“I mean, it’s my turn, isn’t it?” Lori asked with wide eyes. He couldn’t decide if she looked scared or excited by the idea.

“Sure,” Jeff said, stretching the word out over a few seconds. “Why not?”

“I just figured it was my turn since Amy and Shelly already had their turn.”

“Yeah, but they only had to sleep in my bed because you tossed and turned so much you pushed them out of yours.” Jeff used a light tone and squeezed her arm to show he was mostly teasing.

“I did not,” Lori pronounced, then paused looking away. “Well, maybe I did a little. But I wouldn’t push you out.”

“It’s fine.” Jeff shot an amused look over Lori’s head at Shawna who was still stifling her laughter.

The bug show was cute, but when the red-eyed spiders dropped from the ceiling, Lori and Shelly squeezed Jeff’s arm and squealed loud enough to make him deaf in both ears. After they returned their 3D glasses at the exit, the whole group gathered out in front of the huge tree. The sun was slipping closer to the horizon and everyone was looking worn out. Aunt Jackie, Mom, and Nessa approached Jeff and Shawna with anxious expressions.

“We were wondering,” Mom started.

Aunt Jackie took over. “And it’s totally okay if you say no.”

Nessa pushed between her companions and laughed. “What these two can’t seem to get out is that we’d like to have a grown-up night out together. Could we pay you to keep an eye on the girls and Neal for a few hours?”

Jeff and Shawna glanced at each other and shrugged. “Sure, no problem,” Jeff answered for them both. “We can order pizza and watch a movie or something.”

“Yeah,” Shawna agreed. “I’m shagged out, to be honest. I could use some rest before we hit the big park tomorrow.”

“T’anks,” Nessa said with an excited glance at Neal’s father, Richard. “We really appreciate it.”

Lori and Shelly complained a little about leaving the park while the sun was still out. Amy and Neal grinned at each other, probably over the opportunity to spend more alone time together. The bus ride back to the resort was more subdued than the ride out. Lori stuck to one side of Jeff and Shawna held his hand on the other. Shelly and Amy spent the trip whispering together with excited expressions on their faces.

Once they got back to the resort, the families split up so the kids could shower and change into pajamas. Jeff was still waiting for his turn in the shower when Shawna returned wearing a loose-fitting sleepset in her favorite shade of deep green. The shorts were trimmed in gold piping and the t-shirt had Luck of the Irish spelled out in a gold script.

“Nice,” he said as he greeted her with a quick kiss. Her warm scent inspired Jeff to drop more kisses along her cheek and neck.

“No tickles,” she giggled and pushed him away. “Besides, you stink of the day.”

“It’s not my fault the girls are taking forever,” Jeff said as he directed his voice toward the bathroom door.

Lori was already in her pajamas and watching television from her bed. The show featured the teenaged kids of good guys and bad guys from the movies. Apparently, they were all going to the same high school and there was a ton of silly teen drama and magic.

Shelly was in the other bed removing toenail polish, based on the strong chemical smell. She had already showered and was wearing a princess-themed pajama set with a towel wrapped around her long hair.

Amy stepped out of the bathroom wearing a long t-shirt while patting her braided hair dry. She glanced at Jeff. “All yours!”

“Keep an eye on the kids for me and save me some pizza,” Jeff said to Shawna.

“Ya’ sure I can’t scrub your back?” she asked with a bright twinkle in her eyes.

His answer was a quick kiss and a laugh before locking himself in the bathroom. He stripped and showered quickly, paying special attention to all the spots he hoped would get special attention later. He shaved carefully, brushed his teeth, and dressed in his soft sleep shorts and an old soccer jersey.

The scent of pizza made his stomach growl as he hung his towel up to dry over the bathroom door. When he looked in the adjoining room he noted the adults had gone out for the night. Neal and Amy were camped out over in her parents’ bed watching television with the lights off.

Shelly and Lori were engrossed in the pirate movie playing on the television. Shawna had spread out Shelly’s toes with spacers and had bent over to paint them. She looked up long enough to give him a grin as he passed. Jeff answered Shawna’s grin with one of his own.

“Come sit with me,” Lori said as she bounced in place on the other bed. “I saved you some pizza!”

His youngest cousin was the age where she couldn’t seem to decide if she wanted to grow up or not. Her slim frame was starting to fill out in curves, but her long brown hair was a tangled damp mess. Her pajamas featured anime characters, but the cut of the sleep shorts and top showed plenty of smooth skin.

Jeff jumped into bed with her and grabbed a piece of pizza from the open box. “So what are we watching?” he asked, even though he already knew.

“They just got the pirate ship out of the bottle,” Lori explained while he ate. “Now they have to get to the magic trident before the bad guys.”

Jeff ate the rest of the pizza quickly and got up to crush the pizza box into the small trash can. Before he went back to bed, he grabbed a brush from the bathroom counter. Lori glanced at it before looking a question at him.

“Sit in front of me,” he suggested as he climbed into bed.

Lori scooted forward while glancing back at him with a curious expression. Jeff reached out to straighten her hair. He fingered through the tangles first, then began to work the brush through without pulling too hard. His last girlfriend had loved to have her hair brushed. After she started dating someone else, Jeff discovered he missed doing it.

Lori made a low hum as he made long, deep strokes with the brush. Shawna and Shelly both smirked at him from the other bed, but he just shrugged at their amusement. While Lori watched the movie, he concentrated on taming her hair into soft waves. By the time he got it completely straightened out, Lori wore a satisfied smile.

“Can I lean back against you?” she asked quietly.

Jeff sat the brush on the nightstand before opening his legs. He helped her scoot back against his chest with his legs running outside along hers. She snuggled back against him and tugged his arms around her waist. With the top of her head right under his chin, Jeff kissed her hair and hugged her close. The sweet scent of her shampoo and soap tickled his nose.

Shawna grabbed the brush from the nightstand and began working it through Shelly’s damp hair. Both of them were obviously amused by the way he was holding Lori. Shawna brushed long strokes while Shelly’s toenails dried.