Chapter 38: It's Perfectly Natural

Jeff woke in the morning to see Brit's face smiling down at him. She was lying on top of him again, her chin resting in her hands and her elbows on the bed beside him, her face just staring at him. He grabbed her and hugged her, then gently pushed her off of him. As before, she kissed him lightly on the lips, and he made his way to the bathroom. He was beginning to wonder about those kisses. Were they innocent, or was there something more to them?

After showering, he entered his room again, where Brit was still lying on the bed. She hopped up and slipped past him into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, they made their way down to breakfast, where Allison and Greg both sat at the dining room table. Apparently Rachael wasn't up yet. Jeff took a seat, and Brit plopped down on his lap. Greg and Allison chuckled.

"Okay, what's up with you two?" asked Greg, but he kept the smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" Brit asked him.

"Before we left to take Lissa to school, you two were at each other's throats. Now we come back, and you're sitting on his lap every chance you get. What happened?"

"Why, can't a little sister sit on her big brother's lap if she wants?"

"Sure you can. I'm just curious."

Brit and Jeff glanced at each other. In truth, there wasn't just one reason for it. The incident with the photos, the storm, sleeping together, that shower ... no, Jeff decided, that had nothing to do with it. But that was more self-delusion than anything.

"Oh, we might as well tell them," said Brit. Jeff had a sudden moment of panic. Just how much was she willing to reveal?

"It happened Saturday when Crystal came over," she continued, and Jeff's panic spiked. She wouldn't dare!

"Maybe we shouldn't be telling them about this," he said.

"Oh, Jeff, don't be embarrassed. You acted heroically."

Heroically? That was probably the last word he would use to describe his actions.

"Saturday afternoon we decided to go down to the park," said Brit, and relief filled Jeff. Whatever she was about to say was a lie. He didn't exactly like the idea of lying to Allison and his dad, but in this case, it was much better than the truth.

"Since we weren't allowed to drive, we had to walk. On the way back, we were almost hit by a car," Brit continued.

"You what?" Greg exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah. It was some drunk guy swerving all over the road. He almost hit me, but Jeff pushed me out of the way, and he got hit instead."

Suddenly Jeff realized she had gone too far. Her little fantasy was harmless; maybe she had dreamt up this idea last night when they were sitting together on the couch. Her questions certainly suggested she looked up to him with perhaps a kind of hero worship. But how could he be just sitting here calmly if he had just gotten hit by a car a couple of days before? He decided he had better play along so he could cover it.

"I wouldn't exactly say he hit me," he explained, trying to sound casual. "I fell over, but that was just from the draft and being off-balance from pushing Brit out of the way."

"Well did you get the license number?" asked Allison. "That's still a hit and run."

"No, unfortunately," Jeff said before Brit could add anything to the fantasy. "I was more worried about seeing that the girls were okay. Especially with Brit crying the way she was."

"I was not crying!" she insisted.

"Well, you were about to. I think she was scared half to death."

"I wasn't either scared. I just ... I just thought you had been hit, that's all."

"Well anyway," Jeff continued, "I didn't want you guys to worry, so I told Brit and Crystal we shouldn't mention it, not that I really expected Brit to be able to keep a secret," he added, flashing her an accusing yet playful look. "And in case you're wondering, I already decided that we're not going to walk to the park any more."

"Absolutely right," said Greg. "I'm glad you were both okay. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost either of you two."

"So I realized that despite all the teasing," said Brit, "Jeff really does love me after all. He's the best brother a girl could ever have." She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"And I had been missing Lissa all day," Jeff added. "So when I realized that I might have lost my other sister, and how much it would hurt me if she had been ... well ... I don't think I could bear to lose Brit like that."

Brit beamed as he said that, enjoying the flattery.

This was actually a perfect opportunity to preemptively defuse certain situations that might arise in the future. "Brit was so shaken up over the incident for the rest of the day that I let her sleep in my bed Saturday night. You know, like we used to do sometimes when we were kids." That would help later if Allison or their father ever caught them sleeping together. "So after that, I think she finally got it through her head that I'm not going to give her some fatal disease if she touches me," he joked.

"No, actually I just realized that after sleeping with him, I had probably already caught it, so there's no point in avoiding him any more, is there?" she shot back.

Jeff laughed. "Okay, you win that round," he said, "but you forgot about my secret weapon." He then tickled her sides. She squealed and hopped up off his lap.

The others joined in the laughter then.

"Well, you don't know how good it feels to see you two getting along finally," Greg smiled. "And Jeff, I'm proud of you for protecting my little angel."

"Oh, Daddy," she grinned, grabbing him around the neck and kissing his cheek. Then she sat down in a chair across from Jeff where he couldn't reach her to tickle her.

"So Jeff, Allison and I were talking," said Greg. "Since you're suddenly so mature and looking after your sister so well, we both agree that next time Allison and I go out, and if Kari's father agrees, you're allowed to invite her over. But only if Crystal comes over too. I'm still not sure I like the thought of you and Kari alone in the house together, but as long as there are four of you, it should be okay."

Jeff was very pleased with that idea. He wondered if Brit would be open to the idea of watching again, this time with both the Williams girls and him.

"But this privilege comes with a condition," Greg added. "It's because I like to see you and Brit getting along. So the privilege will be revoked the next time you make her cry."

"Excellent!" said Brit. "Now I can get him to do everything I want just by threatening to cry."

"And you are not to take advantage of this, young lady," Allison told her. "Trust me. I can tell when a girl's tears are real."

"But can't I make him be my slave just a little bit?" she teased.

"Sure you can," said Allison with a wink. "You just have to find another way, that's all."

"And I guess that ends my days of torturing her," Jeff shrugged. "Do you know anyone who wants to buy a set of hot iron pokers? Looks like I won't have much use for mine any more."

"I'll buy them," said Brit with a mischievous grin.

"I'd melt them down for scrap metal before I'd sell them to you!" he said.

"Daddy!" she whined. "Jeff won't sell me his torture devices! I think I'm going to cry."

A week ago, Jeff would have gotten mad over that kind of teasing from her, but now he just laughed with the others. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe this was what it meant to be mature. And he suddenly realized, maturity didn't have to mean getting all boring after all. In fact, it could actually be pretty fun. He was certainly enjoying Brit a lot more since he had adopted this attitude. She was still a little brat, but she was a cute little brat, and it really didn't bother him any more.

For the rest of the meal the conversation centered on the latest gossip from school. Kayla Fallon's sister was the new student body president at the high school. Mr. Nelson, Brit's homeroom teacher, had just gotten custody of his daughter Kimmy, so she was now attending the junior high, and in fact sat next to Brit in class. Steve Ross was taking Physics even though he hated science, and rumor had it that it was because he had a crush on Miss Walker, the science teacher. Not that he could be blamed; the same could be said about most of the boys at the high school. Jeff would have fallen into that category except that his fantasies had always been taken up by Kari and Allison, so there wasn't room for one more.

After breakfast they finished getting ready, and Allison drove them to school. Jeff entered the building and headed for his locker to retrieve his books for his first class. He spotted Kari down the hall standing and talking with a group of her friends from the volleyball team.

"Hi Kari," said Jeff, walking up to her.

"Oh, hi, Jeff!" she beamed. "How was your weekend? I suppose it was a pain babysitting my bratty little sister." She said the last with a knowing look in her eye.

"Oh, she wasn't too bad." That was more than a slight understatement.

"I don't know how you survived with two of them to gang up on you."

Jeff couldn't suppress a laugh. Her description was more accurate than she realized.

"Actually, Brit's starting to grow up. She's not nearly as bad as she used to be. I think Crystal is too."

"Well, Crystal told me all about it," said Kari with a grin. That wasn't surprising, and at least he knew now where things stood with Kari. Apparently she didn't mind.

"I deny everything," he said facetiously.

"So can I come over this Saturday?"

"I wish you could," he replied, "but my family's going camping. But next Saturday's free."

"Oh, that's too bad, because next Saturday the team was going to get together and do some extra practicing."

"Well, we may have to call the whole thing off," said Tracy, the captain of the volleyball team. "We can't find a court for that day. The basketball team is going to be using the gym, and we can't use the outdoor courts because they're re-seeding the grass, so the whole thing will be closed for at least two weeks."

"Doesn't Jeff's house have a volleyball court?" asked Jenny.

"That's right," said Jeff. "It's just sand, but it's perfectly usable." Actually, he was more than happy to have them come over. While it probably meant he wouldn't have any time alone with Kari, it did mean that he'd be surrounded by a bunch of girls, all of which were quite good-looking.

"Really?" asked Tracy. "Would you mind if we came over and used it?"

"I wouldn't mind, but I'll have to ask my Dad. He and my stepmom are going to be out of town. My aunt's visiting right now, and they'll be driving her back home. They'll be gone all Saturday and Sunday."

"Oh, well so much for that idea," said Kari.

"What's wrong?" asked Tracy.

"His dad's really prudish. I'm surprised he'd even let me go over when he's not there, much less a bunch of teenage girls. He'd probably worry about us all getting into some kind of wild orgy with Jeff."

The girls laughed.

"Well let's not count it out just yet," said Jenny. "Jeff, could you at least ask your Dad?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "But I'll doubt he'll give us permission to have a wild orgy."

"No, I meant letting us come over to your house to practice volleyball," she laughed.

"Dang!" he said in mock disappointment.

"But I like what you were thinking," she said with a grin and a wink.

"Okay, Jenny, stop flirting with my boyfriend," Kari said, but with a smile on her face.

"I flirt with everyone else's boyfriend, so why not yours?"

Kari rolled her eyes, then turned back to address Jeff.

"And don't forget the study group tomorrow," she said. Jeff nodded. They had started up this study group at the beginning of the school year with Kari, Jeff, Kari's friends Kayla and Vanessa, and Jeff's friend Rick. Kari had been inspired by Allison's private tutoring a couple of years ago, and so they had all agreed to help each other out with anything they had difficulty with, so that they wouldn't have to suffer through the whole school year like Kari had done with math. They had gotten permission to use one of the classrooms after school every Tuesday. Allison agreed to let Jeff borrow her car so that he had a way to get home after studying.

He spent the rest of the day mostly daydreaming through his classes. He hadn't had much time to see Rachael last night, so he was eager to spend a little more time with her. Not that he would ever take things to the same level that he did that first time she had come over to babysit him; even if he had a chance to get her alone, he would never go behind Kari's back.

Surprisingly, he found himself wanting to spend time with Brit as well. That was something he had never expected, but he realized that he had really enjoyed his time with her all weekend. A change had come over both of them, but so far it seemed for the better.

After school he boarded the bus and sat down next to Brit. They talked and joked and teased on the way home, but somehow they managed to keep from slipping into an argument. Not once did they even hint at fighting, and by the time they walked in the front door, they were smiling and laughing like the best of friends.

Jeff was immediately hit by Rachael, who basically threw herself at him as soon as she saw him, wrapping her arms around him in a bear hug and almost knocking him over. Then she hugged Brit as well.

"Hey, stop attacking my kids!" Allison grinned from her position on the couch in the front room.

"Auntie Rachael is just happy to see them," Rachael replied. "I didn't get much chance to talk to you last night," she told them. "And you were asleep the whole time, Brit. I doubt you even knew I was there."

"I remember waking up for just a second and seeing you," she replied. "I'm sorry I wasn't more sociable."

"That's okay," Rachael laughed. "I'm usually that way that time of night too."

That's not exactly true, Jeff thought with a grin.

"You know, I was right about you," Rachael told Brit.

"What?"

"When I babysat you a couple of years ago, I just knew you were going to turn into a hottie."

Brit blushed at the words, but Rachael just giggled. "Oh, no need to be embarrassed," she said. "It's true, isn't it, Jeff?"

"What?" he asked. "Oh, I suppose so."

"See?" Rachael grinned. "Even Jeff thinks you're hot."

"I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed, and suddenly both Primdale children were bright red.

Rachael laughed and hugged them both. "Mission accomplished. I've managed to embarrass you both thirty seconds after seeing you."

The three of them headed into the living room to sit down and catch up on old times. They talked and laughed and, at least in Rachael's case, flirted. Jeff was determined not to let it bother him, and managed to laugh off all of her comments. She really hadn't changed much since he had last seen her. She looked a little older, but not by much, and her mannerisms were exactly the same as before. He found himself remembering that babysitting episode with fondness, especially the first night. Maybe he could find some way to get her alone some time while she was there. But no, he couldn't do that to Kari. Unless of course, he asked Kari for permission first. She had let him sleep with Crystal after all ... Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any obvious opportunity coming up, so he had to abandon his fantasy.

About an hour later, Allison headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner. With their chaperone gone, Rachael became a little more physical, and pretty soon Jeff found himself wrestling on the floor with the girls and laughing as they tried to pin him. When Allison appeared again in the room, Rachael immediately sat up and wore a guilty look on her face.

"I wasn't trying to fool around with Jeff," she said with a grin. "And I certainly wasn't trying to seduce him. No sir."

Allison just rolled her eyes and walked back to the kitchen.

Greg arrived home a little later, and his seriousness toned down their friskiness quite a bit. When Allison announced that supper was ready, they all retired to the dining room.

When they sat down to dinner, Jeff decided to bring up the subject of the volleyball team.

"So Dad," he said. "I asked Kari if she wanted to come over next weekend, and she was wondering if she could bring the rest of the volleyball team over to practice."

Greg put down his fork and looked at him. He sat there for almost thirty seconds, as if considering. Jeff felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I promise I won't let them break anything," Jeff finally said.

"Oh, I'm not concerned with that," his father replied.

"Then I can do it?" asked Jeff.

"I don't know. I'm not exactly happy about the idea of a bunch of teenage girls alone in the house with you."

"Is that what you're worried about?" asked Allison. "I suppose it does seem a little inappropriate."

This didn't sound good. He had known that his dad would have some hesitation, but he figured Allison would probably be on his side, and might help to convince Dad. Unfortunately, it sounded like it wasn't going to happen after all.

"On the other hand," Allison added, putting an arm on Greg's shoulder, "you did tell him that he was allowed to invite Kari over."

"But not with a dozen of her friends."

"Well none of us seems to want to come right out and say it," said Allison, "so I might as well be the one. Greg dear, you're worried about Jeff taking advantage of some of the girls, right?"

"What? Oh, maybe just a little."

"Well, Jeff's already got a girlfriend, and she's going to be there. I doubt he's going to do anything with any of the others with her watching."

Jeff smiled inwardly. Actually, Kari would probably not be opposed to the idea at all, considering how much she liked to watch.

"Which leaves only Kari herself," Allison continued. "And I think it's more likely for him to find some time alone with her if there are only Brit and Crystal there. Since you're not opposed to that, I would think you wouldn't be opposed to having the whole volleyball team over."

"I suppose you're right," Greg said. "All right Jeff. I'm going to trust you this time, and I expect you to earn it."

"Thanks Dad," he said.

"And while I think of it, they're not to use the pool. Both because I don't want you alone with a bunch of girls with swimsuits unless there's an adult to chaperone, and because I don't want to take the chance of an accident happening."

Jeff could have brought up the fact that one of the girls, Shelly, had worked as a lifeguard during the summer, but he figured he was already lucky that his dad was letting them come over, and didn't want to push it.

"That's fine," he said instead.

After dinner Rachael fished a deck of cards out of her purse and the whole family played games all evening. Some of the games could be played by any number of players, but there was one that required exactly four. Brit offered to be on Jeff's team, and surprisingly, they didn't fight once.

Eventually, Greg announced that it was time for bed. Grumbling and whining, the children made their way upstairs. Greg headed to his room while the two sisters retired to Rachael's room to talk for a while.

He sat in bed reading until Allison came in and began to undress. He watched her with surprisingly little interest; his mind was elsewhere at the moment.

"I wonder what's gotten into the kids lately," he said.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Allison. "Brit's got a crush on Jeff."

"What? But that's--"

"Perfectly natural for a girl her age," Allison interrupted. "You know me. I've spent more time around teenagers than anyone in this family. And I took some teenage psychology classes back in college, so I know the types of things that go on in their minds. The truth is that a lot of girls fall in love with their brothers at that age."

"Well, we have to put a stop to it."

"Why?"

"Because that's ... well, that's incest."

"It would be if anything came of it. But you know Jeff would never hurt her. So what's going to happen? She's going to be a little extra affectionate with him for a while. Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months, maybe even a year. Just keep your jealousy under control and things will be fine."

"Jealousy?"

"Yes, jealousy. I'm not talking about the kind of jealousy you would have if you caught me with another man. I just mean that for a while, Jeff's going to be her favorite guy in this house, not you. And you're going to notice the difference. You're going to want things back the way they were. That's what I mean by jealousy. But this is just a stage, and it will pass. Let her explore it naturally. A little flirting on her part won't hurt anything, and we can always jump in if things get out of hand, but don't worry about it in the mean time."

"But shouldn't we at least talk to them about it?"

"No, we shouldn't. If this is Britney's first love, then embarrassing her like that could be emotionally damaging to her. They'll be fine, I promise."

"All right. But I'm going to keep an eye on them."

"Good. I think it's wonderful that they have a father like you to look after them."