A month or so later
During the next month, I went out with Kevin a few times. He continued to be a nice guy, and I think I taught him some things so our sex improved, but after a few dates, including one where we ran into Jack and Gina at the movies, I realized that I wasn't really interested and we broke up on friendly terms. I met a few other guys, but nothing really clicked. I spent the bulk of the month hanging out with my friends, going to the beach, shopping for school and working as many shifts as I could squeeze in, to make as much cash as I could before school started.
Tanya kept teasing me about how I never looked as happy as I did before, and I couldn't argue with her. But, I used every trick in the waitress' handbook to maximize my tips. I wore more makeup. I wore push up bras and made sure that my cleavage was obvious and I flirted unmercifully with any male customer from 14 to 75. Generally it worked, although I did have to fend off a huge number of requests for dates, even from guys who were there with their girlfriends or wives.
One night, after I had gotten home from work, I read an email from Lisa, who told me that she had been at the movies and saw Jack and Gina have a screaming fight in front of everybody, and they stormed out without even going to the movies. I wanted to feel bad for Jack, but I didn't. Although I had some sympathy for Gina at one point, I realized that I just didn't like her. Even if she had reason to resent me, after she started seeing Jack, she could have been a little more gracious. But now, I had no need to have anything to do with her, and I didn't mind that at all. The next day, I got a text from Emily, who was still going strong with Fred, who also turned out to be a pretty cool guy, telling me that Jack and Gina had agreed to break up "to save their friendship." Whatever that meant. I kind of expected Jack to call me, but he didn't, and my pride wouldn't let me be the one to make the first move.
I told Ariel, and she actually agreed that I should wait at least a few days, to let Jack sort out his feelings.
"You always seemed to think that the best thing to do was to let him go, and see if he came back. I guess you will get your chance," she observed.
"I guess so," I replied.
A few days later, Mom asked Ariel and me to come into the kitchen. She said, "I assume that you know that Jack and his girlfriend broke up."
"Of course," I said, wondering where this was going.
"So, Mark tells me that Jack is feeling a little down, and he knows how much Jack likes both of you, so he wanted to know if we all were interested in going up their lake house this weekend with Mark, Jack and Sarah."
My initial thought was "yes," and I could see Ariel smiling, no doubt remembering her last visit there with Jack. Then I wasn't sure. Did I want to be there with him? Would it be weird? What if he wasn't interested? The fact that he hadn't called me was troubling. What would Ariel want to do? And having our parents sleeping together in the same house would be strange, too.
But on balance, I realized that it could clarify my relationship with Jackβit would force us to spend time together, and I was pretty confident in my ability to seduce him, and if I failed, I would know it really was time to move on. I realized that Mom and Ariel were staring at me as I thought, so I blurted out, "sure, yeah, let's do it."
Ariel pointed out that we needed to call Orlando's and get coverage for our shifts, and when I did, Tanya said, "I hear something in your voice that I like. Are you going to be happy again?"
I laughed and said, "I hope so. Very happy and very often."
She laughed hysterically and promised to make sure we were covered. A couple of days later, I went and got my hair cut, a little shorter than I had done in the past. I wanted to try a more mature look for college, and I thought it came out well.
The night before we were leaving, Ariel came into my room and shut the door. "Look," she said, seriously. "I know that you are looking forward to hooking up with Jack this weekend."
"I guess so," I said and she laughed.
"You guess so? You've been bouncing around like a kid with a new lollipop since Mom told you about the weekend."
"O.K.," I replied, "I am looking forward to spending time with him, not only the sex."
"Understood," she said, continuing, "but I need to discuss something with you."
"What?" I asked.
"It's been a few weeks since Nigel went back to London, and I miss him."
"Yeah," I said. "I liked him, too."
"What I want to ask is, assuming Jack is up for it, and you are O.K. with it, I'd like to spend some time with Jack, too, if you know what I mean?"
This was a tough one. I knew that Ariel wouldn't ask, unless she really wanted or needed it, and she honestly had every right to pursue Jack herself. And to be fair, I wasn't completely sure that I would be able to beat Ariel, considering her history with Jack and how he seemed to like her.
"What exactly do you mean?"
She paused before answering. "I don't want to get in the way of your getting together with him, but I have been craving his big cock and the way he makes me feel. So, what do you think of thisβwe will get up there on Saturday, and he is all yours. I get Sunday night, and you get Monday. And to sweeten the deal, I know he listens to me, and I will make it clear that I think that the two of you would make a great couple."