Author's Note: Dear Readers, please join Jeremy and his women friends for a many part adventure story combining telepathy, violence, technology and love.
Anna's Mystery Plan - Pt 1 - Jeremy Labors in the Dark
Chapter 1 - Sophie Arrives
I was taking out the trash when a maroon Saab convertible pulled into the driveway. The windblown driver smiled at me and waved. Sophie had been studying in Europe and we hadn't seen each other in three years.
She got out of the car and gave me a big hug, with a quick kiss.
'My god, Jeremy, you're all grown up! And graduated from high school."
She felt good in my arms. All woman, but lots of muscles. I hugged and kissed her back.
"How's my distant cousin?" We were related through my mother's side of the family in some complicated way.
"I am really excited to be here. Are we still planning on going up to the lake house?"
Anna had filled Karen and me with lots of information about Sophie's many talents, but not much about her appearance. The woman in front of me, and she definitely was a beautiful woman, stood a little less than my newly reached height of 5-10, with an athletic build. I'd heard she was a competitive swimmer, and the broad, muscular shoulders advertised that. She had on a sleeveless turtleneck in pale gray, large sunglasses and a mauve kerchief holding down a mane of pitch black hair. The black capris covered trim hips and well muscled legs. What Audrey Hepburn would have looked like if she were a jock, I thought to myself, gazing at her full lips and high cheekbones.
We both stood there for a moment, taking each other in and revising mental images. Finally, I broke in, "Let me give you a hand with your stuff."
"In the summer, I travel lightly," she said, "just a couple of duffels and a backpack."
Walking around to the trunk, I said, "Anna must not have told you about the cocktail parties and formal dinners?" She looked up sharply and saw my smile. "We'll be dressing for dinner every night?" she responded.
"Except when we're at the lake and skinny dipping," I said, grabbing the duffels and trying to keep a straight face. Karen had warned me again this morning about taking it easy with Sophie.
"Remember, she thinks you're just a bright eighteen year old who needs some language tutoring. Do you think you can keep a lid on it for a few days until we get her used to us?"
So maybe a little smartass male routine might divert her a bit, I thought.
Karen came down the front steps and gave Sophie a hug, "I'm so glad you could come. I hope this isn't ruining your summer, or your dissertation?"
"I really need a break after the pressure of getting ready for my comps," Sophie responded. "I think a month with you and Jeremy is just what the doctor ordered," she said.
"Come through to the back and sit for a minute. Jeremy will take your things up to the guest room."
My bedroom and the guest bedroom shared a bath and Karen had instructed me that my door was to be closed at all times unless I was in the bathroom. "You and I are casual about clothes and toilet, but we don't know that she is."
By the time I got back downstairs they were in the middle of conversation. "What about a drink," I said from the kitchen doorway. "Ice tea, lemonade, beer, water?"
Karen nodded at Sophie, who looked at me, "Lemonade, please."
I fixed three lemonades and brought them out. Gesturing toward the yard, Karen said, "Our own lemons."
Sophie turned to me, "Anna didn't really tell me anything about the language tutoring you need, just that it would be relaxing after all my concentration on Old Norse." She wrinkled her nose and almost giggled. "I suppose you want to know why I'm messing around with Old Norse?"
"Sophie, why are you messing around with Old Norse," I responded, playing the straight man. "Is it like Play Dough?"
Karen laughed, "Jeremy, there's two of us and one of you, and if you don't behave, there will be consequences. Now tell Sophie about what you need in languages."
"I'd really like to pick up some Spanish and some Italian this summer," I said. "Mom is thinking we might spend next fall and winter in Switzerland with her aunt, and visit relatives in Italy and Spain."
"Oh, that's great," she sounded relieved, "I'm good in both of them, because I also have relatives in Italy and Spain."
Karen broke in, "Well, that seems like a good start. Why don't you show Sophie around while I make some sandwiches."
The tour didn't get started because Sophie asked if she could have a few quick laps in the pool before lunch and Karen said that would be fine. Her Speedo and cap were nearby in the backpack and I showed her the pool house changing space. A few laps turned into twenty-five, the last five of which were as fast as I'd ever seen someone swim in our pool.
Karen was impressed as well. When we sat down again for lunch, she said, "Sophie, there's no reason to jump right into teaching my miserable offspring. Why don't we go up to our place at the lake for the weekend and just relax? There's great swimming, sailing, even a secret island!"
"Hmmm. That sounds divine. Sign me up."
After lunch, I escaped to the music room while Karen and Sophie lay out in the sun, talking about each other's families, schools, work, and getting to know one another.
I warmed up with some scales and then went into the Goldberg Variations, trying to get the tempo right. I was in the middle of a slow passage when I was joined by someone at the other piano. I realized right away it wasn't Karen, which meant it was Sophie. She was very good, a natural four hand player. Another music partner for me!
We finished and she peered around the end of her piano, "Hey, that was really nice."
"Yes," I said, "you didn't tell me you played Bach."
"I was raised on the Glenn Gould recording. My mom was a liberated ex-church choir accompanist, and she loved Bach."
I looked up at her tentatively, "Would you like to play with me again sometime?"
Sophie came over and hugged me, then leaned down and kissed my ear and mussed my long hair. "Yes, of course. What other surprises do you have for me?"
Karen broke in, "Hey, can we spend a minute on calendars? I have a really busy schedule for the next month, and you probably want to know something about comings and goings around here, don't you Sophie?"
It was her subtle way of letting Sophie know when she was going to be doing the mommy standin job at our house. I smiled to myself. She was summer tutor and substitute mother, but I had a feeling she was going to be learning more than she was teaching. Karen had medical meetings out of town for two out of the next four weeks. I could tell she wasn't completely happy about that, probably because she didn't think I could be trusted. She was right. Several ideas were already circulating in my overactive mind.
I was quick to realize that the role of language tutor was only a veneer on what would become a more complicated relationship between Sophie and me. I could already see several other dimensions and wondered how many of them Anna had in mind when she conceived the summer plan. At seventy, her mind was active, and her memory exceptional for her age. Beyond that, she had a missionary zeal to see her grandson succeed to the role her father had held many years before.
After we got trips to the airport and details of running the house under control, Sophie asked if she could lie down for a while and I showed her the guest room. "There's a shared bath, and I'll try not to barge in on you," I said.
She eyed me up and down, "Well, I guess I'll have to not barge in on you, too." Adding quickly, "Can we not sweat the bathroom protocol? I'll be relaxed about it if you are."
She patted the bed next to her, "Sit for a minute."
"I know having someone new show up without much notice can be a problem. Especially a girl! Even though we've only known each other a few hours, I'm already in a groove with you. I think we can study together and have some fun too. Ok?"
God, did she have charm! I felt myself getting all mushy inside. Jeremy, you can't let her get to you like this! Recovering, I gave her my best fleeting thin smile and nodded carefully. She reached up with one of those wonderful hands and pulled me down for a quick, gentle kiss on the lips.
Oh my, did I have a lot to learn about women. Thank you, Anna, for sending me Sophie to practice with.
I carefully levered myself up off the bed, trying very hard not to tremble. "That was nice," I whispered. "Sweet dreams," and tottered out of the room.
Downstairs, Karen grabbed my arm and led me into her study, closing the door. "All right, buster, is this going to work? Are you two compatible?"
Letting the question hang in the air, I sat back in her wonderful leather sofa, and gestured for her to join me in my lap. Over the last couple of years, as I grew to be taller and heavier than she was, it didn't work anymore for me to sit in her lap. So we changed roles, and now she climbed into my lap when we needed to have a mother-son talk. This worked better when she had pants on than a dress. One afternoon, when she had been to Allan's apartment for lunch, she thoughtlessly leapt into my arms and we went down on the sofa in a boy-girl clinch with her dress ending up around her waist. The smell of wet panties was all around us and Karen tried to scramble away.
"Oh no, you don't," I laughed and tightened my grip.
"Jeremy, let me go this minute. I'm not decent!"
"I think you're freshly fucked, that's what I think," I laughingly responded. "And you're going to stay right here and tell me about it."
"Not on your life, you voyeur," but she relaxed and sank into my arms. "I thought we had a deal that I get to have my own private sex life, and I won't get in the middle of yours?"
"All right, but tell me this, are you a happy woman?" I asked.
"Very happy," she responded, "and very in need of a shower. Let's go upstairs and clean me up. Then we can talk."
