Jason and Karen set to work making dinner. It was good they'd halted their lovemaking when they did because, shortly after they started working on dinner, Brenda showed up. She was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and smelled faintly of horses.
"Where are Dad and Sylvia?" she asked, looking around.
"Your father called and said he had to go home and tend to a business emergency," her mother replied curtly.
"Oh, Jeez," Brenda said, rolling her eyes. "Not again. So where's Sylvia?"
"She and her friends went to the Overlook earlier this afternoon," her mother explained. "I'm not sure when she'll be back."
"The Overlook, huh," Brenda said, grinning. "Want to bet Paul went along, too?" She looked at Jason and reddened. "Ah...sorry, Jason, I..."
"Don't worry about it," Jason said. "I could have gone along, but I decided not to."
"How come?" Brenda asked. "It's really neat up there. You can see for miles. It's one of the best views around."
"I'm not much for hiking in the woods," Jason replied. "And I kind of got the feeling that Sylvia didn't really want me to go."
"Yeah, I bet she didn't," Brenda replied. "Especially since Paul's showing interest again. Did you guys notice that my sister's stopped wearing those silly black outfits she's been wearing?"
"Yes, we did," her mother responded. "Brenda, isn't there something else we can talk about?"
"OK, Mom," Brenda said. She picked a piece of tomato out of the bowl of salad Jason had prepared and ate it. "I was gonna ask Dad if we could stay a couple more days. They've got a guy coming in who's a real expert in training horses and I was kind of hoping we could stay so I could hear what he has to say."
Sylvia's mother paused and looked thoughtful. She turned to Jason. "Is there any reason why you have to go home tomorrow night, Jason?" she asked.
Jason could barely contain himself. If they stayed at the cabin longer, it would mean he'd have more chances to make love with Karen. He wouldn't mind that at all. "I don't think so," he said. "I don't have to work again until Friday night. I have to call my folks and ask them, though."
"Why don't you do that?" Sylvia's mother said. "I'm sure Sylvia won't mind, given what seems to be happening. You can use the phone in the living room."
"OK," Jason said. He called his parents who, as he expected, had no problem with him staying a few days longer.
"Are you behaving yourself?" his mother asked him.
"Aw, Mom, of course I am," he replied. "I'm being good." "You'd have a cow if Sylvia's Mom told you how well I've been behaving," he found himself thinking and felt his face growing warm.
"Well, then, I think you should stay," his mother said. "You could use a break. When do you have to work again?"
"Friday night, I'm closing," Jason said. He'd found a part-time job at a local fast-food outlet.
"Have fun and we'll see you Friday, then," his mother said.
"They said I could stay," he announced when he walked back into the kitchen.
"That's wonderful," Sylvia's mother said.
When dinner was ready, the three of them sat down to eat. "Sylvia's just going to have to make do with whatever is left over," her mother commented as they ate.
Sylvia finally showed up just before the rest of the family, and Jason, were finished eating. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said, blushing. "We stayed up at the Overlook longer than we planned." She pulled up a chair, sat down and began eating.
"Your father had to go back home because there was an emergency at work," her mother told her.
"Does that mean we'll have to go home, too?" Sylvia asked. She looked and sounded a little apprehensive.
"As a matter of fact, we'll be staying a few days longer than we planned," her mother replied. "Your sister wanted to attend some special training at the stables and Jason's parents said it was all right for him to stay, so we'll probably be here until Thursday, or maybe Friday morning."
"Neat!" Sylvia said, smiling. She went back to eating.
Both of the girls retired to the living room and turned on the TV after they finished eating. Jason stayed in the kitchen and helped Sylvia's mother clear the table and get the dishes cleaned up.
"Let's hope those two go to bed early," she whispered as they worked.
"Ah...yeah...it would be great if they did," Jason replied.
After dinner, they four of them got into a card game and played for quite some time, although the girls seemed miffed that Jason was the only one who seemed to be able to win.
Finally, after the fourth game, Sylvia stretched and yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said. "I'm really beat. And I'm supposed to meet the kids at the lodge in the morning."