The station wagon passed the delivery van parked in front of the rancher and pulled into the driveway. Parking behind the Taurus which sat closer to the detached garage, Molly turned to her mother in law.
"Go ahead and text Bev to let her know that we're here," she said.
Patricia grabbed for her phone and typed in a quick message. A high tone indicated that it sent.
Molly hoped that Bev was ready to go. Her sister in law was always late to family functions, so much so that the family had taken to telling her events started earlier than they did so that she would show up on actual time.
Bev's tardiness drove Molly crazy. As a teacher, Molly believed in strict planning and schedules. Kids thrive on order, and so do most adults. Living a life so spontaneous, and without a care for the time of others, made her uneasy and a little bit mad.
And today, time was a precious commodity. With school starting soon, Patricia suggested that the three women take advantage of the waning summer and have a girl's day. She planned a full day of spa treatments, lunch, and shopping. Other people must have had a similar plan because the only available time for their trio to schedule massages at the same time was at 8:00AM, little more than 20 minutes from now. The rest of the day hinged on a tight set of windows for manicures, pedicures, and a makeup consultation before a hard to come by lunch reservation at the trendy bistro downtown. There was no timetable for shopping but Molly knew that before too long, she'd have to be back home and getting dinner ready for her husband.
Molly had been married for five years. She met Nick at a bar shortly after both moved back to town. One thing led to another, and after dating for a few years, and an engagement that lasted about as long, they were happily married. They settled into a comfortable routine. He woke early to help her get ready to get to school and she had started dinner by the time he returned from his law office. Today, Nick was golfing with his father and Bev's live in boyfriend, Kyle. The men's usual Saturday outing was normally followed by a few hours at a local watering hole watching whatever game was on. Today, their tee time had been 7:15AM.
Molly turned again to Patricia. "Any response?" Several minutes had passed since they pulled into the driveway. Though the conversation she was having with her early sixties mother in law was pleasant on the summer morning, Molly couldn't get the anxious thoughts about running late out of her mind.
"Nothing yet," Patricia responded. "Let's go ahead in and grab her."
The two women exited the car and proceeded to the back door. Rising from the driver's seat, Molly stood five feet, ten inches. Today, she wore a brightly colored Lily Pulitzer dress. It clung to her curves in just the way her husband liked, often resulting in quick butt slaps or boob grabs. Her brunette hair fell to her shoulders with what could be described as a little natural curl. She considered herself a little overweight, even though her husband told her that she was beautiful and sexy on a daily basis. If she had to carry a little extra weight, at least she had large breasts and a great ass.
The gate of the chain link fence swung open to Molly's push. Various toys and sports accessories were scattered around the backyard, evidence that Bev had a six year old son. Molly mentally noted this as just another example of the lack of order that existed in her sister in law's life. Not being a mother herself, she still believed it was possible to teach kids to put things away when finished with them, even younger kids.
"Where is the little one today?"
"Oh, Dustin asked to have him this weekend. His family was going camping with all the kids before school started," Patricia replied.
Molly was a bit surprised. Bev's exboyfriend and son's father, Dustin, would never be father of the year. She could count on one hand the number of weekends he had taken his son in the past few years. She felt bad for Bev. Being a single parent was hard enough. Without the support of the other parent, things could be even worse. Bev frequently complained to the family that she missed out on social opportunities because Dustin wouldn't take up his fair share of the responsibility.
A thought struck Molly. With Kyle leaving early and no son this morning, she could possibly understand Bev taking a little bit of time to herself and being late.
Patricia opened the back door and the two entered the house. From the entrance, no noise could be heard within the house. Maybe Bev was in the back bedroom putting the finishing touches on getting herself ready.
As Patricia led her into the house, Molly's gaze drifted down over her mother in law. Pat, as the office workers at the university where she worked knew her, stood just over five feet tall. She wore a light, long sleeved summer dress that ended just at her knees. Molly had noticed in the car that the dress showed a decent amount of cleavage. When Molly had originally met her, she carried more weight than she did now. However, a few years ago, Pat started watching what she ate a little more. More fruits, less candy. Along with the focus on a better diet, she had taken up long walks and the occasional yoga class. This resulted in her slimming down. Though not skinny, she possessed curves that hugged her body in a pleasant way, culminating in what would be called a sexy ass. Coupled with her bright red hair, Molly understood how her husband's parents could still kindle the passion that started as high school students, even forty years on.
The pair passed through the back entry way and into the kitchen. Though empty, a faint noise could be heard from further into the house. It was indistinct but spoke to some movement.
Moving toward the room's exit, they approached the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room. From that opening, one could look through the dining room into the main living area of the house. As they crossed the threshold, they came upon the source of the barely perceptible noise, stopping them in their tracks.
Standing in front of the couch was Bev, dressed in her bathrobe, wrapped in the embrace of a rather tall black man. Bev's five foot, four inch frame seemed to be dwarfed by the man's size. He stood a few inches taller than six feet tall, clad in the tan colored uniform of a local delivery company. His dark skin contrasted sharply with Bev's pale skin. His one hand snaked through her brilliant red hair, his form bent forward into her so that their lips could meet. His other hand reached around to fall upon, even though Molly couldn't see from this vantage point, Bev's ass.
Molly grabbed Patricia by the shoulder and dragged her back into the kitchen. She looked into the face of her mother in law and saw shock.