Family Friends Ch 02

*Note: I deeply apologize for the wait between chapters 1 & 2. I had some unavoidable projects at work that took me away from writing. I hope the wait was worth it. I am tentatively planning a third chapter that involves Rob, Jen, and Jen's son Andy. But I would love to hear what you all would want to see and read about. Please comment and let me know! Thank you for reading!*

Jennifer Burnett looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. It had been 3 weeks since Rob had kissed her and since she had kissed him back. She hadn't seen him since then, which was disappointing. But all the same, the kiss had awakened something new in her. She had gone on numerous dates. She and Kate Prescott had gone out drinking downtown and had gone to concerts together. She'd had a hangover for the first time in years. She was having fun again.

Something about having fun was contagious. Across all of her dating apps, her dm's were consistently full. She had her pick of men these days. And although she felt bad thinking it, she was happy to be dating for herself for once. The dates she had gone on right after the divorce had been out of obligation: she felt like she had to. Now, she went on dates as much to show off her body, to toy with men, and have fun, as to actually find a partner.

She was pleased with her outfit tonight. Her dark washed jeans were tight and showed off her sizable, round ass. She wore a black halter top with a plunging neckline and a dark leather jacket over the top. The halter top and jacket were the perfect combo. It was obvious to anyone who looked at her that she had incredible breasts-- 32 dd's in fact-- but thanks to the jacket, her cleavage was only exposed at certain angles. Any guy who wanted to stare at her tits couldn't do it from the side but had to do it straight on, just the way she liked. And finally there were her shoes, the key to the whole outfit. They were two-inch bright red heels which put her height at 5'9, plenty tall enough to seem even more intimidating and powerful to men than she already did.

Her phone buzzed with a notification that her Uber ride was here. As she got into the back seat of the black BMW-5 series (she had even begun to splurge on her ride-hailing apps) she was greeted with a friendly hello from the driver, a Mexican man named Juan-Pablo who was in his mid-50s.

"Hi Jennifer, where are we off to?"

"Heading downtown to 1918, the cocktail bar on 6th and Fulton street."

"Perfect. What takes you down there tonight?"

"I have a date," Jennifer said with a coy smile.

"Oh, very lucky guy in that case."

"Well, we'll see how lucky he gets tonight," Jennifer responded mischievously.

The Uber driver laughed and the drive proceeded the rest of the way in a professional silence.

As the car exited the interstate connecting the suburbs to urban downtown, Jennifer could tell it was going to be a fun night. It was barely 8 o'clock on a hot summer night in late-June and downtown was teeming with revelers passing from bar to bar, ducking in and out of restaurants and concert halls, and relaxing in groups in the city's central park. She could feel the excitement and joy emanating from the city itself.

The car pulled up to the curb and Jennifer could tell that the bar was already packed. She could hear the noise from inside and saw a line of mostly young twenty-somethings waiting to get in.

"He picked a hip spot, at least," Jennifer thought of her date, as she scanned the attractive bodies of the young people waiting in line.

Her phone buzzed once again. This time it was her date, Steven. He was already here and had a table near the front. Good, because Jennifer was not going to wait in line for any man.

"Have fun on your date, Jennifer," the Uber driver said as she exited. "If it doesn't go well, just send me a text, I'd be more than happy to come help you get out of there and show you a good time tonight."

Jennifer laughed at his forwardness.

"Thanks for the ride Juan-Pablo. I will definitely keep your offer in mind."

He smiled and waved at her as he pulled away. Jennifer straightened her jacket, tossed her hair, and walked into the crowded bar.

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Despite the crowd, Jennifer saw her date almost immediately. The main bar was against the wall facing the street on Jennifer's right. Lining both sides of the large rectangular room were snug booths. Two large, partially hidden, round booths dominated the back corners. On the floor between the booths and the bar were a smattering of different sized tables. Her date had managed to get a small table for two on the side of the room near the bar.

"Hi, Jennifer?" he asked tentatively, getting up from his seat.

"Hi, yes, you must be Steven, so good to meet you!" Jennifer said with a now practiced excitement. She went in easily for a hug, which Steven had clearly not expected. Jennifer smiled inwardly at Steven's mild awkwardness. She already had a leg up on him.

As they sat down she finally got a chance to size him up in person and not just from his pics on the dating app. He was slightly taller than her in heels, maybe just over 5'10. His dating profile said he was a runner and it showed, he was thin and athletic looking but not particularly muscular. His light brown hair was thinning, but it was still there which was more than most men his age could say. He wore a plaid button down shirt that was tucked into light-wash, straight jeans. Steven was no catch, but he was no slouch either. Jennifer was curious to see if he would gain more confidence as the night progressed or if her looks would cow him into submission.

As they sat down--Steven with his back to the restaurant, facing the bar, Jennifer the opposite--she caught him trying to steal glances down at her cleavage. She didn't blame him. In fact, she enjoyed it. But she felt like she had the answer to her question.

They sat in silence for a few awkward seconds until Jennifer figured she'd put Steven out of his misery.

"Have you been here before? How'd you end up choosing this bar? It's very cool. I love the vibe, and all their antique decorations, and the atmosphere."

Steven laughed awkwardly and took a sip of his water.

"Well, this was the top result when I Google'd 'best places to take a first date.' I'm also recently divorced so it has been a while since I've done this and didn't really know where to go."

"Yeah I know the feeling," Jennifer said sympathetically, "divorces are so tough and it's hard to get back out there. I'm glad you found this place, though! It is very cool."

Steven smiled at this but clearly did not have any response ready. It seemed like he knew enough not to talk any more about his divorce, but not enough to actually engage her in any conversation beyond that topic. Luckily, the waitress arrived just in time.

"Hi you two! Have you had a chance to look at the menu? We have a number of specialty craft drinks available, as well as a full bar to serve any cocktail you desire."

Feeling indulgent, Jennifer ordered a French 75, while Steven stuck with an Old Fashioned. When the drinks arrived, the conversation became easier.

Steven was only 40, 8 years younger than Jennifer, and he had two young kids, one was in elementary school, the other had just started middle school. The two parents commiserated about what it was like to have kids at that age and then Jennifer regaled him with the challenges that kept coming as they got older. Jennifer appreciated Steven's sympathetic ear when she told him about her 22 year old son Andy who still lived in the basement and had foregone college to work at an ice cream store.

"It doesn't get easier, does it?" Steven said

"No, it really doesn't," Jennifer said laughing.

The two shared a genuine and easy smile for the first time that night, and, also for the first time that night, Steven took the initiative.

"Should I go get us two more drinks from the bar? I feel like we still need to talk about everything else in our life besides our kids, so we'll need another. And I don't really feel like waiting for the waitress."

Jennifer smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

As Steven got up and headed to the bar for refills, Jennifer sipped the remainder of her drink, and scanned the action in the rest of the room. At the tables clustered around her own were mostly other couples on dates. She and Steven were probably the oldest two people here, but there were some other contenders that were in their late-30s. The booths that lined the sides of the bar's brick walls were crammed with a more diverse set of revelers. There were a few groups of younger guys and a few groups of younger girls. Jennifer laughed to herself as she caught glances and drinks being exchanged between these booths across the bar. Probably college students or young professionals out for a nice drink before they went to the dance clubs or dive bars, she thought. A handful of the booths had middle aged couples on something like a double date.

Finally, her gaze arrived at the two large circular booths ensconced in the back corner of each wall. Jennifer was at an angle that allowed her to see almost all of the booth in the corner to her right--the one farthest away from her table and the doorway. Crowded into the booth was a large number of people most likely in their early-30s. A few of the men were bald or balding, and a few of the women had the beginnings of wrinkles on their faces or love handles on their sides. Yet, the table still gave off a youthful energy. Perhaps, Jennifer thought, it was a slightly desperate youthfulness: a group of friends who were a tad too old to be going out all the time beginning one last hurrah at a boozy summer weekend.

The booth that was at the end of the wall on her left was harder to see. A slight brick wall extended partially into the room, blocking at least half the table from her view. She tilted her head to see if she could get a better angle and was surprised at who she thought she saw. It was hard to tell at this distance through the noise and crowd of the bar, but in the center of the table--right about when it began to be hidden from her view-- Jennifer thought she saw the blonde hair, winning smile, and button nose of Rob's friend Rosie, and next to her, the long face, shimmering black hair, and busty bosom of his friend Asha.

Before Jennifer could confirm, a waiter approached the corner booth and blocked her view. Any attempt at figuring out for sure was foreclosed when Steven reappeared a minute later with two more drinks.

Not missing a beat from where the two had left off a few minutes before, Steven asked Jennifer about what she did for work and for fun. But Jennifer was distracted. Her heart had started racing when she had caught a glance of the corner table. All she could really think about was whether or not she had actually seen Rosie and Asha and, most importantly, about whether or not Rob was with them.

Jennifer told her now practiced answer to Steven about what she did for work. A few days a week she helped do some bookkeeping and office management for the Family Foundation. Other than that, she was trying to search for new hobbies. She went hiking more often now and was trying to paint. She kept her answers as short and vague as possible and immediately asked Steven the same questions in response.

As he began talking about his job as a civil engineer, Jennifer felt all the interest and focus draining out of her. He droned on and on about the sewers and parking lots he helped design for the city. She couldn't be less interested. The less she focused on what Steven was saying, however, the more she felt herself scanning the room behind him, desperate for any sign that Rob was there, and that her hopes were not in vain.

"Jennifer," Steven said. "Jennifer."

Jennifer's reverie was interrupted and she realized she had no idea what Steven had asked her, let alone any of the things he had just been explaining to her about parking lot engineering requirements.

"Oh? I'm sorry, what did you ask? I think that second French 75 is getting to me," she said, trying to laugh off her inattention as lightly as possible.

"Oh yeah, this Old Fashioned is pretty strong too. I don't remember the last time I drank anything other than light beer," Steven said with a smile. "I asked if you had found any good hiking trails around here? I enjoy running outdoors, so any recommendations would be welcome."

Jennifer's panic slowly mounted. She did not want to admit that she knew essentially no hiking trails and that she'd only said that because it seemed like an easy thing to say in order to pass the conversation on to him. But she was saved at the last moment by exactly the person she wanted to see.

"Jennifer!" the voice boomed out, cutting through the din of the crowd.

She looked up and saw the broad, 6'2 frame of Rob Prescott walking down the aisle between the booths on the wall and tables in the middle of the serving floor. Despite the fact that she was on a date, she did not even try to hide her delight.

"Rob!" she exclaimed, bounding up from her chair and rushing as fast as she could in her heels to give him a hug.

It was undeniable how good he looked. He was in dark blue skinny jeans and a plain black shirt that fit snugly around his muscular body. As she pushed into his torso for the hug, she marveled at how firm and large his pectoral muscles were and how thick his biceps felt as he wrapped his arms around her lower back. She tried not to be obvious, but she let her hands lightly trace the outline of his traps too and almost gasped at just how big they were.

"What a small world," Jennifer said, pulling away slightly from the hug. She was no longer up close against his chest, but they both had their arms wrapped around one another. "What are you doing here tonight?"

"Well it is too nice of a night to spend inside at home! So a bunch of us decided we should go out and celebrate the good weather. We're starting here, but don't know where we'll end up. Looks like you're having a good time tonight Jennifer," Rob said, gesturing with his eyes towards Steven.

"Oh, right," Jennifer said, embarrassed and flushing. She repositioned herself from within the hug. Putting one hand on the small of Rob's back she pivoted, turning her torso and face away from Rob back towards the table where Steven was still sitting.

"Steven, this is Rob Prescott. His mom is my oldest friend, we went to college together."

"Well, we didn't go to college together," Rob said gesturing at Jennifer, "but I'm sure she could've fooled all the sorority girls into thinking otherwise if she tried."

Jennifer and Rob laughed while Steven smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, Rob's mom and I went to college together," Jennifer clarified, her face getting even redder. "I have known Rob literally since the day he was born."

"She's been a really great friend to my mom over the years and somehow still puts up with me!" Rob said with a smile and a squeeze, pulling Jennifer's body into his side. She turned into his squeeze, rubbing her tits up against torso again and smiling up at his crystal blue eyes..

"Well you're very easy to put up with, Rob," she said, leaving her body pressed up against Rob's side but turning her head to look at Steven. "He graduated with highest honors from Dartmouth and just took a job as a financial analyst at Western Trust Bank."

"Oh congratulations! My office is actually in the building right across the street. It's nice to meet you, maybe we'll see each other around downtown," Steven said, standing up and shaking Rob's hand while Jennifer finally disentangled herself from Rob's arms.

"Nice to meet you too, man. Hope you enjoy your date with this beautiful lady." He smiled at Jennifer and pressed his hand one last time against the small of her back before he walked around their table towards a hallway behind the bar, ostensibly on his way to the bathroom.

"What a nice young man," Steven said as Jennifer sat down. She was completely flustered and took a long sip of her drink to calm down.

"Yeah, I've known him forever. He's an old family friend."

"Very handsome young man, too. I think every girl in this bar was staring at you with burning jealousy when he came over."

Jennifer took another sip of her drink.

"What were we talking about before?"

"Uh, hiking, I think."

"Oh right, yes. I'm not sure I have any hiking suggestions that would surprise you. Where are your favorite running trails? I'm sure I could use the tips more than you could."

Jennifer was relieved that she had managed to adeptly turn the conversation back to Steven and she slipped into another reverie as he began droning on about his running schedule and his favorite trails. All Jennifer could think about was Rob. It took Jennifer every ounce of restraint she had not to constantly look over her shoulder for Rob's reappearance from the bathroom. Part of her felt like she needed to get every glimpse of him that she could because she was not sure when she was going to see him again.

Her patience and restraint was rewarded when he finally walked past their table on the way back to his booth. He nodded at Steven, who smiled back, and then turned to smile at Jennifer before he re-entered the booth and was hidden by the protruding brick wall. Jennifer wanted to sigh in disappointment but kept her eyes on Steven and tried to re-engage in the conversation. Her focus was short lived.

"Jennifer!" two high pitched voices squealed. She looked up to see the bright and smiling faces of Rosie and Asha. Steven looked more confused than ever. His date was being endlessly mobbed by young people. This time instead of a strapping, twenty-something hunk, it was two incredibly attractive twenty-something girls. One was a petite blonde in a bright red, mini-pencil skirt with a white crop top that exposed her incredibly toned abs, the other was an Indian girl in black jeans and a skimpy, tight blue tank top that left none of her 34cc boobs to the imagination.

Jennifer got up and gave the girls an enthusiastic hug.

"Rob told us you were here and we couldn't believe it!" Rosie gushed.

"We had to come say hi!" added Asha.

"That's so sweet of you two. It's great to see you both and I'm glad you're out having fun. By the way, this is my date for the evening, Steven."

Steven got up from his seat and cautiously shook Rosie and Asha's hands. It was obvious that they did not really care about him.

"I love this jacket," Asha said, grabbing the edge of Jennifer's leather coat and tugging it ever so slightly

"Jen, we need a picture with you. We told all of our friends about how hot you are for a 40 year old so we need to prove to them we were actually out with you tonight," Rosie interjected.

Jennifer laughed and agreed while Asha handed her phone to Steven to take the picture.

"Oh my god, we look so good!" Rosie exclaimed after staring at the picture on Asha's phone.

"Jennifer, do you have an Instagram? Def need to tag you in this." Asha added while tapping away.

"No, I don't have an Instagram," Jennifer said laughing, "maybe you girls can help me set one up later."

"Deal!" Rosie exclaimed. "This can be your first picture!"

"We'll see you later, Jennifer. We are going to have a girls night soon, just the three of us!" Asha proclaimed as the two girls retreated to the corner booth.

Jennifer sat back down and both she and Steven sipped their drinks and caught their breath.

"You're really a celebrity with these twenty year olds aren't you?"

"Ha, I guess. I met Rosie and Asha the other day over at Rob's mom's house. They liked my fashion sense, I suppose. They're sweet girls."

"Well, you do have a good fashion sense," Steven added awkwardly.