Jake knew he was in for a long weekend. His mother in law was coming for a visit and he really did not have the patience to deal with her. It wasn't that he didn't like her, but she was an extreme busy body. She spent most of her time suggesting ways in which him and his wife Patty could change. On her last visit, she had gone as far as rearranging all of the furniture when they were at work one day. His mother in law Karen, meant well, but didn't know when to back down.
Karen was a successful therapist and had her own practice in New York. She had always been vague about what she specialized in, and would only say that she treated people for stress problems. The business must have been doing well, because his in-laws had a nice house and afforded at least one great vacation a year. Jake liked his father-in-law as well, and they both enjoyed the same things, but his job at a real estate company was keeping him too busy to make the trip. Jake tried to concentrate on the positive side of things as he made his way home through the damp snow that had begun to fall heavily.
Lights were shining through the apartment windows, so Jake knew that Patty must have already arrived home with her mother. He took a deep breath and put on his game face before entering the door. His wife and her mother were sitting on the couch talking as he came in. He tossed off his coat and gave both of them a hug.
"You look like something the cat dragged in." Patty told him, and it was true. The week had been rough and Jake wanted nothing more than to enjoy a hot shower and relax in front of the television.
"We had planned on going out for dinner, but it looks like the weather is getting pretty bad. Mom and I were thinking about ordering Chinese tonight. Do you mind?" Patty continued.
Jake didn't mind at all. In fact, he had no plans on going back out into the snow. "Sure, just order me some fried rice and I'm all set." He said.
His wife gave him a hug and Jake excused himself to the kitchen. He was fixing a glass of water when Karen came in. "Hey, let me get you something to drink." She told him, and immediately set about grabbing a few bottles of liquor from the pantry. Jake had to admire her. She was confident and forceful, and even though he felt that she could be pushy, her heart always seemed in the right place.
Karen whipped up the drink with a few ice-cubes and handed it to Jake. She had used a good combination and Jake nodded his head in appreciation as he took the first sip. "This is really good, thanks." He told her. The drink really did hit the spot.
"Patty was telling me that work had been pretty rough this week. How's the merger going?" she asked.
"The rough part is over with. Everyone who is staying on has been given his or her new assignments. I think it will be business as usual next week." He explained. Karen listened as she fixed two more drinks, one for her and one for Patty. "Just make sure you get enough time to relax. You don't want to get too stressed out." She cautioned.
Jake nodded with a smile. "I plan on it." He said. He had been home less than an hour and she was already giving advice. He mentally shrugged it off. She was just being caring, and he knew the pressure from work was making him cranky.
"You're looking pretty good. How's Don been doing?" Jake asked, trying to switch the subject. It really was the truth. Jake always told his wife that he knew she was going still be hot when she was older, because her mother was. Karen was fifty years and still looked forty. She worked out five times a week and had a shapely figure that a woman half her age would die for.
"He's doing well. He wanted to come this weekend, but he can't get way. It works out better anyway. I told Patty that I'd show you some relaxation techniques and Don would just get in the way." She said.
Jake thought he was doing a good job at keeping a smile on his face, but he was wrong. Karen smiled at him, and since she was holding a glass in each hand, bumped him playfully with her hip.
"Hey, I know I can get to be a bit bossy, but I only want to help you relax and keep you from being so stressed. If I get too overbearing just let me know." She said while head toward the door. "Just give it a try before shooting it down."
Jake downed his drink and refilled it before heading to the living room. He made a quick and genuine apology to Karen, who accepted it without question. The food arrived soon and they ate dinner while watching a movie on television. The two women talked late into the evening and Jake eventually left them talking and retired to bed. His wife sliding into the bed awakened him in the middle of the night, but he quickly fell back asleep.
It wasn't the light that streamed through the windows that woke Jake the next morning, but his wife shaking his arm. He opened up his eyes and playfully glowered at her. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"It's only eight, but I have to run out to the office. I forget to send out a package that must be sent. I'll only be gone for a few hours." Patty told him.
Jake glanced out the window and could see that the snow had accumulated at least four inches. Patty hated going out in the snow when she didn't have to, so he knew the package must was important.
"All right. Call me when you're on your way back and we can meet up at a restaurant for brunch." He told her. Patty gave him a quick kiss and then was gone. Jake lay in the bed for another few minutes and enjoyed the feeling of not having to go to work. The winter sun was shining brightly and the room was toasty warm. Jake almost dosed off, but a knock came at the bedroom door. He had totally forgot about his mother-in-law.
Karen cracked the door and poked her head in. Her hair was down around her shoulders, with a rumpled look that was still sexy. Jake couldn't tell whether she had put any make-up on, or she had just forgot to move what she was wearing the previous day.
"Patty told me like a little juice in the morning, so I thought I'd bring you some." Karen said as she slipped in to the room.
