Family First
by thestepfordgirl
Nathan unlocked the pool house door and stepped inside. As he flicked the light switch, there was a small delay before the lights came on. His aunt and her husband said they hadn't used it since last summer, and they weren't kidding; some cobwebs had built up, the air smelled like last a mummy had applied sunscreen, but it would work. Keep the windows open for a few days and this place would be a resort.
All in all, this was going to be a sweet deal. Nathan's rich uncle would have him do yard work for the summer, and in return, he didn't have to share a crappy dorm room, not many incoming freshmen could say THAT. He found the bedroom, dropped his bags, and went to work on making the place breathable.
A few hours later, a knock came at the door, "come in," Nathan called.
"Hey, sweetie! Sorry we couldn't greet you!" came his aunt Nina's voice. She pulled the door open and stepped in. "Oh my goodness, I hardly recognized you!" She laughed, trotting toward him, arms outstretched.
Nathan met his aunt halfway and embraced her for a hug, "hey aunt Nina, yeah, I guess I look a bit different, huh?"
"You certainly do!" she exclaimed as she looked up and down her nephew. "Last time I saw you I was looking down! Now I'm craning my neck the opposite way," she laughed, "and you certainly didn't have that cute little beard," she added as she pinched and pulled at Nathan's cheeks.
"Well you look about the same," Nathan replied, under the onslaught of auntie observation.
"Agh, don't tease an old lady like that," Nina chided, but she couldn't help but smile.
"Old lady? You're 10 years younger than my mom!" Nathan retorted.
"Oh no, she's definitely ancient, I've contacted the mortician to start fitting her for the coffin," came a snarky voice from the door.
Nathan and Nina released their embrace as the source came through the entryway. "Alright, well that's a bit too much the other way," chided Nina. "Nathan, you remember your gremlin of a cousin, Audrey, yes?"
"O-of course!" Nathan replied. But gremlin seem to fit her appearance. He certainly didn't remember her looking like the beauty that entered the pool house. Nathan tried not to think about family that way, but it was hard to ignore that his cousin could probably skip college and go straight to modeling. As she stepped up to her mother, Nathan couldn't help but notice how close the two looked. Certainly like mother and daughter, but it was almost eerie. Both barely brushed past 5 feet tall, both delicately curvy figures. Between his aunt's youthful beauty and his cousin's wry expression, the two could have easily passed as sisters.
"Well, sweetie, we're both beat. LAX was a circus and we need to figure out some Jetlag, we'll catch up in the morning!" His aunt explained as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and escorted them out onto the lawn.
"Good night, aunt Nina! Night, Audrey!" Nathan called from the door.
"Good night, Nathan! Looking forward to this summer! We're gonna have a blast!" His aunt called back over her shoulder.
Nathan got himself unpacked, and after a few more hours and a shower, found himself collapsing into the softest bed he'd ever felt.
******
Instead of a nice breakfast, Nathan woke up to a list of chores from his uncle. First on the list being to clean up the attic. The attic was a bit strange, the top floor was mostly furnished; painted, carpeted, decorated, it was actually where Audrey's bedroom was. However, instead of his fun cousin, he was met by his kinda dreary uncle.
"Hey, Oscar, long time, no see," Nathan greeted as he went to his uncle, attempting a handshake or a good side-hug that you give to relatives you aren't really close with.
"Oh hey, Nate," he replied, without moving to meet his nephew's attempted physical greeting. He stood surveying a sea of boxes in the unfinished section of the attic. "Nina wanted me to go through all this old stuff for donations, but I've been so busy with work. So, that's your job now, bud. Dig out any clothing or anything you find that might be good for a secondhand store and pile it up somewhere."
And with that, Oscar was out the door. Not even a 'how've you been?' not a 'how bout them sports, champ?' It had probably been 9 years or so since Nathan last saw his uncle, but he seemed even more droning now than he was back then. Nathan went ahead and started digging, but it stuck in his mind. His uncle was married to a gorgeous woman 10 years younger than him, had a beautiful house... was making that much money really so soul crushing?
Nathan didn't keep track of time as he dug through the boxes, lots of old t-shirts from trips to the Bahamas and such. He blushed a bit as he found some tiny jean shorts, struggling a bit with the image of his aunt wearing the cutoffs. As he tossed more and more of the garments into the 'to go' bin, he failed to notice his aunt come in. As Nathan lifted up a lacy bra, it was almost translucent in the light that filtered in through the window, Nina found the perfect time to spook her nephew.
"What do you think of those?" Nina teased. Nathan nearly jumped as he threw the lingerie halfway across the room. Nina laughed heartily, "boys your age are so predictable!" She continued to laugh, touching her hand to the slope of her collarbone as she calmed herself. "I see my husband decided to get you working immediately... on HIS chores, no less." She padded her sandaled feet into the room. Did she just live in loose crop tops and short shorts?
"Sorry, I was just u-um, I didn't mean to..." Nathan trailed off as he got up to find where the little undergarment had flown off to. As he picked up the light blue brasserie, he noticed it had landed on a peculiar looking jewelry box. "I didn't uh... what's this little thing?" Nathan inquired as he lifted it up.
Nina worked her legs around the piles of boxes strewn between the pair, "let me take a look, sweetie."