Family Jules

(c) 2005 by Penelope Street

"Damon?"

At once I recognized my sister's voice on the other end of the line. I also recognized her tone, low in volume, high in pitch. In that instant, I felt my heart shrink within my chest.

"Jules?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "I, uh, need, well..."

Julie was a big hinter, maybe because I always fell for it. "Is something wrong?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.

"I need a place to stay. Just a couch. For a day or two."

I caught myself smiling. "Anytime."

"Ok," she whispered. "See you in a few."

"A few? You're in town?"

"Yeah."

"Seattle?"

I heard a muffled chuckle on the other end. "Yeah. That town."

"Where are you?"

"Downstairs."

"In the building?"

"Yeah. That downstairs. The security guard wouldn't believe I was your sister. Oh, here; I think he wants you to say it's ok to let me in."

I heard the shuffling sounds of a phone being passed, and then a gruff, "Mr. Hewitt?"

"Hey Tom," I replied. "Whatcha doin' working nights?"

"Mitch called in sick, so I'm pulling a double."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that."

The old man laughed. "Time and a half for just sitting here? I'm not sorry. Unless of course we just woke you?"

"Nah. I was still up."

"Good. Just wanted to be sure it's ok to send this lady up."

"I don't know, Tom," I began in the higher pitch of a jest, "Does she look too pretty to be my sister?"

A second elapsed before the man responded, "Well, sir, I wouldn't be one to say on that."

"Guess you better send her up anyway so I can decide for myself."

"Very good, Mr. Hewitt," Tom concluded with another chuckle. "I'll do that."

Two minutes later, I was waiting at the elevator as the doors parted. There in the lift stood Julie, a suitcase in each hand. My eyes took in her form in a single pass before returning to her face. At least her eyes were streaked with red instead of surrounded by black and blue.

She forced a grin. "Hi, brother."

"Welcome," I said, extending my palm low toward her luggage.

Jules ignored the gesture and stepped forward into the corridor. "Thank you. It's good to finally get here."

Moving my hand back to my side, I turned and took a slow step toward my apartment. "So how did you get here?"

Julie fell into stride next to me. "Bus."

"All the way from Houston?"

"Yep"

"That must take all day."

"Closer to three."

"Three?"

"Yeah. Three."

"But how'd you find me? Did you ask Mom and Dad?"

"No. I'd rather they didn't know I couldn't even manage a roof over my head. You know how they can be."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

I opened my door and I stood aside. "How'd you find me?"

"You're in the book."

"Already?"

"Yep," Julie noted as she stomped over the threshold. "At least directory assistance." Both of her bags hit the floor at the same moment. Her eyes gave the room a once over prior to returning to me. "Nice apartment, little brother. You must be doing pretty good."

I closed and latched the door. "Thanks, but it's nothing. Around here a place needs a view of the Sound or Rainier to be called special."

She guffawed through a smirk. "It's a place to sleep. That looks special when you don't have one."

I nodded. Jules looked special too. I'd always thought so. I couldn't help but smile as my eyes traversed her form a second time. Her most striking feature, for me anyway, had always been her vibrant and flowing rusty tresses. But it was a close contest. Her complexion was soft and creamy, with a smattering of pale freckles. Big pouty lips of a hue of that rivaled her hair almost begged to be kissed, yet the corners of the mouth they formed always seemed to droop. Her wide-set pale blue eyes had a similar tilt, the outer edges appearing lower than the inner ones. A dainty nose all but disappeared amidst her other features. In spite of being undeniably lovely, she always had a melancholy look.

Not that any potential suitor was ever put off by Julie's countenance, but any that found fault there would still have considered her a catch just for her figure; a classic hourglass, curvy in all the best ways a woman's body can be. Even a loose sweatshirt and a pair of baggy jeans could not hide her form.

In a very real sense, Julie's beauty had been her downfall; she attracted shallow cads in droves. Each failed relationship dropped her self-esteem a notch and with it the character of her next beau. It was a vicious and seemingly endless cycle. In retrospect she'd had a lot to be sad about.

"What are you smiling about?"

I snapped my head sideways, shaking myself from my stupor. "It's, uh, just good to see you." I paused for a breath and my eyes gave her form another pass. "Yeah. Real good to see you. You know you're always welcome here."

"Truly?"

"Sure. If you think it's special, then stay awhile. As long as you like."

The ends of those big lips moved up just a bit. "Thank you."

"Hey, what are brother's for? Can I get you something to eat?"

"How about a shower first?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Whatever you want."

"Oh, Damon," Julie sighed. "It's so good to see you too." She threw her arms wide and took a step my direction. I leaned to accept her embrace. Unsure where I ought put my hands, I just left them hang behind her. She was right; she did need a bath. Even so, I could feel the pace of my pulse quicken as she pressed her softness against me.

"Thank you," Julie whispered in my ear. "You've saved me again."

"It's nothing," I assured her, in the same soft tone.

My sister backed away, bringing her eyes to mine. "I'd be on the street without you. Or worse, with mom and dad. That's not nothing."

I considered Julie's words for all of a second before I realized she was correct. Even if our father would let her back in the house, and that was a big

if

, the old man was certain to dish out a daily portion of 'Look what you've made of yourself.' and 'I told you so.'

Seven years prior our father had kicked Julie out when he discovered she was pregnant. She was eighteen and the law said he could give her the proverbial boot; I guess that made it acceptable in his eyes.

"Well," I began with a sigh. "It's the least I could do; after all, I am your brother."

Julie managed a grin. "I know. And you have to let me make it up to you someday."

"No," I insisted with a firm shake of my head. "No debts in this family."

"What family?" Julie asked with a faint snort. "Surely you don't mean mom and dad?"

"Of course not. I meant me and you."

Julie's mouth curved into one of her rare honest smiles. "Sounds like the best family ever."

* * * * *

I awoke the next morning and readied myself for work in my usual manner; five minutes in the shower, two more in front of the mirror, another five to dress. Twelve minutes after the alarm sounded, I was headed for the door.

I found Julie on the couch, snoring. She'd insisted I take the bed; to the point of daring me to physically attempt to put her there; a difficult challenge to resist, but I managed.

As I saw her lying there, I was unsure if I regretted my choice. She was wearing just her sweatshirt and panties. Sometime in the night, she must have thrown the sheets to the floor. One of her legs stretched the length of the sofa, the foot of the second leg was tucked beneath the thigh of the first.

I caught myself licking my lips as I adored with my eyes the most desirable woman in the world to me, yet the only one I wasn't even supposed to think about. So much for that rule. I didn't think about anything else the rest of the morning; or the afternoon, for that matter.

Opening the door to my apartment that evening, half of me expected to find Julie still asleep. The other half feared she might be gone. Both halves were wrong.

"Damon!" she squealed, jumping from the couch and trotting to meet me. I managed to pry my eyes off her bouncing breasts as she continued to speak. "What kept you? I've been keeping dinner warm for half an hour."

"Dinner?" I queried. My sister didn't cook. At least I didn't remember her ever cooking. I caught myself sniffing for traces of carbon, or worse. I didn't smell anything, including her, as she gave me another warm hug.

"Well," Julie began. "We're having pork & beans with macaroni & cheese. It's all I found that I knew how to make."

I grinned, hoping even she couldn't screw up that classic bachelor combination. "I usually eat out. Fixing food for just one is a lot of bother for what you save."

"One? But there's two of us?"

"Yeah, I guess I was still expecting to eat out. Just came home to, uh, pick you up."

Julie's head fell to one side. Her lower lip protruded a hair and quivered. "You don't want to even try it?"

I tried to blink away my disbelief. Could she really be proud of opening a tin can and boiling some noodles? "Sure," I agreed with some haste. "I just wasn't expecting you to cook; I mean, you are the guest."

Jules grinned and grabbed my hand, leading the way. "C'mon then. I'm starved."

I draped my coat over the back of one of my chairs and sat while my sister proceeded to dish out equal helpings of her not-yet-world-famous cuisine.

"Whadayathink?" she inquired as soon as the first mouthful had cleared my spoon.

"Ok," I grunted. She hadn't done a bad job, except for it being a tad on the cold side.

Julie wasn't kidding about being hungry. She proceeded to wolf down her share and some of mine without uttering so much as a syllable. In spite of eating more than I did, she was still finished ahead of me.

"I'd have made something for dessert too," she declared, "but the fridge is as bare as the cupboard."

"Yes," I managed between bites. "Did I mention I eat out a lot?"

"Home cooking would do you some good. You could use a few pounds."

I glanced down. My lips assumed a purse. Sure, I knew I was a bit on the scrawny side, but I didn't really want to be reminded of it. I brought my gaze back to my sister. "So?"

"So I probably outweigh you. Just thought you might have wanted to eat a little better, that's all. Do you want to look like a beanpole?"

For a few seconds I tried to assess any other reasons she might have for mentioning my physical condition, but could find none. "No," I admitted before directing my attention back to my meal. "I don't want to look like a beanpole."

"Bet your girlfriend wouldn't mind if you filled out a bit."

"Yeah," I guffawed. "Not like I have one."

"Why not?"

My eyes fell back to my figure before I could stop them.

"That's not a reason," Julie said. "Not like any girl worth having would care about you being thin. Besides," she paused to moved her eyes around my apartment, "looks like an actionary makes pretty good money."

"I don't want a girl that's just attracted to my money," I insisted. "And it's

actuary.

"

"So you plan on what; grabbing a bottle of Boone's Farm, dressing in grubs, and trying to pick up the girl of your dreams in an alley?"

"No."

"Then how do you expect to find one that's not interested in money? Or at least one you know isn't interested in your money."

I gave a single firm shrug. "No idea. Not like they're beating down my door anyway, money or not."

"So, you don't get much company?"

"No."

Julie's eyebrow's bounced upward as she forced a smile. "And I wouldn't be too much in the way if I stayed longer than a day or two? I mean you did say I could, right?"

I smiled back. "Sure you can stay. And no, you won't be in the way. Pity I didn't know you were coming when I signed the lease. I guess I should have gotten a two-bedroom anyway. I'll ask the manager what's involved in trading up, maybe..."

"No! The couch is fine for now. Don't go spending any extra money on my account. If anything, I'd like to earn my keep rather than being a burden."

"You don't..."

"I want to!"

"Ok," I relented with a meek nod. "If that's what you want."

"So I can start cooking you dinner? As long as I'm here, I mean?"

"Sure," I said with a shrug.

"Good. Let's go grocery shopping!" Julie paused to flash a grin. "If you don't mind?"

I could well imagine having a kitchen full of food next week and an empty couch, but I couldn't resist her smile, even a fake one. "No, I don't mind. We'll have to drive though, not many supermarkets downtown."

"Drive? Great! You can show me a few of the sites. Promise not to look while I change?" Without waiting for an answer, Jules sprang to her feet and vanished around the corner.

"Let me know when you're done," I called after her. My eyes remained on the partition behind which she had disappeared. The sheetrock seemed to call to me, begging that I creep over and peek around it. I told myself not to think of her in that way and tried to imagine anything other than Julie's glory revealed before my eyes. I could not. To my dismay, I felt a burgeoning tightness in my groin. I closed my eyes and began to count in my head.

I'd reached one hundred and twenty-seven before Julie called, "Done!" I swallowed, realizing I was harder than when I had started counting. With a sigh, I stood and sidled toward the living room, praying she wouldn't notice.

Julie's eyes fell to my crotch at once, then bounced back to my face. The corners of her mouth curled towards her bright eyes. "Are you, uh,

ready

?"

I shivered as my psyche absorbed what seemed to be an obvious innuendo. "Yeah," I muttered. "I guess I'm ready to go."

"Ready to go, huh?" Julie winked. "Good. I'm

excited

about seeing the town too."

I drove around with no particular goal in mind, pointing out Puget Sound, the Space Needle, the two new sports stadiums, Pioneer Square, and the entrance to the Underground.

When we passed Pike Place Market, my sister perked up in her seat. "They have fresh food here, you say?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then why are we going to a supermarket?"

I took a breath as I considered how I ought to respond. Julie had proved she could heat beans from a can and boil noodles out of a box, but the thought of her cooking a meal from scratch made my stomach want to run and hide.

"They're closed," I offered in some haste.

"I can come back tomorrow," Jules suggested. "While you're at work. You'll let me use the car won't you? If I get started early I can have a great dinner waiting for you."

"Early?" I glanced her way. "What's that for you, noon?"

Julie's jaw fell as she inhaled a brisk gasp. "I can get up early when I need to."

I passed another deep breath and steered my gaze forward. "It was just a joke."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister twist sideways in her seat to face me. "You think I can't do it, don't you?"

My eyes flicked to my right, then back to the road. "I didn't say that."

"You said it by not saying anything."

To my dismay, the traffic light ahead turned red. I brought the car to a stop and looked to Julie. "What do you mean?"

Her lips formed a full pout. "You know damn good and well what I mean! All the jobs I lost because I overslept. Or just didn't give a shit. That's what you're thinking; isn't it? Well, I suppose you've a right to think that; but I'm going to prove you wrong."

"I didn't say anything of the sort."

Julie sank back into her seat and crossed her arms. "Fine. Take me to a Borders."

"What? I thought you wanted to go to a supermarket."

"You heard me. A bookstore."

"Ok," I relented. "If that's what you want."

"That's what I want."

In utter silence, I drove my sister to the nearest Barnes & Noble.

"I'll just be five," Jules said, reaching for the door handle before I even had the vehicle in parking gear.

Sure

, I thought. I didn't believe any female could be in and out of any store within half an hour. That in mind, I steered for the adjacent Starbucks.

I hadn't even got my order yet before Jules was at my side. "Coffee?" she mused. "Don't you have a coffee maker?"

"No," I replied with a shake of my head. "I don't drink it much. Was just looking for something to, uh, kill the time."

"I told you I'd just be five."

I gave a shallow shrug. "I wasn't sure if you went by F.S.T."

Jules dropped her brow and leaned her head. "F.S.T.?"

"Female Standard Time."

Jules smirked as she straightened her head. "Cute. Real cute. But who was ready to go first, me or you?"

"Ok. You were." My eyes fell to the plastic bag in her hand. "What'd you get?"

My sister fished a paperback from her sack and held it before me. "Whadayathink?"

"

Teens Cook?

" I muttered. "You bought a teenager's cookbook?"

"Sure," Julie replied. "I figured I best start simple. Tomorrow you're getting corn chowder for dinner."

"Corn chowder? How'd you pick that?"

"Closed my eyes and opened the book."

I chuckled. "And you're starting this with corn on the cob from the market?"

"Well, not exactly. I changed my mind about the fresh food. I found a few cookbooks like that, but they were way too complicated. Maybe I can work up to those, but tomorrow your corn is coming out of a can."

I noticed my head nodding as a smile spread across my face. There was hope for my stomach yet. "Does that mean we still need to find a supermarket?"

"Well, one of us does; but I can get it tomorrow while you're at work."

"Nah," I said. "I'm curious what's on the menu. Let's go together."

I gathered my coffee and headed for the parking lot, steering for the passenger side of the car. "You mind driving?" I asked, reaching into my pocket for my keys. "So I don't spill this?"

"I don't know," Julie began with a shake of her head. "New city, at night; how about I just hold it for you?"

"Ok," I agreed and handed her the coffee. Almost as an afterthought I reached for the handle and opened the door.

Julie flashed a broad grin. "Why thank you, brother! Such a gentleman. I could get spoiled."

"My pleasure," I assured her before closing the door and walking around to the driver's side of the vehicle.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Jules offered before I had even settled in my seat.

For a moment my face went blank. "Oh, that," I muttered. "It's ok..."

"No it's not!" Julie interjected. "Here you are putting me up and I have a bitch hissy fit our first night together. And over nothing really. But you do have to understand, I've had so many guys tell me I'm lazy and worthless." My sister paused to sigh before continuing, "Imagining you might think the same of me really hurt, even if it is true."

"I don't think you're worthless."

"What about lazy?"

"Well," I began, "I can't say you were ever the most energetic person, but I never took you as lazy."

"Liar."

My lips formed a defensive smile. "What?"

"You heard me. You think I'm lazy. Admit it."

"Are you going to get mad again if I don't?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to get mad if I do?"

"Probably."

I reached for the ignition. "Fine. You're lazy."

"Good. You have a pen?"

"Pencil ok?"

"Sure."

"Glovebox."

Jules reached for the compartment door. "Great. Maybe I can pick out a few things I'll need."

"Any particular supermarket you prefer?"

"I don't even know what's around here," Julie replied. "You pick." She turned her attention to her new book, making notes as I drove.

A half-dozen minutes later I pulled into the parking lot of the first QFC we stumbled upon.

Julie looked from her book to the scattering of cars. "Already? That was quick. Guess we'll have to figure out what we need as we go."

I pulled into one of the many empty spots, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was certain if there was anything more frustrating than shopping with a woman, it would be shopping with a woman making a list as she goes along.

A warmth caressed the backside of my hand. I tensed. My eyes flew wide, then fell to watch Julie's fingers work their way around to pet my palm.