My son and I have always been close. As a single mother, raising Marcus had been a challenge. Then puberty hit. It was as if my son had been transformed from this adorable little being into a gremlin with hormones. I put him in sports to help him with his moodiness and hopefully give him a place to bond with other boys his age. It seemed to help. He grew a foot taller each summer, filled out, and then all of a sudden my house was filled with college seniors who looked like Greek gods.
One specific summer day, I sat with my neighbor at the poolside enjoying a cold iced tea. She moved in when Mark- he had outgrown Marcus- started high school. When I found out she had been running from an abusive relationship, I opened my door and she has been here almost everyday since. We watched the boys playing water volleyball from behind our sunglasses, making small talk.
"You know, I think you did a good job making that one." Jess said, referring to Mark. I chuckled to myself.
"He was fun to make at the time, and I'm glad his father was handsome even if he was a dirt bag."
"Well, no need to rub it in. But seriously, Lou, you run a house full of hot, beautiful men." I nodded in agreement, equally shocked and amused. My suburban home was filled with Mark's teammates at the moment.
"Must be how swim guys end up."
"Do you think it's true?"
"What?" I turned to her, arching a brow.
"The guys sword fight in the locker rooms after meets?" She waggled her eyebrows at me and I scoffed.
"That one's a myth, I'm afraid." We both jumped as Mark spoke up from behind us.
"It just isn't very appealing to see another dude's junk." Mark's best friend, Luke, added from the pool. Heat rose to my cheeks as I realized they were listening to us. How much did they hear?
"So, Aunt Jess, are you staying in the neighborhood long?" Mark asked.
Jess liked to travel and often brought home new conquests from all over the world. She was slim and fit with short blonde hair. Most guys fell for her athletic build and quick wit, but they came as fast as they went.
"For a couple weeks this time." She pulled her shades down her nose to look at me. "And I brought a friend."
"And that's my cue." Mark ran and jumped back into the water to rejoin the game.
"Oooh, how exciting." I sighed halfheartedly, knowing what was coming.
"Mhmm. And he has a friend. A nice, tall, handsome one." I rolled my eyes and huffed out a breath.
"We both know he's expecting me to be your twin. He won't be interested." I wasn't nearly as fit as Jess. I adopted my role as a mom with grace and accepted the chubby softness relaxation brought on. And late night ice cream. While Jess was a blonde beauty, I was a mediocre brunette.
"Come on, Lou. You're beautiful. Men love your curves." I laughed, then pulled up the swim cover to show her my belly rolls.
"You're telling me these would turn him on?" Jess tsked, grumpily crossing her arms.
"Why don't you ask the boys? In fact, I will." My stomach dropped as she stood, her bikini clad body lithe under the afternoon sun. "Boys!" The game paused, Luke catching the ball as Mark and his friends turned to look. I saw the appreciation in their 25 year old eyes and cringed. "Mark excluded, what do you think about Lou? She's pretty hot right?"
"Jess!" I exclaimed, my face hot. I stood and stomped over to give her what for, but faltered when Luke spoke up.
"Yeah, I mean, I think so. No offense, Mark." Mark shrugged, unaffected.
"I think you're good looking, ma. Any guy would be lucky to have you." The other two boys nodded in agreement. Butterflies swirled in my stomach.
"T-thank you, but this is not appropriate at all, Jess. They're just kids." Jess shrugged.
"Whatever you say. Will you at least meet him?" Mark and his friends went back to playing as Jess pleaded with me. I stammered, my rejection on the tip of my tongue.
"Okay." As I said it, I missed the glance Mark shot my way, then to Luke. Jess squealed in excitement.
"Oh my gosh, finally! Let's go pick out something to wear." She pulled me inside and up the stairs to my room. "Okay so, I'm thinking it should be a skimpy dress that shows off your boobs."
"What boobs?" I huffed. I gestured to Jess' double Ds. "You have way more than me."
"No, you're at least a C." I crossed my arms, refusing to admit she got it right. "Anyway, stop being grumpy. You're not backing out of this." After a few minutes of rummaging through my closet, Jess growled in frustration. "Where are all of your date clothes?"
"I didn't really wear anything like that after Mark was born. It's just been mom jeans and blouses. Occasionally I walk around the house in pj pants." It was true. I didn't work up the nerve to date after Mark's father left, and I hadn't really wanted to.
"Then we're going shopping. Come on!"
Three hours later I shouldered open the front door while trying to hold all the shopping bags Jess had accumulated.
"This seems like a lot just for one date, Jess."
"It isn't just for the date, Lou. Some of that is...just for you." I didn't like the mischievous tone she'd taken on and I was sure I would learn what it meant later. We walked through the house to the stairs, passing Mark and Luke. The two boys were sitting in the living room watching a baseball game.
"Welcome back, ma." Mark called, not looking away from the screen.
"You sure took forever. The other guys left an hour ago." Luke didn't look away either as he spoke. I shook my head. Boys and baseball.
"You can blame Jess for that."
