It's not easy explaining to your wife that you've just licked our niece to a climax in the garden. Luckily Izzy made sure I didn't have to. But then my wife was in no position to complain by that point either.
Izzy had messaged the week before. She has been offered a job at a marketing firm in the city but hadn't been able to find a fiat to rent. Could she come and stay with us for a while?
I didn't think twice. She was the same age as my daughter, just out of college, and it's hard getting a start in life. My daughter had always been close to her cousin and they often visited eachother for weekends over the holidays. Izzy had stayed with us many times before but never since she was an adult or without Ava being there.
"Yes of course. You are always welcome here. Stay as long as you need." I messaged back.
"You are the best Unc. Thank you. See you Saturday, around lunchtime ok?" Izzy responded in double quick time. How do these youngsters type so quickly!
I told my wife, Jen. Not that she would mind. We were both fond of Izzy and anyone our Ava is close too is always welcome at ours.
Jen and I had been married for 25 years, when she was 8 months pregnant with Ava (not planned!). I won't pretend every one of those 25 years was truly a happy marriage but we survived, hook or by crook. Mainly, if I'm honest, because although the flame may have gone, the lingering familiarity, affection and need to cohabit for financial reasons were the biggest factors in its "success". We rarely have sex and when we do it's rarely memorable, more often fractious and tetchy. But when visitors came it gave us both light relief and a distraction from the empty nest and the bickering that comes from knowing eachother inside out, especially the flaws. So we both looked forward to Izzy's brief visit.
Jen met her at the station on the Saturday and brought her home, while I prepared lunch. Izzy is a vegetarian, or at least was the last time she visited, so I prepared an avocado salad and a tomato soup. It was a lovely warm spring day so I set the table in the garden, and pushing the boat out for a lunchtime, put a bottle of Chenin Blanc in the fridge to toast Izzy's new job. I really wanted to make her feel welcome and at home.
When she walked into the house I was not prepared for the sight before me. Izzy, the slightly shy and spotty teenager I had known just a couple of years before had blossomed into a confident, elegant and, dare I say this about my own niece but, seriously fit young woman! She was the perfect embodiment of Spring. A short summer dress hugged her body to perfection, ending just a couple of inches south of her bum, leaving her long, tanned and athletic legs to take one's breath away. And that was all before you saw her strawberry blond hair loosely tied up on her head, with a smile on her face that was sunlight itself. Fuck Izzy had grown into one hell of a young woman I thought. As she opened her arms to give her Unc a hug I inhaled the wondrous scent of a wild flower meadow.
"Hello Uncle Jay. How are is my favourite Unc? You're looking well." Izzy said as she embraced me tight.
Feeling a little uncomfortable in the embrace I motioned to separate and held her hands so I could take a good look at the vision before me.
"And you Izzy have turned into an amazing young woman. It is so good to see you." I smiled, mirroring her dazzling and warm smile the best I could.
"Come on. Let me show you your room. You can freshen up from your train journey while I'm finishing lunch. We are eating in the garden in about 20 minutes if that's ok?"
"Are you saying I need to freshen up? Do I smell bad?"
I knew she was just teasing me, but nonetheless the retort threw me off centre and I struggled to find a suitable response. Instead I stammered, "no, no, of of course not. You smell wonderful. I just meant.."
Luckily Izzy smiled at me and said "you're too easy! I can still mess with your head even after all these years! Ha ha and I forgotten how you blush so much too!"
It was true. The slightest embarrassment and my cheeks would redden like a naughty child. I was becoming smitten with my niece and think she knew it.
"How long are you staying exactly?" I teased back.
"You know you could never turn your favourite niece away, let's not pretend!" She squashed me with her reply once more, this time not waiting to watch my cheek colour deepen even more.
As she turned and went into her room my eyes followed her closely, noticing the back of her legs, the small, tight bum that moved so delightfully as she walked away, her tanned back, with the shoestring straps, revealing no tan lines to be seen. As my mind wandered more about that, realised Izzy had caught me out once more, seeing my reflection in the mirror ahead of her. Holding my gaze for a second she then turned slowly and, held my gaze once more, and with a very demure smile, closed the door in front of me.
Shit! What was I thinking? I wasn't thinking. I was just lusting.
Heading back to kitchen I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was my sister, Izzy's mum. A WhatsApp message.
"Is she there ok? Can you tell her to message me please?"
"Yes she's fine. Just getting settled in her room before lunch" I replied.
"You will watch out for her won't you? She's been making some very bad life choices recently. I worry about her."
"Of course sis. Don't worry. She seems like a very grown up and confident young woman. She'll be fine."
"I know. But still. She can be very wilful and not think through the consequences. Believe me!"
"Ha ha I will look out for her. I got this. Tell me more when you visit next week though. I'm intrigued!"
At that my sister signed off. She was always a bit of a meddler but she loved her kids.
But what to do with a problem called Izzy I pondered. This stay could prove very tricky. Then things just got trickier.
"Shit, Jay. Work just called and they need me to come in tonight to cover for Sarah. She's sick again apparently. Fucking hell! That Sarah is a waste of space I'm telling you." Jen was furious.