This is the second part of the story of Cath's niece, Jenny. Thanks for the support and comments for the first part. As a new author, it was hugely rewarding. I hope you like this second episode just as much.
"Penny is coming for the weekend," Cath announced.
"Aunt Penny?" Jenny asked.
"No; my little sister Penny who happens to be your Aunt but will not answer to the title because she is much too young," Cath replied, grinning as she got to the end of the sentence. Jenny grinned back;
"Point taken," she said, "which weekend is Penny coming?"
"This weekend; 'four days time' weekend; on Friday," Cath said.
"Great," Jenny said, "where is she going to stay?"
"With me. We've shared a bed plenty of times; it'll be fine," Cath replied.
"Wouldn't it be easier if I moved in with you and Penny had my room?" Jenny asked.
"Only if you want to alert her to the fact that we're having unbelievably good sex," Cath said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Ah, okay; sorry." Jenny replied, feeling like an idiot. Cath hugged her, grinning at Jenny's slightly crushed look.
"No, I'm sorry, love," Cath said, "Penny will sleep in my big bed and you and I will behave ourselves."
Jenny didn't have any lectures on Friday so she stayed at home; at Cath's home; and helped Cath get ready for her sister's visit. They went to Tesco and bought enough food and wine to feed an army; and get that army very drunk. Then Jenny tidied around the living room while Cath prepared a chicken casserole in the slow-cooker. At three o'clock they got into Jenny's car and drove the few minutes to the train station.
It was a sunny autumn day and Penny was wearing a white shift-dress which buttoned from top to bottom. She had undone the top buttons down to her bra and the bottom buttons up to mid-thigh. She had wedge sandals on which accentuated her slim, tanned legs and the whole outfit showed off her cleavage, her pretty face and her dark, auburn hair, which was cut short and spiky. She looked ten years younger than her 38 actual years as she stepped off the train with her small suitcase. Cath and Jenny were on the platform waiting for her and they hugged and kissed before getting into the car. Cath turned round to talk to her sister as Jenny drove;
"Good journey?" Cath asked.
"Yes, fine," Penny replied, "the Wellingborough train was into St. Pancras on time, taxi to Victoria and an hour to here." Cath nodded, imagining the route in her head.
"How's Keith?" Cath asked.
"Oh, fine. He's looking forward to a few rounds of golf without me complaining about the amount of time he spends at the club, I expect," Penny replied. Cath and Jenny laughed.
"How are you, Jen?" Penny asked, "How's uni?"
"Good, thanks Aunt..." Jenny bit off the word almost as it came out of her mouth, "Sorry, Penny. I'm really enjoying the course and the university is really nice."
And what's it like staying with my horrible big sister?" Penny asked, grinning at Jenny in the rear-view mirror.
"Horrible? Horrible?" Cath said, indignantly. "When was I ever horrible to you?"
"When you broke Dad's favourite plant-pot and blamed me," Penny replied, pretending to sound put out.
"That was thirty-three years ago, for God's sake," Cath responded, laughing. Jenny grinned at the exchange between her two Aunts, thinking that the next three days were going to be fun.
"To answer your question, Penny, Cath is the perfect landlady, thanks," Jenny said, as they pulled up outside the house.
Once inside, Penny embraced Jenny again, saying,
"Oh, it's so good to see you, Jen. You look so grown up. You've blossomed into a really beautiful young woman; hasn't she Cath?"
"She certainly has," Cath replied, smiling at Jenny, "and she takes after her Mum; clean, tidy and helpful."
"Bloody hell," Penny laughed, "what a ringing endorsement of our sister that is; clean, tidy and helpful; you wouldn't want that on your gravestone, would you?" She and Jenny laughed at Cath's embarrassment;
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Cath said,
"Oh, no, Cath," Penny said, "you heard her, Jen. She basically called your Mum dull and boring which is a terrible indictment of a very sexy woman, in my view." She ducked as a tea-towel whistled past her ear.
"Shut up, Penny," Cath said, "or you'll be sleeping in the garden. Jen take fish-face's case up to my room, please." Jenny laughed as Penny poked her tongue out at her big sister.
They sat around the kitchen table, catching up on family news and gossip, for an hour or so before Penny banged the table;
"Sis! I've been here for bloody ages and you've not even opened a bottle of wine. What is going on? Your standards are slipping," she said, indignantly. It was Cath's turn to stick out her tongue this time. Jenny got three wine-glasses out of the cupboard while Cath got the white wine from the fridge.