Simpsational

BBQ and chill

Kayla

Kayla was determined not to have a repeat of the disastrous date with Austin. So far, she had found nothing disagreeable about James, and the way he looked at her certainly made her feel all the right things, it was just ... she was bored.

She deliberately contrived a date that would give them time for more than just sex. James' favorite series, Inu Chi, had released a new season and they were binge watching it together, naked. She'd made it clear that her body was never more than a pause button away. They'd taken sex breaks several times already.

But all they had to talk about was the show, and he knew so much more about it that it felt more like a lecture than a conversation. At least Jace would be happy that she'd actually watched it.

Ugh, Jace again. She was with James. Why was she thinking about Jace? "Hey, want to hit pause again?"

"What if we didn't hit pause?"

Her first thought was that he didn't want to have sex again, but, no, he was down. He just wanted to watch the show at the same time.

She'd sworn to not let her romantic feelings get in the way this time, so she lied and said, "Sounds fun." Only five more hours, she thought, rolling into position.

Jace

Jace watched as Chrissy and Page talked, their heads leaned close together in conspiracy. He wasn't sure they were talking about him until Page glanced over at him with a measured look.

When Chrissy came to bed, she seemed to be completely normal. Except, when he turned back around after letting her change, her nightshirt had been replaced by a tight pink spaghetti strap crop top.

"Night, Chrissy."

"Night, Jace," she said. Had he imagined the softer undertone to the way she'd said it?

It wasn't until morning when he saw her walking around in bikini cut panties that he really took notice. But, then again, so did everyone else.

"Looking good, Chris. I told you a couple of weeks in here and you'd want to show your body off," Megan said.

"I'm still wearing way more than you are, Meagan." Jace could see her blushing under the attention.

"Yet everyone is looking at you. I don't think Jace is even going to be able to get out of bed until he's alone."

"Meagan!" Page said, jumping in to scold her. They had pretty tight rules about this sort of teasing in the shared living space, not wanting to allow the already uncomfortable space to become toxic.

"Sorry," mumbled Meagan. "I'm just being jealous. You look really good, Chrissy."

Jace decided rolling over and ignoring everyone was his best course of action. He was helping set up for the pig roast today, which didn't have the crack of dawn start time that a lot of the client-based activities had.

Jace enjoyed the day setting up for the party, the whole crew horsing around while putting out tables and erecting tents. Chuck monitored the barbecue, an entire pig turning on a spit in a temporary smoke house. The event wasn't for clients. It was a yearly first-day-of-summer appreciation party he threw for his employees, neighbors, and vendors.

"I don't drink," Jace said as Hawk walked up and handed him a beer.

"Today, you drink," Hawk said, waiting while Jace took it from him. "Come on, we need to talk." He nodded at a pile of tables that needed to be transferred off a flatbed pickup. "Chrissy has been spending her summers with us for four years now. She's sweet as candy and is like a kid sister to all of us old-timers."

The tables were heavy. Jace had to put down his beer to open up both hands to help him lift them. Hawk was managing one handed without seeming to use any effort. Jace assumed this demonstration was as important as what Hawk was saying.

"This is the first year Chuck has let her bunk with the rest of us, so naturally she's been romanticizing our free-love, partner swapping lifestyle for a long time." Hawk dropped his end of the table on the stack, jarring Jace's hands. "She seems to have set her sights on you. But she's not some cheap thot to work off your pent-up frustration with."

Before Jace had time to object, Page walked up wearing a bikini top and a ragged pair of cutoffs. Her twenty-six-year-old skin was a canvas of colorful tattoos stretched tight over muscle. "Hawk, I can't believe you're doing to table thing with him." She turned and addressed Jace. "Chuck did this with him when he first started. Took three months before I could get him to touch me."

"You know damn well Chuck wasn't the one I was afraid of," Hawk said.

She wrapped her arms around Jace. "You don't think I'm frightening, do you?"

"I wouldn't call it frightening. Terrifying?" Jace teased. The way the woman's body pressed against him was certainly intimidating.

She gave a pout. "We'll have to work on that." She looked at the other man. "Hawk here has the old-fashioned belief that guys have any say whatsoever in who they get to sleep with. It's cute, but old-fashioned." She let go of Jace and picked up one end of the table, seeming to have no trouble with the weight either. "Jace has already informed Chrissy that he has a girlfriend back home. That's why she decided to torture him this morning, and," she dropped her end off the table just like Hawk had, "if she decides to sleep with him anyway, she's doing it with her eyes open."

"She's just a kid, Page," Hawk said, abandoning the tables for the moment.

Page rolled her eyes. "Then so is Jace. Should we tell Meagan to start wearing pajamas?"

"Don't you dare," said Hawk, shaking his head. "But point taken. Just keep me out of the heartbreak later."

"Did you tell him about tonight?" Page asked.

"Nah, it's more fun to surprise them with it. I did tell him to start drinking, though."

"That's very good advice, Jace. And you don't have to worry about looking the fool in front of Chrissy, she's on a three-day camp and ride."

Jace was a little relieved. He had no idea where he stood with Chrissy. He was both proud of himself for sticking to his guns and feeling a soul crushing regret for giving up what might have been. He was also definitely feeling the frustration Hawk had alluded to. He had lots of visual stimulation, but little opportunity to indulge in anything physical, even by himself.

Once setup for the party was done, everyone, save the unlucky few who were out camping with clients, was off the clock. Chuck had brought in a catering company and a professional band. All Jace had to do is eat, drink, and dance. He had very little experience with alcohol or dancing but found that they complimented one another perfectly. Drinking made him willing to dance, dancing made him thirsty. He hadn't paid much attention to how much he'd had, but it must have been a lot, because Hawk had cut him off.

Near the end of the night, Chuck got on the microphone and gave what was, for him, a very long speech thanking everyone for their help or tolerance. He concluded with, "So, who's ready to go cliff diving?"