"Kevin! You stop that this minute. What are your daughters going to think?" Bridget exclaimed.
Kevin continued his macho ways, that is, until Billie stepped into his line of vision, legs spread apart, hands on her hips, a stern look on her face as she peered down at him on the lounger.
For some reason, Billie had the power to stop Kevin cold. When he saw her, he instinctively covered his private areas with his hands, and grinned. Joe laughed as Billie walked away smirking.
Finally, the hour approached bedtime for the younger children as their mothers scurried to ready them for bed. The seven girls had planned a slumber party in one of the two rooms they were sharing, so no arguments were heard about an early bedtime. Cat had been talked into telling several stories to the girls and their mothers before turning in, and soon it was near midnight when Skylar started drifting off to sleep. After tucking the girls in and kissing them all a good night, Alex, Cat, Amy, Bridget and Billie crept out of the room and returned to the parlor.
Seth, being a ripe old man of thirteen, joined Jo and the men in the parlor for an evening of drinks and discussion while the ladies busied themselves with organizing the girls' slumber party. While he wasn't happy about being served grape juice while the adults drank wine, he at least had the opportunity to visit with them, and not sent to bed like some kid, so he relented and did not complain.
Little did the adults know, Seth stealthily refilled his juice glass with wine whenever he was sure the adults weren't looking. By the time Cat, Billie, and the rest of the women returned to the parlor, he was quite happy and feeling no pain.
"Hi Mommy!" he said staggering over to Billie as she walked in. "I love you, Mommy!" he said, placing his head on her chest just below her chin. Her arms instinctively wrapped around her son.
Billie and Cat looked at each other with creased brows. Cat took the glass out of Seth's hand and sniffed the contents, then held it under Billie's nose.
All eyes turned toward Billie as Mount Charland erupted. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Who gave my son wine? For Christ sakes, he only thirteen!" she shouted.
Confusion lit up the faces of the accused.
"Billie, wait!" Cat instructed. Then, turning to Seth, she said, "Seth, honey, where did you get the wine?"
Seth grinned, goofily. "I snuck it!" he bragged. "I didn't get caught, either! Cool, huh?" he said.
"No, not cool!" Billie exclaimed. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, young man. Right now, you need to go to bed," she said, as she directed him to the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she said sternly, "I'll be back. We're not finished talking about this!"
Cat and Billie led Seth to the room upstairs that he was sharing with Dylan. Throwing the door open, they proceeded inside, only to be stopped short by the sight of Drew and Dylan in bed together, in the throes of passion. Cat instinctively slapped a hand over Seth's eyes as she stared agog at the occupants of the bed.
"Great! Just great!" Billie shouted. "I've got a drunken kid and my brother is in his bed porking my wife's sister! Isn't life grand?" she exclaimed. "Come on Cat, we'll need to put him in Drew's room," Billie instructed.
Drew and Dylan had been startled into attentiveness and now sat side by side on the bed, Drew holding the bed sheets up against her breasts. On their way out the door, Cat looked back and said to her sister, "You are in big trouble, Missy. We need to have a talk!"
Ten minutes later, with Seth settled in Drew's bed, Cat and Billie stopped off at their room to collect their sanity before dealing with the situations presented to them this evening.
Closing the door behind them, Cat strode across the room, her arms flailing in all directions. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" she exclaimed. "What the hell is happening around here? Drunken kids, bigoted parents, promiscuous brothers and sisters! Shit, Billie!" Cat ranted.
Billie let her rant, leaning against the door and taking the time to compose herself before speaking. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Cat. Calm down. We need to look at this rationally." Billie started to pace back and forth as Cat sat on the edge of the bed.
"First, Drew and Dylan." Billie stopped in front of Cat and knelt on one knee. She placed a hand on Cat's thigh. "Cat, it didn't take us long to jump into bed together after we met," she said, holding a hand up to quell the tide that was about to erupt from Cat's mouth. "I know...we were together much longer than one day before doing the deed, but I was ready to do it from day one, weren't you?" she asked pointedly.
Cat looked down and blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said smiling coyly at her wife.
"All right, now about Seth. Somebody in that room needs a lecture. Maybe all of them, and I plan on providing it. They should have been keeping an eye on him. I'm sure our son will wake up with one colossal headache tomorrow morning. In fact, I hope he does...and I don't want you making it easy on him, okay? He needs to learn a lesson from this," Billie instructed.
"Me? Billie, you are the one who turns to mush when the kids are sick. I think you need to lecture yourself about that particular topic," Cat retorted.
Billie looked down at the floor and grinned, then peeked back up at Cat, still from bent knee. "You know me too well, wife. Well then, remind me tomorrow to give him a hard time about it, okay?" she asked.
"Deal!" Cat said.
Billie rose to her feet. "Now, what to do about my bigoted stepfather," she said.
Cat rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around Billie's waist. "Do we really have to do anything about him, Billie?" she asked.
"If we plan to have any kind of future relationship with my mother, I think we do," Billie replied. "We need to do this without casualties. That's the hard part," she explained.
"Well, I guess we start by treating him the same as everyone else. He was there when Seth drank the wine. He's just as responsible as the rest. Let's go kick some ass!" Cat exclaimed.
***
Moments later, Billie barged into the parlor. By then, the entire family except the children, Drew and Dylan were there. Doc, Ida and Laurel, who had gone on an evening stroll earlier, had joined the family shortly after Seth was led to bed.
"Okay, let's talk about being responsible adults," Billie started as Cat stood by her side, her arms crossed in front of her. "Our thirteen-year-old son is going to have one whiz-bang of a hangover tomorrow morning because several adults were too busy drinking and visiting to keep an eye on him," she stated.
Jim immediately became defensive. "I didn't see you here watching him," he accused.
"I was putting my daughters to bed, Jim. Seth asked if he could join all of you, and you collectively said yes. That makes you responsible for him," Billie reasoned.
Most of the men in the room had the decency to act sheepish at their shortcoming, all except Jim, who was primed for a fight after an entire day of badgering from the family on his moral beliefs. The wine in his system fueled his courage.
"Who are you to question my sense of responsibility and morality?" Jim questioned. "You, who live in sin on a daily basis in front of your children?"
Cat grasped Billie's arm firmly as she watched her wife's knuckles clench into fists.
"I think that's quite enough," Jo said, stepping between Jim and Billie. "I happen to like Billie's sense of morality. She's a very good wife and mother."
"You would think that. You are just like her!" Jim exclaimed. Now it was Laurel's turn to grab Jim's arm. He looked back sharply at who had hold of him arm. Seeing it was Laurel, his eyes immediately softened.
"I think I've had quite enough of this for one night," Alex piped in. "All this arguin' is gettin' us nowhere. Why don't we discuss this in the mornin', like southern genteel people," she suggested.
Jim shook off Laurel's arm and walked up to Alex. "As for you, Madame, the southern aristocracy is not one I would stand by in times like these. After all, it was they who encouraged the immoral and hedonistic institution of slavery!" he shouted.
Jo cringed as Alex's face turned beet red.
The one thing that she had learned early on in her relationship with Alex, was to not insult her southern heritage.
Alex rose to her full height, and took a step forward. "You, Sir, are a rogue and a bore, and I kindly ask you to leave my home at the first opportunity in the mornin'!" she demanded.
"With pleasure!" Jim shouted as he stomped out of the room, followed closely by Laurel.
"Oh, my!" Alex said faintly as Kevin and Joe helped her to her favorite chair. Josephine was immediately by her side, holding her hand.
CHAPTER 12
After Jim stomped out of the parlor with Laurel tight on his heels, the rest of the family quickly dispersed to the far corners of the mansion, turning in for the evening, hoping that things would blow over by morning.
Six members of the household put in a very strenuous night. Three pairs of silhouettes stood in stark contrast to the raging storm outside the estate. Near hurricane winds invaded the region overnight, downing trees and cutting off electricity. There would be no planes departing the Charleston airport the next day.
Jo and Alex sat in bed, their backs against the headboard as they stared into the lightning-filled darkness. Alex reclined against Jo, her head on Jo's shoulder. "Josie, darlin', was I too rough on him?" she asked.
"No sweetheart, you weren't," she replied. "I understand how he could be upset with me and Billie. Sure, we were kind of rough on him earlier in the day, but that was no excuse for his rude behavior toward you. I'd say you handled the situation quite well, my love," Jo said proudly.
"The airport will be closed tomorrow, you know. He'll have to stay here for at least another day or two," Alex observed.
Josephine just nodded. "I know." She kissed Alex on the forehead and motioned for her to scoot down into a lying position. Taking Alex into her arms, Jo held her close and rubbed a hand up and down her forearm until she was asleep. Moments later, she too drifted off to the sounds of the storm raging outside.
***
"Jim, come to bed," Laurel said from her seated position against the headboard. Jim was standing by the window, staring into the rainy and windy night.
Jim turned his back to the window, leaned against the frame and placed both hands on the sill beside him. "Laurel, do you think I am too rigid and inflexible?" he asked.
Laurel pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them close. "Sometimes you are, Jim." A pause. "Are you asking if I think you are being inflexible about this particular topic?" she asked.
Jim nodded.
Laurel took a deep breath and extended her legs straight out in front of her, leaning back on her hands. "Jim, I can't tell your heart how to feel. We are talking about my daughter and parents here. I love them, even the way they are. I won't say that I totally understand or embrace their lifestyle, but they are my flesh and blood and I love them regardless. I wish you could find it in your heart to at least accept them, but I can't ask you to do that. That is a decision you will have to make on your own, if you are even capable of it," Laurel explained.
Jim nodded again, then rose to his feet and leaned against the window frame. "The airport is sure to be closed tomorrow," he said into the silence.
"I know. Come to bed, Jim," Laurel said, holding the sheet open for Jim to crawl into.
***
Billie and Cat stood wrapped in each other's arms in front of the window, watching the raging storm outside. Cat's head lay on Billie's chest. Billie's cheek rested on Cat's head, her long arms wrapped around her. Bolts of lightning highlighted their forms on the wall behind them.
Long moments of silence filled the space, save for the random cracks of thunder.
After a time, Cat spoke.
"Billie?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry things aren't working out with Jim. I know how much you wanted them to for Laurel's sake."
Billie nodded and pulled Cat closer. "I think we're being given another chance, Cat. This storm will definitely close the airport tomorrow," Billie observed.
"Do you think so?" Cat asked.
"Yeah. I'm going to try to get through to him one more time. I think I'll ask Dylan for some help," she explained.
"Billie, what did you think about finding Dylan and Drew together tonight? I mean, they're both adults, but...," Cat started.
"But she's your baby sister," Billie finished for her wife.
Cat smiled against Billie's chest. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well, I think it's pretty cool. But I am concerned that it was kind of sudden. I hope they've thought beyond their raging hormones," Billie explained.
Cat just nodded and squeezed Billie tighter while trying to stifle a yawn.
Billie pushed Cat slightly away from her and tilted her chin so she could look into her eyes. "Come on love, let's go to bed."
Climbing into bed, Billie lay on her back and opened her arms to Cat. She rolled onto her side and promptly wrapped her long frame around the smaller woman. Within moments, their bodies were entwined like braided rope, as they drifted off into the dreamscape.
***
The family woke the next morning to a freshly washed earth, the rains having cleansed the air, leaving a pungent odor of seawater and salt. The breeze had calmed and the sun was shining, ushering in a new day. Unfortunately, the midnight storm also brought with it random debris, strewn all over the grounds of the estate from fallen branches to garbage cans that once stood by the back door.
On this, their third day at the estate, the family pitched in to clean up after the storm, working all day to collect and stack strewn branches and debris into a large pile in the middle of the field beyond the house. Everyone pitched in. Of course, Billie had to drag a very hung-over Seth out of bed, and roust Dylan and Drew, but by mid-morning, they had a full crew, and between them all, they managed to clear the property of debris by the end of the day.
Considering the airports were indeed closed for the day, Jim and Laurel readily pitched in to do their share, not speaking directly to Alex or Jo about the events of the previous evening. Throughout the day, Alex and Laurel stole secretive glances…silent apologies made on the fresh ocean air, but other than that, no other contact was made.
The pile was easily fifteen feet high when they finished.
"Hey, why don't we have a bonfire after the fireworks tonight!" Tara exclaimed while standing at the base of the tall debris pile.
Jo came up beside her and pushed her fedora back onto her head. She had been sporting an unlit cigar between her teeth all day. When doing yard work, she typically donned her work clothes as Alexandra called them...loose pleated trousers and short sleeve shirt, both tan, leather knee-high boots into which she tucked the pant legs, and the ever-present fedora.
Jo placed both hands on the small of her back and looked up at the debris pile.
"Good idea, scamp. A bonfire is a very good idea. Maybe we can have a real Amazon type party. Heh, heh, heh. It's been a long time since I've been to one of those," she chuckled.
"Amazon?" Tara asked curiously.
"Oh yeah," Josephine grinned wickedly as she thought of scantily clad women gyrating around a bonfire to the steady beat of drums. "Amazons." With a definite mission in mind, she ran off to find Alex, and to assemble the women for an Amazon war council.
***
Jo had the women's full attention.
"Josephine Wycliffe, where on earth did you get that idea?" Alex asked, hands on her hips.
"From Tara," Jo said, a twinkle of excitement in her eye.
"It figures," Cat said between her teeth, causing Billie to grin and elbow her lightly in the ribs.
"Ah, Grandma Jo, exactly what do Amazons do at a party?" Amy asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well in the time of the ancient Amazons, parties were organized to celebrate successful hunts, or bountiful harvests. Sometimes they were used as pep rallies, to emotionally prepare the women for going to war, and sometimes, they were used as religious or initiation ceremonies," Jo explained.
"And we would be celebrating...why?" Bridget asked.
"We would be celebrating family," Jo said. Walking around the group of women she had assembled near the pool, she added, "Look, humor an old lady. The last Amazon ritual Alex and I witnessed was ages ago, and it was so phony, it was laughable. We have the opportunity here to recreate history!" Josephine said excitedly, looking up at the sky and waving her hand in front of her as if creating the vision from her mind.
"Well, I think it's like, a cool idea," Drew said perkily. "Do we get to wear costumes?" she asked.
Jo looked at Alex with a wicked glint in her eye. Alex just dropped her head into her hands and moaned.
"Why do I think I'm not going to like this?" Bridget asked.
"Oh Bridge, loosen up. Have some fun," Amy urged.
"You know, this just might be fun," Cat added.
"Now let me get this straight," Billie said, leaning back to support her body with her arms. "We dress in scanty costumes, including masks, smear war paint all over our bodies, then seduce our partners by drinking wine and dancing around a bonfire until everyone is worked up into a sexual frenzy. Does that sound accurate?" she asked.
"Exactly!" said Jo.
"Count me in!" Billie said, grinning ear to ear, causing Cat to blush to the roots of her red-gold hair.
"I don't know about this," Bridget whined.
Ida and Laurel had been sitting quietly, listening to the proposal and subsequent conversation, trading opinions only with each other, until finally Ida spoke up. "We think it’s a grand idea," she said, speaking for herself and her sister.
Bridget's eyebrows went out of sight. "Mom?" she said incredulously.
Ida walked over to her second oldest daughter and cupped her face between her palms. "Bridget, dear, there's still a glow in this old woman's heart. I'm not going to miss the chance to rekindle it into a raging fire."
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