“I guess,” she said. “One more kiss?”
He didn't have to be told twice. He wrapped her in a tight embrace.
Alex finally tore herself away from his warm arms.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked
“I was thinking tomorrow, or today really, we could go to the movies or the zoo or something,” Jay said.
“Don't you have to work?” she asked.
“That's the beauty of working at home. I can fit it in around other stuff.”
“Okay then. I think the boys would like that.”
“Well, good,” Jay said with a wide smile. “Which?”
“You choose,” she said happily. “I'm happy to go with whatever you decide.”
* * *
“I wish the summer wasn't over,” Thom said.
“Me too,” Aaron said. “I don't wanna go back to school.”
“I used to feel that way too,” Alex said. “It was scary going back to school not knowing if any of your friends were going to be there or which teacher you were going to have.”
“It's still scary now,” Aaron said. “If I'm sick tomorrow, do I have to go?”
“I bet you won't be,” Jay chipped in. As he had been doing lately, he'd joined Alex and the kids for dinner.
“I might be,” the small boy said. His eyes that were so much like his mother's trained on Jay's carefully from beneath his long lashes.
“Hmm,” Jay said. “It'd be a shame if you were. I was thinking that I might take you and Thom to the park after school to ride your bikes and toss a ball. If you're too sick to go to school, you'll have to stay in bed. Won't he, Mom?”
“That's right, Aaron,” Alex said.
Aaron frowned at his mom. “You never used to make me stay in bed if I was home sick,” he said grumpily.
Alex could feel Jay's eyes as they watched her and waited for her answer. “That's the best place for you if you're sick,” she said smiling. Alex had been happier in these last weeks of the summer than she could ever remember. She and the boys had spent some normal days, like they had before Jay, but most of the days had been spent either going out or laying around the pool or watching movies at night on Jay's big TV. There'd been no more talk about discipline or rules. She knew though, that the conversation was coming. Soon.
When the boys were sound asleep, Jay had tugged Alex onto his lap. “School’s tomorrow,” he said.
“Uh huh,” she said, suddenly feeling a little shy. Although it was hard to remain shy when your boyfriend was nibbling your neck and working his hands inside your panties to knead your bottom.
“We have some things to talk about.”
“Oh?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“School's back tomorrow. We're going to talk about some rules, remember?” he said kissing her gently. “If that's still what you want.”
“I remember, and it is what I want,” she said with a grin. “Straight after I take the kids to school?”
“Good a time as any,” he said. “Shouldn't take a really long time. Then we can have a nice quiet lunch together.”
“Sounds good,” she said, although she had to admit she was nervous.
* * *
Alex had stayed long enough at school to see the kids settled and to gossip a little with the other moms about the summer. She didn't normally converse like that in the morning if she drove the kids, but it was the first day and there was a conversation waiting for her at home that she was happy to put off for just a little while. Fear of the unknown maybe? Fear of the known?
Alex shuffled a little uncomfortably in her seat while she drove home. Her mind kept drifting back to the last spanking Jay had given her. It was probably what she'd be facing on a regular basis once Jay defined some rules. Of course, the after effect wasn't altogether unpleasant. Even though she'd endured the worst pain she'd felt beside childbirth, she had still been turned on. Not enough that it overrode the pain, but it was there. Then there was the feeling of elation. She'd felt happy. Really happy and calm. Her biggest problem with all this today was that Jay wanted her to tell him what she felt she needed help with.
Safely parked in front of her garage, Alex closed her windows and doors and sat there, trying to think of what she should tell Jay. What did she need help with? They'd discussed the kids, and she had a pretty good feeling he was going to elaborate on that. He probably had an opinion on her computer games. The main thing she needed help with was something that she'd been avoiding, and she really didn't even know what that was. She flicked open her glove compartment and a slew of paperwork fell out. Unopened letters, mostly from the bank. Although there were some from other people, they all had that look about them, and one thing was for sure, they weren't greeting cards.
This was big though. Should she tell Jay? Should she ask for help? What if it was bad? Really bad? What if they were writing to tell her that her money had run out?
* * *
Jay heard Alex's car pull into the driveway, and he typed furiously to finish the last couple of paragraphs of the chapter he was working on so he could go and see her. The last couple of weeks he'd tried a few times to work but seemed to have hit a patch of writer’s block. He'd been working on a book before he went to help out his parents, but too much time had elapsed, and he'd had trouble picking it up again. Then he'd met Alex and the kids, and all he'd wanted to do was spend time with them.
He didn't know if it was going to bed with the thought of his discussion with Alex about rules that had spurred him on but this morning, he'd found his head swirling with words, a new book was taking shape before him, and for the first time, he was one of the starring characters.
He jumped the small side fence between the front of their houses and was surprised to see Alex still sitting in the car. He knocked on the window. “Hey,” he said “You okay?”
Alex smiled. “Yeah, fine,” she said quickly getting out of the car and shutting the door. “Coffee?”
“Thanks,” he said. “Coffee would be great.”
Jay sat at the table and watched while Alex poured their coffee and put out a plate of cookies. She was very quiet.
“Thanks,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I'm just a bit, I don't know. Can we do this rule thing and get it out of the way?”
“Is that's what's bothering you?”
“Kind of,” she said. “It's just that I've never done any of this before, and I think I'd feel better if I knew exactly what was expected of me.”
Jay nodded. “That's fine by me. You know you don't have to worry. None of the rules will be unreasonable or hard for you to follow.”
“I'm not worried about that, and I'm not an idiot. I can follow rules,” she said with a little more attitude than she meant to. She was nervous.
Jay frowned. “Do you have some paper and a pen or pencil?” he asked. When Alex passed them to him he started to make numbered points.
1. You will speak to me with the same respect that I give to you. NO attitude.
Alex picked at her fingernail and sighed.
Jay took a sip of his coffee. “The boys play down here this morning?” he asked, looking at the living room floor that had been clear the night before and was now covered in video games, cords, and controllers.
“Yes, but they were up early,” she said. “I was going to pick it all up, but I ran out of time and they'll use it this afternoon anyway.”
“I'm not going to tell you exactly how I think you should raise your kids, but I do want you to think about the choices you make for them, what's best for them.” Jay started to write again on the rules list.
2. I expect you to set up a proper routine for the boys and write up a set of house rules, which YOU will make them stick to. You need to figure out consequences if they break their rules or don't do their chores. You need to think about the consequences seriously, because whatever you set for them you have to enforce.
“So you mean restrictions?” Alex asked.
“If that's what you decide,” Jay said. “But you can't take away a toy for a week and then give it back after two days because they're whining and complaining.”
“What if they've been really good for those two days and they earn it back?”
“They won't earn it back until their time's up,” Jay said. “If you go back on what you say, they won't respect you.”
Alex looked far from convinced.
“If you put a punishment in place and give in to either of the boys, I'll spank you,” he said. “Hard. That will be your consequence for breaking a rule.”
“Okay. I get it,” she said, her bottom lip threatening to go into a pout of its own accord.
“You have to remember that you wanted to try this,” Jay reminded her.
“I know,” she said. “But it's hard.”
He took her hand. “It'll be okay. Why don't you sit and relax a little.”
“Now, let's talk about the house,” Jay said. He simply did not understand how she could just ignore the mess around her. There were dishes in the sink from breakfast and two baskets of laundry on the couch waiting to be folded and her computer was sitting on the table where she'd had breakfast with the boys. The only reason their cereal bowls weren't still on the table was because she'd moved them to make room for them to have coffee.
Alex winced. “Like I said, I ran out of time,” she said. At his disbelieving look she added, “I don't like to clean.”
“That was more honest, but you know full well that you do have plenty of time to keep the house clean. Sometimes, you might get distracted.” He tapped the lid of her laptop. “Or, you just don't get around to it. Maybe you just don't feel like doing it, but you're a grown up lady, and you have responsibilities. I know it's your house, but I want you to be proud of it and care for it properly. You need to set a good example for your children.” He started to write another rule then stopped. “I've also noticed that when your sister's here, she cleans up for you.”
“I don't expect her to,” Alex said. “She just does it.”
“If there was no mess to clean up, she wouldn't feel she has to.” He went back to writing the rule.
3. Unless there's a very good reason, like a pressing appointment or someone, including yourself, being sick, you will keep your own house clean. If your sister comes to visit, she won't find it necessary to clean up for you, because it will already be done.
“What if your idea of cleaning isn't the same as my idea of cleaning?”
“Then we'll make a separate list of the chores that should be done daily, weekly, etc.,” Jay said.
“Um, that still doesn't really answer my question,” she said, adding a smile to try and hide the fact she was irritated. “What if I don't do things the way you have them on the list?”
“Then you can tell me why it is you don't agree with the list. If your objection is reasonable, I'll change the chore list. I will expect you to stick to the list once it's been finalized though.”
“Are you going to spank me every time I break a rule?”
“Probably,” Jay said. “Although the severity of the spanking and what I use will depend on the rule and how many times you've broken it.”
“I don't like that wooden spoon,” Alex said.
Jay smiled. “I'll keep that in mind,” he said with a chuckle. “I'll jot down a few more standard rules at the end. Did you think about anything you want my help with?”
Alex sat motionless and silent, but it was clear that there was plenty going on inside her head.
Jay watched the emotions change on her face as she tried to process something. He could have sworn she was going to tell him something, say something, but then she changed her mind.
“Alex?”
“Huh?” she answered distractedly.
“Is there something you need help with?” Jay asked. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Yes,” she blurted out and then burst into tears.
“Shh,” he said pulling her off her own chair and into his lap. “Don't cry. It can't be that bad. Have you done something? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“There's something I've left.”
“Left? Alex, I don't understand.” He didn't. He sat and held her until she finally stopped crying enough to talk.
“After Steve died, I didn't want things to change,” she said.
“That's only natural.”
“That's not it,” she said nervously.
“Okay, why don't you tell me.”
“I'm trying,” she said with a sob. “There were two lots of insurance. There was life insurance and mortgage insurance.”
“So, the house is paid for?”
“Yes,” she said. “The other insurance, the life insurance, was paid and it was in the bank, and the bank guy said I should put it into an investment account.”
“And you didn't?”
“Not exactly,” she said, her breath catching in her throat. “I was going to, but I kept putting it off. I was feeling really down. The sadness just went on and on. The boys were sad too, and I didn't want our lives to change any more than they had to. After a while, I knew I'd waited too long and maybe dipped into the money too much, and I got scared.”
“So, someone at the bank tried to get you to invest the money and then live off the interest, right?” He was trying to find out how bad this all was, but it wasn't easy.
“Yes,” she said. “I didn't. The money was in my account, and I just kept using it.”
“Okay,” he said. “So, as far as you know, there's still money left?
“I don't know!” she yelled, although she was more upset than angry.
Jay's eyes widened. “You didn't think to get a balance?” How does a woman, a woman with two children not know how much money she has left when she doesn't have a job or a way to generate any more? She must be terrified. “Okay, honey. Do you have bank statements?”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe.”
Jay ran a hand through his hair. “Do you have any letters from the bank?”
This time Alex nodded. “I've been too scared to look at them.”
“Oh, Alex,” Jay said. “For how long?”
“Since it happened!” she wailed loudly.
“Okay. About three years,” Jay said taking both her hands in his. “No time like the present. Let's open them up and see what needs to done.”
Alex nodded again, mutely.
“Then when we've sorted this out, we are going to write down some very strict rules about money spending, taking care of accounts, and ignoring mail!”
“Yes, Jay,” she said.
“And, Alex?”
“Yes ?” She answered, with her bottom lip trembling.
“Things are going to be okay. You don't have to do this alone, I'll help you if you're prepared to let me.”
Chapter Eight
She threw herself into his arms and once again burst into tears. This time though, her tears weren't because her bottom was on fire or because she was afraid. She was crying with relief because she didn't have to deal with things alone anymore.
Jay held Alex at arm’s length and looked at her with caring but steadfast eyes. “Are you ready to try things my way?” he asked.
“Yes,” Alex said with a nod. She grabbed a trash bag, went to one of the drawers in the kitchen, and emptied a bunch of unopened mail into the bag.
“Is that all of it?” Jay asked.
Alex shook her head and headed up the stairs. There was a box in the hall closet, and she emptied that too into the bag.
“Is that it?” Jay asked hopefully.
“No. Not quite,” Alex said quietly. He watched curiously as she walked out the front door. Unable to just sit and wait, he followed her.
“The car?” he asked. Loudly. “Young lady, you're keeping important mail in the car?”
Alex turned around and shushed him but immediately regretted it when she saw his eyebrow raise. It seemed he wasn't a fan of
her style of bookkeeping or her method of getting him to be quiet. Or maybe it was the act of trying to make him be quiet at all. Or all three. “I know it seems a little lax. I just, um, sometimes I'd get the mail on my way in, and I just put it in the glove compartment until I had a chance to get to it.”
“When was that going to be?” he asked. “Three years is a long time to be busy.”
“I know,” she said with a wince. “Time flies?”
“This isn't funny.”
“I know. I just, um, was trying to lighten the mood. Sorry.”
“Okay. Get it all out, and we'll open it together. Whatever it is isn't going to go away because you ignore it.”
Alex nodded and shoved all the envelopes and various pieces of junk mail that had been crammed into the small space in the bag with the others. “That's all of it,” she said.
“Okay,” Jay muttered under his breath. “Let's go see how we can fix this.”
Jay looked at Alex sternly over the top of the piles of letters. He would really like to take her over his knee for this. He knew she must have been scared, but this was so irresponsible and neglectful. Still, it had been happening for a while before he came on the scene, and he couldn't really punish her for that. He better not find one more piece of unopened mail stashed anywhere after this day though, or she wouldn't be sitting comfortably for a week.
“ALEX!” he said suddenly. He'd just opened a large yellow envelope. “These are the deeds to your house! They could have been thrown away!”
Whoops, Alex thought. “Lucky you found them,” she quipped sheepishly.
“This is not funny,” he said. “This is serious stuff.”
“I know that,” she said. “If I'd known they were the deeds to the house I would have opened the envelope.”
“When something says 'Important Information Inside', you open it,” Jay said emphatically. “Regardless of whether or not you don't think you might like the contents.”
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