Orchard Flower (Version Bravo)

by Lubrican

Chapter : Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Chapter Ten

We were twenty minutes late to lunch, but Jill didn't care. She was laughing and jumping around like a little girl. I think she was a little giddy, because she was trying to tell me about school, but kept digressing into telling me how much she'd missed me, and how much she loved me. Meanwhile I stumbled along, not watching where I was going because my eyes couldn't get enough of her.

Lynne didn't bark at us for being late. In fact, she barely noticed. She was sitting at the table with a young man and they were deep in a discussion of orchard management. She looked up at me and smiled brightly, and then her attention was all back on him.

"That's Zack," said Jill rather needlessly, pointing at the boy. He had shaggy brown hair and a wannabe goatee. He looked up at me, also grinned, said "Hi," and went on with what he'd been saying as if there had been no interruption at all.

Jill pulled me to the counter, where the table service still sat, waiting to be put on the table. The food was on top of the stove, and Jill and I helped ourselves, buffet style. When we sat down Lynne seemed to realize it was actually time to eat and stood up. Zack's eyes went directly to the breasts straining at the thin blouse in front of his eyes and, unconsciously, I think, licked his lips.

I don't think it was because he was anticipating lunch, either.

"You're late," Lynne finally remembered to say.

"We were ... um ... catching up," said Jill, innocently. Except it didn't sound very innocent. Even Zack looked sharply at her. Then he looked over at me again.

"I've heard a lot about you," he said.

"Oh?" What does a man say to a kid young enough to be his son, in a situation like that?

"Every guy who ever said hello to Jill has heard a lot about you," he said, smiling. "You, my good man, are impossible to compete with."

Lynne was in the process of going through a tough time, and her face showed it. Apparently, Zack's opening gambit, which Lynne didn't KNOW was an opening gambit, had been to start talking about the orchard, and what he had learned in college about managing one. Jill had prepped him, of course, so he knew all the right buttons to push.

Lynne, who had been horrified that her daughter, upon entering the house with her "boyfriend," had introduced him and then promptly announced that she was going to go see me. There had been a short argument, during which Lynne looked meaningfully at Zack - a number of times - trying to suggest to Jill what a complete failure she was being as a girlfriend, until Jill said that Zack loved to cook and would be more than happy to help with lunch.

Zack, to Lynne's astonishment, had agreed heartily, smiling happily at being left alone with the object of his desire. He then initiated operation MILF conquest by talking about the orchard.

Lynne, having been distracted from her horror by this delightful young man, who was so interested in how she seemed to be doing everything exactly like all his professors said it should be done, had gotten more self validation in the last hour and twenty minutes than she'd gotten in the previous ten years combined. She wasn't blind, and she noticed quite plainly that, while he tried to comport himself as a gentleman, Zack was plainly having difficulties in keeping his eyes on politically correct places.

The humorous part of that was that she completely forgot that it was her daughter's boyfriend who was ogling her, until her daughter came back holding hands with her former(?) lover.

To cut to the chase, Lynne was horrified again, except this time it was at the way BOTH boy and girlfriend were acting.

And I was no help. She told me later I had a glazed expression on my face. I think that was because I was so ecstatically grateful that the misunderstanding had been corrected. Of course as far as Lynne was concerned ... it hadn't been corrected. In fact, she didn't even know there was a misunderstanding.

"Jill," she said, tersely. "I'd like to speak to you ... privately." That tone of voice penetrated my euphoria, and I woke up.

Jill looked up, her mouth full of food. She swallowed and then said "Can't it wait? I'm starving!"

I saw thunderclouds forming on Lynne's face. I had no idea how well she and Zack had been getting along. I mean they had looked comfortable when I first came in, but then I wasn't paying that much attention to them then. What I should say that nothing about what was going on raised any red flags, or penetrated my consciousness like the tone in her voice just had. But I clearly suspected that she wasn't in on the deal yet.

"Talk to me privately," I said, standing up.

"What?" She looked at me, confused.

"We need to talk," I said, throwing my eyes at Jill. I thought I was being sly, but I saw Jill looking right at me.

"You can't tell her, Bob!" she yelped suddenly.

"Tell me what?" asked Lynne, starting to look lost.

"They have to have time!" Jill insisted.

"Who has to have time?" Lynne asked plaintively.

"She has to know," I said, looking at Jill. "I can tell you right now that if you took 'Making a nefarious plan 101' last term, you flunked it. You can't do this to your mother."

"Do what?" yelled Lynne, looking now from one to the other of us, including Zack, who was sitting there wide-eyed. Apparently he was incapable of forming a workable plan too, and had entered into this one with typical adolescent thoughtlessness.

"But it's so perfect!" wailed Jill, standing up. "I just know it is!"

Lynne started making sounds suggesting that a geyser was about to erupt. "If somebody doesn't tell me what's going on here ..." she yelled.

"That's what I'm trying to do!" I said, swinging to face her. "Now, let's go talk!" I shouted the last word. Don't ask me why. Everybody else was shouting. Well, Zack wasn't. I think he was on the verge of panic. He was smart enough to know that I had been clued into what was going on, and that I was about to tell the object of his desire what was going on too, which meant if he hadn't made a good enough first impression, he was shit out of luck for the rest of his stay.

"No! Bob!" squealed Jill.

I swung back to her. I suspect there was a little thunder on my face about then.

"Sit down!" I barked. "Eat your lunch! We will be back in a few minutes. Is that clear?"

To my amazement, she paled and sat down.

Lynne was still making noises, so I just grabbed her elbow and pulled her out of the kitchen. Don't ask me why, but I guided her to her bedroom, instead of the living room, which was actually closer. There was no way I could break this to her gently, so I didn't even try.

"Zack isn't her boyfriend," I said.

That got her attention.

"In fact, she doesn't have a boyfriend, because she wants to marry me. Your brilliant idea had exactly the opposite effect on her that you intended. She accepted my proposal half an hour ago."

Lynne blinked four or five times. "She what?" Her voice was squeaky high, almost cartoonish.

"While we were ... um ... catching up ..." I had the grace to blush then, "she informed me that she was accepting the proposal of marriage you suggested I make to her before she left for school."

"But I don't..." It sank in finally. "Shit," said Lynne quietly.

"Oh, you ain't heard nothing yet," I said.

Lynne's eyes got round. "She's pregnant!" she gasped.

I think my eyes got round then too. "No!" I whispered harshly. I started to say, "I don't think so," and then thought better of it. "Zack's not here for her!"

Her eyes kind of darted around in confusion. "What? I don't understand. Who's he here for?"

"Your daughter, in her infinite wisdom, has brought you a boy toy for Christmas," I said.

OK, I realize I could have said that better. In fact, I'll admit I should have said it better. But it was all I could think of at the time. And it's how I thought about it, even if I probably should have given him the benefit of the doubt.

"Boy toy?" She mouthed the words, almost silently.

"Apparently he saw your picture, and was instantly smitten with you," I said. "He called you a MILF.

"A what?"

"Never mind. It was an extremely complimentary term, and Jill got this crazy idea that you needed some company during the holidays. Maybe he volunteered. I don't know. But the point is she hasn't had a boyfriend since she left. I'm still her boyfriend." I winced at that terminology, but it's all I had too.

I saw the comprehension flood into Lynne's face. I took half a step back, not knowing quite what to expect. She might explode and if she was angry enough, she might not be too careful about what man she took it out on first.

But she said, "Boy toy!" quite firmly.

And then she started laughing.

There is laughing, and then there is the kind of laughter that leaves you helpless. If you get that kind of laugh attack, anybody really can do anything they want to with you, and you'll be helpless to resist. I could have taken Lynne's clothes off right then and there and played tiddly-winks on her stomach and she'd have just kept producing those belly laughs that would have had tiddly-winks flying all over the place.

There was relief in that laughter, and some joy too. Those were clear elements, and I detected them almost immediately. Mainly, though, it was just an honest response to what Lynne saw as a hysterically funny situation.

Jill and Zack came running, of course. These were the kind of gasping belly laughs that make everybody within hearing assume an almost painful grin, wanting to laugh with the laugher. Of course they were worried, and had no doubt been discussing what to do if an outraged "older woman" came charging into the kitchen.

Lynne saw them, and just laughed harder. She pointed at Jill and guffawed. Then she slapped Zack on the shoulder with one hand, and sat down on the floor laughing. I stood there and giggled a little hysterically myself.

Neither youngster understood what was happening, of course. Jill kept saying "What?" in an almost whining, inquisitive voice. Zack looked around like he'd stumbled into a loony bin.

Lynne made motions to me to help her up, and I did. She stumbled over to Jill and, still laughing, hugged her tightly. Her laughs subsided to hiccupping snorts as she squeezed Jill. Then she pushed away and turned to Zack. She grinned inanely, actually looking like a resident in a loony bin, and approached him.

She snickered. He looked alarmed. She put her hands gently on his shoulders. He licked his lips and darted a look at Jill. Then Lynne leaned forward to kiss him on the lips, almost gently, before she pushed him away and went into more gales of laughter. The only thing she could be heard to say that was intelligible was, "I can't stand it!"

There was nothing the three of us could do but watch. With time, though, not to mention the laughter, it sank in that Lynne wasn't angry about the "plan" they had come up with to, as she thought of it (and part of why she was laughing so hard) "soothe her lonely heart."

Soon all three of us were grinning like idiots, in that odd kind of empathetic sympathy with Lynne as she finally ran out of steam to power her laughter. She had a bad case of the hiccups, though, and still looked comical as she held her breath several times, trying to break that cycle.

Finally it was quiet again which, oddly enough, caused the tension to begin rising once more. Lynne managed to break that early.

"Well, I suppose that our little chat doesn't need to be private after all," she sighed. That said, she launched right into the meat of the issue when she looked straight at Jill and asked "What on earth were you thinking?"

Jill looked slightly uncomfortable. "I was thinking that you needed a boyfriend."

Lynne looked over at Zack, who looked a little uncomfortable himself.

"Well I must admit he certainly qualifies for the boy part," said Lynne, a little acidly. Zack looked stung, but didn't say anything.

"Mom, you're not being fair about this," complained Jill. "Zack is a great guy. If I wasn't in love with Bob I'd definitely be interested in him."

Lynne turned a frosty eye on her daughter. "So you want me to take up with a boy who you find interesting, so that if you ever get disgusted with Bob you can take my boyfriend instead?" She frowned. "And you will get disgusted with Bob, Jill. That's just a fact of life. I loved your father with all my heart, but I regularly got disgusted with him."

"No I won't!" said Jill heatedly. She looked confused. "I mean I won't take Zack away ... I mean I won't get disgusted with Bob ... I mean ... oh, I don't know what I mean, except that I know you'll like Zack if you'll just give him a chance. He's so much like you. Every time we got in a car he made me put my seat belt on!"

Lynne looked annoyed. "That makes him like me? Come on, Jill, you can do better than that."

There were tears in Jill's eyes now and she looked helpless. "Mom," she pleaded. "All I can say is that I know you, and I know Zack, and I know the two of you could be very happy together. I know it! If Bob wouldnt have spilled the beans, you'd have had time to figure that out on your own!"

She shot me a look that could have scalded a cat. It was obvious she was disgusted with me, but I decided not to point that out.

"That's ridiculous!" snapped Lynne.

"Is it?" wailed Jill. "You thought that about me and Bob too, Mom. You've always thought that about us. But I love him! And he loves me! And I know he'll die before I do, but at least I get to love him before that. I know I'll hurt forever when I lose him, just like you still hurt when you think about daddy, but you still had some good years with him. That's all I want. I just want as many good years with Bob as I can have. Is that so much to ask?"

The look on Lynne's face softened, but she didn't respond. The silence stretched until Bob felt the urge to break it. He resisted that urge, though. Finally Lynne spoke.

"I suppose not," she admitted softly.

"And you're young enough that you deserve some more happiness too, Mom!" Jill exclaimed. She was obviously about to go on, but Lynne held up one finger.

"Stop right there!" she said. "Stop while you're ahead."

Jill slumped.

"Let's finish lunch," I said, trying to break the cycle of highs and lows that these two women were producing. "And no talking about any of this while we eat. Let's just have a nice meal together. Then maybe we can decide what to do."

Actually, as I look back on it my suggestion was probably pivotal to what eventually happened. That's because it gave everybody time to reflect on things.

I don't know what Lynne was thinking, though her later actions might give some clues about that. I don't know if an "older" woman reacts to an admiring young man like an older man reacts to an admiring young woman. You would think that anyone in that situation would at least feel flattered, regardless of gender.

What I do know is that I found I had somehow adjusted to the concept of Jill and me. I still found it strange, but I also found it exciting and hopeful. I did have some good years left in me, quite possibly as many as twenty or more, and the thought of spending those years with Jill was a powerful incentive for believing they could be very good years.

And so, by the time lunch was finished that day, I was Jill's intended, rather than just Bob MacAllister, gentleman farmer. And that had a not so subtle impact on how I thought about the concept of Lynne with a younger man.

After lunch Lynne started washing the dishes and I went to help her. She glanced at me, rolled her eyes and smiled. I shrugged my shoulders. It only took ten minutes to do the dishes, whereupon she turned to me and said "Let's try this again." Then she turned to Jill and said "We'll be right back."

We did end up in the living room this time, perhaps because I was the one being led.

"I don't know what to do," she said, sounding exasperated.

"Why do you have to do anything?" I asked.

She glared at me.

"I have to do something!" she snapped.

"OK, then," I said calmly. "Just be yourself."

She threw a hand out, almost angrily. "That's no answer!"

I put my hands in my pockets.

"You remember when you told me you had a crush on me for a while?"

She looked surprised. "Yes."

"Well I had one on you too. But it was too soon after Paul had died, so I suppressed it."

"I never knew that," she said softly.

"The point is that I understand why that young man is interested in getting to know you."

"He wants to get in my pants, not get to know me," she said firmly.

"Maybe," I said. "That was my initial interest. It got even stronger as I did get to know you. And it was because I got to know you that I resisted my more base urges. I cared about you. Who is to say he is incapable of caring about you too?"

"You're being ridiculous," she said heatedly. "He's just a boy!"

"Paul was just a boy when you fell in love with him," I pointed out.

"Yes, but I was a girl then. I'm not the same now. I've grown up. I have different tastes ... different needs."

"I know exactly how you feel," I said. "I felt the same way when Jill showed an interest in me. But the fact is, Lynne, that given the time to think about all this ... I really can't think of any woman I'd rather be with than your daughter. I know it's selfish, and that she has no concept of what it will be like as I grow older and all that, but I do love her, and I can't help but crave the years we have left. I haven't really wanted to live longer in a long, long time. Suddenly, I want to live forever."

"But we have nothing in common!" Lynne protested.

"How do you know that?" I asked. "When we came in you were talking about orchards, and it looked to me like both of you were interested in that."

"He was interested in looking down my blouse," she griped.

"So am I," I admitted. I looked at her breasts, intentionally staring for a few seconds. When I looked back up she was blushing, but not uncomfortable about it. "We're guys," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "We appreciate beautiful women and want to have sex with them. What can I say?"

"You're awful!" she said, half gasping. She still didn't look mad, though.

"Are you saying you never get horny any more?" I asked.

Her eyes got wide and I thought I might have crossed a line. Her hands came out and gripped my shoulders. She turned me around forcefully and then pushed me toward the kitchen.

"You're worse than awful!" she snapped.

In the kitchen Zack and Jill were still sitting at the table. Both looked uncomfortable. It was clear that Lynne was pushing me, but not why. I separated from Lynne, leaving her alone to face the three of us. I'd said my piece. It was up to her now.

She looked from one to the other of us, spending maybe fifteen or twenty seconds just staring at each of us. She ended up with Zack, who looked distinctly uncomfortable by now. His right hand was twitching.

"Do you really want to see the orchard?" she suddenly asked.

Zack blinked, licked his lips. "Yes, I do," he said almost cautiously.

"Then put your coat on and I'll give you the tour," she said calmly.

Jill almost jumped up out of her chair and went to the row of hooks next to the back door, where coats and jackets were hanging.

"Zack and I will go alone!" snapped Lynne. Jill came to a skidding halt and turned around as her mother continued. "I believe you and Bob have some plans to make." Lynne had a tight smile on her lips. "You can start on that while I show Zack around."

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