Julia Barrett - Beauty and the Feast

Beauty and the Feast

By Julia Barrett

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 992
Edgewater , Florida , 32132

Beauty and the Feast
Copyright 2010, Julia Barrett
Edited by Chantal Depp
Cover art by Les Byerley

Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-130-2

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Electronic release: March 2010

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Resplendence Publishing and my editor, Chantal Depp for her hard work and wonderfully minute attention to detail.

Table of Contents

Authors Note

I believe in love at first sight. Im convinced each of us does indeed have a soul mate. We may not always be so lucky as to find them in our lifetime, but that doesnt negate my belief in them. My husband and I knew each other for fourteen years before we married. During those fourteen years, we spent perhaps a total of five weeks in each others company. There were two extended periods of time, one period that lasted for three years and another for six years, during which we had no contact whatsoever. Yet, when I received a phone call at 2 a.m. and the man I loved but hadnt seen or heard from in six years asked if he could come see me, I answered yes without hesitation.

Eight hundred miles later, he emerged from his vehicle, took me in his arms and carried me off to bed. That same day, he asked me to marry him. Its been twenty-six years and weve never looked back. Still in love, still soul mates.

Chapter One

Jesus Christ, Jason! What the hell do you think youre doing?

Ahahah The teenager wiggled a finger. You know how my mom feels about cussing.

Who cares how your mom feels about cussing? This is the fifth week in a row youve gotten me wet.

Jason stood grinning at her, a hose with a spray nozzle in his hand. He waggled his eyebrows.

Thats not the kind of wet I mean and you damn well know it, Eva grumbled. What are you doing home anyway? Arent you supposed to be in school?

Im a senior, Jason replied with a shrug, Ive already got my college acceptance. Im free to do what I want.

Yeah, well, why does what you want have to include drenching me every Monday morning?

Because its a wet tee-shirt contest in my own yard. I mean, cmon Eva, youre hot. Im eighteen years old and horny and youre like, my fantasy.

Why cant you look at me as more of a big sister?

Jason snorted, I dont think so. He waved the hose in Evas direction.

Eva jumped sideways. Look, Jason, were going to have to come to some sort of arrangement.

Without hesitation Jason replied, Im open to that.

Eva rolled her eyes. The kid was quick and he had a one-track mind. Not that sort of arrangement. Do you want me to complain to my bosses about this? I will and you know what theyll do? Theyll send out Miriam. You want them to send out Miriam?

Jasons grin was replaced with a look of flat out horror. Hell no! Shes old and blows her nose all the time and she cleans under my bed and her food tastes like crap.

Okay then, Eva began, If you dont want Miriam, stop soaking me.

Eva walked into the garage and opened a cabinet. She knew where Mrs. White kept her worn towels. Jason trailed behind her. Eva noticed the young man watching her as she toweled off. He grinned at her, unrepentant. She saw his eyes focus on her black bra beneath her white, now transparent, tee shirt.

Eva pointed an accusing finger at him. Knock it off. Dont you have a girlfriend?

Yeah.

So how come you dont turn the hose on her?

Are you kidding? Shed smack me up one side of the street and down the other.

Eva gave the young man as stern a look as she could manage. Then why would you treat me so disrespectfully?

Jason pretended to consider her words for a moment. I dont know, he answered with another shrug. Like I said, youre hot. And you put up with me.

Eva sat down on a step to remove her shoes. Even her socks were wet. She decided it would be better to just work barefoot.

Jason, she said to the young man, Get out of here. Go back to school.

Yes maam, he replied agreeably. Hey, leave my bed alone and dont clean beneath it.

I never do, said Eva with a sigh. You want anything special for supper tonight?

Oh, yeah, answered Jason. Some of that spaghetti, you know, the stuff that takes all day to cook. The red stuff.

Bolognese?

Yeah, and Ill eat a salad as long as you make it with real lettuce and creamy Italian.

Since when are you so picky about food? asked Eva.

Jason winked at her. Since you started cooking for us. And garlic bread. Remember the garlic bread. Like you made it last time, with lots of butter and parmesan cheese.

Anything else, your majesty?

Jason ignored Evas sarcasm and he thought for a moment. Brownies would be good. A big batch. The cream cheese kind. I can take some of those to practice this afternoon. Everyone on the soccer team is addicted to them.

All right, sighed Eva. Get out of here. I have to dry my clothes and do some grocery shopping. Its a good thing your moms my only client today.

Jason headed toward his car. Eva saw him turn back to look at her. She was still drying off her feet.

Hey, he called. Im sorry for spraying you. Ill try to control my hormones in the future.

Eva grinned crookedly at him. Ill believe it when I see it.

Eva watched Jason drive away and then entered the Whites house through the garage and stopped in the laundry room. She stripped off her wet tee shirt and tugged down her soaked jeans. She threw them, along with her socks, into the dryer. She hoped theyd be reasonably dry within thirty minutes. She figured she had at least that long before Jason would dare show his face again.

Barefoot, wearing her old black lace pushup bra and boy shorts, Eva jogged through the family room and up the short flight of stairs into the kitchen. Eva always started in the kitchen. As far as she was concerned, a clean kitchen was the foundation of a clean home. She was obsessive about it. There was nothing more satisfying than thoroughly cleaning a kitchen. After her clothes were dry, she would tackle the rest of the house.

Eva snorted as she imagined exactly what Jason had stashed under his bed. The only girl in a family of five children, Eva had a pretty good idea of what shed find if she dared to look under there. No way. Eva wouldnt touch that shit with a ten-foot pole. After living so closely with growing teenage boys for so many years, Eva considered herself a bit of an expert on what young men kept under their beds. At least Jason was considerate enough to throw his dirty clothes in the hamper shed stashed in his closet.

Eva finished in the kitchen. She returned to the laundry room and pulled her clothes out of the dryer. Her tee shirt and socks were completely dry, unfortunately, her jeans were still tacky. Nothing worse than hot, sticky, damp jeans. She wriggled her way into them, cursing Jason. Eva decided shed better get started on the Bolognese sauce so it could cook slowly while she cleaned the rest of the house, washed the linens and watered the garden. She took a quick look in the pantry and in the fridge to make sure she had everything she needed for the brownies. After taking stock, Eva headed out to her car.

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