Friends Like Family

When Karen awoke, it was still. She looked at the clock and triumphantly leapt out of bed. Throwing on a robe, as carefully as possible in order not to snag the cast on the fine material, she ran through the corridor to her studio. Boxes were piled against one wall but she ignored them for a while, heading straight for the windows.

The sun was making its slow ascent and Karen had to see the splendid sight for herself.

Suddenly, artificial light flooded the law below, catching Karen’s eye.

The harsh illumination made Jay’s face pale. His jaw was clenched and as he strode towards the pool Karen wondered what made him so unhappy so early in the morning.

She watched him for a brief moment. He dived smoothly into the pool, swam swiftly and turned after a length. That’s when she gave her attention back to the sun.

As it rose, she stepped back from the glass and stood in the middle of the room, looking around her. As the clear, yellow rays became stronger and dawn faded, she found a piece of chalk and scribbled clumsily on the floor in large letters.

When Karen was through, she went back to her room, fell on the bed and slept some more.

When she woke up, she went straight downstairs and bathed. Back in her room, she put on the first skirt she found and a t-shirt. Pushing her feet into sandals, she ran her hand through her hair and took the back stairs to the kitchen.

“Morning, Mrs Brown.”

“Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?”

“Twice!” she laughed on her way to the breakfast nook, fresh biscuit in hand.

“Good morning, everyone,” she sang.

“Good morning, Fox,” Jay said.

Steve and Mark were seated with him. Steve grunted, evidently not a morning person.

Mark cried, “How come you got one? She rapped my hand with a wooden spoon when I reached for a biscuit!”

Karen shrugged her small shoulders and sat down next to Jay with a smile. “I’m special, I guess.”

As she said so, Jay poured coffee for her with plenty milk and one spoon of sugar.

Steve watched, amazed. “I have never…”

“Never what, Steve?” Jay asked, pinning his friend with a look.

Wide-eyed, Steve said, “Nothing.”

At that moment, the last two guests who had slept over after the party entered. Veronica ruffled Mark’s hair and winked at Steve before kissing Jay on the cheek. Tim just sat down and yawned.

Karen giggled.

Tim’s long brown hair was drawn in a simple ponytail. She was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts and her brown eyes told Karen she though it was too damn early.

“I won’t get good conference out of you looking like that, Timothea,” Jay said, having accepted Ronny’s kiss placidly.

Timothea’s lips parted in a parody of a smile, which made him smile.

Evidently, Karen wasn’t the only one who thought Jay had a lovely smile. Veronica watched him with a distinct light of longing in her eyes.

Karen though then that Veronica had a rather patrician profile. Her shoulder-length hair was still wet and curling at the ends. The bits that framed her face, highlighted those features Karen had noticed yesterday.

Mark nudged Karen and brought her attention to Tim, who had returned from the kitchen with a beer mug- full of coffee, she informed them.

“Karen,” Veronica spoke, “Jay tells me you’re an artist.”

“It was supposed to be a secret,” she chuckled.

“Why? He also told me you’re sold out at Carter’s.”

“I was joking. Yes, I am.”

“I am,” Steve put in, “a loyal friend Karen. I bought one set before I ever knew you.”

She was delighted. “You didn’t!”

“I did,” he told her smugly, unable to resist the innocence of her pleasure.

“Which one, Steve?”

“Caged Child.” Pause. “It reminded me of myself as a child.”

Karen laughed. “But you haven’t even got any hair.”

“Purely by choice, Foxy.”

She wrinkled her nose at the pet name but said, “Thanks for the support.”

It turned out that even Tim wasn’t immune to the cheery air Karen brought. She said her first voluntary sentence of the morning to Karen.

“You should put something up in our gallery too.”

“Even if I wanted to, nothing else is complete, I’m afraid. All my other works are in storage.” Pause. “You would have to talk to my agent anyway.”

Veronica spoke again. “Would you do my portrait?”

Silence claimed them for a moment before she got a reply.

“When my arm is healed and I’ve cleared all my other commissions.”

“Lord Madison,” Tim said after a while, “if you were a king, Karen would be your queen and Veronica your concubine. At least with the way you’re seated, right now…” her small teeth flashed briefly before her small face disappeared behind her mug.

Veronica’s eyes burned. “You always were a bitch in the mornings, Tim. It’s a wonder Jay can work with you.”

Timothea’s smile merely widened.

“Please pass the jam,” Karen and Jay said at the same time.

Mark choked. Steve merely covered his mouth with his hand.

Later on, Timothea and Karen were sitting in the gazebo. They were both too small- in Mark’s words too short- to pick fruits unaided and everyone else had gone inside with the first baskets for Mrs Brown.

“I thought you and Veronica were friends.”

After a pause, Tim said, “We are friends of Jay’s and can variably get along. Until she opts to fawn over and cling to Madison.

“Are you and he-?”

“More than business partners? No, not at all. Veronica had her chance- before Roxanne actually- but she then after they ended, she never truly let him go and I think it’s childish.”

“Well, why did they break up?”

“She’s a very demanding personality. And I think the idea of a title appeals to her as much as he himself does. When he fell in love with Roxanne, it took weeks for her to relent… maybe she does care but it doesn’t help if he doesn’t reciprocate. Theirs was a very brief coupling.” Sigh. “My cousin hates the word ‘no’.”

“Wait a minute, Veronica is your cousin?”

Tim shrugged. There was a long pause. Then she said, “Besides, she’s not really his type. I’ve worked with him for over ten years- way before he was based here… she’s not his type,” she repeated.

Karen let that information sink in. She had so many questions about her handsome host. And this woman everyone kept mentioning as though Karen knew her.

The rest of the day went by pleasantly. No cat fights, just happy exchanges and laughter.

Sunday, they watched the God Channel for an hour and then went to lounge by the pool, feeling a little less like sinners.

Veronica wore a lavender monokini. Her figure was fairly impressive, Karen’s first thought. In a muscular kind of way, though.

Mark was chubby and in complete oblivion. He was so unconscious of how Veronica pointed out Jay’s physique Tim kissed his forehead.

“Enchanting, isn’t he?” Steve snorted.

For a lawyer, indeed, Mark had a youthful naivety to him that inspired Karen. Not for the first time, her hands itched.

“Isn’t anyone going to swim with me?” Tim asked.

“I swam this morning,” Jay said.

“Liar,” Mark said.

“He did,” Karen said.

“How do you know?” Ronny challenged lightly.

“I saw him from my studio- I was watching the sunrise.”

“How poetic… the sun fairy pining for her home above the clouds.”

“Shut up, Steve,” Tim said, splashing him.

Karen smiled.

“Here I was think I was first up.”

“Maybe next time Mark,” Jay said before turning to Karen. “So how come you came to breakfast when you did?”

“I went back to bed,” came the easy reply.

Steve laughed out loud.