Copyright © 2019 J. Haney & S.I. Hayes The Newbie (Temptation and Troubles in Downers Grove, Book 1)
Jo
Oh, my God! What do I do? What do I do? I can’t just go off now, too much time has passed for that. No, I’m just going to go back down to the living room like everything is just A-Okay. It’s all I can do at this moment. Oh, he must feel so awkward. I covered my eyes, but it can’t be unseen!
“Hey, Jo? What’s goin’ on?” I hear Jennifer call out before she rounds the corner, seeing me standing outside Benny’s room with one hand on my head and the other on my belly. “Is that nephew of mine being a lazy ass again? Move I’ll drag him outta bed- Are you alright?” She grasps me by the arms looking me in the face curiously.
I’ve instinctually blocked entry to Benny’s room with my whole body. I snap out of it with a chuckle. “Yeah, he um- Gonna need-.”
The bedroom door opens and out comes Benny. My sloppy haired brown-eyed boy. The boy I just caught a trampy looking girl hopping out the bedroom window of.
“Mom? I- let me explain.” Benny pleads, looking desperately from me to Jennifer. I smile. One of those obviously fake smiles, as I place my hands on his cheeks. “Benny? Not now. Can’t you see your Aunt Jennifer is here?” I kiss his forehead and turn to Jennifer. She’s not really his aunt, just like she’s not actually my sister. We’ve been friends since grade school. The two Jen’s. Jenny Oliver, that’s Jennifer Grand and me, it’s how I got Jo as a nickname, the teachers were always callin’ me Jenny O, and eventually, Jo just became the norm.
Jennifer looks at us, and a wide smirk works its way over her creamy flawless skin. At thirty-eight you’d think that it would have cracked by now, but no, and here I am using every Retinol cream I can, to chase away the crow’s feet, but this is life, and it’s about to get more complicated. For Christ’s sake, I’m not ready to be a grandmother.
“What’s going on?” She asks suspiciously as I funnel her back toward the living room.
“N-Nothing, everything’s just fine and dandy. Why would anything be wrong?” I’m forcing a laugh now, my face turning thirty shades of red.
“Was he- Ya know?” She jerks her hand in an up and down motion near her crotch, and I cover my face in humiliated horror.
“You were, weren’t ya?” She cackles. “Please just tell me you didn’t use a sock!”
“Aunt Jennifer! Oh my God!” Benny cries out, while I shake my head.
“There was a girl!” I can’t do anything more than laugh hysterically, at this point I believe I’ve lost my mind. I collapse into the sofa, hoping to meld with it.
“Benny? I think you’ve broken your mom.” Jennifer lifts my hand, and it just drops as I stare at my fifteen-year-old son.
“Mom, I- It just- sorta happened. I’m- She was-”
“Please tell me you at least used a condom.” I hear Jennifer, but my eyes have sort of glazed over, and there’s a ringing in my ears now. Oh, I wish Benjamin were here. He’d have had a game plan for this. He’d have had it all worked out, walked in, taken care of it and told me after. He’s not here though, it’s just us, and now I’ve got to be adulting when I just wanna hide.
“I didn’t plan on that happening, I swear. I mean this week is the first time anything’s come out!”
“Seriously Benny, who was she?” I ask trying to wrap my head around all of it.
“The new girl, from down the road.”
“Talk about your welcome wagon.” Jennifer sighs patting Benny on the back.
Copyright © 2017 J. Haney & S.I. Hayes The Newbie (Temptation and Troubles in Downers Grove, Book 1)
Nico
I’LL BE DAMMED IF JO DIDN’T LEAVE me in the middle of the night again. She came over last night after I’d shown up at her house looking for Kyra. I was pacing the house when she knocked on the door. She helped me calm down, that is to say, she got me out of the murderous stage I was in and let me work out my frustration on her. I’d say we both enjoyed it. Now I’m waiting for Kyra to get home.
It’s getting close to one by the time Donnie pulls up with Kyra in the truck. I open the door and lean against it as Kylie comes out of her house with Benny hot on her heels. Donnie and Kyra are standing on the sidewalk when Kylie starts shouting.
“You better not have had Elvis do it. I swear you better get this shit annulled!”
Kyra holds up her left hand. “Too late, we just need to get Donnie a ring.” She shouts back.
“M-M-M-MOM!” Kylie shouts
I let out a whistle to get the attention of Kyra and Donnie. They look over their shoulders at me. “The both of you get in this house.”
Kyra stops at the steps keeping Donnie behind. I look at Donnie. “Did you have sex with my daughter?”
“No sir, I can honestly tell you that your daughter and I have not had sex.”
“There was absolutely no penetration in that way.” Kyra states.
“Kyra shut up. You’re not making it any better.” Donnie says through his teeth.
Kyra looks at him. “It’s fine.” Then she faces me. “You told me not to have sex without condoms and I didn’t have any, so we didn’t have sex.”
“I can’t believe you stayed out all night. You lied to me! To say your grounded is the understatement of a lifetime.”
“Uh, about that.” Kyra interrupts.
“About what?”
“I’ve decided I’m not grounded?”
“And why’s that?”
Kyra goes into her bag and pulls out a bra and shakes it in the air. I purse my lips, it’s Jo’s. “This, this is why I’m not grounded. You can’t go around sleeping with the neighbors and expect me to be a saint. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I come by my actions honestly. I’m your daughter, you can’t get mad at me for being just like you.” The bra is ripped out of Kyra’s hand. “Oh, hi Jo.”
Donnie swallows. “I thought you were kidding.”
“Both of you get in this house. Jo, come on and bring the other two.” I say trying to control the madness.
Jo folds her bra under her arm before smacking Benny in the back of the head and pointing. All the kids are in the house and I stop Jo at the door.
“This is not how I wanted this to go down.”
Jo looks at me and shakes her head. “You know this was a matching set.” She shoves the bra at me before walking into the house.
I shut the door and walk into the Living room where the kids are sitting together with the boys on either end. Jo is leaning against the arm of the couch nearest Benny.
“First things first, what is wrong with Kylie?”
“Oh, didn’t you hear? Those two got married last night.” Jo points at Donnie and Kyra.
Kylie starts sputtering and crying, as Benny is trying to calm her. I turn my focus on the other two. “Is this true?”
“Sir, she was just having a bit of fun with Kylie,” Donnie speaks up.
Kyra smacks his leg. “Don’t lie to your father in law. If you’d have seen his bathrooms you’d have married him too.”
“I like big tubs and I cannot lie,” Donnie says in a sing-song manner with a laugh.
“What the hell are you two going on about?” I shout.
“No dad, we didn’t get hitched, but it got Kylie to quit harping on me for a bit.” Kyra finishes as Kylie shoves her so hard Donnie has to catch her.
“Hey now, hands to yourselves. Kyra that’s not funny you really upset Kylie.”
Kyra turns to Kylie. “I’m sorry. I made a joke and you didn’t catch it. Do you still love me? I’ll tell you all my secrets.”
Kylie shoves her again. “No, getting married without going dress shopping.”
“I promise if I get married you can help me pick out the dress.”
“Why would you tell her something like that?” Benny finally speaks up.
“Who said I’m getting married? I’d have to find someone who could put up with me for longer than a month.” Kyra says.
“Challenge accepted.” Kyra and I both look at Donnie.
“Boy, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into,” I say to Donnie. “Benny, you want to tell him where the chocolate is and how to use it?”
“Ah, just take her to the Dairy Queen,” Benny says.
“Are you talking about the day crazy was trying to get you to bed her? Hell, no that wasn’t happening. I can only handle one crazy at a time.” Kyra starts.
“Moving on,” Jo says.
“Yes, let’s move on. Jo, how long have you and my father been shacking up?”
“’Bout as long as you and my son haven’t been.”
All I can do is stand there with my head bouncing between Jo and Kyra.
“Are you as crazy as your best friend?”
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask your father?”
Kyra pauses a moment. “You slept with the crazy lady too? What that hell is wrong with you?” I give her a look to say really then look from Benny to Donnie and back to her. “I told you I haven’t slept with Donnie.”
“Okay, can I go now? You’ve tortured me enough. I really don’t want to hear that my mom is a super freak.” Benny says.
My head turns as I hear the opening lines of Super freak being hummed.
“Don’t you dare!” Jo whips her finger into Donnie’s face as he starts dancing in his space.
He frowns with a sulk as she smacks Benny. “Out, home and take your girlfriend with you.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Kyra tells Benny and Kylie as they are making their way to the door. “Dad are you done with us? We’re not having sex. I’m home and alive. I’m sure Donnie needs to ya know go home at some point unless you want him to sleep in my bed with me.”
“I’m sure he’d much rather been in his bed then down the hall from mine.”
“Actually, Nico, there’s three generations in that house and the geriatric ones are at the point in their senility that they say whatever they want.”
“Yep, my grandfather has gone out to get the paper once or twice with no pants.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Get out- the both you and don’t ever let this happen again or next time I’ll have the shotgun out.”
J. Haney was born and raised in Kentucky, currently residing in Greenup County, Kentucky with her family, where she is the proud momma to Jessalyn Kristine and co-owner of Proud Momma Designs, which she runs with her amazing Momma. J. Haney’s work tends to lean toward sweet and sexy, with suspenseful undertones, giving her readers something to hold onto.
S.I. Hayes was born and bred in New England and is currently living in Ohio. Running around Connecticut, she used all of her family and friends as inspiration for her many novels. When not writing Paranormal Drama or Erotic Romance, she can be found drawing one of many fabulous book covers or teasers. To see them, check out her website.
The pair met while working for a former publisher and became fast friends. Their split dynamics and views on life, family, and love in general, led to the idea of Stolen Moments: A County Fair Romance their foray into the Rocker Genre with A Sex, Drugs, and Rock Romance and their newest Working-Class Beauties. They do hope to bring you more in the months to come, so keep your eyes open and a fresh pair of panties close by. You know, just in case.
About Lauren Blakely:
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