Summer Lovin'

Chapter Eleven

The week went by quickly with Summer working in the backyard of Jesse's house. No longer was there a back garden. They had plowed it all away. She was now starting from scratch and loving every aching muscle minute of it. Summer took long hot showers when she came home, ate a quiet and quick dinner with Jesse, and collapsed into bed once they finished the dishes.

On Saturday, Summer woke up at noon. She jumped out of bed in a panic. She had set the alarm for six o'clock as she wanted to go to the house and do more gardening before she had to be at Jesse's parent's for the barbeque at one o'clock.

Summer grabbed some clothes and hurried to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the barbeque.

"What's the rush?" Jesse asked her when she came out fifteen minutes later as she hurried to her room to get her socks and shoes.

"Do you realize what time it is?" she demanded, hurrying back into the living room.

He looked at his watch casually. "Twelve fifteen?"

"I set my alarm and it didn't go off," she complained, putting her socks on.

"Because I turned it off."

"You what?!"

"You needed rest. You're working too hard."

She pulled her shoe on annoyed."You had no right to do that, Jesse!"

"I had every right, Summer! You're working in my garden and I don't want you to if you're going to wear yourself to the bone!"

"I appreciate the thought. But I'm fine."

"Then how come you've been going to bed at eight o'clock every night? And don't tell me the time zone difference. A week's plenty of time to get used to it."

"Okay, you may have a point," she answered with a tired sigh.

"Thank you."

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A beautiful young woman with long straight blonde hair, and Jesse's green eyes opened the screen door when they approached his parent's home. The woman kissed Jesse's cheek when he threw his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Jordan, this is Summer," Jesse tossed a smile over his shoulder at Summer.

"Nice to meet you, Summer, Dan.." she started.

"I know Dana's told you all about me," Summer interrupted with a laugh.

The woman nodded in acknowledgment as she laughed. "Come on in. Mom and Dad are out back," Jordan said, looking at Jesse.

Jesse swung an arm around his sister's shoulders. "I don't want to see them. I want to see Anna."

Jordan pulled out of Jesse's embrace and closed the door once Summer had joined them inside. "She's sleeping so you can see her later."

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs." Jordan narrowed her eyes at him.

Jesse grabbed Summer's hand and quickly led her up a flight of stairs.

Summer was bewildered at Jesse's mad dash up the stairs."Who's Anna?" she asked between quick inhales of breath.

Jesse led her into a bedroom. In the corner was a beautiful cherry wood crib. "Oh! A baby!" Summer cooed quietly. She carefully peeked into the crib. A small baby of maybe three months old was sleeping peacefully. The baby had blonde hair starting to appear on her tiny head. Jesse stroked the baby's small fist.

"Jesse James, you leave her alone," a woman said with a whispered demand as she entered. "We just got her to sleep."

She was with no doubt Jesse's mother. She was stunningly beautiful with blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was wearing white shorts and a blue tank top. She looked amazing for her age.

"We're only looking, ma" Jesse complained, moving away from the crib. He walked over to her kissing her on the cheek.

"Summer, it's lovely to see you again, dear." His mother left her son to embrace Summer in a welcoming hug.

"We've met?"

"Oh, you probably don't remember. I came to your and Dana's graduation. We met only very briefly."

"Oh, that's right," Summer replied, now remembering her. She also remembered being disappointed Jesse hadn't been able to make it. He had been sick with the flu.

His mother grabbed Jesse by the arm, pulled him from hovering over the crib, and pushed him out the door. "Come downstairs, before I send Jordan after you."

Jesse introduced Summer to his other two sisters, Julie and Justine, and their spouses. Both of the women were as strikingly beautiful as their sister, Jordan, and their mother, Joanna.

"Is it me or is there a J theme in the family?" Summer asked him.

"It's a curse. Fortunately, my sisters have broken it with their kids," Jesse said pointing out the four blonde kids playing in the grass below the deck.

"You're not going to carry on the tradition, are you?"

"No way! I got the worst hit with it. You think I'd do that to my kids?"

She smiled. She liked his name, Jesse James, after the famous outlaw. It amused her, but it suited him well, especially when he got that mischievous look in his eyes.

They were sitting on the deck overlooking green grass and flowers and beyond that, a lake. She and Jesse had brought their swimsuits and a change of clothes as his father had insisted on so they could take a swim.