Change

"That doesn't surprise us," Mrs. Harper said, suddenly remembering who her guests were. "He is his father's son after all, and Bobby is the most romantic son-in-law a girl's parents could have wished for."

"I look forward to meeting him," Rockie said. "I'm curious to see how far the apple fell from the tree."

Rockie sat quietly for most of the remaining conversations between JR and his grandparents, contributing only when someone asked her a direct question. She relished in the little tidbits of information that she was gleaning about JR simply by listening and observing his interaction with his mother's parents but felt terrible whenever he had to correct one or the other grandparent's memory lapse.

"Oh, where are our manners? JR, would you get yourself and Katie something to drink?"

"Would you like something"? he asked Rockie as he rose from his seat.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

He went into the apartment and returned in a few minutes with a bottle of water and a shoebox. He took his seat next to Rockie and opened the bottle of water before asking about the box.

"What's this, Grandma?"

"Thanks for reminding me, JR. That's a box of seashells that I want you to take to Katie for me next weekend if you wouldn't mind."

He felt Rockie take the bottle of water from his hand and watched her take a drink before handing it back to him with a big grin on her face. He was finding her more adorable by the minute. He set the bottle on the table between them where she could easily reach it.

"I'll be glad to," he said. "She loves collecting them herself, but I know that she will be thrilled to get these from you."

When it came time for them to leave, JR escorted her back into the apartment living room, where his grandparents joined them to say goodbye. Rockie took notice of the photographs hung around the room and sitting on various surfaces. She easily recognized photos of JR's mom, but didn't recognize the blonde woman holding a much younger JR on her lap in several of the pictures. She explored the photos, seeking any that had JR present and observing his growth through the years. When her eyes landed on a wedding photo, she was transfixed.

"Is that your dad?" she whispered to JR.

Turning to see which photo Rockie was interested in, he said, "Yes. Remember that I told you that they got married on a boat anchored beyond the Newport Pier? That's my dad and mom exchanging vows on the bow of the boat."

"You look just like him," she said, "except of course, your hair is much longer right now."

"I've been told that before," he said. "Would you excuse me a minute while I go print out your picture? I'll need to go down to the business center, but it shouldn't take long."

"I'll be happy to wait here and get to know you better," she said with a grin.

This time it was JR who surprised Rockie with a chaste kiss on her cheek before leaving her in the apartment with his grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Harper were both in the small kitchen, each looking through cabinets and drawers for something.

"Can I help you find something?" Rockie asked them.

Mrs. Harper replied, "My husband has misplaced his medication again."

"What medication is it, and what sort of container is it in?" Rockie asked.

"My blood pressure medication is in a pill caddy with the days of the week labeled on each compartment," said Mr. Harper. "And it's my wife who keeps moving it around so that I can never find it."

Mrs. Harper just "huffed" at her husband and continued searching drawers in the kitchen.

Rockie walked out onto the balcony and picked up the pill caddy that she had seen on the table where they had all been sitting. Showing it to Mr. and Mrs. Harper, she asked, "Is this it?"

"Hallelujah!" said Mr. Harper. "Where did you find it this time?"

"It was on the table on your balcony," Rockie informed them.

"That's right," Mrs. Harper said to her husband. "You took it out with us so you wouldn't have to interrupt our card game when the time came to take your pills."

JR returned with a five-by-seven print of Rockie's picture and a woman wearing a polo shirt with the assisted living center's logo on it.

"This is Lori," he said to introduce the woman. "She has agreed to take a group picture for us."

Lori smiled at them, but addressed only Mr. and Mrs. Harper, "How are my two favorite residents today?"

"We're doing good Lori," replied Mrs. Harper. "Thanks for coming over just to take our picture."

"The pleasure is all mine. Where would you all like to stand for the picture?"

Rockie looked at JR and then suggested that they stand on the balcony, so the picture would have the ocean in the background. JR took her hand and led her out onto the balcony, where they were joined by his grandparents. They seated the Harpers in chairs facing the apartment and then stood behind them. Lori took several pictures with JR's cell phone before handing it back to him.

"Take a look at those and let me know if they're okay," she said.

JR held the phone so that Rockie could also see the screen, and then scrolled through the pictures.

"Those are all good," she said.

"I agree," said JR. "Thanks, Lori. I will e-mail the one we choose so you can print and frame it for my grandparents like we discussed."

"Always glad to help you out, JR. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Harper."

It wasn't until Lori had left the apartment that JR realized that she had ignored Rockie entirely, almost like she wasn't even present. He hoped that Rockie hadn't been offended by being ignored, but she seemed not to have noticed Lori much either. Maybe it's a girl thing, he thought...

Rockie had gotten his grandparents rearranged at the table into their original chairs facing the ocean. JR handed his grandmother the picture of Rockie.

"We thought that you might like a picture of Rockie," he said.

"That's very thoughtful of you," replied his grandmother. "Both of you."

"It has been such a wonderful honor and pleasure to meet you both," Rockie told them as she gave each of them a warm hug. JR followed her hugs with ones of his own.

"Don't be a stranger," said JR's grandfather. "You're welcome anytime, with or without our grandson."

She took the hand that JR was offering to her and said, "Thank you. I look forward to seeing you both real soon."

"Bye Grandma and Grandpa," JR said as he escorted Rockie out of the apartment.

"They're getting worse," he said once they were in the hallway.

"I don't have any frame of reference," she said, "but misplacing medications and forgetting things must be very frustrating for them."

"Oh, it is," he agreed. "I spoke to Lori about having another evaluation performed on them to see if the level of assistance and supervision currently in place needs to be increased."

When they reached his car he asked, "Is there any place you need to go before we head home?"

"No," she said while checking the time on her cell phone. "What are your plans for the rest of the day? It's only two-thirty."

JR opened the door for her and said, "I should try to get at least a few hours of studying in, so I guess that's my plan for the rest of the day."

"What about dinner? Any plans for that?" she asked as she took her seat and JR closed the door.

"No plans," he said as he started the car. "How about you?"

With a smile on her face, she said, "I have a plan formulating. I'll explain it to you on the way home and see if you agree to it.

It wasn't a very comprehensive plan, but JR realized that Rockie had placed consideration for his study needs front and center.

"What do you like on your pizzas"' he asked her as he opened her car door.

"Pretty much anything but anchovies can be picked off without leaving a residual taste," she said. "So, that's the only thing I would prefer not to have on them. What about you?"

JR waited until the closing garage door stopped rumbling and they were in his kitchen before replying, "I'm generally pretty traditional; I like the Italian ingredients, such as Pepperoni, sausage, lots of mozzarella cheeses, maybe a few vegetables, that sort of thing."

"What about ham, pineapple, olives, bell pepper, onions?" she asked.

"You should probably just order a supreme pizza, minus the anchovies, and let's see how we do as a team," he said with a wink.

"Then that's what I'll do," she said. "I'll order them around five when I come back in from the pool area."

She started towards the front door and asked over her shoulder, "Do you have beer or wine for us to drink with the pizzas?"

JR rushed to open the door for her, "I have beer, but no wine."

Turning to kiss him on the cheek, she said, "I'm good with beer. Now, get to your studying and I'll be back when the pizzas get here."

"Yes ma'am!" he said. "Enjoy your afternoon."

Hearing him close the front door behind her, Rockie acknowledged that she couldn't leave JR and enjoy her afternoon at the same time.

~~~

Once inside her condo, she changed into one of her bikinis, tied her hair up into a knot on top of her head, and wrapped a Sarong around her waist. She placed her cell phone, beach towel, and spare front door key into a small day pack and headed to the pool area.

The beautiful morning that she had witnessed at breakfast with JR had transitioned into a picture-perfect Southern California afternoon. The recently departed winds out of the desert had blown any trace of smog from the skies. The temperatures were in the mid-eighties, and the air held little humidity. She hadn't been able to enjoy sunbathing in ages due to Brad's advances any time she even mentioned wearing a bikini, so she was grateful that her first opportunity to do so again fell on a day like today.

Several of the other residents of the complex had been of a like mind, so the pool and much of the surrounding areas were occupied. Rockie recognized a man and a woman from the hot tub couples Thursday night and returned their waves. She found a chaise lounge chair that remained unclaimed and positioned it to her liking.

Spreading her beach towel onto the lounge and retrieving her cell phone, she laid down on her front side so that she could keep an eye on the time. Her skin had not been exposed to much sun over the summer, so while she tanned easily, she wanted to be careful not to get sunburned today.

"Not hanging with the pool boy today?"

Rockie looked up to see who was talking and saw the male member of the second hot tub couple from the other night.

"Excuse me?" she said.

The man pulled a chair away from one of the tables and placed it at the head of her lounge. He took a seat before speaking.

"The guy who takes care of the pool and landscaping around here, you were with him the other night weren't you?"

"I was keeping him company while he cleaned the pool if that's what you're referring to," she said, craning her neck to see the man's face.

Two other men were pulling chairs towards the chaise lounge where Rockie lay.

"Hey, Jesse. Introduce us to your friend," one of them said as they each took a seat on either side of her lounge.

"It's 'Rockie', right?" asked the first man. The one the others had referred to as 'Jesse'.

She glanced around at all three men, then nodded in response to Jesse.

"I met Rockie here the other night when the pool boy made Brad look so bad. You remember, the 'non-fight' I told you about. Rockie, this is Chip, and this is Gene."

Jesse pointed to one of the men and then the other.

Rockie said hello to Chip and Gene, and then glanced at her cell phone to check the time again. Only two minutes had passed. Why had time suddenly slowed down?

"Rockie was Brad's girlfriend," Jesse explained to the others, "and he got pissed when he caught her hanging out with the pool boy. Isn't that the gist of things, Rockie?"

"So, you're not with Brad anymore?" asked Gene. "Or is that just until he gets out of jail?"

"Look guys, this really isn't any of your business," Rockie said.

"Hey," interjected Jesse. "We're just curious about whether or not Brad is still in the picture. Not just with you, but where other women around here are concerned. He was a pain in the ass to all of us guys."

"That's right," agreed Chip. Gene nodded as well.

Rockie sighed, "Brad was not my boyfriend, he was simply a roommate. He will come by in the next few days to pick up his belongings, then he will be gone forever. Satisfied?"

Sunglasses obscured their eyes, but she sensed their change of demeanor almost instantly. The men changed from "curious cats" to a "pack of wolves" on the hunt, surrounding their prey.

"Why don't you join us in the hot tub, Rockie," asked Gene.

"It's too hot today," she replied.

"She's right," said Jesse as he stood. "Sitting in the shallow end of the pool would be better."

Gene and Chip stood also, urging Rockie to join them.

"Come cool off with us, Rockie."

"No thanks guys, I'm just trying to get some sun today," she said as she rolled over to expose her front to the sun.

If drooling made a sound, she knew that she would have heard it. The intakes of breath and smacking of lips made their appreciation of her new position very obvious.

She had only ever experienced appreciation of her looks from Brad, and he appreciated anything female, so she usually dismissed his reactions. However, JR had displayed appreciation for her appearance yesterday morning, and that had been genuine, she was sure of that. JR's appreciation was also welcomed by her. Not so with these men.

Jesse tried again, "The pool guy takes good care of the pool, Rockie. You should check it out for yourself so you two have something more to talk about next time."

"We already have plenty to talk about but thank you for your concern. Now, please stop blocking my sun so I can finish up here."

Gene reached down and tried to take Rockie's hand, but she pulled it away. Her other hand held her cell phone, so Jesse tried to take her forearm into his hand.

"She said 'No'."

Suddenly, there was a pressure applied to the crook of his left elbow. Jesse sank back into his chair as he lost feeling in his legs, sweating heavily, and looking confused. His bladder and bowels were releasing, and he could do nothing to control them.

Rockie swung her head in Jesse's direction and saw JR standing where Jesse had been only seconds before. He was wearing shorts but no shirt.

He reached down to hand Rockie a book.

"Will you hold this for me, please?"

She took the book and laid it on her chest, hoping that it would cover the beating of her heart that she knew had to be obvious to everyone.

"What the fuck?" asked Gene as he turned on JR.

"Where do you get off butting in? Stay the fuck out of our business or..."

Gene's words were cut off as his eyes met JR's. What he saw there took any fight right out of him.

Instead, he tapped Chip on the shoulder and said, "Come on, let's get Jesse cleaned up. He's been embarrassed enough without everyone seeing him in the mess he's in."

JR hadn't said another word, but upon seeing the bigger Gene back down, Chip eagerly assisted his friend as he took one of Jesse's arms and they led him out of the pool area. The odor from Jesse's urine and excrement mostly went with them.

JR moved the chairs back to the table while Rockie watched him. He then looked around until he found another empty chaise lounge, pulled it over next to Rockie's, and then sat down.

He extended his hand and said, "Thanks for holding my book."

She passed him the book without comment, which he shifted to his opposite hand. Before he reclined on the lounge, he spent several seconds just looking at her bikini-clad body with a warm smile on his face. Finally, lying back, he reached over and took Rockie's free hand in his.

"You look amazing," was all he said before starting to read.

Rockie considered strolling back to her condo for some suntan lotion but thought her carnal intentions would be too obvious, since she didn't really need a tan.

Chapter Ten

Rockie giggled as her garage door began opening at the touch of a button on the remote control. She had forgotten how nice it was to park her car in the garage, but before the door had opened far enough to allow her to pull in, she heard JR honking at her from his car.

He had followed her home from the dealership where it had only taken a few minutes for the sales agent to give her a tour of the vehicle and its features before handing her two key fobs. The new car didn't use traditional keys, either to open and lock the doors or to start the ignition.

She looked in her rearview mirror and saw JR hopping out of his car to approach hers. She rolled the window down with a single tap of a button on her door and waited for him.

He smiled as he reached her window and said, "Why don't you park in my extra space for the time being? If Brad shows up on time, he'll be here soon, and moving his stuff out through the garage to his truck over there will be faster and easier."

She glanced at the spot that JR was indicating, and then back at him. "Good idea. It will also keep Brad from seeing my new car parked in the garage when he gets his stuff out of there. The less he knows about what I am driving these days, the better I'll feel."

"You think he'll try stalking you or something?"

She nodded, "I wouldn't put it past him. He can be persistent where I am concerned. He may not want me, but he won't want anyone else to have me either. That's why I still have concerns about you supervising his moving out."

"I'll be fine," he said. "Go ahead and close your garage for now, then park. I'll pull into my garage and wait for you."

He started to walk away when she said, "I would like to change clothes. Do you think there's time before he gets here?"

"Why risk it? You can change at my place. Just tell me what items you want to change into and I'll get them for you."

He walked back to his car and Rockie pulled into the parking spot. She contemplated the idea of letting JR go through her closet and drawers, running through a mental inventory of what was in each location, trying to remember if there was anything that she wouldn't want him to see.

She blushed as the contents of some of the lingerie he would find in one of her drawers came to mind, but rather than having him avoid that drawer, she liked the idea of teasing him with its contents. As she pushed the button to turn her car off, she thought about what item in the drawer she should include on a list for him. Then it came to her.

The new car was supposed to lock automatically when the driver key fob had moved fifteen feet from the vehicle, so as she walked towards JR's open garage, Rockie listened for the small beeping sound that would signal that this feature actually worked. She heard it just as she entered the garage and smiled.

JR was waiting for her at the door to the kitchen. He stepped aside to let her enter and then pushed the button to close his garage door. Once in the kitchen, they both glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw that they had exactly fifteen minutes before Brad's scheduled arrival time of two o'clock.

Rockie set her purse on the counter and turned to JR, "Do you want me to write things down for you or can you remember?"

He smiled and said, "Give me the list verbally first. If it seems too complicated, we can write it down."

She had a mischievous look in her eyes that JR was beginning to recognize. He had seen it several times the previous evening as she teased him by keeping her bikini on while they ate pizza and watched a couple of old movies together. She had wrapped the sarong around her waist while they walked from the pool area back to the condo but took that off because she said it tended to get caught on things when seated.

"I'll make things easy for you," she said. "In my closet, see if you can locate the teal tank top shirt and the cream-colored shorts. They should be hanging pretty close to each other, on the right side."