Synchronicity for Six Pt. 07

"Hey, Katie, Mags! Great minds think alike, eh, Katie?" Joy greeted them.

"Necessity, she is a mother," Katie riposted. "So, you also have a test tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to cover everything we've covered so far this semester. I'm worried."

"Joy, much of what we've worked on earlier this week built upon earlier concepts. I wouldn't worry about the comprehensiveness aspect," Maggie tried to reassure her posse-mate.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't worry at all, would you?" Joy smiled broadly to take some of the sting from her words.

"Let's get into this and see where we are," Maggie redirected. "I had Katie here take a five‑question quiz earlier. I'd like you to try it, please."

"Okay, Professor Lawson, if you say so. Could we quickly review the stuff from earlier this week first?"

They spent fifteen minutes reviewing the newer material, then Maggie sent a file with the questions typed out. "We'll just sit here on mute so we don't disturb you while you do this. Don't hurry, but don't dawdle either," Maggie admonished. Grinning at Joy's smart‑ass salute, Maggie muted their end, then turned to Katie.

"I figure you would have gotten a 90, given the correct answers and the work you showed on the one you made a mistake on. Don't get me wrong, Katie. A 90 is very good. But you can get a 100 easily. There's a life lesson there: don't settle when you don't have to." Maggie was unconsciously twisting her friendship ring around her finger.

After 20 minutes, Joy called to them, saying she was done. Maggie reviewed Joy's answers, and Joy, too, messed up part of a problem, but a different one than Katie had erred on.

"You'd have gotten a 90 on this, Joy," Maggie reported. She went over the whole quiz with both of her friends, pointing out where they had erred. Privately, she was glad they had erred on different problems. She did not wish to believe that there was a flaw in her instruction. She repeated the same evaluation to Joy that she'd given to Katie.

"But, Mags," Joy blurted out, "for me, a 90, up from a 65, is huge! I'll take the 90 and be happy. How about you, Katie?"

"I think I need to study that type of problem again," Katie answered. "Sure, up from a 75 is great, but like she said, we should be able to get 100s."

The girls talked a little longer, then Katie decided she needed to return home. That gave Joy the exit she needed, and they called it a night and promised to sync up on Sunday.

= = =

All was quiet in the house as Maggie had turned out her light and was dreaming of David. Rose and Alan were in bed, cuddling, rubbing noses, and speaking quietly. Both adults treasured this sort of quiet time together.

"Alan, can we get a key made for Katie to have, for just in case?" Rose asked.

Alan chuckled softly and commented, "That Justin Case guy sure gets around."

Rose gave him a blank look of incomprehension, and Alan was obliged to explain the long‑running joke within the Harrison family. Alan then backtracked and affirmed Rose's request.

"You seem to be taking her under your wing, my love. I enjoy having her around, especially as her friendship with Maggie is blossoming. But is there something I should know?" he inquired.

"Nothing definitive, Alan. It's just a feeling I have."

"Well, I would serve my parents' memories very poorly if I did not open my doors to the young lady. I'll get a key made for Miss Katie this weekend. I suppose that's yet another reason for looking for a house with more places to lay one's head."

Rose kissed Alan sweetly in thanks, then rolled over to spoon into him, and they were both soon fast asleep.

= = =

Friday, February 5

Rose awoke that Friday morning to several sensations she had to sort through. She was still wrapped in Alan's arms. But there was a firm sensation making its presence known on her backside. Alan's hands were full of her breasts, and he was alternating softly squeezing them with pinching her already stiff nipples gently between his fingers. Her sex was already moist on its way to becoming totally soaked, and the protrusion had begun worming its way in like a heat‑seeking missile. The radio kicked on at 5:45 playing the Beatles' "Something", and morning coitus was the chief concern of both of them.

That morning there was no sense of urgency for either of them, and it was a slower, loving, and altogether pleasing coupling.

"You do realize, Alan, that we didn't have intercourse last night, right?"

"Rose, I don't believe either of us really wanted it. Sometimes, my love, just being with you and holding you close is more than sufficient for me," he responded.

'How does he know exactly the right thing to say?' she pondered. "Okay. I was just checking. Mmmm, I like what you're doing this morning. Yes, yes, YES! Right there! Keep doing that, just a little bit more. Ohhh!"

"I'm gonna cum soon, Rose. Are you ready for it? For the heat of it? For it claiming you to be my very own?"

Alan's words extended her orgasm and he soon caught up with her as his release did exactly what he had promised. Their Friday got off to a wonderful start.

= = =

Dawn caught up with Julie at lunch on Friday.

"Is there anything we should bring?" Dawn asked, to which Julie just smiled and shook her head.

"Nah, you went above and beyond in leaving us all that food on Sunday. I think we're good to go. We'll see you around 6 PM?"

"I'm looking forward to it. Can we stay the night? Your guest bed is so much more comfortable than the dorm beds." Julie grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Yeah, we expected you two to stay over, so bring clothes for Saturday, okay?"

"Jules, I was truly blessed to have gotten you as a roommate the fall before last. I will treasure in my heart our three semesters as roommates. Thank you, sweetie. We'll be there at 6." Dawn gave Julie a firm, loving hug, then they went their separate ways for the afternoon.

= = =

David and Amanda were sitting in their shared Psychology 100 course, their last class of the day on Friday. The graded quiz from the previous day was returned, and while there were several of their colleagues groaning, David and Amanda were quite pleased with their grades. David had a perfect 100 and Amanda's 95 was quite acceptable to her. Their instructor singled them out to the rest of the class, and both were waylaid by a few zealous classmates on their way out of the classroom. It seemed that some of them wished to form a larger study group than just David and Amanda. Promising to sync up with them on Monday, David gave Amanda a very brief hug and reminded her that he was going home for the weekend, and asked her and Rob not to trash their room too much.

David hurried back to his dorm room and quickly gathered clothes to wear on Saturday and Sunday, plus his laundry, and dashed to his Jeep to begin the trek home to hold his lovely girlfriend. This had been a challenging first two‑week separation, for both of them, although it sounded like Maggie had found a couple of distractions.

One of those distractions, Katie O'Shea by name, entered the jewelry store just after 4:30. Maggie was helping a couple with their purchase and smiled brightly as she looked up and saw her friend.

"I'll be right with you, miss. Please feel free to look at our stock while you wait," Maggie called out. This drew Jack out of his office, and he decided to go speak with Katie quietly while Maggie finished up with the couple.

"So, Miss Katie, it's very nice to see you again."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Johnson! I'm just waiting on Maggie there so we can go enjoy some of her mother's wonderful cooking tonight. Plus, David's coming home for the weekend, so I think she's eager to get home."

"I see. Hmmm. In the meantime, is there something in particular that catches your eye? Just for conversational purposes."

"I just love Maggie's friendship ring. She says she got it from your store. I've seen the video of her and David. It's just so sweet."

Jack smiled and nodded. "Yes, that was at our other store, just down the street," he gestured out the window. Jack was then distracted by the couple leaving, and Maggie motioned to Katie to step away.

"Are you here to give me a ride home?" she asked, to which Katie nodded. "Cool. Let me go clock out and we can get on our way."

By the time Maggie emerged with her jacket and lunch bag, Jack had turned off the electronic 'Open' sign and lowered the security gates in front of the windows, then turned to address Maggie.

"As I've mentioned previously, I expect the next two Saturdays to be rather busy, Maggie. I think I'd like to try something special for those two days. I'm running a Valentine's Day sale and I expect higher than normal customer volume. Do you happen to know anybody with a modicum of grace and elegance who could serve as a greeter and hostess? It wouldn't be full-time; just those two days for now." Jack gave a small smile as his eyes drifted to Katie.

"Hmmm, I don't know many people here in Middleburg yet, Jack. Mostly just people from church," she said, clueing into Jack's little game. "Although, Kathleen here has been known to clean up very nicely, upon occasion." Katie's eyes widened as she finally caught the gist of the conversation and her excitement built quickly.

"Um, Mr. Johnson, I think I could be a great person for that job," Katie said, and Jack's smile grew broader.

"It would be just a tryout of an idea, strictly for cash, two Saturdays, the same hours as Maggie works, for $65 per day, $130 total. You would need to wear a nice blouse and skirt or dress and nice shoes. You would greet customers as they enter and thank them as they leave plus maintain a coffee, tea, and water station. You would need to make them feel at ease and welcome. From experience, I expect some customers to have to wait a little while Maggie, Maeve, and I are busy with other customers. Do you think you could do this, just for tomorrow and next Saturday?" Not having to think for even a moment, Katie gushed out an affirmative. Some extra spending money would be great to have.

"Excellent! I look forward to seeing you two lovely young ladies bright and early tomorrow morning." With that, Jack escorted them out the door and locked up the store.

Katie was practically bouncing off the headliner inside her car in her excitement. After getting that out of her system, she thought for a second and blurted out, "Mags, what am I gonna wear?"

Sighing, Maggie pulled out her phone and texted Rose that they had to stop by Katie's house for a few minutes on their way home for supper.

"Let's go to your house and see what we can find for you, okay?"

= = =

Jack returned home and shared his impulsive decision with Maeve. At first, she looked at him with suspicion, but she considered all of his arguments and ultimately agreed with the short‑term use of Katie as hostess.

"We also should set up a couple of small tables with chairs for those waiting to be able to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. That's what we're really doing here, Jack. We're setting ourselves up to be a place of refined culture and class. We should also have some soft, classical music playing in the background."

Jack's expression showed his total adoration of his wife and her keen mind for their business as she continued her dialogue.

"I also like it that you approached Miss O'Shea to be the hostess. I've watched over the last year or two, and since she's taken up with young Margaret Lawson, a bit more life has been showing. Something's been off for Katie but I have no idea what it could be. Perhaps she just needed a friend like Maggie."

= = =

Julie answered the door, letting her friend and her friend's boyfriend enter. That was one social grace that Rose had gotten right with her daughters: to greet and welcome expected visitors. Tom emerged from the short hallway and gave a broad smile of welcome himself. Dawn and John hung their coats and sniffed the delicious fragrance of taco‑seasoned meat. Hugs and air kisses soon followed, and everyone traipsed into the kitchen as supper was nearly ready.

Tom gestured for their guests to gather around the table but remain standing. Julie joined them and they all clasped hands while Tom asked the blessing over the meal. Then Julie explained about the meal.

"We're doing a taco bar tonight. I was going to do pasta and sauce with garlic bread, but we had that the last time you were over, and we did not want you to think we were one trick ponies here. You can make hard or soft tacos or a taco salad in a bowl if you like. If there's something you'd like, please just ask. Dawn and John, as our guests you get first dibs."

"Jules, you sure know how to set a wonderful table!" Dawn exclaimed. "This is so much better than what the cafeterias claim to be Mexican food!"

Julie just smiled and nodded. After three semesters of living with Dawn, she knew her friend very well indeed. There was very little conversation while the food was eaten and smiles abounded from everyone.

With the meal eaten, Julie collected the plates and set them in the sink, and they adjourned to sit on the sofa and in the two comfortable chairs around the coffee table.

"Okay, Dawn, you've kept us in suspense long enough. What happened with Renée?" Julie inquired.

"Oh, Jules, you have to know that I tried to get along with her. I tried all the things that used to work for us, but she was having none of it. She found out somehow that my folks have some money, and that led her to get into my stuff. Fortunately, it's my parents who have the money, not me. Anyway, to make a long, gruesome story short, she was expelled for multiple violations of the Student Code of Conduct, and Dad ponied up a little extra cash. So now I have a single for the rest of the semester. John can't move in, but he spends quite a bit of time with me for some odd reason." Dawn smiled fatuously at her boyfriend, who held and stroked her hand in affection. "Jules, Tom, I cannot even begin to thank you for allowing me to have sanctuary here in your apartment last weekend. Oh, yeah! Here's the key back." Dawn handed a key on a cheap keyring to Tom, who accepted it graciously.

John clapped his hands together and rubbed them, asking, "So, are we going to have another Monopoly championship match tonight?" Tom surprised everyone with his answer.

"No, tonight I think we'll rearrange the furniture a little." He stood and gestured for everyone else to do so. He directed the chairs be pulled to the far corners of the small apartment and they slid the coffee table in front of the door. With that done, he stepped into the kitchen for a moment. The other three just looked at each other with unspoken questions in their eyes. Tom quickly returned with the two candles which he placed on the coffee table after lighting them. He returned to the kitchen to emerge with a bowl, and Julie's eyes lit with her excitement. She pulled out her phone and started up Spotify while Tom placed the bowl on the table and turned out the lights, leaving them in a candlelit room.

Dawn then clued into what was going to happen and commented, "Tom, I never would have suspected this idea coming from you, but I like it a lot." She then snuggled up to John, who was still a bit confused.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Julie responded, "We're gonna dance, John. Don't worry. The way we do it is a lot like having sex standing up."

"But I don't dance," he objected.

"Just follow Dawn's lead, John," Tom advised, and he and Julie swayed and stepped to her Crooner's playlist. It took a little more coaxing from Dawn, but John got with the program and after about ten minutes he seemed much more comfortable holding her in his arms.

= = =

"Davey's home!" Maggie squealed as Katie pulled up in front of the Harrisons' house. Maggie saw David's Jeep in the driveway and got nearly as excited as Katie did earlier about the two‑Saturday hostess job at the jewelry store. She barely allowed Katie to stop before opening the door and dashing up the driveway to the front door. Katie smiled grimly, so envious in a way of the relationship her friend had with David. Turning off the parked car, she made sure both doors were closed and locked, then made her way to the front door, which was standing open behind the storm door. Opening the storm door, she stepped in and closed the main door behind her. Nobody was visible, so she screwed up her courage and called out, "Hi! It's Katie!"

A slightly muffled, "Come on in, Katie!" came from down the hallway, probably the kitchen, and she smiled and hung up her coat, toed off her boots, and headed towards where the call had come from. Turning the corner, she saw Maggie in a lip‑lock with a seated David, and Rose was focused on the stove's contents.

"Ah, I see you passed that test. Good for you, young lady!" Rose chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, I did pretty well on the trig test today," Katie said, uncertain how Rose would know this. Katie hadn't told anybody else about it, yet.

"No, my 'come in and call out your name' test. So, how did you do on the trig test?" Rose asked. Maggie broke away from kissing David, but remained seated crosswise on his lap, and watched Katie.

"I only got a 92 because I made the same bonehead mistake that I did last night on Maggie's pre‑test. Still, it was a remarkable improvement over my previous score of 66, thanks to Maggie's tutoring."

"A 92 is very good, Katie," Maggie declared. "I'm sorry you made the same mistake. I thought you were going to study that after you went home last night."

"Yeah, well I meant to, but the hostility that came from my dad when I got home just threw me off completely. I just don't get it, Mags. What have I done or not done to them to make them treat me the way they do?" Katie began to tear up.

"Davey, can you take Katie into the media room? I'll be right there, but I've got to talk with Mom for a second. Please?" Maggie requested.

"Sure thing. Come on, Katie, let's go talk for a second, okay?" David cautiously placed his arm around Katie's shoulder, and with a nod from Maggie, led Katie to the media room.

"Supper will be ready in 15 minutes," Rose called out, getting an acknowledgment from David before he closed the door behind them.

"Mom, it's sounding like her parents are treating Katie worse as time goes on, doesn't it?"

"Yes, darling, it does. All we can do right now is be supportive and open to any opportunity. We're trapped for space here now, so there's not a lot we can do. There are other considerations as well. She's technically an adult, so Child Services really could not do anything to intervene. We need to stay alert for any changes in her behavior or any signs of physical or emotional abuse. Perhaps we should begin logging when she tells us about the problems she's having with her family, including her siblings. It also might be a good idea for her to stay here in a loving home the night before a known test, for any class. For now, just be her friend like you have been already."

"Okay, Mom. You know it's hard to see someone so unhappy and not be able to do anything about it."

"Yeah, I know, baby. I know."

David led Katie into the media room and closed the door. The tears which had been threatening finally burst through. David gently turned her to face him, then guided her into his arms and chest. He just stroked her hair the way his mother would do him. He only knew a very little bit of the situation; just what Maggie had shared that week during their calls. He really wanted to call up Larry and let him know how much Katie was suffering from their parents. Surely Larry could provide some background explanation. But right that minute, Katie needed his comforting. It was neither the time nor the place to contact Larry. David began gently rocking Katie side to side, holding her close to his chest, and continuing stroking her ebony hair.