A Serious Cramp in My Style by Nexxie PART II Squad 99 arrived just as J.R. began gasping for breath. Johnny visibly relaxed as the A-Shift paramedics administered the drug and J.R. began to breathe better. As a precaution, Dr. Brackett wanted to check the boy out, but J.R.'s father was pretty sure his son was out of the woods. Johnny elected to drive to Rampart in the Rover, rather than riding with the ambulance or squad. He knew the allergic reaction could have been averted and could only conclude that J.R. didn't want Jennifer's dinner spoiled. He shook his head; by eating dinner and ignoring the symptoms, his son had pretty much assured the ruin of the evening anyway. "J.R., has this ever happened before?" Dr. Brackett asked. He noted there was no mention of any allergies in J.R.'s medical records. "Never this bad," J.R. admitted, reaching up to remove the nasal canula. Having the tube stretch across his face was an irritating feeling. His hand was halted in midair by his father. "You just leave that in there for a while and let it help you breathe," Johnny ordered. "He's gonna be all right, isn't he, doc?" Johnny asked Brackett. "Well, yes. He got the injection in time to prevent anaphalactic shock...but I don't have to tell you how serious things could have been. J.R., I'm going to give you a prescription for an Epi Pen, an injection of epinephrine that you can be given in case this ever happens again. You'll need to keep it where you can always access it, at home might be best, since Squad 15 will be able to treat you if you are at work. Don't ever ignore the reaction again. You've seen how severe it got in a short time. Untreated it can be fatal." Great, J.R. thought, now I gotta carry medication around like some darned invalid. I'll be all right without it as long as I'm careful what I eat. I've managed to avoid bay leaves for five years by just being careful. This time I was just stupid, I didn't want to hurt Jen's feelings by not eating her dinner. It won't happen again. I can detect the taste of bay leaves in time to avoid a major reaction like this. I'll be darned if I'll carry around my medicine like some weakling. J.R. got dressed while Johnny used the phone at the base station to call Roy, knowing his friends would be waiting for word on his son's condition. After a stop at the pharmacy they headed back to the ranch. Johnny was more than ready for a good night's sleep and looked forward to a relaxing day at the beach. J.R., feeling more than a little foolish, headed to his room without a word. He refused to tell anyone about this incident, sure it made him ridiculous. ****************** The beach was crowded with a sea of humanity that filled the sands and spilled over into the surf as Gage-1 and Gage-2 picked out a likely spot for watching the current crop of lovely ladies. From experience, Johnny staked out the bath house, knowing there would be a literal parade in and out its doors throughout the day. J.R. was still too unsure of himself to do more than admire the show; besides, there was Jennifer DeSoto to think of. A tube of sunscreen landed in J.R.'s lap. "You may be part Indian, but you can still get skin cancer, especially if you aren't acclimatized yet." Johnny finished rubbing in the last dab on his chest and put on his sunglasses, ready to lay back and watch the show. J.R. shrugged and started applying the lotion to his arms. "Want some help with that?" a very seductive feminine voice purred from just behind his right ear. A well-manicured hand reached around in front of him and took the tube from his unresisting fingers, then began liberally applying sunscreen to his back. The woman's hands roamed over his shoulders and back smoothing in the cool cream with a circular motion until all vestiges disappeared into his skin. She paused to appreciate the way his hair began to curl as it rested damp and soft against the back of his neck. "All done," the woman said as she scooted around to face him keeping one slender finger on his shoulder to trace its way along his collarbone. She was immediately surprised by how young he was. From the appearance of his companion, she was sure this one would be in his late twenties---but he was just a kid, and a green one at that by the nervous look on his face. Oh well, she shrugged. Johnny was amused at J.R.'s expression. His mouth resembled a beached fish as it opened and shut but no words came out. The woman was in her late twenties, almost indecent in her abbreviated swimwear, and well endowed to boot. "How about big brother," she said, noticing the resemblance between the two, and staring at Johnny. She looked him up and down as if taking inventory. "Need some help with the sunscreen?" This one is definitely out of J.R.'s league, Johnny thought, and a little too obvious for my taste. Time for a little parental interference. "No, thanks, I'm fine, uh...what did you say your name is?" The senior Gage cocked his head and made an obvious appraisal in return. She preened in the face of his concentrated stare. "Tracy. Your's?" "John, and this is my son J.R." Johnny's smile got bigger as the woman's manner definitely dropped from hot to sub-zero. Her eyes widened at the word 'son' and she looked at Johnny in distaste. "Yeah, well, nice to meet you, John...er J.R...see ya 'round. I gotta split." She took off at a fast pace, obviously embarrassed to be coming on to an 'old guy'. "You did that on purpose!" J.R. exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?" "J.R., she was definitely not your type." "How do you know my type? I don't even know my type, but I won't get a chance to find out if you scare them all away." J.R. was indignant and more than a little put out. He conveniently forgot that the woman's brief bikini and sexy voice left him too flustered to even remember his own name. "Son, she was closer to my age than yours, if I don't miss my guess, and she wasn't looking for an inexperienced kid...at least I don't think she was." Johnny sighed and laid back down. "Look for something a little younger, J.R., that one would have eaten you alive." Disgruntled, J.R. crossed his arms and stared straight ahead. He hoped this wasn't a taste of things to come. He was inexperienced with women, but he wasn't going to stand for having his friends vetted for suitability. A group of teenage girls looking for a clear spot suddenly caught his attention. No, it couldn't be...yes, it was! Jennifer DeSoto was just dropping a towel wrap as she chatted with her friends. J.R. looked around but didn't see Roy and Joanne. She must be here with just her friends. Wow! I wonder if her mom knows she's wearing that to the beach? "Uh, I think you're right, Dad," J.R. said suddenly, "somebody younger would be much better for me. I think I'll go for a swim and check out what's happening by the water." Johnny smiled, happy that his son found someone more his age to pursue. "Fine, J.R., have a good time." Boy, didn't that sound ancient, Johnny thought, right in there with 'bundle up' and 'run along, sonny'. Geez, I gotta find a girlfriend soon, I've been out of circulation too long. The younger Gage slapped the sand off his legs and headed toward Jennifer, trying to come up with a casual way to 'drop in' on their group. He needn't have worried. Jennifer's radar picked him up at a distance and she was frantically waving him in her direction. Yeah, he thought, like I need encouragement. He broke into a sunny grin. The day was definitely improving. Turns out to be a good thing Dad got rid of the older lady. He shuddered. Man, Jennifer could have seen that woman rubbing lotion all over me. "Looks like baby brother found something his own age," a soft voice said beside Johnny. He looked up to see a lady from the past...Denise, he remembered. She used to work in pediatrics at Rampart before she got a better offer from a pediatrician in private practice. Johnny thought that offer included marriage, but she wasn't wearing a ring now. In fact, he smirked in approval, she isn't wearing much of anything right now. As swimsuits go, that one is mostly gone. Oh, yeah! "Denise...right?" Johnny hoped he was right, or this would most likely be a short conversation. "Right...Johnny." Denise smiled and sat down on the towel J.R. had been occupying. "So, I've lost touch, where have you been keeping yourself?" "Still with the fire department," Johnny informed her, "but not a paramedic anymore." "Oh, that's too bad," she commiserated, "what happened?" She picked up the tube of sunscreen, "May I?" Johnny nodded permission and watched with undisguised admiration as she applied the cream. He knew she was doing it for his benefit...he could see the sheen of already-applied oil on her skin. "I had to stop being a paramedic when I got promoted," Johnny informed her. "They don't have captains in the paramedics...so far." "I'm sorry to hear that. I mean, it's good that you got promoted...Congratulations! But I'm sorry that you can't be a paramedic anymore. I always heard that you were one of the best." Denise gave him a warm smile, which he returned with interest. From the inflection in her voice, he knew she wasn't referring to his rescue skills. "How did it work out for you with Dr...what was his name?" Johnny asked. "Well, it did and it didn't. He wanted a nurse and a girlfriend...unfortunately, he already had a wife. He got the nurse, but not a girlfriend." She smiled, "But his partner, now...that's different. He's fair game." Shaking his head, Johnny realized she was a woman in hot pursuit...but not of him. He also noted that she failed to supply the name of the doctor. "Something wrong, Johnny?" "Oh, no. Just commiserating about your doctor friend's not so good intentions," he lied. "Am I keeping you from something? Are you expecting someone?" She noticed Johnny scanning the beach. "Just looking for J.R.," he admitted, a little concerned when he didn't see the young man. "I wonder where he got off to." Geez! John, he admonished himself, the boy is nineteen, not six! Relax and enjoy his absence. You were the one who was worried that having a kid was cramping your style! "Is baby brother down from the country to visit?" She vaguely recalled him being from somewhere in the north, a transplant to L.A. "Well, no, he's here for good, but J.R. isn't my baby brother." Her slightly condescending tone was beginning to irritate him. Had she always been like that? What the heck, Johnny thought, she's taken anyway. "No? But I figured...he looks so much like you. Is it just a coincidence or something?" Denise was puzzled. Johnny smiled his most enGage-ing smile at her and suddenly Denise wondered if her doctor was overrated. Then he said, "J.R. is my son." Nope, the doctor was back on the menu. "How...unusual. I could have sworn he was eighteen or so." Denise was rapidly trying to think of a reason to be somewhere else. "Actually," Johnny grinned, enjoying the battle Denise was having with rising panic, "he's nineteen." She can keep her doctor, he thought, this is kind of fun. Johnny's eyes twinkled with mischief behind his sunglasses. "Nineteen! You're kidding! I thought you...you always looked so...how old are you?" Denise blurted rudely. His crooked grin expanded from ear to ear as Johnny took great delight in her discomfort. Denise is a woman on the make, he decided, and definitely not my idea of a good time. "I always have looked young for my age," he said smoothly. "That's why my partner called me Junior." Well, it isn't why, but it's close enough for Denise. "In fact," he went on, "Roy's been married for almost nineteen years, but I was a daddy a year before he was." That's true, but then it's also true that I was just seventeen when J.R. was born. With a frantic wave to a non-existant friend, Denise hopped up and said a quick goodbye to the man that was becoming less attractive every minute before nearly running in her hurry to get away. Johnny chuckled at her less than graceful retreat and then laughed out loud. Heck, why am I driving away attractive women, he wondered with a rueful shake of his head. The answer startled him. Because I don't want that kind around my son. Whoa! Man! But it's true. But then, he always kept that part of his life separate from his time with Chris and Jennifer too. It was partly out of respect for Roy and Joanne, partly to keep the kids from meeting some of the chicks he spent time with, and partly because he knew deep down that they weren't the kind of women he wanted to end up with for good. He was doing it again, trying to be two people...the wholesome, playful "Uncle Johnny" and the carefree swinging John Gage. Frowning, he adjusted his sunglasses and laid back to contemplate the situation. Eventually he fell asleep. ****************** Jennifer settled her blanket in the sand as close as she could get to the center of activity on the beach. She wanted to be in plain sight if J.R. happened to look her way, and she wanted a good vantage point from which to spot him if he didn't. When he finally stood up from his spot near the bath house, her eyes were drawn to him as a needle to the north. She waved frantically for him to join the group of high school girls that surrounded her. As J.R. approached, he gave a nervous but appreciative glance at the group of four scantily clad girls arranged on their various blankets. Jennifer's friends eyed him back with even greater curiosity. He didn't know that this 'chance meeting' was carefully orchestrated by Jennifer DeSoto, and that her friends all had instructions regarding J.R. Gage. Those instructions were, 'hand's off!'. Seeing J.R. focus on her friends, Jen decided to bring his eyes back squarely where they belonged...on her. "Let's go for a swim, J.R.," she invited without introducing her companions. Let them find their own guys, she thought, this one is definitely going to be mine...someday. This time when she took his hand he didn't protest or try to make her let go. This time he held it tightly while they walked down to the water's edge. The ocean was deliciously warm as they waded hand in hand into the gentle surf. The shallows were crowded with people of all ages, and usually J.R. enjoyed watching them and looking out with awe at the endlessness of the ocean. But today, he only saw Jennifer, her hair that shone brightly in the sunlight, the dusting of freckles that seemed to dance on the bridge of her nose, and those beautiful violet blue eyes that caught the azure of the water and reflected it back. Standing waist-deep in the surf, Jennifer stared at J.R., drinking in the way his thick black hair fell forward into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes that were looking at her with something akin to wonder. What would he do if she brushed those stray tendrils of hair out of his eyes, she wondered. What would he do if she kissed him? Did she dare? Hesitantly Jen reached up and brushed J.R.'s lips lightly with her own. She heard his indrawn breath and quickly retreated, turning and diving into an incoming wave. Mesmerized, J.R. followed, unable to believe what happened, and wanting to see if it would happen again. They changed directions after a few strokes, careful to stay parallel to the shore before stopping to face each other as the waves rolled over them. The water came just to J.R.'s shoulders, but Jennifer was on tiptoe as it lapped gently under her chin. He caught her around the waist and lifted her up to hold her at eye level against his chest. J.R. focused on the water droplets that ran down her face, touching the corner of her mouth before returning to the ocean. Entranced he followed one of the droplets with his lips as Jennifer shivered with reaction and turned her face to catch his mouth with hers. Jen could feel J.R. tremble when she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, deepening the kiss. She reveled in the strength of his arms holding her tightly and the touch of his body against hers. "Hey, you two," a very unromantic voice cut into their moment, "do that somewhere else. We have little kids here." His face on fire, heart thumping wildly, J.R. released Jennifer and backed away. Man, that was embarrassing, he thought. I hope Dad isn't looking this direction. My first grown-up kiss, Jennifer realized. It wasn't exactly like I thought it would be...it was better! She savored the feeling of J.R.'s lips on hers as they headed back to the crowded beach. Not ready to return to her friends, Jennifer again held out her hand to the boy she dreamed about every night and, like one of those dreams coming true, he took it in his. They walked along the beach as far as the shorebreak before sitting in the warm sand, the rocky pilings at their backs. ****************** Johnny gasped in shock as a generous quantity of ice and soda pop suddenly rained on his sunwarmed chest. "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry!" a young female voice exclaimed. Seconds later he was being thoroughly toweled dry by a very red-faced teenage girl. "I'm so sorry," she kept repeating, swiping in ever-widening circles on his torso with a corner of her beach towel. "Uh, that's all right." Johnny caught the nervous hand wielding the towel before she got any more thorough. He was going to have to go for a swim now---or take a shower---before he could go home. He thought of the sticky spots on his chest with distaste and gave the girl a half-hearted smile. "No harm done." "Kathy, really!" a new voice exclaimed. A woman carrying armloads of tote bags, blankets and a cooler stumbled as she came upon her younger companion busily toweling off a strange man. Make that a handsome strange man, she mentally adjusted. What next, Johnny thought, brushing sand from his chest. A woman doing her best to resemble a pack mule tripped in the sand and kicked a divot toward Johnny. The white sand clung to the sticky spots, furthering the need for a wash. Johnny stood up and helped her as she struggled to regain control of her many burdens. The woman looked up---way up---into a pair of dark sunglasses and smiled apologetically. "We must really look like a couple of klutzes," she told the man. "I'm sorry about this." She refused to focus on the little patches of sand clinging to the man's chest and thus resisted the urge to brush them away. Johnny looked down at the petite, thirty-ish blond and gave her a wide grin. Now this was more like it. There was a striking resemblance between the woman and the girl. He would guestimate the woman to be about thirty-two and her companion somewhere around sixteen. Both had long nearly white-blond hair and deep golden tans, the same startling light blue eyes and dimpled chins. The way their eyes were devouring him, he felt a little like dinner. He had 'it' back. "No harm done," Johnny repeated. The woman dropped her many bundles and bags and held out her hand. "My name is Estelle," she informed him, "and this is my daughter, Kathy." She waited for the usual shocked reaction, surprised when it didn't happen. Most men assumed Kathy to be her sister or cousin. Then they invariably lost interest when they were apprised of the true relationship. This one just smiled enigmatically, as if he thought it a terrific joke. "Nice to meet ya, Estelle,...Kathy" Johnny said, clasping the mother's hand. He nodded at the girl who was still staring at him fixedly. I'm John Gage. Where ya from?" He didn't run, the woman thought in wonder. Well, gee, Estelle, like he could...this is his blanket. ****************** Trusting that nobody they knew could see them, J.R. put his arms around Jen and drew her against him. It was dangerous. It was foolhearty. He pressed his lips to hers again, this time uninterrupted. She was the first girl he ever kissed, and it was like nothing he ever imagined. He held Jennifer close aware of the velvety softness of her skin and the taste of salt on her lips. "J.R.," Jen said in a small voice, "about last night, I'm so sorry." "Last night?" J.R.'s voice was husky, his mind focusing only on this moment in time, wishing he could make it last forever. "Dinner...bay leaves?" Jen reminded him. "Oh, that. Forget it, sweetheart, it was an accident." J.R. held his breath, waiting for Jen to react to his words. He had, truthfully, forgotten the hours spent in the emergency room as soon as he saw Jennifer DeSoto this morning. There were better things to concentrate on. Jen snuggled closer, her heart soaring at his use of the endearment. "I'm just glad you're all right. I was so scared for you. You looked so sick when Dad and Uncle Johnny found you. I feel just awful that I caused it." J.R. sighed. She wants to talk...okay. "Jen, it's all right, you didn't know. I didn't even think about it at first, it's been so long since I ate anything with bay leaves in it." He kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. "Why did you just run off? Why didn't you say something at dinner?" Jennifer was nothing if not persistent. Do girls always talk so much? Why couldn't she just let it drop and concentrate on more...important stuff? "Honey, I knew you needed the dinner to be perfect. I guess I ruined it for you. I'm sorry, Jen. It seems all I can do where you are concerned is screw up." J.R. sat up and hugged his knees, staring off into the surf. "J.R., I almost killed you! You could have died last night, and I would never..." She broke off realizing the selfishness of what she was about to say. "Never? Never what?" he asked, holding his breath. He knew what he hoped she would say. Jennifer's feet were kneeding their way into the sand. She started that sentence without thinking and now she had to finish it somehow. "I would never have known what it is like to be kissed by you." There, she said it...well, almost; she'd only changed one little word. Her voice was shaky and low and it sent shivers all the way to J.R.'s toes. She wanted me to kiss her. She wanted it as much as I did! The sound of the surf and the seagulls faded away. The people around them ceased to exist as J.R. turned and drew Jennifer once more into his arms. Her lips were warm and soft against his, and her skin... "Well, well, Junior," an amused female voice teased, "does Daddy know what you're up to?" Denise's smile was mocking and her tone oozed condesension as, hands on her hips, she stared down at the pair. "I'll bet this isn't exactly what he had in mind when he sent you out to play." Lost in the moment, neither of them saw the woman approach. They were unaware of her presence until her jarring voice startled them apart. "Excuse me," Jennifer said, looking daggers at the woman, "do we know you?" "I doubt it," she replied, "but I was talking to Johnny Junior's daddy while ago. He was worried about where his little boy got off to." Denise was getting a little of her own back as she saw J.R. Gage redden and cast worried glances in the direction of the place he left his father. "When I head back that way I'll tell him you found a playmate, shall I, Junior?" "That's not my name," J.R. replied coldly, "and you needn't bother to run to my father with any messages on my account. I'm fully capable of talking to him myself, Miss...what was your name again?" His inflection was a perfect imitation of Johnny's when he got rid of the older woman earlier, disdain mixed with a little sarcasm. Jennifer was amused, and impressed. She heard Uncle Johnny use just that tone a couple times before, and it always made "whoever" leave in a hurry. Denise was stunned to hear an exact replica of John Gage's voice come from this much younger man. It was uncanny. Angrily she turned and stalked away, her little joke falling flat. How dare the boy imply that she was no more than a tattletale...or a gossip? Once he was sure the woman was out of earshot, J.R. took his arm from around Jennifer and scooted a few inches away, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Jen," he began, sensing her hurt at his withdrawel, "this place is much too public for what we were doing." "What we were doing was kissing, J.R.," she complained. "It's not like we were doing anything that other couples on the beach weren't doing." "Hey, I know there are other people kissing and stuff, but I'm not comfortable kissing you with an audience. I kind of forgot where I was, and well, somebody one of us knows could be watching. Jennifer, your parents would kill me if they saw us together like this. My dad would probably disown me for making a spectacle of you. And Chris," J.R. shuddered, "Chris would break every bone in my body...twice!" Jen smiled as she thought back to a conversation she had with her brother earlier that morning. Mom and Dad had just left to go "curtain shopping"---Dad didn't manage to get out of it---when the phone rang. "DeSoto's," Jen answered in the form abbreviated from the proper response she was taught as a child. "Hey, Sis, how's it goin'?" It was Chris, calling from college. "Chris! Hi! It's not going so good. I had my dinner for home ec last night. Uncle Johnny and...uh J.R. came over." "How did it go?" Chris wished he could have been there. "Oh, Chris, it was awful!" "What happened? Did they have to call the fire department to put out the flames when you burned the meal?" Chris couldn't let an opportunity pass to razz his sister. "We had to call the paramedics; I poisoned J.R." Jen's anguished voice drove any thought of teasing out of her brother's mind. "You did what? Is he all right?" Jennifer tearfully explained about the allergic reaction and it's near-tragic results. She was obviously very upset. "You're hung up on J.R., aren't you?" Chris asked softly. There was an uneasy silence on Jennifer's end. "Why do you say that?" "Come on, Jen, it's me! I know you. You're hung up on the guy." He was amused to get the best of his sister for once. "Well, yeah, maybe a little," Jennifer admitted. "How hung up?" Chris asked, suddenly more serious. He expected her to deny it. "Huh? What do you mean?" Jennifer wasn't sure where this was going. "How hung up? Like 'let's go out for pizza' hung up, or 'let's look for a ring' hung up?" This wasn't a joke anymore. "Chris! Look, I gotta go, my friends are picking me up and we're goin' to the beach." Jennifer hoped he would let it ride. "Jen, Mom and Dad will hit the roof, but...well, he's okay, ya know? I mean if J.R.'s gonna be your boyfriend, I'm cool with that. But don't do anything stupid, okay?" Chris sounded a little worried. "Nothing stupid, I promise," Jen said lightly before ending the conversation. As big brothers go, Chris could be a royal pain sometimes. But sometimes he was pretty nice. "I've got a flash for you, J.R. Gage," Jennifer was starting to get mad. "Chris already figured out that I like you, and he probably figured out we'd do this sooner or later." J.R. sure hoped not. Jennifer was naive if she thought her family would allow her to be more than friends with Johnny's illegitimate son. Jennifer watched helplessly as J.R. seemed to shrink into himself and withdraw. It was the same look he had the first time he and Johnny came to their house for dinner---uncertain, wary, ready to run. What is going on in his mind? He seemed to be retreating into some world of his own. Quickly Jennifer tried to think of something to bring him back. "Hey, tell me about your mom. What was she like? What did she tell you about Johnny? Were you anxious to meet him? How did she and Johnny meet?" Her gambit worked. Glad to have a chance to talk about his mother, J.R. began answering Jen's questions and revealed a little more about himself at the same time. Jennifer was careful to remember every precious word as if it were a special gift. The afternoon passed quickly and the two were startled to hear the voices of Jennifer's friends approaching, reminding her it was time to go home. The beach was nearly deserted and J.R. realized that he was gone a long time. He wondered vaguely if his dad found a 'friend' for the day. Hopefully he didn't leave without J.R.. Nah, he wouldn't do that, would he? Quickly, before her friends were in earshot, Jen put up a hand motioning them to wait where they were. "J.R., how are we gonna see each other? I mean, after today, we are going to... This isn't just one day, right? It means something to you too, doesn't it?" J.R. was mystified by Jennifer's confusion. Of course it meant something. Why would she think otherwise? "Jen, is there something wrong? Something I don't know?" She hung her head, afraid to tell, afraid to spoil anything about this perfect day. And she knew she was about to ruin the mood big time. "My parents think I'm too young for you. They've forbidden me to date you." There it was said. Would it be the end? J.R. felt like he'd been belted in the stomach. He'd been afraid of that all along, only he figured there was more to it than just the age difference. He was a...he just wasn't good enough for their daughter and never would be. "Well, I guess that's it then," he said, defeated. "I wish you had told me sooner, Jen." That's a lie; I wish you'd never told me. "J.R., I don't want this to be 'it'. I...I care about you. I want to be with you. Please, there's got to be a way." Jen was pleading, eyes filled with tears ready to spill over, chin quivering. "I don't want this to be 'it' either, but...we can't go behind your parents' backs. It just wouldn't be right." Jennifer could never be more to him than a friend...ever. His throat ached and burned with the bitterness of disappointment. He wished he had died last night. Until this moment, J.R. didn't realize how much he wanted his future to include Jennifer DeSoto. "They just don't understand," Jen declared. "J.R., please don't give up. Oh, sweetheart, I don't want to lose you. We can meet here, at the beach, or at the ranch. I can still come over and go riding every weekend---maybe we'll get some time alone then. We'll find a way; we've got to." "Jen, you're only sixteen. We can't go against your parents. They're probably right, I am too old for you." "No!" A solitary tear escaped and ran down Jen's cheek. "I won't accept that! Promise me you'll try, promise. Please!" Not proof against Jen's tears, J.R. swallowed and found himself giving in. "I promise," he said hoarsely, wondering just what that promise would cost. Jennifer rose to her knees and leaned down to give J.R. a proprietory kiss before standing to join her friends. It was a declaration, a 'hands off, he's mine' statement. She knew the girls could be counted on not to tell her parents what they had seen. 'Bittersweet' was a good word to describe today, J.R. reflected as he made his way back toward the place he left his father. So full of wonder and discovery and the sweetness that was Jennifer. So full of pain and disappointment to find himself unacceptable to her parents. Now he'd made a promise that he shouldn't keep. Hell, getting busted for underage drinking the other night would have been nothing compared to what could happen to me if I get caught alone with Jen. What am I gonna do? ****************** Johnny scanned the beach, all but deserted now, except for some couples scattered on blankets, enjoying the sunset. He spent most of the day, chatting with Estelle and her daughter, relaxing and enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of the surf. Kathy made him nervous, he admitted. She was acting like her mother's rival for his attention, but since Estelle didn't seem to notice, he let it ride. J.R. must have found a friend somewhere to talk to; he didn't come back all afternoon. It was probably time to look for his son...unless he was with some girl, then he wouldn't appreciate his old man showing up. Old man! It was a funny term at first when he talked about being his son's father. But after their camping trip, he'd promised not to use it anymore. Besides, he was going to be 37 in a few days. Where did the time go? Come to think about it, he didn't much like the words 'old man' either. "Man, where did the time go?" J.R. asked as he approached his dad, noting with interest Johnny's two female companions. "This day went really fast." Startled by J.R.'s voice echoing his melancholy thoughts, Johnny jumped and looked up to see his son standing in front of him where there had been only sand a moment ago. "Hey, J.R., ready to head home? I bet the horses will be glad to see us. Those guys are probably ready for supper." J.R. nodded and waited pointedly for an introduction. Johnny had been anticipating this moment all afternoon. "Estelle, Kathy, I would like you to meet my son, J.R." As the younger Gage extended a hand to acknowledge the greeting, Estelle smiled widely at him and then at his father. Kathy quickly shifted attention from father to son. No wonder he didn't blink when I introduced Kathy, Estelle thought. He really did understand. His kid had to be at least eighteen making the man before her either a teenage father or a man that looked very young for his age. From his lack of surprise at meeting her daughter, she would bet the former. She was instantly curious. "Nice to meet you, J.R.," the woman said, releasing his hand. "John, he's cute!" she told J.R.'s father. Johnny chuckled in response and J.R. blushed. Not only was the young man embarrased by the woman's words, but the girl was looking at him with moon-eyed adoration. Ordinarily he would be flattered, but after a whole afternoon with Jennifer DeSoto, and his promise to her, he just wasn't intersted in anybody else. Besides he was trying to figure out what to tell his dad about today. Should he casually mention that he met Jennifer and spent the afternoon talking to her? What if that other woman came back and told Johnny about finding his son kissing some girl? In that case the worst thing he could do is say he was with Jennifer. But then, what if the DeSotos mentioned to Johnny that Jennifer was here with her friends today? He would look pretty stupid for not saying he and Jen met up. "So, J.R., how did you spend the day? Did you find somebody to talk to?" Johnny noticed that J.R. wasn't volunteering any information or attempting to strike up a friendship with the pretty young girl who was making it very apparent she wanted to make the boy's acquaintance. Curious. "Yeah, I met somebody and we spent the afternoon talking." If Johnny heard anything else he would most likely bring it up now, and J.R. would know not to mention he was with Jennifer. "Good, I'm glad you're making friends." When it was plain to Johnny that J.R. was anxious to leave, he gave his son an affectionate slap on the back and helped gather their stuff to head for the Rover. After bidding goodbye to Estelle and her daughter, J.R. was aware that the girl Kathy was staring after him disconsolately, but he just wasn't as attracted to her as she appeared to be to him. "Actually, Dad, it was Jennifer," he said as they crossed the still warm asphalt of the parking lot, deserted now except for a few isolated vehicles. When they arrived that morning it took several minutes to find an open space. "Jen was here with a bunch of her friends." Now he would find out if the woman carried out her threat. "Jen was here? Wonder why she didn't stop by and say 'hi'." Johnny shook his head in bewilderment. Jennifer never ignored him. "Sorry Dad, I guess I kind of hogged her attention." J.R. was hoping he would believe it. "S'okay. Were any of her friends pretty?" "Uh, yeah, kind of," J.R. hoped he was telling the truth, but honestly he never gave her friends more than a quick glance after Jennifer took his hand. continue