Breakfast with the Fairchilds

Marlene did turn out to be at the stove cooking eggs, but she wasn’t naked. A white button-up shirt replaced the robe from yesterday, and a pair of sheer black thigh high stockings hugged her legs.

The System is full on drowning me in sexy legs. I need to thank Cammy for this sometime.

“Marlene, I thought you were gonna put some clothes on before our guest showed up,” Harlan said, and sat heavily at the table.

Leon followed suit and sat across from him.

“I didn’t get around to it. Am I bothering you, Leon?”

“No! Not at all Mrs. Fairchild. You’re great- er, fine. No need to change on my account,” he said, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

Harlan eyes him suspiciously, but then broke out in a toothy grin.

“Ah what the hell, I can hardly blame you for wantin’ a look. I tell ya kid: You go and get yerself a wife like my Marlene here, and you’ll be set for life,” Harlan said. “That’s just the way it is. Ain’t that right Marlene?” he asked her, and twisted in his chair to look at her.

Marlene shook her butt at them in response.

Harlan whistled and said, “See what I mean kid? Imagine having that around the house any time you want it.”

Leon was imagining exactly that. Harlan turned his back to Marlene, and as soon as he did, Marlene blew Leon a kiss with a conspiratorial wink before turning back to the stove.

“Where’s Lily? I won’t have no daughter of mine sleeping in when we have a guest over.”

“She’ll be along shortly, I’m sure. I woke her up when you went to fetch Leon.” Marlene replied.

Lily? Lily is going to be eating with us?

No sooner had he thought the name than she walked into the kitchen wearing a drop arm tanktop and her signature booty shorts. The amount of exposed side boob left little question on if she was wearing a bra or not.

It was pretty obvious she hadn’t been informed about having company, because she stopped in her tracks and said, “Uh. Hi?”

“Hi,” his crush was standing right in front of him and he couldn’t think of a thing to say. It would have been excruciating if Harlan weren’t there to break apart the awkward moment.

“Bout time you got your ass outta bed. How’d my little princess sleep?”

Lily punched her Dad on the shoulder and said, “I’m not a damn princess you senile old goat.”

“That’s my girl!” Harlan said merrily. “Go on and sit next to our guest. You know Leon dontcha? Holly and Aaron’s son?”

“Kind of. Sup Leon?” she nodded and walked around the table, leaving an empty chair in-between them. She might have sat two away if there were more chairs.

“Turkey and eggs, I think?”

“Weird, but alright.” Then she added, “Not to be a bitch, but why’re you here?”

Harlan answered for him.

“Poor kid came over yesterday asking for some turkey. Your mother and I were...” Harlan seemed at a loss for words. A first, since Leon had met him. Talking about sex in front of his daughter seemed to be out of his comfort zone. “We were talkin’ about something important when he showed up, so we sent him away kinda rude like. I felt a little bad about that so I picked up some turkey for him yesterday evening.”

“I was wondering why I saw you pulling out of the driveway in the middle of the storm. It was to get our neighbor some turkey?” Lily scoffed and glanced at Leon.

It was kind of cool to know that Harlan had driven through a storm to get him turkey. He felt bad for lying about it, so the least he could do was take him up on his hospitality.

“Thanks Mr. Fairchild,” he said.

“Aw hell kid. Don’t go thanking me for a bit of turkey.”

Marlene sashayed over with multiple plates of food and laid them out across the table. A steamy bowl of scrambled eggs, a platter of cut turkey breast, and a pan of biscuits sent pleasant smells into his nostrils. Food suddenly sounded like a great idea.

Marlene took the chair between Leon and Lily, and placed a hand on his thigh. “Eat whatever you want, now. I made plenty for everyone.”

‘Please’ and ‘thank yous’ filled in for conversation while they passed around Marlene’s simple, yet appetizing, cooking. It was nice to be sitting around the table with a family again, even if it wasn’t his. He wondered if there would ever be a scene like this in their own house, but knew there wouldn’t be. That’s a shame.

Marlene’s stocking clad foot started rubbing his leg under the table, banishing all forms of wholesome thought from his mind.