The Glass House

The black sports utility vehicle came to an abrupt stop at the beginning of a curvy driveway. Undoing his seatbelt, Harvey ignored the annoyed groan from the backseat. Opening the door, he hopped out of the SUV into the blustery cold air. Racing over, he pulled a decent-sized branch off the road, leaving it near the brush.

"I swear, anywhere else and he's Happy Time Harvey. But at Wasp Lake, he turns into his grandpa," Fred remarked, shaking his head.

"He's helping out by clearing the road. The next person might end up in an accident because of all the branches and tree limbs falling," Jeff responded. "The rangers can't handle everything. It's called being a concerned citizen."

"You're just saying that because you helped move that large branch last time," Fred nearly whined.

"Don't mind him. My lazy brother doesn't like others showing him up," Sybil commented from the front passenger seat.

"Why are you here? Nobody asked you to come. It's not as if you're going to play poker," Fred spat back. Before she could respond, the door opened back up, shooting cold air inside along with Harvey. "Are you done playing Good Samaritan yet? That's the fourth time that you've stopped!"

"If you're already this crabby, I hate to see what you're like when you lose all your money," Harvey cracked, moving the SUV down the driveway.

"Laugh it up, lumberjack. It won't be so funny when I win your cabin and make you sleep in the garage," Fred shot back.

"Whoa!" Sybil exclaimed when the Vandermeers' lakehouse came fully into view. "Talk about glass houses. Probably the wrong choice considering their reputation."

Harvey grimaced at the L-shaped summer home. An ultra-modern building, it sat nestled on a hill, partially obscured from Wasp Lake by several small groves of trees. While not entirely compromised of windows, the lakehouse gave off that impression. Having visited several times in the eight years since it was built, Harvey knew that the longer side of the L featured the lakehouse's living space. The shorter side, opposite the lake, held the garage on the ground level with a game room above.

"What's wrong?" Sybil questioned, noticing Harvey's mood shift.

"He hates this place," her brother answered first.

"It's not natural," Harvey quietly growled. "Wasp Lake is about history and legacy. The original cabins go back more than a century. The second wave of cabins built in the 1920s still featured quality workmanship. Even the old Huguet cabin, with its numerous remodels, still looks like a cabin from the outside. Hell, the cabins and cottages on Frog Lake fit the area. That monstrosity does NOT fit!"

Harvey's out-of-character tirade shocked Sybil. Having known him since he was in grade school, she'd grown used to his laidback attitude. In the back seat, Fred merely shrugged as he'd heard this tirade before. Jeff had a different thought.

"I bet the heating bill alone costs a fortune."

"Why bother with heat? The architecture is cold and sterile," Harvey spat. Noticing Clive pull his sedan to a stop next to them, he brusquely barked, "Let's go."

Jumping out of the SUV, everyone braced themselves against the strong, cold wind while moving gingerly due to the light covering of snow on the ground.

"Wow! This place is awesome," Owen gushed enthusiastically at the sight of the lakehouse.

"Yeah, it looks cool," Austin agreed.

Shooting a sharp glare over his shoulder, Harvey mumbled several unheard profanities at the two young men. With his hands in his pockets, he took the lead, moving toward the front porch in a hurry. Nearly ten feet ahead of everyone else, he took out his anger by stabbing the doorbell.

Huddled around as they waited on the front porch, the older guests complained about the frigid air. Owen continued to gush about the lakehouse as he peeked through the glass door. Austin backed off his initial comment, now remarking that the place looked like his dad's auto showroom.

"Hot damn," Fred whispered, noticing a young woman walking toward the door from the inside.

"Hello, Zarita," Harvey greeted after the door opened. His usual charm replacing the bitterness that filled his voice moments earlier. A pretty woman always brought a smile to his face, and the young one in front of him was far more than pretty.

A petite woman in her early twenties, Zarita Tena, had medium-length dark brown hair, brown eyes, medium-sized breasts, and a toned ass. Her role in the Vandermeer household could clearly be told by the black and white maid outfit she wore. A garment that came closer to a sexy maid costume than practical workwear.

"Hello, Monsieur Diamond," Zarita greeted back with a smile and a curtsey. A cheeky grin accompanied the curtsey, hinting at a playful demeanor.

"Hola, mi nombre es Fredo," Fred greeted, trying to recall the smidgen of Spanish that he knew.

Behind him, Owen and Austin stared googly-eyed at the sexy maid in her skimpy black maid attire. Owen's eyes drifted down to the toned, tan legs that ran down from the short white-trimmed skirt to the impractical high heels. Austin's gaze never left the generous view of her perky pair of breasts propped up and out by a white-laced push-up bra.

Zarita did a swift appraisal of Fred. "I don't speak Spanish, and neither do you, Mr. Corleone."

"Ah, don't give him any ideas. I'd hate to see Freddie as a gangster. He already dresses terribly," Harvey chuckled at The Godfather reference. Walking forward, he kissed the maid on the cheek.

"Don't mind my kid brother, dear. He likes to envision himself as an international Don Juan," Sybil remarked, entering the foyer.

"Yeah, that's Harvey's lifestyle," Jeff's booming laugh threatened to announce their arrival to the whole house.

"Where we headed?" Harvey asked once everyone had their coats off.

"The mistress of the house is in the drawing room, sir," Zarita replied, motioning the guests to head straight.

"Mistress?" Austin mouthed at Owen.

"Drawing room?" Owen mouthed back.

Walking down the hallway, only Harvey and Fred didn't examine the lakehouse's modern, sleek design. Harvey could care less, while Fred's eyes zeroed in on the small amount of tight asscheek peeking from the maid's short skirt. Rolling her eyes, Sybil elbowed her brother for his gawking.

"That hurt!"

"Try remembering your hot girlfriend. The one who's back at the cabin."

"It's not supposed to hurt if you just look," Fred stated, wincing at the pain in his side.

"Not if you're going to embarrass me," Sybil shot back.

"Quiet!" Clive hissed, already regretting further his decision to come along. "You two are worse than my daughters."

"The guests have arrived, Madame Vivienne," Zarita announced, shutting up the bickering siblings.

The drawing room turned to be a spacious, lightly-colored room. Located at the rear of the lakehouse, it overlooked Wasp Lake through a small grove of leafless trees. Sparsely furnished with uncomfortable-looking chairs and lounges, three women sat near a small fire pit. Of the one blonde and two brunettes, it turned out to be the blonde who rose first with an excited expression.

"Ah, welcome, Harvey, welcome!" Vivienne Vandermeer greeted in her thick French accent. Reaching Harvey, she grabbed each of his hands while leaning forward to kiss each of his cheeks. "I was terribly disappointed to discover that I missed you last night while I napped."

"No less disappointed than myself," Harvey countered, kissing each of her cheeks as he met her green eyes.

Not having seen Vivienne in nearly six months, Harvey noted that she'd changed her long blonde hair into a shoulder-length cut. As always, Vivienne wore a fashionable dress that accented her medium-to-large bust and firm ass. A sexually liberated woman, Harvey often wondered which of them required a daily dose of sex more. Despite his well-earned reputation, he had an inkling that Vivienne might be the safe money on that bet.

"Sybil! What an unexpected bonus," Vivienne exclaimed once she tore her attention away from the dashing Diamond.

Waiting his turn while the alluring blonde twice-kissed his sister's cheeks, Fred stepped forward expectantly. "Long time no see, Viv."

"Ah, Fredrick," the former Mademoiselle Decoux greeted, pronouncing his name in the way that caused shivers down his spine. Taking his hands into hers, Vivienne immediately thwarted his hopes by delivering his kisses by air. "I'm devastated that we can not make Cassandra's event. Giles and I are traveling back home on Sunday to see my family."

While apologies were made, along with a promise of a healthy donation, Vivienne's sisters-in-law rose from their seats. The two brown-haired Vandermeer sisters moved forward to greet other familiar faces.

"Hello, Clive," a busty brunette welcomed the husband of a former class rival. "I see that crime slept long enough for you to take a vacation."

"Crime never sleeps, Cordelia. And Rachel can be quite insistent and persuasive about vacations," Clive admitted with a chuckle. "She has a way of getting the goals she wants."

"Oh, I know. That's why I always respected Rachel, even if she was the hated cheer captain," Cordelia Tissle smiled warmly.

The youngest of the Vandermeer trio of siblings at forty-one years old, Cordelia had mellowed over the years. Once the stereotypical bitchy rich girl, the Sugarbee dancer had worked to mend fences with many of the classmates that she once looked down on, including those cursed cheerleaders. The girly-girl of the two Vandermeer sisters, Cordelia had long, light-brown hair, blue eyes, very large breasts, and a curvy ass.

"If I weren't tired from the drive up today, I would've gone over to visit Rachel and the girls. We spent Christmas down in Blackbridge visiting Tyrell's parents," Cordelia explained before offering a suggestion. "Perhaps we can get together sometime this weekend. I haven't seen Gabriella or Kimberly in several years. And I doubt we'll have much of an opportunity to talk on New Year's Eve."

"I'll run it by, Rach. I know the girls plan to go ice skating tomorrow, but I don't think any plans have been decided on for Sunday. That's unless Harv has a surprise," Clive replied.

"Ah, that's possible. One never knows what fun Harvey Diamond has up his sleeve," Cordelia winked. "Still, if my sister hears about those ice skating plans, you might have a tagalong or three."

"Jeff, it's great to see you again," Amelia Ridge said with a short hug. Peering around the big man, she frowned. "No, Gabriella? Aw, such a shame. We barely had a moment to talk at the football game."

"I think Gabby and the girls expected you ladies to escape over to Harvey's cabin," Jeff remarked.

"Now why would I do that? Perhaps it's because I know your tells?" Amelia teased with a grin.

The middle Vandermeer child, Amelia Ridge had shoulder-length, dark-brown hair, blue eyes, medium-sized breasts, and a firm ass. At forty-three years old, she worked out religiously and it showed. A fiercely competitive woman, Amelia starred in high school in both volleyball and golf. Even to this day, she regularly schooled cocky men on the golf course.

"Where's Rusty?" Jeff inquired simultaneously as Harvey asked Vivienne the whereabouts of her husband.

"Giles and Tyrell are out on the terrace, smoking cigars," the blonde wife gestured outside.

Terrace? It's a damn deck. Why must they always be so pretentious? Harvey grouched. Moving a couple of feet over, he spied the two men braving the cold air for their cigars.

"And Rusty is in the--" Amelia was going to say the bathroom, but her husband snuck behind Jeff, picking him up somewhat in a bear hug.

"Got you, Jeffy!" the stocky man roared, proud of himself for sneaking up on his old classmate.

"Russ, be careful! You're going to throw your back out," Amelia scolded her husband.

"No way, I'm not an old man yet." Rusty shrugged off her wife's concern. "How you doing, buddy?"

An oddity in the room, Russell "Rusty" Ridge lacked any of the pretentious attitudes that Harvey found the Vandermeers to possess. A stocky man with short, dark-brown hair, slightly graying temples, and brown eyes, Rusty had a warm, easygoing personality. No one that met the former high school football center would ever doubt that he didn't care about the well-being of people. It's a trait that carried over to his work as an insurance agent. When Honey Hollow's citizens talked about opposites attracting, their minds immediately went to Rusty and Amelia Ridge. Yet, the couple's differing personalities appeared to be in perfect harmony together. It had shocked many when word came back from Zurbrugg College that Amelia had been the pursuer in their relationship.

As Rusty and Jeff caught up, a sliding glass door in the rear of the room opened. Two men entered; the one with a bald head looked surprised and annoyed to discover that his guests had arrived.

"Zarita, why wasn't I informed that our guests arrived?" Giles Vandermeer questioned sharply.

"I'm not willing to catch pneumonia...I mean, my apologies, monsieur," the maid changed her reply with a roll of her eyes.

Zarita's initial comment drew grins from both of Giles' sisters.

The eldest of the Vandermeer siblings, Giles had a shaved head in lieu of his heavily receding hairline, piercing gray eyes, and a typical physique. A successful investor, Giles espoused a work hard and play hard philosophy for life. A serial seducer of women, he found a willing partner for his exploits in Vivienne. His wife took great pleasure in helping further his sexual conquests as it gave her free reign for her own pursuits. Harvey often wondered if his marriage might have turned out similar if Willow had been more sexually adventurous.

"This is marvelous turnout, just marvelous," Giles declared, clapping his hands at the large number of potential players. "You always had a way with people, Harvey."

After the two men shook hands, Giles moved to greet Fred and Sybil immediately. His gaze on Sybil's chest showed which of the siblings he cared about welcoming to his home. Suddenly concerned about his sister, Fred attempted to cut in front of Sybil, but she countered by moving around his other side.

"Such a delight to see you again, my dear," Giles stated, kissing Mrs. Gettinger's hand. "It's been far too long."

"Yeah, yeah, so when are we starting," Fred interrupted, but his question went unanswered.

"Owen Nevin! What a surprise," Amelia remarked. "Russ, did you see who's here? Oh, and Austin, too!"

"Boy, I bet RJ's going to regret going to the cabin," Rusty speculated, shaking the hands of his son's former teammates.

"And why would that be? It appears that my nephew has gone to a cabin full of women," Vivienne pointed out.

"Not everything is about girls," Rusty admonished his sister-in-law.

"Yes, Viv, these are RJ's predecessor and successor as starting quarterback. I'm sure he'd love to spend time trading war stories with them," Amelia explained.

"Eh? I think your son won't regret choosing the home with the girls," Vivienne shrugged. She did eye up the two young men before glancing over at Zarita for her opinion.

"You have an amazing home, Mrs. Vandermeer," Owen gushed. "I'd loved a place just like this someday."

"Yes, thank you," Vivienne responded politely, after seeing Zarita shake her head. "The home I'm dying to see is your new cabin, Harvey. From the outside, it appears to suit you perfectly."

"The architects and builders did a splendid job. We'll have to have you over soon," Harvey promised.

"I hope so. Perhaps for one of your special parties?" the blonde hinted, emphasizing the word special just a tad.

"Ah, yes, you see...I'm--"

"Harv's talking nonsense about ending his parties," Fred butted in to explain.

"No more parties?" Vivienne repeated, nearly gasping as her hand shot to her heart. "But why?"

"Yes, why is that, Harvey?" Giles broke off his flirting with Sybil to sharply question.

"Special parties? I've never heard of anything special," stated the slightly overweight man that had been on the terrace with Giles.

"Don't worry about it, honey. We weren't invited," Cordelia informed her husband.

"And why weren't we? Doesn't Diamond think I'm important enough?" Tyrell Tissle hissed quietly at his wife.

"It's not that. Don't make a scene, alright?" Cordelia challenged, knowing the stories about Harvey's special parties.

"Hrmph! Such disrespect," Tyrell grumbled.

A workaholic overly concerned with his success and image, Tyrell Tissle had been the choice of the old version of Cordelia Vandermeer back in college. He'd once been a handsome, ambitious man with his short black hair and dark-brown eyes. Now, his wife only found him annoyingly ambitious and seemingly obsessed with outperforming her brother in any realm of life. A competition that she knew Tyrell would never win. Divorce was definitely an option in Cordelia's mind after their daughter left for college. However, she genuinely worried about how that failure would affect her husband, so she continued contemplating the matter.

"Moved on? Ha! Men like us never move on, Harvey," Giles responded, after hearing the weak reason.

"What's with these parties?" Owen questioned Austin softly.

"Dude, the orgy parties!" Austin stated excitedly, causing that sick feeling in Owen's stomach again.

"Where are your kids?" Harvey inquired, wishing to change the subject away from his old parties.

"Oh, they left shortly before you arrived," Rusty answered.

"We didn't pass anyone on the way here," Clive stated, glancing at Harvey, who nodded in agreement.

"There was a debate amongst them over bringing a housewarming gift," Vivienne recounted, flashing a smirk. "It appears that my son won out again."

"He better hope that they don't end up in a ditch," Amelia responded sternly to her sister-in-law. "On a night like this, Wirchie's is a longer trip than usual."

"Don't worry, Melly. If they have a problem, Robin will call," Rusty attempted to soothe his wife. "She'll keep us updated."

"That's if her phone gets a signal," Harvey reminded. "If you get worried, I can always call the cabin on the landline to see if they arrived."

"Excellent idea, Diamond," Tyrell agreed, wishing to enter the conversation.

"Now, when and what are we playing?" Harvey inquired, causing Fred to rub his hands in anticipation.

"I did not expect this large of turnout. We'll have to change up what we play. Is Texas Hold 'em fine with everyone?" Seeing no complaints, Giles wanted to clarify who was going to play. "Are both of the boys in?"

"Yeah, we're in," Owen declared for him and Austin. Although, Austin didn't appreciate getting called a boy.

"Sybil, my dear?" Giles inquired hopefully.

"Oh, no. I'm going to sit and chat with my fellow ladies."

"You'll have to settle for Viv and Cordy. I'm playing," Amelia informed Sybil.

"I'm out too," Clive announced, surprising his friends. "I'm not feeling poker tonight."

"So, let's see...that makes ten, I believe," Giles counted.

"Uh, I'm getting nine," Harvey responded after performing his own count.

"Ah, yes, sorry. We won't start until our last guest arrives," Giles revealed. "I wasn't expecting you to bring so many players. So I offered up an invite to another vacationer."

"And who's that?" Fred asked with a sinking feeling.

"Oh, my apologies. It's Edward Laffont."

"If he runs his mouth, I'm going to **** him," Fred vowed, after mumbling a profanity.

"No, Singer, you take him for all his money," Amelia countered, flashing a sinister smile.