River of Implications

Once she was set up at the other table, she set to work and tried not to let the view distract her. Jan and Scarlett set up a board game of some kind on the other table. Venita worked well into the evening, glad when the sun set and she could no longer be tempted to stare down at the water rushing towards her, which was almost hypnotizing. Jan checked on her progress every half hour or so, peering over her shoulder in a way that almost made her self-conscious. The faint scent of her spicy perfume was tantalizing. Scarlett left once it turned dark, and then they were alone. "So how's it going?" Jan asked a moment later, returning from down below after seeing her friend out. "Well, the good news is that it's going smoothly. The bad is that there's no way I can get this done before 10:00. I've got the energy in me if you don't mind my sticking around for that long. If not, I should probably get going soon and not start anything that needs to be finished once it's started." She turned and looked up at Jan. She wore a little eyeliner and mascara, but not much else. Her face didn't have many wrinkles for her age, either. "Ok. What would you like for dinner? I can cook or order take-out. It's up to you." "I'm pretty flexible either way, but I am going to stretch my legs if you don't mind." "Sure," Jan said, studying the woman before her as she rose to her feet and stretched her arms overhead. She was simple yet stunning. The light pink lip gloss she wore looked great on her. She also wore a touch of purple eyeshadow, and that was it. She wouldn't have needed anything else anyway, especially mascara, with how long her eyelashes were. "What kinds of food do you like?" "I'll eat anything that isn't spicy or salty, though you could say chicken's one of my favorites." "I love chicken." "And pizza." "I love pizza, too. In fact, I have a cheese pizza sitting in the freezer. Shall I pop it in the oven?" "Sure. Can I help with anything?" "No, thanks. I'll get it." Venita watched Jan as she moved about, impressed with her height. "It'll be ready in thirty," Jan said when she was done, casting a smile in Venita's direction. "Make yourself comfortable." Venita slid in at the larger table, and Jan slid in across from her. "So," Jan began. "How are you doing?" "I'm surviving. Do you ever take this thing out anywhere?" "Nope. It's completely anchored where it's at. But that's the beauty of owning a houseboat. If you do want to move for whatever reason, you can change locations without giving up your home." "That's true. You're very lucky to own and live on one of these things." "Yeah?" "Yeah," Venita said with a nod. "You lost a lot of weight, Venita," Jan said suddenly. "Thirty-seven pounds." Jan whistled in amazement. "I hear it's very hard to do, so I thank God I never had much of a weight problem. I know a lot of people who say they need to lose weight." "You just have to want to do it, I guess." Jan laughed. "Is that so?" "Well, unless you have a medical problem, of course, that might hinder your progress. So if I'm going to be working your store for the most part now, what are you going to be doing besides serving pizza?" Jan laughed again and said, "I'm going to be living the good life." Venita smiled. "Some of the time, anyway. And some of it will be spent ordering new inventory. I usually order in the mornings and ship in the afternoons." They ate their pizza and then Venita went back to work. By the time she was finished, they were both exhausted. "I'm too tired to drive you home, hun. Either crash on the couch or let me give you money for a cab, ok?" "Ooh," Venita said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't trust those cabbies. I'll take your couch." Jan swung a wall picture outward that was actually a door to where a safe was kept. Then she opened the safe and pulled out a wad of cash. Next, she counted it and gave it to Venita. "Here, put this in your purse, but count it first and make sure it comes to eighty dollars." Venita counted it. "It's eighty dollars," she confirmed, stuffing it into her purse. "Sign," Jan said a minute later, handing her a pen. It was a payment receipt, proving that she'd been paid for ten hours of work. "What, I don't get paid for sleeping on your couch?" she joked. Jan smiled, waited till she signed the receipt, then gave her a copy and kept one for herself. "Ok," Jan said, surprised that she suddenly wanted to hug the girl. Was she that glad to have her helping out? "You know where the bathroom is. If you get thirsty, help yourself to whatever you want. Meanwhile, I'm going to be turning in now." "Ok. Sleep well and thanks for the job," Venita said with a smile, kicking off her shoes. "Thanks for accepting it. Oh, I could give you a nightie, but I think mine would be too big on you." "That's ok, but can I lose the jeans? They'd be a bit uncomfortable to sleep in." "Sleep in whatever you want or don't want," Jan said, disappearing into her room and closing the door behind her. Venita took off everything but her pearl pink satin bra and matching panties. She clicked off the wall lamp above the couch and covered up with the fleece blanket that had been folded and placed on the arm of the couch. She smiled in the darkness. You liar, she silently said to herself. You ain't afraid of no cabbies. You just wanted to be with Jan as long as you could. Then she fell asleep dreaming of her sexy smile. The sound of movement and someone clearing their throat roused Venita out of the peaceful slumber she'd been in. She slowly opened her eyes. Jan had opened the windows and the interior of the houseboat was flooded with the brilliant morning sunlight. She sat up, rubbed her bleary eyes and looked over at Jan. She did not want to get up yet. Jan sat at the large table looking at her. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said. "Morning," Venita mumbled, squinting in the brightness around her. "Sun rises over in front there, then sets in back by the deck, so it's pretty bright in here in the mornings." "I see that," Venita said, tiredly pulling on her clothes. She was aware of Jan's eyes alternating between her and the newspaper she had before her. "At least the bright light is almost as effective as caffeine in getting one's butt in gear." Jan smiled. "Speaking of which, would you like a cup of coffee and a donut?" "I'd love the coffee after I go potty, but you can hold the donut." "Coming right up. Sugar? Cream?" Jan asked, sliding off the bench as Venita headed towards the bathroom. "Both, please." A few minutes later, Jan had a cup of coffee sitting on the table. Venita slid in across from her and took a sip. "I figured I'd let you have that side so you wouldn't be sun-blinded." "Thanks," said Venita. "My eyes are actually a bit sensitive to light." "You have beautiful eyes," Jan said, peering over the rim of her black-framed glasses, which went well with her black hair and dark eyes. "Thanks," Venita said, surprised and pleased by the compliment. "And you have beautiful hair." "Really?" asked Jan, genuinely shocked by the compliment, and seemingly flattered. Venita nodded. "I love black hair. And dark eyes, too. Didn't you once say you were a Klamath Indian?" "Do not call me Indian. And yes, I am a Native American of that tribe." "Sorry. My terminology isn't always up to date." Jan smiled as if to reassure her. "You're ok, Venita." "So your middle name's Lynn, huh?" Jan blinked in surprise. Then she smiled. "Yeah, I did a little homework last night, but couldn't learn much." "What did you learn?" asked Jan, eager to hear her response. "Just that you're Janice Lynn, born May 17th, 1951, and you might've lived in Missouri and Washington at one point. Listed your address and relatives' names, too." "Anything else?" "Nothing. I didn't dig up any dirt on you or anything like that, so if you've got any out there, I couldn't find it." A sly smile spread across Jan's face. "No, but I found yours."