SIXTY

"JON!"  Cate choked out his name as her blue eyes widened.  Automatically her gaze shot sideways, toward the bedroom.  Her heart pounded even as gasped with relief when she saw no one there.

But still, there was someone, somewhere.  The adrenaline rush had unblocked her blissfully hazy senses.  She could feel the presence.

Another involuntary spasm from her heated core informed Cate that her husband was unaware of her sudden vigilance.  Cate's thighs tensed and she squeezed them together, closing over Jon's cheeks.  Her hands dropped from their holds on the rail and the trellis to his net-veiled head.

"Mmmmmffff... OW!  What the fuck...?"  Jon let out a muffled curse of surprise when his head was yanked backward, his scalp tingling as Cate's hands fisted his shaggy hair as a means of control.  He was all for a little rough sex-play, but her semi-violence was unexpected.

"Somebody's HERE!" Cate hissed, her head swiveling toward the landscape.  Her blue eyes narrowed as she quickly scanned the horizon.

"What?"  Jon blinked, then winced as Cate's clench tightened, inadvertently tugging again at his hair.  "OW!  Damn, Cate!"

"SHHH!" Cate scolded, though she loosened her grasp.  Her eyes dropped to the deck's floor.  Beneath their perch was a curved patio and a path leading to the hot tub.  An unannounced visitor could be lurking down there, perhaps one of the villa's staff.

Jon frowned.  Shaking his wife's hands off his head, he turned his eyes toward the master suite.  The boys had been asleep just minutes ago, he had confirmed it.  He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he spied the empty room.

"Baby, there's nobody watching us." Jon chuckled softly.  "You're paranoid.  Relax."

The accusation made Cate's eyes narrow.  She shifted her gaze from the floor to her husband's face, now smirking up at her from beneath her sheer gown.

"I am not paranoid."  I heard something.  Close by."  Her snarl was soft but serious.

Jon knew better than to laugh.  He swallowed his chortle and twisted his amused smirk into a sexy grin, determined to get their encounter back on track.  "So?  Maybe you did.  But, Baby...I don't give a shit if somebody's around.  They're not up here, are they?" 

Jon lowered his chin, blowing a puff of heated breath against the spot his mouth had moments ago covered.  Cate's flesh quivered involuntarily in response.  "And if they can see us... Fuck 'em.  Let 'em watch."  He growled evilly, licking his lips before leaning forward to taste her again.  His hands tightened around her hips, holding her still.

Cate squeaked softly though she felt a pang of annoyance at Jon's dismissal of her caution.  Again her hands rested on his head, though this time she didn't push him away. 

"Jon, maybe we should go inside..." Her whisper was husky and anxious.

"Mmmm Mmmmm......"  Jon shook his head slightly, humming his disagreement against her as his mouth slid side-to-side, eliciting another reluctant gasp from her lips.  He fully intended to carry his wife inside and ravish her in that big, romantic bed, but not just yet.

"But Jon..."

"Shhhhhhhh......"  This time he was the one who shushed, without moving his mouth from its objective.  Jon smirked as he felt her thighs quiver with his breath against her clit.

"Jesus..." Cate growled, half-frustrated with him and half-helpless against his onslaught.  She exhaled slowly, trying to calm her pounding heart.  She leaned back against the half-wall and trellis as her head tipped back and her eyes slipped half-closed.  Maybe she had imagined it; maybe her detection senses were in overdrive due to her hypervigilance for Jake and Romeo.

"Ohhh...."  Cate sighed hoarsely as Jon's tongue flattened against her, lapping her with broad strokes.  "My Godddd...."  Her lashes fluttered as she lost the struggle to keep her eyes open.   Resting against the trellis, her head rolled to the side, turning her face toward the morning sun.

As warmth crept through her body the corners of Cate's mouth turned blissfully upward.  Her hands curved over Jon's skull, lightly riding his head as it moved with his deliberate efforts.  Cate slid her tongue over her plump lower lip, nodding slightly as she savored the sensations he was evoking from her body.  Her every nerve ending was alive and tingling, hyper-receptive thanks to the endorphins flooding her system.  She felt like she was glowing, emitting energy like some celestial body.

Cate purred softly in agreement with her self-realization.  Perhaps that was it, why she had sensed something strange... her nervous system was hopped up on pleasure, oversensitive to stimuli.  Maybe she had imagined a foreign presence.  Maybe it was simply her conscience playing tricks on her, amplifying her week-long worry about the boys catching her and Jon in the act.  Maybe it was guilt, that she had put off her husband's amorous advances for too long.

Another gasp escaped Cate's lips with a shift of Jon's technique.  She shivered blissfully and purred again.  He had to know she would acquiesce to him, let him make love to her on this glorious, idyllic morning.  Maybe even right here on this wide veranda, overlooking this spectacular kingdom.  Like a scene from a movie, the one in which she was fantasizing herself when he had suddenly materialized, like the leading man.

With another happy purr Cate parted her lashes, slowly opening her eyes to take in the romantic African splendor beyond their villa.

But she couldn't see it.  There was something in the way, partially blocking her view.

And it was looking back at her.

Again Cate's heart leapt into her throat as she stared into the dark-lashed watery brown eye.  But she couldn't move, frozen in shock.  Just feet away the knobbly, splotched brown-and-gold head hovered over the deck's railing, the young giraffe curiously regarding the strange activity of her human neighbors. 

And then it moved closer.

Cate let out a shrill, half-hoarse shriek of alarm.  Instinctively she recoiled from the head's advance, attempting to distance herself from the wild animal.  But Jon's hands on her hips prevented her movement, holding her rooted to the spot.  Without thinking, she did what she was trained to do:  Escape.

In a flash Cate's hands left Jon's head.  Her fingers extended into a bladed position before forcefully chopping down on his forearms, breaking his grip on her hips.  The second she felt the release Cate moved, leaping sideways away from the advancing animal. 

Jon yelped with surprise at the assault, both at the impact on his arms and at his sudden loss of balance when his brace against Cate's body was broken.  He pitched forward, his hands splaying in anticipation of bracing his drop to the floor.  His vision was clouded by a wavy film of chiffon as Cate's gown slid across his face with her rapid movement.  Jon's cry was followed by a dull thud and another swear of painful surprise when Cate's knee impacted his jaw during her hasty escape.

"OWW!  SONOFABITCH!"  One of Jon's hands found the floor as his other raised to his throbbing jaw.  He blinked dazedly as he felt the sheer fabric sliding over his back and shoulders, being tugged along by his wife's frantic retreat.  "Cate!  What the FUCK?"

Startled by the humans' sudden movement and loud exclamations the giraffe yanked back its inquisitive head, its huge doe-eyes now wide with alarm.  A low, barking bleat escaped from the young animal's long throat, a distress call to its herd.  Then it stood still and alert, cautiously regarding the strange people that had piqued its curiosity.

The inhuman noise made Jon's eyes widen.  He turned his head toward it, but saw only a hazy veil of filtered light and color.  With an annoyed growl Jon sat back on his calves and raised his free arm to yank the fabric away from his face, clearing his view.  His other hand held against the tender spot on his jaw as it dropped.

Jon stared at the giraffe, its thick, mottled neck just feet away from where he crouched on the deck's floor.  It stared warily back at him, its fuzzy oval ears twitching alertly.

Movement behind him diverted Jon's attention from the completely unexpected scene.  He turned his head slowly, his wide blue eyes remaining on the seemingly docile giraffe until the last second.  Then he focused his incredulous gaze on his similarly wide-eyed wife who now stood staring at the animal, her backside plastered against the glass wall separating the deck from the master suite and her chest heaving with her shallow, rapid pants. 

Suddenly struck by the comedy of the situation, Jon began to laugh.  He winced lightly as his bruised jaw throbbed, but he couldn't help himself.  He shook his head and dragged his hand through his hair, a wide grin spreading his sex-slicked lips.

Just seconds ago he had been happily enjoying a little morning pussy-snack, now here he was half-nude, fully-hard, on his knees in the middle of the fucking floor.  On one side of him stood his half-panicked, practically-naked, sexily-disheveled wife... and on the other side of him stood a fucking peeping-tom giraffe.

Of all the weird shit that had happened to him over the course of his rockstar life, this situation was up there toward the top of the list.

"Ahhhh... Fuck Me!"  Jon half-laughed, half-groaned his lament.  He let his hands fall to his thighs and shook his head again.  The sudden movement spooked the giraffe, who again jerked its head and eyed him suspiciously.  Jon chortled at the animal's reaction, then waved his hands at it in a shooing gesture.  "Get outta here!  Go on!  Nothin' left to see!  SHOO!"    

The animal started at his last, more forceful bark.  It took a few steps backward away from the deck, then paused and continued to stare.  Still grinning, Jon shook his head and let out a long groan before climbing to his feet.  He stepped toward the railing of the deck, again waving his hands at the curious beast.

"GO!  Go on!  Go eat some leaves or somethin', ya fuckin' long-necked pervert..."  Jon chortled as the giraffe backed away from his advance, then turned and lumbered away.  Grunting softly at the twitch of discomfort in his crotch, Jon leaned against the rail and watched the animal cross the grassy pasture to a trio of its herd members who were plucking leaves from a grove of mimosa trees.

With another amused shake of his head Jon turned to look at his wife.  She had apparently recovered from her surprise, for she was no longer backed against the window.  While Jon dispatched their wild visitor Cate had slipped back into the bedroom and now sat on the edge of the bed, watching him.  When she saw him move toward her Cate's lips curved into a wry smile.

Jon stepped through the open slider door and strolled over to the bed.  His blue eyes twinkled merrily as he gazed down at her for a moment before reaching up to rub the tender spot where her knee had impacted his jaw.

"I'm gonna have bruises, ya know."

Cate ducked her head, her smile turning sheepish.  "Sorry, Baby.  I was... it startled me."  She shrugged.  "See, I told you something was watching us."

That made Jon grin.  "Yeah, yeah.  You were right."  He stepped over and lowered himself onto the bed's edge, beside her.  "Guess it's only fair, huh?"

Cate wrinkled her nose and turned her head to look at him.  The confusion in her sapphire eyes made Jon chuckle again.  "What?"

"They always have humans standing around, watching them mate."  Jon grinned, reminding her what they had learned about Disney's exotic animal breeding program during their tour.  "Guess this one just wanted to even the score.  Maybe pick up a few tips..."

Jon's grin gentled as he saw a light blush pinken her cheeks.  His eyes dropped to her sleek shoulders, then to her decolletage.  His groin twitched as he spied her rosy nipples, still tightly pebbled beneath the film of her gown.  Though their unexpected visitor had interrupted their encounter, it hadn't dampened his desire.

He shifted on the bed, turning toward her before raising a hand to her breast.  He tilted his head forward, crooning into her ear.

"So... where were we?"

He felt the hitch in her breath, then heard her murmured reply. 

"Actually, you were under my gown."

"Want me to go down there again?"

She chortled huskily.  "If you wanna.  I certainly won't complain."

Jon grinned.  "How about we just do away with the gown altogether?  We'll just get all tangled up in it, here in bed...."  His hand fisted against her thigh, his fingers wiggling as he gently gathered a handful of gauzy fabric, raising the hem of her gown to expose bare leg.  "And we don't wanna get it wet in the shower, either."

"No, we don't," she agreed in a silky murmur.

Cate cast a wary glance toward the deck, then sighed and turned her head toward him.  She smiled as his mouth closed over hers.  A husky purr rumbled from her throat as Jon guided her back onto the mattress.

"Mmmm... Baby.... it's been too damned long...." Jon whispered against her lips.  "You know how bad I want you?"   

"Mmmmmhmmmmm...." Cate hummed her reply. 

She sighed again as Jon gathered her gown higher, uncovering her abdomen.  She felt her nipples contract as a light breeze swept over her naked skin, floating in through the open door.  Cate reached across her body for his hip, her fingers tracing over the slick, damp fabric of his running shorts until they found the elastic waistband.  She burrowed her fingers beneath the band and tugged downward.  Jon groaned his approval, shifting on the mattress in anticipation of her removal of his meager clothing.  He gasped when the elastic snapped against his sweaty skin and her hand moved to cup his erection.

"Jeeeeeesus, Cate...."  Jon smiled blissfully and let his head fall back, his eyes slipping closed.  He groaned happily as she squeezed his cock, then her fingers curled under his taut balls.  "Baby, you should do that more often...."

"Maybe...."

"DAD!!! DAD!!!"

The excited shout and pounding at the suite's door made them both jump.  With a strangled yelp Cate released Jon's crotch and bolted upright on the bed.  She gave him a panicked glare before sliding off the mattress and sprinting for the bathroom, a swirl of creamy chiffon trailing in her wake like contrails from a jet.

Jon grimaced with displeasure before barking out his exasperated reply.  "WHAT?!?!?!" 

He heard the knob rattle before the door swung open.  With an unhappy grunt Jon sat up on the bed, self-consciously yanking a handful of bedclothes across his lap to conceal his rock-hard erection before Romeo bounded into the room.

"Dad, come quick!  You GOTTA see this!" Romeo leaped onto the bed and grabbed Jon's hand, pulling his father halfway over in his exuberance. "Hurry up!"

Jon couldn't help himself.  He snatched his hand out of Romeo's grasp and snarled.  "What the fuck, Romey?  WHAT?  WHAT is so important at eight o'clock in the morning that you gotta come bustin' down my damned door?"  His eyes sparked as he glared at his son.

Romeo shrank from his father's icy stare, his brown eyes widening.  "But Dad... you gotta see...."

Immediately Jon felt a pang of remorse.  The crestfallen look on his littlest boy's face made his heart clench guiltily.  Some father he was, taking out his sexual frustration on his nine-year-old son.  His expression gentled. 

"Sorry, Buddy.  You surprised me.  What's up?"

Romeo gave his father a suspicious look before answering, a note of urgency still in his voice though his enthusiasm was modulated.  "Dad, you gotta hurry, or they're gonna be gone!"

"What's gonna be gone?"

"Come on!  You gotta see!"  Romeo again grabbed Jon's hand, this time tugging more tentatively.  "Pleeeease come on!"

Jon frowned.  There was no way he could follow Romeo through the villa in his current state of arousal.  Not only would it be physically uncomfortable, his son would be sure to notice his running shorts had turned into a tent.

"Romey, I just got back from a run.  I'm all sweaty."

"So?"

"I need to shower, Buddy.  I'll come to your room after."

"No, Dad!  You can't!  They'll be gone by then!" 

The boy's plaintive tone made Jon's heart clench again. He growled an exasperated sigh and tugged a hand through his damp shag, leaving it sticking up in all directions.  "Romeo, WHAT will be gone?"

Realizing he wasn't going to get his father to do his bidding unless he revealed the subject of his excitement, Romeo sighed.  "The giraffes!  Dad, they're right outside my room!  Come on!"  He bounced off the bed and stood expectantly at its side.  "They're so close I can touch them!  Hurry UP!"

Jon groaned silently.  The last thing he needed to see was more fucking giraffes.  The long-necked bastards were obviously Hell-bent on fucking up his morning.

But he was the one who had chosen this damned villa for his family's vacation residence.  In the middle of Animal Fucking Kingdom.

He sighed.  "Okay, Buddy.  Run back to your room and I'll be there in a minute."

"But DAD!  What if they leave?"

Jon waved his hand toward the door.  "That's why you need to get back there!  They may already be gone!"

"DAD!"

"Romeo, for Christ's sake!  I gotta take a piss, then I'll be there, okay?"  Jon blurted out the fib, desperate to get the boy out of his bedroom.  If he was going to trek to the other side of the villa he would need to find something to camouflage his erection.  Or a way to get rid of it... quickly.  "Now GO!  Feed 'em some leaves or something!"

Romeo's eyes brightened at his father's suggestion.  During their barn tour the keepers had let him feed hay and fruit to several of the giraffes.  He knew exactly what they would like to eat.

"Okay, Dad!  I'm gonna get the bananas from the kitchen!"  With that announcement Romeo dashed through the suite's two doors, not bothering to close either behind him.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Jon groaned, slumping back onto the bed.  His recline relieved some of the pressure on his crotch, but not much.  But he didn't have a choice... he was going to have to get out of bed and get down to Romeo's room in a matter of minutes, or the boy would return to drag him there.

"Caaaate..." Jon's plaintive call went unanswered for a moment, then she emerged from the bathroom.  Jon noticed she had covered her nightgown with a plush terrycloth bathrobe.

She smirked.  "Giraffes, huh?"

Jon sighed.  "Any chance you can take care of this for me, in two minutes or less?"  He pointed to the mound of sheets covering his crotch.

"Sorry, Babe."  She chuckled sympathetically and crossed the room to stand beside the bed. 

"Aw, come on."  He made a weak attempt at a sexy smile. It came across more as a desperate leer.  "It probably won't even take two minutes."

Cate shook her head firmly.  "Jon, I'm not gonna blow you a minute before you go spend one of those memorable bonding moments with your child." 

"You don't have to blow me.  I'm fine with a hand job."

"Oh, well then.... sure. 'Cause that's more appropriate.  " Cate's nose wrinkled as she shook her head, contradicting her sarcastic agreement.  "Jon, just... Eww.  What kinda twisted Stepmother would that make me, if I jerked you off right before you went to play with your kid?"   

"The BEST kind," Jon grumbled, knowing his cause was lost.  He sighed, then winced again as he pushed himself up to sit. 

Cate chortled at his remark and leaned to kiss his stubbly cheek.  "For what it's worth, Baby... I'm sorry.    I could wring Romey's little neck, too."

Jon gave her a sideways smirk.  "Prove it."

"Nice try."  Cate straightened.  "You better figure something out, and get in there.  You do realize you just told Romeo to go feed wild animals?  Which is strictly against Park policy?"

"He's not gonna get them to come close enough to eat outta his hand."  Jon winced as he pushed the covers off his lap.

"Yeah, sure he won't.  Jon, our giraffe was close enough to lick your ear."

"Well at least then I woulda gotten licked."

Cate smirked at his dirty retort and strolled back toward the bathroom.  "I'm gonna change for my workout.  You got the boys' breakfast covered?"

"Yeah, yeah."  Jon sighed again and stood, tugging out the waistband of his shorts to look ruefully down at his dick.  It was still standing erect, but was starting to relax a bit.  Maybe if he tied a sweatshirt around his waist.... 

"I'll find something to feed 'em.  After I go see the motherfucking giraffes."

Cate snickered and closed the bathroom door behind her, leaving her husband to his fatherly duties.

*****

Cate yawned.  Dropping the tablet to her lap, she looked up. 

Her lips curved in a relaxed smile as she saw she had chosen an opportune moment to pause her reading.  Cate watched Jon emerge from the pool, his arms flexing and pectorals bulging as he pulled himself up onto the concrete deck.  Rivulets of water streamed over his chiseled torso, droplets nesting in the honeycomb of wiry, wet hair blanketing his chest.

Jon raised both hands to cup his face, wiping away the water before slicking back his hair.  As he squinted and pinched his nose Cate giggled softly.  She was sure he didn't realize just how clearly this wet look displayed his receded hairline.  Vanity caused him to keep his longer, fluffy shag, which she didn't mind one bit.  His hairline and the lines around his eyes were the only physical clues of Jon's age.  For a man in his early fifties, Jon still looked damned good.

"Freak," she mumbled affectionately. 

Cate chuckled at herself, then again picked up her iPad.  For the past two hours she had been parked on this plush chaise, enjoying the Florida sunshine, napping, and catching up on her reading while Jon swam and played with his boys.  He had taken several breaks during which he lounged by her side, but he had insisted she not lift a finger.  For the first time this vacation she felt completely and utterly relaxed.  

She sighed as she realized she was bored of reading.  Cate had finally started a novel she had loaded to her tablet prior to leaving Manhattan, but it didn't hold her interest.  Then she tried to covertly peruse a few chapters of a vacation-forbidden fertility and marriage guidebook, but Jon's curious interruptions made it impossible for her to focus.  Finally she had resorted to downloading a few e-magazines and flipping through their pages.  Her current reading material contained commentary on a familiar subject.

Hearing the wet slap of bare feet on pavement, Cate looked up to see Jon approaching her.  She smiled as he stopped beside her chair and reached across her for his towel, purposely dripping tepid pool-water across her bikini-bared belly.

"Hey, careful of the iPad..." Cate scolded mildly, brushing a few droplets from the screen protector.  The swipe made the images move.

"Whatcha readin' now?"  Jon's lips puckered thoughtfully as he peered at the upside-down screen.

Cate sighed, knowing what his response would be, but she confessed anyway.

"New issue of Us Magazine.  Featuring... well... Us."  Cate smirked wryly and turned the tablet on her lap so Jon could clearly see the image and caption.  "Jon Bon Jovi and wife Cate spend a day at Disney's Hollywood Studios with his two youngest sons, Jacob Hurley, 11, and Romeo Jon, 9."  Above the text was a glossy photo of Jon and Cate standing behind the boys while watching a street performance at the theme park.

Jon frowned, then shrugged.  "That's not so bad."

Cate snorted and swiped her finger across the screen, scrolling to the next pair of pages.  It was covered with candid snapshots of their family at various park attractions.  Clearly an incognito paparazzo had followed them for several hours, documenting their day. 

"Fuckers," she growled softly, pointing to an image of her and Jon.  The photograph was of their backs as they stood together in some queue.  A bright-yellow circle highlighted Jon's hand resting on Cate's buttock, over her shorts.  A corresponding neon headline shouted "JBJ Cops a Feel!  Why?  Because He Can!"  

Jon echoed her snort and shook his head.  "Baby, why do you even bother reading that trash?" he asked wearily.  Draping the towel over his damp shoulders, he wandered around her chair and settled on his own.  "It doesn't mean shit.  And it just pisses you off."

She shrugged, knowing he was right.  But it was also her nature.  By trade she was a gatherer of information, a collector of clues.  Together the pieces told a story.  And it was always good to know what stories were being told about you.

"It's what I do, Baby," she confessed with a sigh.  "Intelligence collection."

Jon chortled and pointed at her tablet.  "I'd hardly call that shit 'intelligence'."

She smiled and nodded her agreement.  "Touche'.  And this is one of the decent ones."

Jon settled onto his chair and rubbed the towel over his head, fluffing his rapidly-drying hair.  He gave her an affectionate smile when he peeked out from under the towel.  "Even when you're not working, you're working.  You gotta learn to shut down, Baby."

"I know, I know...." Cate's grumble was gentle.  She waved a hand dismissively at him.  "But reading magazines doesn't count as working."

"I assume all that phone-talking you did awhile ago doesn't either?"  Jon arched a brow at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

Cate grinned.  Busted.  "Okay, yeah.  I was talking to Gus.  But not all about work."

"Oh?"  Jon tossed his towel to the pavement and settled back on his lounger's cushions.  "I suppose you were just swapping recipes?"  He winked at her with his tease.

"No.  He was telling me about his date."

"Ah, dating advice.  Fabulous.  Because you have such vast experience in that realm, having been married for four-plus years."

"Hey, I dated before I met you."  Cate tried to keep a straight face as she challenged him.  She couldn't hold it, and a sheepish smile curved her lips.  "Okay, not often... but I dated."

"What, twice?  Three times?"  Jon continued his tease.  Cate had confessed to him early in their relationship that she had practically no social or romantic life before she met him.  At least not since her previous unhappy marriage.

"Shut up," she grumbled playfully.  "I just preferred to keep things simple.  You know, use a guy for sex and kick him out."

"And is that what Gus wanted?  Your advice on one-night stands?"  Jon grinned.

"No.  Not that it's any of your business... but his date with Emily was quite lovely."  Cate sniffed.  "My suggestion paid off."

"Way to go Gus!"  Jon gave Cate an exaggerated leer before parroting a silly vocalization of porn-film music.  "Bow-chicka-WOW-WOOOOWWWWW!" 

She rolled her eyes.  "See?  This is why I don't talk to you about these things."

Jon chortled.  "Alright, alright... he's good, though?  Gus?"

"Yes.  He's fine.  The case is going well."

"Well, Thank God for that."  Jon couldn't keep a hint of sarcasm from his reply.

Cate's gave him a mild stink-eye.  "You missed a call too, by the way.  Your phone rang while you and Jake were having your water-cannon war."

"Who was it?"

"Jon, don't you think I would have said who it was if I knew?"  Cate started to scold him, but stopped when she saw the mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes.  He was purposely trying to get her riled up.  "Check your phone."

"Yes ma'am."  Jon chuckled again and reached for the tote bag containing their personal effects.  He pulled out his iPhone and squinted at the screen.  His expression sobered.  "Huh.  It was Dad."  A swipe of his thumb revealed his voicemail account contained no new messages.

Cate turned her head to look at her husband, noting the concern in his tone.  "Did he leave a message?"

"Nope.  That's weird."  Jon frowned.

"Baby, he's probably just calling to say hello.  If there was a problem he would have left a message, or one of your brothers would have called."  Cate's expression sobered as well, mirroring Jon's concern.  She knew John Senior was a creature of habit, preferring to chat with his sons and grandchildren on Sunday evenings.  He rarely made purely social calls at other times.

Jon pushed the "call" button and raised the device to his ear.  "Hope everything's okay," he mumbled as he listened to the ring.

Cate watched Jon as he waited for a response, a shadow of worry niggling at the corner of her mind.  It didn't take long to solve the mystery.

"Hey Dad!  What's up?"  Jon gave Cate a relieved look, then swung his feet up onto his chaise.  "Saw you called earlier.  Sorry I missed you.  We're at the pool."

Cate smiled and returned her attention to her iPad, though she continued to listen to Jon's side of the conversation.  After a few comments it appeared all was well.  She could hear relief in her husband's voice as he asked about his mother and brothers, then briefly recounted their vacation activities.  She idly flipped through the remaining pages of the electronic magazine on her tablet, not really paying attention to their contents.

"Oh, you're not at Aunt Barbara's?  When did you come back?"

Cate looked up at Jon, surprised by the comment.  He met her inquisitive gaze and shrugged.  When they had left Jersey Jon's parents had been headed to Pennsylvania to spend time with Carol's extended family.

"Oh.  So now you're at Cousin Therese's?  Where's that?"  The corner of Jon's mouth curved amusedly as he gave Cate another shrug before countering his father's response.  "Pop, how the fuck am I supposed to remember where they all live?"  His free hand waved with the query, his voice picking up a hint of ethnic cadence.  Cate chuckled as she saw Jon's Italian coming out.

"What villages?.... Oh... The Villages?  Is that a place?"  Jon's brow furrowed as he tried to decipher whatever his father was now telling him.  "That's the name of the place?  The Villages?... Where is it?.... In Florida?"

Cate's smile faded just a bit.

"Oh.... just an hour?... Oh, Ma does, huh?"  Jon's blue eyes met Cate's.  She could see it written in his expression.... Shit.

"Uh... yeah.  Sure.  Put her on."  Jon nodded as if his father could see him, then dropped the phone from his cheek.  "They want to come here," he hissed to Cate.

"Here?"  Cate's eyes widened.  "When?"     

"I don't know... they're only an hour away! OH!  Uh... Hi, Ma!"  Jon's half-desperate whisper turned to a cheery greeting as Carol came on the line.  Cate could hear her voice chirping from the little speaker near Jon's ear.  "How's Cousin Therese?.... Good!... Yeah.... give her our love too."  He shrugged at Cate, then rolled his eyes.  She covered her mouth to contain her giggle.

"So, Ma... Dad says you wanna come over and see the Boys?"  Jon's gaze darted back toward the pool, where Jacob and Romeo were still involved in a game of kids' water-volleyball led by Disney "Pool Camp Counselors".  His eyes turned back to Cate.  Her smile had faded and her jaw had tightened at the overheard news.  He shrugged apologetically before answering his mother's query. 

"Um... sure!.... No, no... Today we're just hanging out, taking it easy..... Uh, tonight?  Just dinner, I think.  Lemme ask Cate.  Hold on, Ma..." 

Seizing the opportunity for a pause in the one-sided conversation, Jon lowered the iPhone from his face and covered its speaker with a finger.  He cringed slightly as he spoke, inadvertently telegraphing his opinion of the idea.  "They're about an hour away.  They want to come see the boys."

Cate took a breath, then smiled.  She knew as well as Jon did they couldn't decline his parents' visit.  It wouldn't do any good.  Carol and John Senior would show up anyway.

"Jon, we can't exactly say 'no.'  They're your parents."

He gave her a skeptical look.  "But we're on vacation, Cate."

"Family vacation, Jon.  And they're family."

Jon sighed.  "Look... I know my Mom makes you a little nuts..."

"A little?"  Cate snorted.

"Okay, a lot.  Baby, if you want me to tell her we're busy, I will."  Jon's smile was desperately hopeful.  "I mean, she knows you don't get to spend much time with the boys..."

"Oh no you don't!  John Francis, don't you DARE pin this on me!"  Cate poked a finger at Jon, emphasizing her rare use of his middle name.  It worked.  He cowered.

"Oh... alright."

Cate sighed.  "When do they want to come?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah!  Why do you think I said I'd ask what we're doing tonight?"

"Well you'd better tell her!"  Cate pointed to the phone.

"Shit!  What are we doing tonight?"

"The luau.  At the Polynesian."  Cate shrugged.   "We can probably get two more tickets..."

"Okay."  Jon nodded, then took a breath before raising the phone to his cheek.  He gave Cate another wide-eyed grimace.

"So, Ma... I checked with Cate.  We're doing some luau dinner thing tonight, but I think we can get more tickets..."  He wrinkled his nose at Cate as Carol cut him off.  Cate couldn't make out the words, but could again hear her chatter.  She gave Jon a sympathetic smile.

"No, no... Ma... It's no trouble.  Seriously, it's fine."  Jon rolled his eyes.  "Jake and Romey will be excited to see you both."  His mouth curved with the sentiment.  He listened for another minute, then again his eyes widened.

"Uh... yeah, I guess so.  Tomorrow?"  Jon looked at Cate, silently asking for her input.  She mouthed the word to him, using her hands to mime the shape of a sphere. 

"Epcot.  We're going to Epcot tomorrow."  Jon stared at Cate as he listened to his mother's proposal.  "Sure, if you and Dad want to tag along... No, I don't think we have plans tomorrow night..."  Again he cringed and gave Cate an apologetic look.  "I think we were just going to have dinner wherever.  Maybe in the park."

"Tomorrow?"  Cate mouthed the question, her brows raised.  Jon understood.

"Are you gonna go back to Therese's tonight, then?..... Oh.... Yeah.   I guess an hour is kinda a long ways late at night..."  He shot Cate a panicked look.  "Um... here?  Yes.  Yeah, Ma... no worries.  I'll take care of it.  You like the Grand Floridian, right?"

Cate's eyes widened as she understood.  This wasn't going to be a brief visit... John and Carol were joining their vacation.

Shit.

"No, Ma.  It's no trouble.  I'll just call the VIP desk and get you a room.  Don't worry about it..... Uh... our place?  We're at the Animal Kingdom.  Yeah... uh, I don't know.... it's kinda small...."

Cate choked back her laugh.  Their villa could be described any number of ways, but "small" was not an adjective that came to mind.  She gave Jon a sympathetic smile, silently thanking him for steering his parents to other accommodations.  It was one thing to share part of their Disney experience with John and Carol, quite another to have to sleep under the same roof as them.

"Ma, I told you.  It's no trouble.  Consider it done."  Jon's tone strengthened, taking on a note of exasperation.  "What time will you and Dad arrive tonight?  I'll call the VIP reservations number as soon as I get off the line with you.  They'll have a room waiting at the Floridian when you get there.  Check in, and we'll come meet you."  He rolled his eyes and shook his head again.

Cate sighed and closed her iPad's cover.  It was obvious their day of relaxation was over.

"Of course Cate won't mind, Ma.  She'll be happy to see you both."  Jon gave his wife another pained smile when she looked up at the mention of her name.  He shook his head slightly as he replied to his mother's query.  "Ma... MA!... Um.... okay.  Hang on."

Again Jon dropped the phone from his cheek and covered the little sound-hole with a finger.  He smiled resignedly.  "I'm sorry, Baby."

Cate sighed.  "It's fine, Jon.  Really.  It will be good for the boys to see their grandparents."  She chuckled ironically.  "But thank you for insisting they stay in their own room."

"If they stay overnight."  Jon grimaced and extended the phone toward his wife.  "Mom thinks you'll be upset about her intruding.  She wants to talk to you."