Chapter Six
Three sets of startled brown eyes stared at Jason as if he'd sprouted an extra head. He stared right back, slowly regaining control of his breathing.
Brenda and Emily were sprawled on the sofa of the villa living room, both dressed in nightwear. The older brunette had the youngest Corinthos' family member in her arms. Sonny on the other hand sat in an armchair in his black silk pajamas and bathrobe, including his gray slippers and newspaper in hand. All three of them continued to gawk at him, waiting as patiently as they could.
Finally, Brenda broke the silence. "Well, are you going to tell us what you did wrong or continue staring at us like an owl?"
Emily giggled as Sonny carefully folded his newspaper, trying his best to contain his chuckle.
"Well?" Brenda prompted, receiving a dirty look from Jason.
Shaking his head at his wife and best friend, Sonny cleared his throat and faced his glowering enforcer. "Jason, what's wrong? Or should I say what have you done this time?" He added a dimpled smile to lighten the mood.
Jason glared at the trio before him. Muttering an explicit under his breath, he slouched against the door and took in a deep breath.
"Oh, this looks like it's going to be good," Emily commented, having recovered from her laughter at her brother's expense.
The young enforcer's gaze flickered to his sister for a moment before he began. "I did something stupid."
"We know," Brenda answered, starting to fidget in impatience.
Combing his hand through his blond locks, Jason repeated. "Something really stupid."
"That's been established, Jason," Sonny said, enjoying his best friend's discomfort. "We could help you if we knew what the stupid thing is that you did."
Throwing his head back, Jason searched for the words for a moment before murmuring, "I had an encounter with Elizabeth," to the ceiling.
"What did you say?" Emily asked, leaning forward to hear better.
"It would help if he was talking to us and not the ceiling," Brenda muttered, cradling a sleeping Della in her arms.
Snapping his spine straight, he declared to the room. "I had an encounter with Elizabeth."
The ensemble sitting before him didn't respond right away, making Jason nervous.
Eventually, Emily opened her mouth. "Want to elaborate for us?"
"That would help," his best friend's wife added.
"Jason, you live with Elizabeth," Sonny stated. "You bump into the girl all the time. She's your nanny, so you're going to have to explain yourself."
"When we got to the island…" Jason trailed off, not sure how he was supposed to go about explaining that he made out with his nanny and then ticked her off enough to cause her to quit.
Brenda gestured for him to continue.
"Elizabeth quit." He came straight out and announced it, bracing himself for the outburst he was sure to receive. He didn't get any response; instead they gaped at him again. Jason preferred the sharp remarks instead of the silence he was receiving at the moment from those he called family, Brenda included. There silence at the moment only translated into harsh treatment when they recovered from their surprise.
They exchanged looks before they continued to gawk at him.
Jason watched as the shock washed away from Brenda's eyes. Bracing himself against the heavy oak door, he waited for her explosion and it came sooner than he thought.
"Explain now," her voice was low for Della's sake, but it was threatening and her eyes were narrowed into slits.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jason looked away from the enraged brunette and fixed his gaze on the open veranda doors across from him. "I screwed up."
"We established that Jason," his sister chipped in.
"Jason, I think," Sonny intervened, speaking calmly. "That it would be best for your sake that you explain what you did so that we can do damage control. Does this have to do with your encounter with her?"
The enforcer nodded his head, still avoiding the gazes of his family.
Emily glared at her brother. "What was the encounter?"
"Did you kiss her?" Brenda guessed.
Jason cleared his throat roughly, answering the question.
"Finally," Emily and Brenda uttered simultaneously.
"He's not as hopeless as we thought," Sonny sighed.
Their reactions made Jason frown even darker.
"Wait, why is she quitting then?" Emily asked, her smile disappearing from her face from the realization that there was more to the story.
Three sets of suspicious brown eyes fixed on him, waiting for an answer.
"I pulled away."
Brenda arced an eyebrow in question. "Why?"
"Because it wasn't right," Jason murmured, shuffling his feet.
"Did you tell her that?"
"Yes," he admitted.
"Men are clueless," Brenda murmured.
"Go on, Jason," Emily prodded.
"Wait, a second," Sonny interjected. "How far did you two…" The older man trailed off as a blush stained Jason's usually emotionless face. Sonny released a low whistle. "Cold showers?"
Eyes still on his feet, Jason rubbed the back of his neck and nodded his head. "Multiple ones," he murmured.
"Alright," his sister stated, standing up. "We know that the two of you kissed," she ticked them off on her hand. "Then, you pulled away. And then Elizabeth quit. Is there something I'm missing?"
Shifting Della in her arms, Brenda took a close look at Jason. He was keeping something from them. She could tell from the way he was avoiding their eyes. "I bet, like what happened between ending the make out session and her resignation?"
Cracking his knuckles, Jason prepared himself to answer the question. Taking in a deep breath, he released it all. "I avoided Elizabeth after the kiss and then today we finally talked." He didn't pause when Brenda threw him a look. "She misinterpreted my words when I tried to explain why it was a bad idea for us to be together and then she threw her resignation letter at me." Stopping to gather his thoughts, Jason got ready to continue when Sonny raised a hand up.
Looking Jason straight in the eyes, Sonny asked. "What did you exactly say to Elizabeth?"
Breaking eye contact with his best friend, Jason watched a dark cloud float across the moon. "I told Elizabeth that I hadn't been with anyone in a long time and that's why things got out of hand the other night." Brenda opened her mouth to speak, but Jason quickly added, "She misinterpreted it as an itch that needed scratching and I didn't mean it that way."
"Please tell me I'm imagining this," Sonny groaned, covering his face.
"Nope," Emily answered him sympathetically.
"God Jason, you are an idiot when it comes to women."
"It's not my fault they're so complicated," Jason muttered under his breath.
Brenda scowled at Jason as she passed Della to Emily as the younger brunette sat back down. "We wouldn't seem so complicated if men tried to understand us once in a while instead of-"
"Brenda, the idiocy of men isn't the issue at the moment right now," Emily brought the older brunette's ranting to an end before it could begin. "Even though the incompetence of the male population does need a solution, right now we need to help my big oaf of a brother."
"Fine," Brenda muttered.
"Okay, what happened after your…careless move?" Sonny inquired, rising from his chair. He traveled off to the side of the living room to the bar to grab scotch glasses.
Folding his arms over his wide chest, Jason glowered at the man across the room. "Like I said before she threw the envelope at me and said she quit."
"Then, you came here?" Brenda asked.
"No."
"Then?" Emily prompted. Her brother needed lessons in communication skills.
Sonny began to pile scotch glasses with ice when he realized that his daughter was in the room. Reluctantly pushing the heavy scotch bottle away he reached for the sparkling water. Too bad there was a rule of no hardcore alcohol in front of the children for they really needed something strong at the moment.
"She stormed off to her room and has avoided me since."
Brenda groaned. "You didn't try fixing things?"
"I can't make her stay against her will," Jason replied, growing annoyed. "But she has to stay."
His sister scratched her head in confusion. "I thought you just said that you wouldn't make her stay against her will?"
"I did, but…" the young father trailed off as he tried to contemplate what to say. "She needs to stay." He needed her to stay.
Sonny offered Jason a scotch glass, but the enforcer brushed it away. He took a seat besides his wife. "You didn't give us a reason why yet," the older man pointed out, handing his wife a glass. Brenda took it willingly. She made a face at him when she realized it wasn't liquor.
"I spoke to Lil." Jason's voice softened as he spoke of his daughter. "She doesn't know about Elizabeth yet. She asked about her mother. Then, when I told her that Sam wasn't coming back," he paused. "Lil then asked if Elizabeth could be her mother." His daughter's pained wet piercing blue eyes flashed in his mind. "Elizabeth made a promise to my daughter to always be there for her. I don't want her to break that promise because of me. My daughter loves her nanny and I've disappointed her enough in her life." He swallowed roughly. "I don't want to do it again by being the reason that Lil loses another person she loves."
Shutting his eyes for a moment, Jason inhaled deeply. "So, I need help." Opening his eyes, his sharp blue eyes meet with each pair of brown eyes that stared back at him in wonder. "I need your help to get Elizabeth to stay here with Lil…and me." Breaking their gaze, he murmured. "She belongs with us."
A silence fell over the group as each of them processed the admission of the young father.
Della's soft coo broke the silence.
"Thank you, lord the light has dawned on him," Sonny sighed happily.
"I knew I loved Lil for a reason," Emily laughed, gently rubbing Della's back.
Brenda smiled kindly as she turned to her husband. "We're going to be needing the three stooges on this."
"It's no longer the three stooges," her husband smirked. "Adam's been corrupted."
"It's about time he got recruited," Emily giggled.
Jason examined the group, trying to decipher what the gleams in their eyes meant. "Does this mean you're going to be helping me?"
"Duh, Jason," his sister answered him with a playful smirk.
"But, we've got a lot of work to do," Brenda added, crossing her legs. "Unfortunately, Elizabeth is one stubborn girl and we've got our work cut out for us with barely enough time."
Sonny smiled, his dimples out in full force. "You're going to have to turn on that charm we all know you're hiding away for this to work."
Jason nodded his head, lost as to what the trio was planning.
The two brunettes shared a look as devious smiles bloomed on their lips. A sparkle appeared in their eyes.
"Jason, you're going to have to take advantage of the beautiful island that you own for the next four days." Emily turned to Sonny for clarification. "Right?"
"Yes," Sonny answered. "We're here until Monday and the weather isn't going to be bad. The island is a perfect romantic spot."
"Well," Brenda drawled. "You can fix this mess by doing it the easy way by pinning Elizabeth down on any available flat surface."
"On an island, women would prefer the beach," Emily took over. "After pinning her down you can have your way with her. Releasing all your sexual frustration."
"Then, she'll see you're not a monk and maybe stay," Brenda finished. She looked Jason over. "Out of physical need and then you can work from there to show her you care. She can then, possibly fall in love with you."
Jason gaped at his sister and her accomplice. They had lost their minds. That was the only reason he could come up with for their suggestion. It was tempting one, but he wouldn't do it.
Sonny laughed deeply at the stunned expression on Jason's face. "Or you can ignore the gutter mind of those two." He tipped his head towards his wife and the Quartermaine. "By simply courting the one and only Elizabeth Webber."
