SUMMER IN THE CITY
Lake House-
"Ok," Jenny said a week later, "hold still."
Kristina smiled as she stood there letting Jenny pin pieces of the rich cranberry fabric together around her body.
"Ouch," Kristina stammered, "really Jen, can't you just use a dress maker's dummy."
Jenny smiled.
"I could, but not if I want the dress to fit like it was made just for you Kris which it is."
Kristina nodded thinking about how the show was just weeks away and ever since Eric left Jenny had been pretty much consumed on creating dresses for the show.
Smiling Kristina had a brain storm.
"After you pin the rest of the pattern together want to go out somewhere."
"Out, Kris when I'm in the zone."
"Your sixteen Jenny, you have your whole life to work, you're only young once and it's the summer of god sakes."
Jenny paused to think. Kristina was right, that even though she had a deadline she was entitled to some free time that didn't consist of meals at Kelly's or the Pizza Shack with Michael.
"I think its Karaoke night at Jake's, I can call Michael and..."
Jenny picked up the phone only to have Kristina knock it out of her hand.
"I meant fun with just us girls."
Jenny smiled.
"But it's just us girls here now, we can order in, listen to music, sketch some more brilliant designs."
Kristina rolled her eyes and there was a knock on the door.
"Kristina can I come in," Alexis said.
Kristina told her mother yes and the older women entered.
"Hi Jenny."
"Hi Miss Davis...I mean Alexis."
The older woman smiled at the young blonde who had become a fixture in her daughter's life since she had come to town and was bringing out an independence in her middle daughter which gave her control freak self a wake up call making her realize she wasn't thinking of what made her daughters happy.
"Jenny, glad you are here; I was just about to ask Kristina if she knew if you had plans for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, what's tomorrow mom."
Alexis smiled at her daughter.
"You know I'm working on a case right."
Kristina nodded thinking of the high profile case which was non mob related for a change.
"Yes and..."
"It's Viola's day off and Molly isn't in Science Camp this week so I was hoping."
"You were hoping that I wasn't on the clock at Kelly's and I could baby-sit."
"Could you?"
Kristina smiled thinking this was a perfect opportunity to give Jenny the fun she was seriously lacking.
"I'm not going to be her babysitter; I'm going to be her sister ok."
"Ok."
"There is a street fair in the park; I was planning to go...though if I took Molly I might need a few extra dollars."
Alexis reached into her wallet and handed Kristina some money.
"You got to stop wasting your money on art supplies."
"Actually mom I am putting most of it away to by a car and pay tuition."
Alexis nodded and left the room leaving Jenny to look back at Kristina who in moving around had managed to unravel most of the pattern that had been pinned to her.
"Great," Jenny said, "more work."
"I'm sorry J."
Jenny smiled as she fixed her hair up into a bun before picking up her pin cushion.
"That's alright."
Kristina's face curled into a smile now like she was plotting something and Jenny was suddenly feeling rather nervous.
"Kris what are you thinking, and please don't tell me you want to change the design."
"Actually the hem could be raised like two inches or so."
"Uh huh."
"And I was wondering if you wanted to go on the street fair with me and Molly tomorrow."
Jenny nodded. A street fair defiantly sounded fun and so she made plans to finish pining the dress then to go home and meet the sisters at Kelly's the following day.
--
Park-The Following Day-
They met at the small diner to grab a quick meal and now they were standing in the center of the park where booths upon booths.
"Wow, I didn't think a town like Port Charles could have something like this."
Kristina let out a small laugh as she thought that this small quarterly gathering was probably nothing to all the street fairs and flea markets in the city.
"Well we do," she paused taking it all in, "and between you me and Molly I love the street fair. All the colors, the sounds, the smells."
Jenny nodded eyeing all the booths and wondering just where to head to first.
"Can we check out the book table," Molly asked in her sweet voice, "I just love the smell of an old paperback."
Kristina nodded and the older girls lead her to the table that was full of books.
There were big books, small books, hardback, paperback, and everything and anything in between.
"Oh my god," Kristina said.
"What is it," Jenny said, "is it a vintage Vogue."
Kristina shook her head handing Jenny a yellow book covered with a duck.
"For Spinelli."
Jenny smiled and thought that a baby book would be a nice gesture.
"Did I ever tell you about the time your brother and my mom," she paused looking around for Molly who had found some paperback on Ancient Grease which was her current obsession and was sucked into reading.
"Your mom...go on."
"She got high with your brother."
"WHAT."
Kristina nodded
"I was about Molly's age, maybe a year younger and my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. Anyway so my older sister Sam was living with Jason and they found Spinelli's stash of pot and well she got the idea that the pot would help ease the chemotherapy."
"And did it."
Kristina nodded.
"It did, but it was so weird to watch."
Jenny nodded imagining her father getting high, then again Rufus was a musician back in the 90's and she was sure he did plenty of other things.
--
'Look at this hat," Molly was saying later putting on a green knit beret on her head.
"I love it Mol," Jenny said picking up a blue one, "I like this color though."
The sisters smiled as Molly removed the hat she had on.
"I wonder if they have one in purple instead."
She began to dig while Kristina picked up a pair of silver tone bangles.
"I love these."
"Cute," Jenny said holding up a scarf in the same deep blue as the hat she still had on, "these items are so in for next season."
"So, please tell me your fashion show dress is that same exact blue," said a voice from behind her causing her to jump.
Turning around she spotted Michael with his younger brother Morgan.
"Hey," she said putting her arms around him, "what are you doing here."
"Morgan here wanted to check out the sports memorabilia."
Kristina smiled as she paid for Molly's hat and her own bangles.
"I can take Morgan to look that is unless you wanted to browse."
Michael gave Kristina a look as if she had an agenda. She was on to his look; after all he was her brother and placed her hands on her shoulders.
"Hello, Morgan is my brother too, and besides the booth next to the sports stuff has music and I was hoping to find an album of Lincoln Hawk."
Jenny and Michael just nodded but before they could say anything she was gone with her younger siblings and Jenny was paying for her hat and scarf before heading across to the other end of the park with Michael.
"So, Jen is this what you do on your day off," he asked with sadness in his voice.
"It was Kris's idea."
"And your idea of a day off would be."
Jenny shrugged.
"I don't know maybe a real date with you."
"As opposed to a fake date," Michael asked half joking and half being serious as Jenny was the first girlfriend he had.
"You know what I mean, soon I'll be back to the City and where will we be."
"Doing the long distance thing with more a better success rate then most," he said smiling.
Damn he was so cute when he smiled.
"How about a real date now?" Michael then asked.
"As much as I'd like a nice fancy adult date now Michael I think we need to settle for another casual date."
"Say pizza shack."
"Say seven."
"Say wear your new scarf and hat....wait its too hot for those isn't it."
Jenny nodded.
"I'm going to go catch up with Morgan, but if you change your mind and want something a bit nicer you have my number."
Jenny chuckled.
"I think you'll just have to wait and buy me if we ever are going to have the time for a fancy dinner date."
"So is that a promise."
Jenny smiled.
"That's a promise," she said giving him a kiss before they headed their separate ways.
--
TBC
