"I hope you enjoyed dinner, ladies," Lisa said to the two women walking behind her when they waltzed back inside the house at seven-thirty. She'd taken Jennie and Ella to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant to celebrate the wedding.
"It was very nice," Jennie replied. It was the first time her date had ever taken her to a really nice restaurant. 'I could get used to it.' "Wasn't it kinda expensive, though?"
"Don't worry about it."
Jennie noticed her sister heading up the stairs. "Ella, where are you going?"
"To my room. I'm gonna finish unpacking before I try to go to sleep. Do me a favor and try not to be too loud when the two of you are having sex tonight. Some of us have virgin ears," she stated, walking away before either of them had a chance to reply.
All Lisa could do was raise her eyebrows at her sister-in-law. Winning her over wasn't going to be easy. "I'm sensing some hostility. Your sister hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, trust me. I think she's afraid you're going to order her around and lay down all kinds of rules. You know, act like her mother."
"Well then, she doesn't have anything to worry about," Lisa told her. "I'm not good at following rules, much less making them. I'll leave all that up to you."
"I appreciate it. Ella just needs a little time to warm up to the idea of you being around."
Lisa looked around, an uncomfortable silence filling the air around them. "Would you like the grand tour? This is your home and I just realized that you don't even know where anything is yet." The two of them spent most of the afternoon packing Jennie's and Ella's things from their old house, bringing it to the new one.
Jennie chuckled. "I think that would be a good idea. Especially if I'm going to be living here for the next three years."
Lisa opened the last door on the left, on the opposite end of the hall from Ella's room. "This is your room. I hope you like it."
She took a step inside and found herself filled with awe. If she had to guess, she would say it was the master bedroom. To her left was a king-sized bed with a flowered comforter and a bedside table draped in a matching cloth. On the other wall was a walk-in closet and armoire, followed by an expensive-looking vanity table. To her right was another large dresser and a loveseat. Directly in front of Jennie was a sliding glass door with a private balcony, much like the one in Ella's room.
"You can see almost all of Daegu from the balcony," Lisa informed her.
"This room is beautiful, Lisa. And so big." She frowned slightly. "Uh-oh, though. Two of us, one bed. That doesn't exactly work."
Lisa smiled at her naive. "I've got it covered. That door on the right is to the bathroom, which we share. On the other side of the bathroom is the door leading to my room. It's right across the hall. In case Ella wonders where I am or why I'm not in here, you can tell her I'm in the bathroom. Easy access, also."
Jennie blushed in embarrassment. "Pardon Jennie's little outburst there. Looks like you have all the bases covered."
"I try. Do you need any help unpacking?"
She shook her head. "I'm good. The only problem is that I don't have nearly enough clothes to fill that massive closet over there. And the dresser."
"Guess we'll have to increase your wardrobe, then."
Lisa turned to leave, but Jennie stopped her. "Can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"You said outside earlier that I'm the only woman you'll ever marry. What did you mean by that?" Jennie had a fear of not being able to get out of the marriage when the three years was up.
"Exactly what I said out there. Look, I never had any intention of *ever* getting married; I was perfectly happy being single and going out with a different woman every night. My parents' divorce was very traumatic for me; I saw what it did to them, and I didn't want to go through that myself in the future. Divorces can get really nasty, particularly when there's a child involved. After living through a bitter custody battle, I decided I would never get married, nor would I put a child through what I went through.
"Unfortunately, my uncle had other plans for me. He didn't like my lifestyle and as punishment, he added the codicil to his will. He was a hopeless romantic and Uncle John once told me that nothing would make him happier than for me to fall in love, settle down and raise a family. But I don't think this is what he had in mind."
"Somehow, I think you're right."
Lisa looked her dead in the eyes. "Don't worry, Jennie. I have no designs on keeping you here longer than the three years we agreed upon. Even I'm not that evil."
"That's a relief."
Lisa shoved her hands in her pockets. "Well, I'll let you get to unpacking your things."
"Good idea. I might be here for days getting organized."
******
Several hours later, Lisa heard the bathroom door close on Jennie's side, signalling that she was finished in there. If there was one thing, she didn't think she would be able to get used to, it was having to share a bathroom. Rather than brush her teeth, she knocked on Jennie's door instead.
"Can I come in?" Lisa asked.
"Feel free."
Lisa entered, finding her wife climbing into bed. The size of it dwarfed her, making Jennie look like a fragile porcelain doll. But she looked perfect there, as if she belonged nowhere else. "Are you settling in, okay?"
"Yep," Jennie replied with a nod of her head. "Almost done unpacking; I should have it all finished by tomorrow afternoon."
"Are you comfortable?" Lisa was concerned she didn't like her bed, or her room. Or the situation.
"I'm fine, so you can stop worrying about me. I love this bed, by the way. It's like I'm laying on a cloud."
For the first time since Lisa had entered, Jennie really looked at her. Lisa was wearing only a pair of black sweatpants and white socks. She needed to take a deep breath and blink hard at the sight of her bare chest. 'She definitely works out,' Jennie thought. 'Girls aren't born with a body like that. God, what am I doing? she's good-looking and is built like a goddess, so what? It's not like I want to jump her or anything. Okay, get a grip, Jennie. she's your sister's lawyer.' But a voice in her head reminded her that she was also her wife.
Lisa noticed her stare. "What's wrong? Do I have something on me?" she asked worriedly.
"No. You don't have anything on you." 'Shit!' "I mean, there's nothing on you, don't worry. I was just thinking."
"About anything in particular?"
Jennie shook her head. "Not really. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"
"I'm going to visit with Jisoo and work on her story. The preliminary hearing is Tuesday morning. That's when we find out if it's going to trial."
"Do you think it will?"
Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. We have a pretty good case for self-defence, but it's up to the judge. It could go either way, but I'm hoping that yours and Ella's written statements will sway her in our favour. After I get back from the meeting, I have to go to the office and get started on the paperwork for the judge. So, I may not be home until after dinner. How about you?"
"I was going to hang out with Nayeon and Winter tomorrow."
"Who?"
"My best friends, Nayeon and Winter. We always go out for lunch every Sunday afternoon. It has become tradition."
Lisa smiled. "Do you need money?"
"I've still got money left over from my paycheck at the café. I should have enough. But I appreciate the offer," Jennie said.
"Yeah, about your job, I meant to ask you about that. Were you planning on keeping it?" Lisa wanted to know.
"I make decent money there. I need to work to pay the bills."
"Not anymore you don't. I make more than enough to support both you and Ella. There is no reason for you to work."
Jennie sighed. "I don't want you throwing your money out the window when I make more than enough to get by. I'd feel bad if I quit and took your money. What would I do all day long?"
"You could go back to school. Get your degree and go on to law school like you wanted to," Lisa suggested.
"You're joking, right?" Jennie asked incredulously.
"I kid you not. There is no reason why you can't go back to school now. You're living in a house that is paid for and you have a wife who is financially secure enough to take care of you. Do it, Jennie," Lisa urged. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Jennie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you totally sure it's, okay?"
"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise."
Jennie nodded, thinking it over. "Okay, then. I guess I'm going back to school in January. Thank you, Lisa."
"You don't need to thank me. Good night, Jennie."
"Night."
Hesitating before leaving her room, Lisa debated whether or not to give her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Thinking it might make her uncomfortable, or confuse her, she turned and walked into the bathroom to prepare for bed.