"You like Lori Layne, don't you, honey?"

Joey looked up at his mother. He was sitting on the floor of the family room, reading a comic book. "What makes you think that, Mother?"

Sandy smiled at him, feeling affection for this young son of hers. He looked so much like his father with his brown, straight hair, his sharp, almost piercing eyes. He was still small for his age, but she was not too worried. Rob had not gained height until he was older, then he shot up almost overnight to his present six-foot-two.

"Mothers can always tell, honey." She smiled at him. "What I want to know is why you can't find a nice girlfriend your age. Isn't Lori a bit old for you?"

"I don't go out with girls," he said, wondering what his mother was getting at. "You won't let me, remember?"

"But if you must like a girl," she said, "why don't you choose one younger. Lori seems a bit experienced."

"At what?" Joey wanted to know, puzzled. "She's good in school, if that's what you mean."

"I mean, darling," Sandy said, "that she has boys hanging around her all the time."

"Sure," her son answered. "She's popular, that's all."

Sandy smirked. "I can guess why."

A faint flush came to Joey's face. "Aw, Mother. Lori isn't that… I mean, she don't… Aw, come on, Mother!"

"Then you understand what I'm talking about?"

Joey blushed a deep pink, burying his face into the comic book. Sandy had not wanted to embarrass him. This was not the idea she had in mind. Her plan had not formed completely yet. It was still only a foggy idea in her head, but since her experience last night she was determined to try something.

Ever since Rob had gone to the office this morning, she had tried to come up with some hard and fast way to present her husband and son with what they desired. But she really did not know Lori, only well enough to say hello to when she saw the girl. It was odd, she thought, that her previous feeling of jealousy was gone. All she felt now was the desire to give her husband and son what they wanted – Lori Layne.