Getting miscellaneous news out of the way before we launch into the Main Action of this set of updates:
Rose and Aaron are now going steady.
Awwww!
And
Melissa is the Project's second Permaplatinum Sim.
Professional Party Guest isn't all that hard, either.
Now...
Joe Carr brought a friend home from work the other day.
Mackenzie Gast, beverage tycoon.
They quickly became friends.
Right there on the helipad, so to speak.
Mackenzie found Joe very attractive, and wasn't afraid to say so.
They talked long into the twilight. (Hey wait a second; how'd Joe get into his street-clothes? Did he go have a shower or something? How puzzling.)
Joe felt the same way.
And not, we're sure, just because...
"Yes, I'm extremely rich, why do you ask?"
She is a Business Tycoon, after all. Just like Joe. I don't know if the game actually factors that into Townie wealth, though.
That first visit had a very promising ending.
Their first kiss
I love her startled expression.
She came home with him again the next day. (Or maybe a couple of days later, or maybe he called and invited her over and she just happened to wear her suit, or something; I forget.) They wandered down into the basement in search of privacy.
Love.
Not much privacy, but love anyway.
Then they wandered upstairs.
To look at Joe's etchings, perhaps.
Note classy through-the-window shot.
With a happy result.
Awwww!
We note in passing that Maxis seems to have decided that the average Downtownie shall be considerably easier on the eyes, conventional-beauty-wise, than the average Townie.
The next morning, just before dawn, Joe got to see his new beloved in her non-work outfit for the first time.
"Hallelujah!"
Note that in the parallel universe of Bellevue, her name is Audrey, and she's in a different line of work.
Not long after, Joe popped the question. Well, one of the questions, anyway.
Mackenzie moves in.
Mackenzie Gast is a Fortune Sim (I'm pretty sure), who brings some significant amount of money to the household. And Casa Townie's up to eight residents again!
But there was a problem.
Sally and Mitch are Not Pleased.
Dawn and Mitch are Not Pleased.
Joe: "I don't understand; what's the problem?"
Sally/Mitch/Rose/Dawn: "You're betraying Eleanor, our daughter / sister! She still loves you, you must be faithful to her! Stop all this romantic behavior with this Mackenzie floozy!"
Joe: "Look, I still love Eleanor and all, but that was a long time ago, and she's married now. She's Mrs. Kennedy Cox! You can't expect me to be faithful to her when she's married somebody else!"
Sally/Mitch/Rose/Dawn: "Wurra wurra wurra!"
"Don't worry, Mackenzie darling, I'll take care of it tomorrow."
Okay, so mostly I just like the composition of this shot.
"Eleanor, thanks for coming over. We have to talk."
"Whatever you like, my love."
"That's just it. We really shouldn't be in love anymore. You're married now, and we should both -- move on."
"That makes perfect sense, Joe, but I only know what I feel in my relationship bar. My long-term score for you may be well under seventy, but I'll be in love with you forever, or at least until we have a significant negative interaction."
"Well, all right. I hate to do this, but..."
"...you leave me no choice."
"Oh Joe, you're such a card!"
Well, that didn't work. Better try a more reliable verb, like Argue.
"Weapons of mass destruction? Give me a break!"
Politics is always good for an argument.
Joe loves Eleanor -- not.
Well, halfway there. Except...
"Isn't she cute when she's mad? No wonder I love her."
This qualifies as an out-take, I think... *8)
That little hitch aside, Joe's negotiations were a success.
"You're right, Joe, we shouldn't be in love anymore. You're sort of a jerk."
"Bye bye, ex-lover! See you around!"
So Joe and Mackenzie can now express their feelings without penalty.
Domestic harmony.
Mitch and the twins (and for that matter Sally off in the Love Nest) all still dislike both Joe and Mackenzie, but at least it's not constantly getting worse anymore.
And in other news, Dawn is working on her second love affair.
"Mmm, nice vest."
These Romance Sims are so insatiable.
More from Casa Townie in further episodes (coming up: will Mitch finally get over Sally?).