Junior Year Box Set

Tracy waggled her eyebrows; I expected she would probably like getting spanked. Before we could take this conversation any farther, Brook returned with her date. I had to bite my tongue because I knew this guy. He had been Lydia’s date at the dance Paige took me to. Lydia was the girl who I hadn’t liked right away because she had a sharp tongue, but once I got to know her better, I’d discovered she was actually very intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor. Lydia had been there with this Ken Doll who was obviously just arm candy for the dance. I couldn’t remember what his name was.

“Ken, this is Tracy and David,” Brook said.

“Hey, I know you from somewhere,” Ken said.

It was all I could do not to laugh. How perfect was it that his name was Ken?

“Yeah, I met you and your girlfriend Lydia at a dance last fall,” I said. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s good,” Ken said.

Tracy reached over and punched me in the side. At the same time, Brook asked the burning question that was on her mind.

“Who’s Lydia?”

Ken looked confused for a minute, and then it began to dawn on him. I almost felt sorry for him.

“A girl I date now and then.”

I was impressed with Brook’s interrogation technique. She and Tami could certainly trade tips. Brook would be scary if she ever got my mom to tutor her. It didn’t help that Ken wasn’t very bright. By the time we arrived at the party, we had found out that Ken and Lydia were indeed a couple. Tracy and I kept quiet and enjoyed the show.

◊◊◊

When we pulled up to the estate, it reinforced what Brook had said about her family having money. I was pleasantly surprised when they were completely normal. Yes, Brook lived in a house that rivaled Teddy Wesleyan’s, but most everyone was in jeans. There were several dressed up, but it was split. And her grandmother was a hoot.

I was also impressed that instead of a catered affair, everyone had brought potluck. Brook’s dad was grilling steaks and chicken. He even had a smoker that had ribs in it. He was proud of his new smoker and showed me how it worked. When it was finally time to eat, I knew I was going to have to invest in one myself. He made the best ribs I’d ever had.

Brook’s aunt had made sheet cakes with a homemade cream cheese icing. I had to get the recipe. She used one box of cream cheese and a quarter stick of butter. She microwaved that for thirty seconds to get it soft and then added a cup of powdered sugar. She mixed it until it was smooth and then put a large can of pie filling into the icing and folded it in. She had used blueberry but assured me that most any pie filling would do. I tucked that one away for the next time I made a cake.

Brook and Tracy had abandoned me right after we arrived. Ken made the best of it by hitting on Brook’s cousins. I had a feeling that if Brook caught him at it, he might not live through the night. I decided to walk the grounds. They had a walking trail that wound around the estate.

“You must be David,” I heard from behind me.

“Yes. Brook and I go to school together,” I said, recognizing Brook’s mom.

“Walk with me,” she said as she took my arm, and we began our leisurely stroll.

Mrs. Davis must have been young when she had Brook. She wore jeans and looked comfortable. I wished Brook would have told me so I wouldn’t feel overdressed—not that it mattered, I guess, since Brook had picked out my clothes.

“What do you know of Ken?” she asked.

I smiled at her and shook my head.

“Not talking, are we?” she asked.

“No. I trust Brook to figure it out.”

“Smart man. So, what are your intentions towards my daughter?”

“I think that’s fairly evident since I brought a date. I’d like to be friends with her,” I said.

“Nothing more?” Mrs. Davis asked.

I stopped and looked her in the eye, and she smiled.

“I thought the father was the one to give potential boyfriends the third degree.”

“I will say I was a little nervous when I saw, what was it called? Oh yes, ‘the kiss.’ On top of that, all I hear is ‘David this’ and ‘David that.’ It makes a mother wonder. I’ve never seen a guy get under her skin so much.”

“You do realize that Brook would kill us both if she knew we were talking like this.”

“You might have a point, but I want to know all about you,” Mrs. Davis said.

“Only if you tell me all about Brook,” I shot back.

I’m not sure who got the better deal. I told Mrs. Davis about my family. She hadn’t realized I was related to Davey Dawson. Her father had been one of his major donors. She, in turn, told me about Brook. They had moved here over the summer. Brook’s dad was a political science professor at State.

◊◊◊

When we got back to the party, I received a text from Tracy.

‘Meet Us @ Cabin’