Senior Year Box Set

“Make sure it’s not anytime Thursday through Sunday. I want to reserve those days for football, recruiting, and Brook. If I had to pick, I would suggest Tuesday.”

“The studio has been in touch about living arrangements in LA,” Caryn said. “They can either put you in a hotel or give you a per diem, and you rent something. I talked to Rita James, and she said you were more than welcome to stay in their beach house. Trip has moved back to the main house as he goes through rehab.”

“That sounds a lot better than staying at a hotel.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her.”

“How did your meeting with Cindy go?” Mom asked.

“Good. We signed a letter of intent so they could get started. I was hoping you and Dad would take that on,” I suggested.

“I’m not sure your mom has the time to decorate your LA home,” Grandma Dawson said to give my mom a hard time.

“That’s all right, I can make time,” Mom said, not catching on to the sarcasm.

We all had a good laugh. When Mom figured out that she had the job, she didn’t even threaten to kill anyone.

Dad had something else to add to my to-do list.

“I recommend you carve out time to call Mr. Morris and discuss any potential recruiting issues.”

“Okay, why me?” I asked hesitantly.

“Because this directly affects you. It would also be crazy not to utilize his expertise if it saves you from further hassles with the NCAA.”

“Isn’t that just wasting money? I already know what the rules are,” I complained.

“Would you rather spend fifty or a hundred dollars for a phone call each week or not play football in college?” Uncle John said to point out the downside.

When he put it that way, I would rather have the peace of mind.

◊◊◊

Pam was at the house, spending time with the boys. I helped her get them ready for bed. Peggy had taken the time to study.

“Coby is growing like crazy. He’s nearly the same size as Little David,” Pam pointed out.

All indications were that Coby was going to take after his dad. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up being tall. Little David had started to pull himself up so he could stand. It wouldn’t be long before Peggy’s little guy was walking. His favorite support was poor Duke. Little David would get a handful of hair and attempt to stand. It was a good thing that Labs have almost no feeling in their coats. I’d had Little David get a handful of my hair, and it hurt.

Coby wasn’t mobile yet, though he was able to roll over and sit up now. He was a giggle-box. It warmed my heart to see he was a happy baby.

We got them their baths and then put them into their cribs. They soon settled down and fell asleep. I wrapped my arms around Pam as we watched them.

“Thank you,” I said.

“For what?”

“For making the perfect little boy.”

I saw a tear form as she smiled up at me.

“You don’t need to thank me. We did this together. I’m just glad you let me be so involved in his life.”

“Are you kidding me? Why wouldn’t I want you involved? You’re his mother,” I said.

“Because of the way my dad acted. I’m not sure I could have separated things like you did. I wasn’t very supportive when it went down,” she admitted.

“The man hit you. It was more important that you were safe than it was you standing up for me. Since then, we’ve been good.”

“We have.”

“Hey. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Brook said, surprising us.

“We were talking about Coby,” Pam said.

“I brought over your phone,” Brook explained.

“Did you lose your phone?” Pam asked me.

“No. David gave it to me so I could go through it,” Brook said.

“Why?” Pam asked me.

“I have nothing to hide.”

“Plus, he stole my phone, and I caught him going through it,” Brook added.

“In fact, Cassidy gave me the PIN. She threw you under the bus when Oliver sent you the text.”

Brook just rolled her eyes. She’d figured out that I’d tricked Cassidy into giving me the PIN to unlock her phone.

“You’re both nuts. There’s no way I would let David go through my phone,” Pam said.

“You don’t have any big secrets on it,” I said.

“What? You’ve looked at my phone?” Pam asked as her voice got louder.

“Shhh, babies,” I said, pointing.

“He’s kidding. He would never invade your privacy,” Brook said.

“How can you say that? He did yours. I think that makes your comment a little suspect.”

The whole time, I’d been holding Pam in my arms. I leaned down, kissed her neck, and felt her shiver.

“Okay. You can see my phone if you keep that up,” Pam said.

Girls are so easy.

◊◊◊

Chapter 14 – Dessert First Monday September 26

Bandit became my all-time favorite tough kitty this morning. Our kitchen range was stainless steel, and he saw his reflection in it. He decided he was going to protect the whole family from the evil kitty in the stove. When he yowled his warning cry, Duke about had a fit. The hair on his back raised up, and he started to investigate what the problem was.

My reaction was to get my phone out and video the encounter. Maybe I could sell it to National Geographic, like when they showed the lions taking down a gazelle.

“Mom! Dad! You’ll want to see this!” I called upstairs.