“That’s right; you’re off to Jolly Old England. Are you going to see that English girl you met in Miami?”
“Aubrey? Yeah, we’re having dinner one night.”
“Maybe Aubrey can help you out.”
“Doubt it. My mom is going with me. She probably would have a problem with me spending time with a woman closer to her age than mine. I just don’t see how it could happen.”
“David?” I heard Eve calling me.
“Over here.”
“Hey, Tracy, do you mind if I talk to him alone?” Eve asked.
“Just going back in. I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Yep, see you later,” I told Tracy.
“I hope you know that if you really need to get off, I’d help out,” Eve told me.
“No, I’m fine. I hope you never feel obligated to do something,” I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
My feelings for Eve were all over the place. First, I fell for her because of a song. Then Tami smacked me around and pointed out how fleeting our relationship was going to be. I went into protective mode and didn’t want to commit to her. That somehow morphed into sexual experimentation mode. Her last comment, and what happened or didn’t happen in the bedroom, had me wondering what the heck I was doing.
At least when I was with Tracy, she wanted to be with me. Sex was never a chore. Of course, everything else was a roller coaster. Oh well. Eve would never know how close I came to breaking up with her right then. If I hadn’t known that we’d only be together a few more weeks, I would have pulled the trigger. If a girl feels like she has to have sex with you, then she really doesn’t want to be with you. I would ride this out because of our friendship.
Chapter 28 – She’s Trouble
Sunday April 20
I WOKE UP EASTER SUNDAY to Kyle crying. I got him out of his crib, changed him, and warmed up a bottle. He was soon a happy boy, grunting as he greedily drank his breakfast. I managed to get him to burp without throwing up on me. I took him into the shower with me and we were both ready for the day. He thought the shower was the best invention ever, especially if he took it with his uncle.
I came downstairs to find El and Julie trying to figure out what they wanted for breakfast. I put Kyle in the high chair so he could watch us.
“You want to help me make breakfast for everyone?”
Julie wasn’t sure, but El was a willing assistant. I showed her the pancake mix and walked her through how to make them from the instructions on the back of the box. While she was making a mess helping, I put on bacon and started the coffee, then cut up several pounds of potatoes and threw them in the microwave. While the potatoes were heating up, I cut up a couple of onions. With two large skillets, I made half plain fried potatoes, half with onions. When I had them crispy brown, I put them on large cookie sheets and put them in the oven to keep them warm. I did the same with the bacon.
Once the first pot of coffee was done it was poured into a carafe and a second pot was started, but I made decaf this time. I knew my grandparents didn’t want the caffeine. There were fresh blueberries in the refrigerator. I cleaned them and then put them into a pot on the stove with some sugar and water over low heat to make a simple syrup for the pancakes. Julie helped get out plates and silverware for everyone.
While she did that, El made orange juice. Mom was the first to stir and made a beeline for the coffee. I asked the girls what they wanted for breakfast. They both wanted pancakes and bacon. I snuck into the pantry and found chocolate chips, which I sprinkled onto their order. I got them a couple of glasses of milk and they were soon enjoying breakfast.
Everyone started showing up and the girls were telling their parents how they helped. I talked Uncle Jim into making eggs to order while I made pancakes. Mom got the potatoes and bacon out of the oven and put them on big platters on the table. Angie came down hungover, so I had her make toast.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson showed up with Beth, followed shortly by Mrs. Glade, who happened to have my best friend with her. Tami snuck up behind me and gave me a hug. This was the best surprise I could have gotten. She finally made me put her down so I could go back to cooking. I guess the chocolate chip pancakes were a big hit because El had to make me another batch of batter. Her mom about had a stroke when she saw that her baby was cooking.
Mary, Tom and Tracy showed up with Kendal and Angel. Mom had been busy inviting people over for breakfast. Mary kicked Uncle Jim off the egg station and we cooked together. She quizzed me on everything I did to get ready. She made some suggestions and taught me how to make poached eggs. I had her make me one so I could try it. She put it on a piece of toast and we split it. I liked it. She explained how it was healthier than eating a fried egg. We ran out of blueberry syrup, so Mary showed me how to make it with frozen strawberries.
Eve and her parents showed up, and soon after that Jim and Suzanne came with their mom and dad. Cindy arrived by herself. I was surprised when Brad Hope came through my back door. He must have really wanted some pancakes and scrambled eggs because he was acting almost human. Coach and Cassidy were right on his heels.
I looked out across the kitchen and living room and almost everyone I cared about was here. It was nice having family and friends together. There was a festive atmosphere. I was shocked when everyone went to church with us. I have to say Kyle was a little angel. Of course, I was in charge of holding him. El sat on my left and Tami on my right.
I chuckled when I remembered Pastor Dan and the little boy talking about the resurrection. I missed the man. He’d been a good youth pastor. When church was over, we all went to Tom and Mary’s. This time I let everyone else cook and I just relaxed. Tami found me and led me into Tom’s office.
She pulled me into a fierce hug and kissed me.
“I missed you,” she told me.
“Me, too. Are you coming home this summer?”
“Some. Teddy Wesleyan has a job for me. I’m going to be one of his assistants this summer. I should make enough to have spending money next year.”
“Speaking of which, what do you want for your birthday this year?” I asked her.
Tami’s birthday was May 24. She was like me in that she didn’t like surprises, so we told each other what to get for our birthdays. Even though we weren’t talking last year, she had told her mother she wanted her ears pierced. My dad told Uncle John who told me. Uncle John had called Mrs. Glade to make sure it was okay. He didn’t want to do something permanent that wasn’t approved. He’d made arrangements for a local jewelry store to do it, and she had a gift card to pick out a set of inexpensive earrings. We always got each other gifts that we could never ask anyone else to get for us.
For my birthday, she had gotten me the most recent Victoria’s Secret catalog, which featured Adrienne. Uncle John had just raised an eyebrow when he saw my gift in the mail.
“I want to go to San Francisco with you next month,” she told me.
I had a Range Sports shoot there right after school was out.
“Alright. Anything else?”
She smiled at me. I knew her too well.
“Yes, I want Harper and Missy to come also.”
“And what will you ladies be doing?”
“Besides having a vacation while you work, I want to see a couple of universities. I know you’re thinking about Stanford and USC, so I want to tour the campuses. We’re still going to college together.”
I didn’t even blink. Of course we were. I also didn’t have a doubt as to who got to pick.
KENDAL FINALLY CAME looking for me. It was almost time to go to Chicago to catch our flight. I made a point to spend a few minutes with everyone. As I was leaving, El gave me a big kiss and announced that she really liked me but couldn’t date me till she was sixteen. I told her I couldn’t wait.