“Our best results, as far as fundraising goes, are when we spotlight this issue. Who wouldn’t want to help a family with children that just fell on hard times?” he asked, and I nodded.
“What I would like to do is have you create a GoFundMe page. Your classmates and everyone else who decides to help can either bring items or donate funds,” he said.
“I think that makes sense,” I said.
“Good, I hoped it would. The final project involves you personally. We had a tract of land donated to us on which we want to build what are called ‘Tiny Houses.’ The houses are basically the size of a single- to two-car garage, with a kitchenette, bathroom, and a place to sleep. They are designed for transitional housing. The problem we’re having is the neighbors oppose the zoning change that would allow us to build them.
“The location is perfect because it’s close to public transportation and within walking distance of a grocery and drug store,” Mr. Orange said.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I hoped you could come to the next zoning meeting and say a few words in support of us,” he confessed.
“Do you plan to use them for housing chronic or episodically homeless?” I asked.
He smiled.
“No, we have a place for those right now,” he admitted.
Brit and I were out of time, so we had to go. I promised Mr. Orange I would consider it. We hit a drive-through on the way back to school.
◊◊◊
Right after school, there was something special planned. The guys and I all found Jim in the locker room, awaiting the press conference where he would announce which school he’d signed with. While everyone already knew, they still wanted him to go through the whole rigmarole. He was nervous.
We walked up to him, and I handed him his present.
Jim looked up at me, perplexed.
“What is it?”
I grinned at him.
“We thought you’d want to make a statement, and were pretty sure you didn’t want to go through the whole baseball-hat shtick, so we arranged something better. Now, open it!”
Jim tore the wrapping off, opened the box, and then broke out in a huge grin. He lifted out an elegant, expensive houndstooth hat, looked it over, and then put it on his head at a rakish angle. Legendary Alabama Head Coach Bear Bryant always wore one. When you visited the Alabama campus, they had his portrait displayed, and he wore almost the exact same hat.
Jim’s smile could’ve lit up New York City.
“It fits perfectly! How’d you do it?”
I couldn’t help grinning myself.
“Remember when Gina measured all our heads to see if they were getting swelled?”
We trooped out with him, and Tim whispered something to him and gave him a hug. Jim smiled and nodded, then walked up to the table and removed all the baseball hats from it as he sat down.
“Are there any questions?” he asked the startled media people.
I just grinned to myself and walked out. This was Jim’s day, and I didn’t want anything, including my presence, to take that away from him.
◊◊◊
After practicing at the dojo, I rode with Fritz to the James’ house. We found Rita and Halle in the kitchen. Rita gave me a pointed look.
“We need to talk,” she said, leaving Halle and Fritz to finish dinner.
I followed Rita to her office and sat in a chair across from her desk. Rita wouldn’t look at me as she paced back and forth. I reverted to full Dawson mode. I had no idea what she was mad about. She knew that Halle and I had sex; she’d known since the beginning. I knew Fritz had told Rita or shown her the video by the way she looked at me the next time I came to visit. I never let on, because I didn’t want to freak out Halle. Yes, I’d teased her about it, but that was just in fun.
“I talked to your mom,” she finally said.
I knew that and decided it didn’t warrant a comment.
“Dammit!” she barked and stomped her foot.
My eyebrows raised, and Rita’s eyes lowered.
“Come here,” I said with command in my voice.
I knew she needed a firm hand at times, and my Alpha Male was coming out. Rita stood up, and I wrapped my arms around her. At first, she stiffened up, and then she laid her head against my chest and pulled me tight.
“I’m such a terrible mother. When I caught you two, all I could think of was that I was jealous you were with Halle,” Rita said, shocking me.
“Do you need my help?” I asked.
I’d offered to help her when needed. The way we left it was it wouldn’t be a regular occurrence, but I was there if she needed me. Rita pushed back a bit so she could look me in the eyes. I gave her a sexy smirk.
“You’re so full of yourself,” she said and tilted her head.
I leaned down and kissed her. Both our desires ramped up quickly, and the kiss became much deeper. Rita suddenly stiffened and pushed me away.
“We can’t,” she said breathlessly, then caught herself. “I’m sorry, it’s up to you.”
I decided we needed to talk because I could tell Rita was on the verge of going too far. God only knew I wanted her. She was Rita James, after all. She was smart, sexy, and on my list. What stopped me was, so was her daughter. Halle was every bit as intelligent and sexy as her mom. Plus, I had feelings for Halle. I wouldn’t quite call it love, but it was dang close. She’d told me to help her mom out. But no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t take advantage of the situation, regardless of what the evidence from the last few minutes showed.
“You’re right, we can’t. I care very much for your daughter. I’m sorry we rubbed our relationship in your face. That wasn’t right, and it was all my fault. That doesn’t mean that she and I won’t be together again, though,” I said.
I wasn’t sure if Rita was relieved or disappointed. She gave me a tight-lipped smile.
“That was what your mom said. She told me I could spank your bare bottom, but that didn’t mean that you and Halle wouldn’t get together. She advised that if I were to forbid Halle from seeing you, it would be a mistake, because of the whole forbidden-fruit aspect. Your mom explained that teenagers had been sneaking around having sex forever, that you and Halle were good kids and were responsible about it.”
I turned to the desk, leaned over it, and gave Rita a smoldering look.
“You want to spank my bare bottom?” I asked.
That made her laugh, and she swatted me. I let out a playful moan, then turned serious.
“I’ll always be there for Halle. You don’t need to worry about the two of us together,” I said.
“I know, I was being silly,” Rita admitted.
“I’ll be there for you, too. Not in the same way as Halle, but when you need another treatment, let me know.”
“God, it’s just so embarrassing.”
“Hey, look at me,” I ordered.
Rita looked into my eyes and then knelt down before me and folded her hands in her lap. I could see her relax. She’d never said she needed a treatment, so I stopped her right there.
“Come on. Let’s go eat,” I said.
When I got back to the kitchen, I walked straight to Halle, hugged her, and whispered in her ear.
“Your mom spanked me.”
Halle wasn’t fazed. She whispered back that I probably deserved it. Bandit came bouncing up. I picked him up and gave him some loving. At least he liked me.
◊◊◊
After dinner, Fritz and I went to his quarters to talk about Brandon.
“My friends got back to me. They’ve collected some preliminary information about Brandon and his fraternity. From a public records search, they’ve identified eight women who reported being assaulted at their parties over the last five years. I had them dig a little deeper, and according to police records, ten women made initial complaints. Of those ten, seven had rape kits done on them.