◊◊◊
Jane had replaced Paul as my driver/security when Fritz wasn’t available. I came down from my apartment and was surprised to find Tracy waiting for me.
“Brit bailed on you, so you get to take me to dinner,” she announced.
I was confused.
“I’d just assumed she wanted to go out with you. Turns out she has her eye on someone else. We’re picking them up,” she explained.
I guess I wasn’t that special after all. I’d take Tracy as a consolation prize any day, though. It turned out I was okay with the guy Brit wanted to date: Tim. On the car ride to the T-Bird, I explained that we’d be eating at different tables. I didn’t want them to feel like Tracy and I were horning in on their date.
I had to smile when we walked into the T-Bird and saw Harper and Mike having dinner. He must have asked her to come home with him for the weekend. Mike didn’t seem happy to see me. I noted his hair was coming back in, but he still looked funny. Fortunately, Jim wasn’t with us, or there might have been a fight before all was said and done.
I ignored him and planned to have a nice dinner with Tracy. The place was packed, so I invited Jane to eat with us since this wasn’t a real date.
“I’d go with the Italian beef or prime rib,” I told the women.
“Fritz told me I only had twenty bucks for dinner,” Jane said.
“Fritz is cheap, and I’m buying. Get what you want,” I said, knowing I was paying anyway.
“Brook said you were poor now and have been put on a budget,” Tracy teased.
It was already halfway through the month, and I hadn’t really spent money on anything. Then I remembered the pictures. I hoped that Caryn hadn’t decided that was part of my monthly budget, or I might be in trouble. Pulling up my bank app, I checked my debit card available balance, and I was golden as long as I didn’t buy beers for the bar.
“We’re good,” I announced.
Both girls smiled and ordered the prime rib. I couldn’t pass it up, either. Tracy got Jane to tell her about what I’d been up to in LA while Tracy told her Lincoln High stories about me. They went back and forth all through dinner. I think the two of them were becoming friends. After dinner, the band started.
I danced with both of them and made a point to dance with Brit. A couple of college guys got brave and asked Jane and Tracy to dance. I came off the dance floor to find Harper at my table.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hey, I see you’re dating Mike.”
I wanted to get this out of the way. It wouldn’t surprise me if the shit were dating her just to rub it in my face. I figured Tami had warned her, but if Harper wanted to date him, it wasn’t up to me to stop her.
“Yeah, you okay with that?” she asked.
“Not really, but I’m in no position to tell you what to do.”
“He’s been nice to me.”
I just shrugged. Mike could be a charming guy when he tried.
“Did you have anything to do with getting him drunk?” she asked.
“I was in another apartment when it happened.”
“That didn’t answer my question. Mike believes you were behind it.”
“Mike should think that through. He tried to snake one of my friends’ girlfriend. If he were honest about it, he would know that it was payback for what he did,” I explained.
I wasn’t happy when Mike sat down at my table.
“What’s up, Dawson? Having to recycle your girlfriends?” he asked.
“Harper, you better take your boyfriend and leave,” I said.
I don’t think Harper understood how much I disliked Mike.
“David, that was rude,” Harper said.
Mike gave me a snarky smile that I wanted to wipe off his face.
“I’m serious, unless you want to watch me kick his ass,” I said.
Jane suddenly appeared.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“Oh, my. You have a girl do your dirty work,” Mike said.
“I asked them to leave,” I said.
Harper finally came out of her shock and grabbed Mike’s wrist.
“This was a mistake. I’m sorry, David,” she said and dragged him away.
I had a little smile when she made him settle their bill and leave. Harper didn’t look happy.
◊◊◊
Tim and Brit seemed to hit it off. They had us drop them off at Tim’s house. Tracy’s car was at mine, so we drove back to my apartment, and Tracy followed me inside. I wondered what she was up to, but kept my mouth shut—right up to the point she kissed me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“You really are a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes. I’m horny, and I expect you to help me out.”
I pulled her into my arms and smiled down at her. Tracy and I had tried twice, but my mom had been right: we weren’t ready for a relationship. That didn’t mean we hadn’t thought we were. Looking back, I’d been an idiot when I was a freshman. If my mom saw a disaster approaching, I should have listened. Turned out Tracy had a lot of hidden issues.
We’d both changed over the last two years. She’d worked through most of her demons. She would probably always face depression, she was simply much better at coping with it now. While I had worked through my anger towards her, I was a firm believer in forgive, but don’t forget. I would never put myself in a position where Tracy could hurt me again.
What I hadn’t unforeseen was we’d surprisingly become friends. Tracy was one of the few people who never seemed to expect anything from me and gave of herself unselfishly. With how my life had changed, that was something I valued.
There were only a handful of people I trusted as much as Tracy. Outside of my family, the only other people I could think of who I trusted that much would be Cassidy and Beth.
Beth had known me all my life, and I always felt I could tell her anything. Cassidy had slowly grown on me. When I first met her, I thought she was just a goofy little girl. I understood from the beginning that in many ways, Cassidy was naïve. Then I would remember that she grew up around Marines, and boys would be boys. There wasn’t much that would shock her. What I found was there was an inherent goodness about her and an inner strength that I admired.
What I’d discovered was that Tracy might actually be my best girl friend. Jim, Tim, Wolf, and Yuri were all good guy friends, but I’d always had a female best friend. I still felt Tami was an important friend, but no longer my best friend. Too much had happened in the last couple of years that seemed to put me on guard and keep a bit of distance in place.
So if Tracy needed some sexual relief, I was willing to accommodate her. We were always good together in bed. I gave her a big smile and guided her to my bedroom. We easily fell into a comfortable place. Tracy had always been a vocal lover, and if her cries were any indication, I outdid myself.
◊◊◊ Saturday April 16
Tracy and I came down for breakfast to find my uncle, Tim, and Wolf had joined the family. Tracy blushed, and I gave my two friends looks that dared them to embarrass her. They just got busy eating pancakes. I noticed Coby was in a bassinet next to Little David’s high chair. Pam wandered out of the bathroom and spotted Tracy.
“Slut!” Pam exclaimed.
That seemed to calm Tracy down, and everyone laughed.
“I see you got a t-shirt,” Peggy added.
“You have to work for these,” Tracy said proudly.
I think my dad, uncle, and two guy friends choked on that one. I stepped over to the refrigerator and got Tracy and myself glasses of orange juice.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked Tim and Wolf.
“We’re doing their plan this morning. They wanted to do it together,” Uncle John said.
I guess I had given him permission to work with me.
Tracy told everyone about Mike and Harper. Pam told me she was dropping Coby off for the weekend because she needed to get some sleep. Peggy and Mom seemed up to the task.
◊◊◊
Uncle John took us to the office and showed us each other’s goals. It was interesting to see how they differed. Wolf had grown up in a family where money was tight. His parents had a strong work ethic, but they’d gotten married very young and had never really had a chance to get any kind of education beyond high school. They’d made sure Wolf had grown up with the same values they had, but money was still tight for them.