Second Chance for Romance

Chapter 25

The phone rang later that afternoon. Wren and Trip had returned a couple of hours earlier and she answered it. She shouted up two flights of stairs, “Paul, phone!” I set aside my X-Acto knife and fitted the piece of foamcore to my model. She yelled again.

“Hold your horses!” I hollered back. “One minute. Take a damn message if it’s so urgent!”

Christy stuck her head into my studio. “Want me to see who it is?”

“Nah. I got it. Just needed to get this piece into place before the glue dries.” I tapped gently and slotted it into position. Then I wiped my hands on my rag. (I’d become obsessive about clean hands. You learn that lesson when you have to replace an entire wall section because you smudged it with dirty fingers. But again, I digress.)

I ran downstairs to my bedroom. I smiled and thought of Erin as I picked up the phone.

“I got it. Thanks.”

Wren hung up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Paul. It’s Mom.”

“Oh, hey! Sorry I haven’t called in a while. Been busy with a project. It’s due the week after Thanksgiving, and I still have a lot to do. It’s for Professor Joska, so I can’t wait to the last minute if I want an A.”

“When did my little boy become a grown-up?”

“I’ll let you know when it happens. Till then, I’m just a scared kid who doesn’t want to disappoint his elders.”

“So I’m your ‘elder’ now?”

“Technically, yes. But not in this case. The elder in question is Joska.” I did a credible imitation of his accent, “You’ll have to do better than that, Mr.

Hughes.” I shook my head in frustration. “Sometimes he drives me crazy, Mom. I swear to God, I think he makes up stuff to ding me on. ‘This line is too fuzzy, Mr. Hughes. Use harder lead. The grain in this wood looks like birch, not poplar. Your proportions are too much like Wright. They should invoke Hughes. Do not copy. Innovate!’”

She laughed. “Welcome to the real world.”

“Can I go back to being a kid again? I swear I’ll be good and clean my room.”

“Sorry. Nice try, though.”

“Yeah, I know. I just never realized it would be so hard.”

“It always is when you want to be the best.”

“Well, at least I’m doing okay on that score. I’m in the top of my class. I want to be number one, but the competition is pretty stiff.”

“I have faith in you.”

“Yeah, thanks. Love you too. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t call to hear me complain. So, what’s up?”

“Can’t I call just to see how you’re doing?”

“Sure, you can. But we’re a ‘no news is good news’ family. So if you call, something’s up.”

She laughed. “Guilty as charged. It’s about Thanksgiving.”

“I’m still planning to come home the night before. Do you need my room for visitors or something? I can sleep on the couch.”

“Um… no. We’ve had a change of plans. We won’t be there.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Well, we’ve been in touch with some old friends from our Navy days.”

I heard something in her voice. “By ‘friends’ do you mean friend-friends or special-friends?”

“The latter.”

“Got it.”

“They’ve invited us to come to Hawaii for a week. They have a timeshare, so it has to be the week of Thanksgiving.”

“Wow. So it’s that kind of vacation.”

“It is. We’ve gotten together with them a couple of times to see if the interest is still there, and it is.”

“So now you’re going to spend a week in Hawaii with them? Good for you. Have fun.”

“Are you okay with it? I know it’s the first Thanksgiving we haven’t been together as a family. But since you’re a functioning adult, and Erin shows every sign of becoming one, we thought… Well,” she finished with a laugh,

“you know what we thought.”

“So you and Erin are getting along better since the wedding?”

“Night and day,” Mom said. “I think she realized that having a mother who looks out for her isn’t always a bad thing. And I realized that maybe she isn’t so immature after all. She was in a tough spot and handled herself well.

Maybe she shouldn’t’ve been in the spot in the first place, but I was young once too, believe it or not. I’ve done a few dumb things in my life and had to talk my way out of them. Erin did okay.”

“Wow. Maybe you’re growing up too,” I said, only half joking.

“Had to happen sooner or later.”

I laughed. I’d said the same thing to Gina.

“Anyway, are you okay with us going away for Thanksgiving? Erin is planning to spend it with Leah and the Coulters. Since you and Gina are getting along better, we thought…”

“Gina won’t be there,” I said. “She’ll be with her roommate, Regan.”

“Oh. Okay. I didn’t know. I guess I’ve been so busy with this Hawaii thing that I didn’t even think to ask. I just assumed…”

“You know what happens when you assume.”

“Right. So, now that I look like an ass…”

I laughed. “You don’t. It’s fine.”

“I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa would love to see you. Or Nana and Papa.”

“Maybe,” I said. “I mean, it’d be nice to see them, but I should probably stay here and work on my project. I still have to finish my model. My drawings too. And I need to type up all my handwritten notes in the computer. That’s on top of studying for finals in all my other classes. I hate to sound like a functioning adult, but…”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

“Jack doesn’t have my professors.”

“I understand. Are you sure you’re okay with us going away?”

“Yeah! Absolutely. I’m sure there are plenty of other people whose parents are abandoning them for a week of swinging in Hawaii. I can have

turkey and gravy with them.”

She laughed. “Let me know if you actually find anyone like that. We’ll want to meet their parents!”

“Ha! Listen to you. You sound like a teenager who just discovered sex.”

“More like rediscovered! We can travel for fun now. We’re looking forward to an empty nest. Not that we don’t love you and Erin, but…”

“You’ve made a lot of sacrifices because of us. I get it. And thanks, by the way. But yeah, that’s cool. Have fun. Gather ye rosebuds and all.”

“Do you know what poem that’s from?” she asked with a laugh.

“Crap! I don’t. Tell me, O English Major Mother.”

“It’s ‘To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.’”

It was my turn to laugh. “Okay, not entirely appropriate.”

“The sentiment is.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, while I have you, tell me what’s going on in your life.”

We talked for a while longer and then said goodbye. I was a little disappointed to miss Thanksgiving with my family, but I really did need the time to finish my project.

Besides, it’s just one weekend, I told myself, not some life-changing event.

Part of me worried that things would get weird between Christy and me, but they didn’t. We had a normal dinner with normal conversation and everything. Then she and Wren put their heads together and took their conversation upstairs to her studio. They absconded with the rest of the wine and left the dirty dishes to Trip and me.

After we cleaned up we took over the dining room table to work on his design project. He’d come up with a serviceable design, good but not brilliant. I critiqued his drawings and offered a bunch of suggestions. I sounded like Professor Joska, which annoyed me to no end.

Wren came downstairs half an hour later. She breezed through the dining room and gave Trip a kiss in passing. On the way back, with a full bottle, she bent and kissed me.

“Good job,” she said.

She wasn’t talking about the project.

“What was that about?” Trip asked when she’d gone back upstairs.

“I had a big talk with Christy this morning.”

“No fireworks?”

“No. Went pretty well. Told her a bit of my history.”

“Ah. I’m sure I’ll hear about it tonight.”

“Yeah, probably. Can’t keep anything secret around here.”

“Just so you know,” he said, “Wren and Christy tell each other everything. If one of ’em knows, the other does too.”

“I kinda figured.”

“And they aren’t like us. They give details. Like, intimate details. Christy probably knows more about my sex life than you do. Just a heads-up.”

“Got it. Thanks. Now, let’s take a look at that case study of yours. If you change the design, you’ll have to…”

Christy came downstairs the next time, about an hour later. She patted my shoulder on the way by. When she returned with a full bottle, she paused and gave Trip a sisterly kiss on the cheek. Then she planted a whopper on me. I felt lightheaded when she pulled away.

“Um… not that I mind,” I said, “but are you okay?”

“Mmm hmm. We aren’t drunk or anything. Just buzzed. Having a girls’

night. You guys have fun. You know where we’ll be.” She waved and headed toward the stairs.

“That was interesting,” Trip said when she was out of earshot.

“Very. And if you don’t mind, tell Wren I’m trying to slow things down.

Christy gets really flirty when she’s drinking.”

“Gee, you think?”

“Exactly. So it’d be easy for me to take advantage of her when she is. I really don’t want that.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her.”

“Thanks. I don’t think I need a chaperone or anything, but I’m a little worried what’ll happen if we’re both drunk. Then the little head does most of my thinking.”

“Been there, done that.”

“Right. Anyway, let’s get back to your site plan. I think you should…”

The girls came out of Christy’s studio a little after eleven. We heard them giggling from two floors down.

“Oh, boy,” Trip said under his breath.

“Right. Good thing we’re more or less done.”

“Thanks for all your help, man. I didn’t realize how much I miss having you around to give me advice.”

“I’m always here. Sorry I’ve been busy with my own stuff. I should’ve made more time for you.”

“It’s okay,” he chuckled. “We aren’t dating.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

We stood as the girls entered the room.

“Trip Whitman,” Wren said, “the bases are loaded, an’ I need a gran’

slam.”

“That isn’t all that’s loaded,” I stage-whispered.

Christy giggled.

“I heard that,” Wren said. “Yes, we are loaded. Horny too.”

“Speak for yourself!”

Wren ignored her. “Hustle up,” she said to Trip. “You’re on deck.”

“She’s really kinda cute when she tries to talk baseball,” he said. “Better give her what she wants. Batter up!”

“Doubleheader if you’re lucky,” Wren promised.

“Already am lucky.” He ushered her toward the stairs. “Especially with you as my bat girl.”

Christy rolled her eyes when they’d gone. “She drank a lot more than I did.”

“I could tell.” I nodded at the seat next to me. “Join me?”

“I’m a little hungry. You want a snack instead?”

“Sure.”

I sliced carrots while she cut an apple in half and smeared it with peanut butter.

“Aren’t you having anything?” she asked.

“Nah. I’m still full from dinner.”

“Lucky you.”

“Wish I knew where you put all this,” I said.

“Me too.”

I sat at the kitchen table with her while she ate. I told her about Trip’s project and the changes we’d made.

“Wren said he’s really struggling,” she said. “He has to work a lot harder now. He doesn’t get it like you do, and it bothers him.”

“He has other talents. He gets the business side of things.”

“Yeah. She said he’s doing well in his management class.” She fell silent and ate her apple.

“So,” I said when she finished, “is that all you talked about?”

She shook her head and looked down at her plate. She wiped up stray peanut butter and absentmindedly sucked it off her finger. She blushed when her eyes met mine and she realized what she was doing.

“If you eat any more peanut butter, I may have to leave the room.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I know. Sorry. I’ll be nice. So… you told Wren what I said?”

She nodded.

“Did she have anything to add?”

“The usual.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It isn’t that. It’s just that I have a lot to think about.”

“Okay. I can live with that. Like I said, I’m patient.”

“I’m glad.”

I took her plate and set it in the sink. “You ready for bed?”

“Separately or together?”

My jaw didn’t quite hit the floor.

“Sorry,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t be a good girl all the time. I have to keep you interested.”

“You’re doing fine,” I said. “But after that comment and the peanut butter, I need some alone time. Are you coming or not?” I realized what I’d said too late.

She grinned. “Coming, I think.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re cute when someone beats you to a pun.”

“It doesn’t happen very often. Now come on, Little Bit, let’s go.” I turned out the lights as we walked through the house and up the stairs.

She stopped at her bedroom door. “Thank you for being patient with me.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for not running away this morning.”

She nodded.

“Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

“And sweet dreams.”

She grinned. “Of peanut butter.”