Chapter 63

The next month quickly went by. Ben recommended that Tammy accept Tony’s offer after he looked at the paperwork. Ben and Kate have been treating Tammy like their daughter, and of the three of them, I don’t know who was the most excited.

Tony set up an office for her in a room above the salon, and she spent long hours going over the books and learning the salon’s workings. She kept the fact that she was a partner quiet. Tony introduced her as a ‘Marketing Manager’. She spent lots of her time talking with the employees, asking about their concerns, and for their ideas on how to improve things. I talked to her several times, and she said that Tony had been leaving her alone while she was learning, but she mentioned that she had been calling him a lot for advice and to answer questions. She contacted a commercial real estate company after a few weeks, and they began looking for properties.

It seemed that I was suddenly a lot more popular with the girls at school after the weekend in Vegas, so I was having trouble concentrating. It came to a head after a history class. I decided to rework some things in my life when I learned that only the fact that I was on the football team had kept me from getting an F on a test. First, I got myself caught up on all my schoolwork. Second, I wrote a report for my history teacher on the chapter that I’d had trouble with. She was surprised that I’d even think of something like that, much less do it.

I realized then that she, along with a lot of other people, saw me as nothing but a big, dumb jock with looks and no brains. That bothered me a lot, enough that I decided to buckle down and work harder on changing my habits. I did much better in school and at work because of my new focus, but I kept a low social profile for several weeks.

My last class ends at three. I would go directly from school to the airport and work till six, then home for dinner. I would go to my room for a thirty-minute workout on the exercise machine before eating. Hitting the books at that time worked a lot better for my brain, for some reason. What I studied seemed to stick. I’d grab a quick shower around ten or so, then I would call Karen to say goodnight. I worked from eight to six on Saturdays, and I would try to catch up on my chores around the house on Sundays.

I asked Karen to go steady the weekend after we got home. She burst out crying instead of answering me. She hugged me tightly and said that she loved me when I asked why, then she asked if we could keep things like they were for a while. I asked why again, and she said, “It’s not that I don’t want to, Pete; it’s about you. I want to be sure that I’m really the girl you want.”

“Of course, you’re the one. Why would you even say that?”

“I don’t know, Pete. Maybe it’s me. I guess that I’m just not ready. Can we put it on hold for a while? I promise you that I’m not seeing anyone else.” I guessed that it was some kind of a girl thing, so I said okay. We saw each other at school and on weekends, but we didn’t have sex aside from a couple of unsuccessful attempts in the car. After the freedom we had enjoyed in Vegas, The cramped seat of a car just didn’t cut it.

Mom was getting stronger every day, and Dad came back from his extended training class the second week in March. He had three weeks off, and he spent the first several days of that time working around the place, then he and Mom called us together, and told us that they were going to take a week to enjoy a drive to, and a stay in northern California, next Sunday. They asked if we would be okay. We were excited for them, and assured them that we would be fine. They talked to us about stopping at the many points of interest along the way, and both of them seemed excited about the trip.

The suddenness of their decision to go surprised me. I suspected that it might be an effort on Dad’s part to restore some of their closeness caused by his being gone a lot, and possibly to talk about her interest in Mariani, but but I didn’t mention my suspicions to anyone.

I found myself looking forward to spending time with Erin and Amy as the weekend approached, and when I mentioned it to Karen, she said, “Have you looked at Amy lately? She seems tired.”

Amy always has dinner and spends time with the family in the evening, but her day starts early. She has usually already eaten, and is in her room on the phone or at her laptop, when I come into the house for breakfast. She’s on the phone at lunch sometimes, and I once even saw her talking on the phone in the hallway between classes. I don’t get home from the airport until dinnertime, and Mom once mentioned that Amy goes to her office right after school two or three times a week.

I noticed that she seemed to be spending even more time on the phone this week, so Thursday I mentioned it to her at lunch. She said that her assistant had been sick, and she had been doing his work on top of her own, but he was returning today. Karen said, “Hey! I have an idea,” when I talked to her about it that night. “The manager of one of our stores has a son named Owen. He’s a freshman at UCLA, and he’s really a nice guy. He went with a girl all through high school, but she got accepted to an Ivy League college, and she went East. I know that he’s still crazy about her, but the last time I saw him, he told me that they both agreed to see other people for a while. Why don’t we introduce Amy to him? I don’t think that either one of them is looking for a commitment, so it might just work.”

The thought of Amy dating someone else bothered me a little -- well, it actually bothered quite a bit, but I knew deep down that she needed need to relax and have some fun, so I told Karen that I’d ask Amy about it. She answered, “No, I’ll call her,” and hung up. I was almost asleep when she called back. “Well, it’s taken care of. It took a little doing, but Amy said okay. I got hold of Owen, and he agreed too, so we’re on for Saturday evening. How about pizza and a movie?”

“That sounds okay. Do you have to call them back and let them know?”

“No, it’s all set up.”

Just teasing, I said, “Hey, Lady, aren’t you taking things for granted?”

She giggled and replied, “Maybe so, but I figured that you wouldn’t mind, especially if I mentioned that Dad wasn’t going to be home Saturday night. I might let you tuck me in after you take me home if you’re a good boy.” Saturday was only a couple of days from now, but it suddenly seemed like that was a long time to wait. Very long!

There was a giant pot on the stove when I entered the kitchen for breakfast Friday morning, and both Mom and Dad were cutting things up. I recognized the makings of Mom’s famous chili. Mom cooks up the best chili that I ever tasted, and she usually makes enough for a small army when she makes it. We invite all our friends over and she freezes what’s left in family-size containers so that we can defrost them in the microwave and have a great meal ready in almost no time. I could see what we would be eating at least three times during the coming week, and that was more than okay with me. I would have it for dinner every night if I had my way. She hadn’t made it for a while, and, she said, “Tell you what,” when I commented on that fact. “Why don’t we have everyone over tonight. I’ll call Kate and Ben; you ask Karen and anyone else you’d like.”

I went in and called Karen. We had planned on going out, but we didn’t have anything specific in mind, and Karen said that was fine when I mentioned Mom’s homemade chili. Mom was on the phone when I went back to the kitchen. She said, “Kate and Ben are coming, and they’re bringing Tammy,” after she hung up.

“Is Dad going to make his ‘Special Occasion Punch’?”

“I don’t know; ask him.” He winked at me.

I didn’t have time to talk to Amy in the morning, but she joined us at the table where Karen and I were sitting during lunch period. She surprised me by saying that Tess was coming to dinner tonight, and she invited Bill as well because he was there at the time, but he said that he had plans with his family.

The conversation switched to Saturday night, and Bill and Tess walked by a few minutes later. Amy motioned them over, and I watched Tess steal glances at Bill after they sat down. It was obvious that she had a crush on him. She was dressed in a plain blouse and faded jeans as usual. And she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Sitting with pretty girls like Amy and Karen pointed out how plain Tess looked, and it suddenly occurred to me that I had never asked Amy about her. I vowed to talk to Amy the first chance I got. Bill mentioned that he was going somewhere with his dad tonight, and the talk went back to Saturday night. We asked Tess and Bill if they’d like to come with us after everyone teased Amy about her date. I watched Tess wait in silence until Bill asked her if she’d like to go. It was almost painful to see how eager she was to say yes.

I parked in the back like I usually do when I got home from work. I could hear noise and laughter coming from the front house, so I went to my room, took a quick shower, and soon joined everyone. The dining room table had all the expansion leaves in it. Dad was standing in front of a big tureen doling out glasses of what appeared to be his Special Occasion Punch. Tess, Karen, and Amy were helping Mom in the kitchen. Kate, Ben, and Tammy were in the living room with Erin and Kelly, and surprisingly, so was Kelly’s sister, Marie.

She was dressed in a knee-length skirt that matched the blue in her eyes, and a soft white blouse that accentuated the swell of her breasts. Her shoulder-length hair formed a halo around her head, and she looked prettier than I’d ever seen her. I guess I must have been staring, because she returned my look when she saw me, then she smiled, demurely dropped her eyes, and sat still for a moment. It was a trick that I had seen other pretty girls do. It was like, ‘Here I am, take a second, and enjoy what you see’. I WAS enjoying it, and I was also thinking about the time that I saw her lying naked on her bed, masturbating.

I said hello to everyone, then I had a glass of SOP. The level of alcohol was practically non-existent, but I sort of expected that.

It had been a while since I had seen Kate, and her belly was huge, but she still looked wonderful and she insisted on my putting my hand on that belly. I almost immediately felt movement inside it. She pretended to talk to her belly as she said, “Say hello to your Uncle Pete. You’ll be meeting, him very soon,” when I sat next to her.

I couldn’t remember a nicer gathering. Mom seemed like her old self, and both Dad and Erin smiled a lot. We all got down following a big salad, and made a serious dent in the pot of the best chili that I think I ever ate. Dad announced that Karen had brought a surprise dessert after that. She went to the freezer and returned with two big bags, which turned out to be individual cartons of ‘Chunky Monkey’ ice cream from the local Ben and Jerry’s ice cream parlor.

Amy, Karen and Tess insisted on clearing things once we were done eating (I had thirds), so we went into the living room, and sat around groaning about how full we were. Ben and Dad got into a conversation about the training Dad had just been through, while Tammy, Mom, and Kate were talking about baby clothes. That gave me a chance to talk with Marie.

I said, “You look very pretty tonight. I thought that you were away at school, though?”

“Thank you. I took this semester off. My car is ready to give up, so I’m working at Justin’s for a while.”

Justin’s is a Beverly Hills men’s store that sells imported clothes. I heard that they have shirts there that sell for almost a thousand dollars. I said, “Wow, that’s quite a place. It sounds like a great place to meet a rich boyfriend.”

She seemed sad when she replied, “Boyfriends are way down on my list. I just need to get some money together, besides I’m working in the office. I never even get to see the customers.”

I was thinking that it was odd that an attractive girl like her didn’t seem to be more interested in guys when Kelly came over.

“Whatcha doin’?”

“I was just telling your sister that she should get out and meet some of those rich customers where she works.”

Kelly glanced at her sister, and a strange look came over her face. She put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Oh, I’m sure she will.”

We talked for a few more minutes, then I noticed something odd. Tess, Amy, and Karen had been standing by themselves, talking. Tess and Karen suddenly headed into Amy’s room and Amy walked over to Tammy. They talked for a minute, then they both went into Amy’s room and closed the door. They weren’t in there long, but Amy had her arm around Tess when they all came out. They went to Mom and Dad and talked for only a few minutes before Amy said, “Be right back; I’m going to take Tess home.”

I went to Karen after they left, and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Tammy is going to arrange for Tess to go to Wretched Excess tomorrow. Nothing fancy, just hair and makeup, and we’re going to lend her some clothes, but we have to get by her dad first. Amy says that he’s a real jerk, so they’re going to her house, and Amy is going to ask if she can work with her during the day and stay over tomorrow night.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Her dad won’t let her date or wear makeup, so she’ll have to leave the house in her regular clothes and return the same way.”

“What? She’s almost eighteen. What does her mom say about it?”

“Her mom isn’t around. I don’t know why. You’ll have to ask Amy.”

Amy returned in a few minutes, and said that Tess was on for tomorrow. That’s when someone asked Amy why Tess’s dad was so strict. She explained that Tess’s mom had walked out on the family seven years ago, and he had never gotten over it.

The rest of the night was relaxing and a lot of fun. Tammy entertained everyone with some outrageous things she had seen and heard about the super rich who came to Wretched Excess. Dad told stories about the silly stunts some people pulled on airplanes. The party broke up about eleven, and I walked Karen to her car. We were talking about tomorrow night when Kelly and Marie left. Marie said, “Nice to see you again, Pete,” when they passed us.

I watched her walk away, and I was thinking of her naked body again, when Karen said, “Pretty girl.”

“Uh huh.”

“Have you slept with her?”

The question surprised me. “No, I barely know her.”

“Would you like to?”

“No! She’s uhh, just Kelly’s sister.”

“She seems to like you.”

“C’mon, Karen. What’s going on with you?”

She said, “Oh, nothing,” but wore an odd expression as she kissed me and drove away.

The plan for Saturday evening was to go the five o’clock movie and get pizza afterward. Amy was going to drive Tess, and they were going to meet Amy’s date and Bill at the theater. Karen knew that I had to work that day. She said that she would be waiting at my house when I got home in order to save time. I was held up at work, naturally, and it was after four when I got home. I ran into my room and found Karen lying on my bed, looking at the pictures of me with Margo and Jasmine that were taken at the studio.

I grabbed a quick shower, and we were driving over to meet the gang, when she said, “God, the girls in those pictures are unbelievable. What’s it like to be with me when you’re used to being with such beautiful girls?”

Shocked, I could only ask, “What in the world are you talking about, Karen?”

She answered, “Nothing, forget it.” I tried to ask her if there was a problem several times, but all she would do was shake her head and tell me to hurry up.

We actually got to the movie theater a little early, and found Amy and Tess standing by the front of the marquee. Amy was as pretty as ever, but the change in Tess amazed me. She wore a blue skirt that I recognized as one of Amy’s. It was short and tight enough on Tess to reveal the fact that she owned a pair of very shapely legs. It also went superbly well with a silky white peasant blouse that showed off a surprisingly generous bust. The plain and shapeless girl was gone, and a beautiful, sexy, young woman was in her place. Her skin was flawless and her hair was a mane of waves, falling softly about her face, but the biggest change was her eyes. They seemed to jump out at you and now had an almost hypnotic glow to them.

Karen saw me looking, and she chuckled, “Not bad, eh? Those gals at Wretched Excess really know what they are doing. Go and tell her how pretty she looks while I see if I can find Owen.”

She walked away, so I strolled over to Amy and said, “Gee, Amy, I thought you were going to bring Tess, and you show up with this gorgeous creature instead. Do you think that you could introduce me?”

Tess grinned and said, “Oh, stop it, Pete,” but it was obvious to me that she was enjoying this.

I took her hands in mine and said, “Gee, you sound a lot like Tess, but aren’t you a movie star or something?”

She was about to say something, when a voice behind us said, “Is that you, Tess?”

Bill was clearly, utterly shocked. He just stood there, staring at her with his mouth open. I finally said, “Okay, I know when I’m not wanted,” as I took her hands and offered them to Bill. He reached for them and held them for a while. He eventually managed to say, “God, you’re beautiful, Tess.” She actually was. Wretched Excess had changed her looks by accentuating her good points, and it turned out that she had a lot of them.

Amy and I were grinning when Karen came up with a nice looking young guy. She introduced him as ‘Owen’, and you could tell that he was pleased when he saw Amy.

The movie turned out to be one of those action things, with a lot of explosions and car chases. We were surprised to see that Jack Hedden was one of the lead characters. He looked a few years younger than when we met him in Vegas. Amy explained that this film had just been released after the movie, but it had been shot several years ago. Some TV people had seen a pre-release, and that was the reason Hedden got the lead role in the Rocket. Owen asked her how she knew, and she said that she knew a little about the entertainment industry. He seemed impressed.

We headed to a local pizza place after the movie. It’s a huge place and it looked really crowded. I was leading as we walked toward the entrance, and a girl pushed herself in front of me when I reached for the door. She opened the door and some people inside let out a cheer. She walked a few steps, then she turned around. It was a very attractive blonde, and she had striking blue eyes. She also had a smirk on her face. I was pretty close to her by the time we all got inside the place, and she said, “Hey, Hotshot, I passed you this time. How did you like it?”

There was something kind of familiar about her, but I couldn’t place her. She then said, “Do you remember what you did next?”

“Uhh, no, I don’t rem...”

She gave me a big kiss. It lasted long enough, that the people who had cheered when she came in started cheering again, and she said, “You embarrassed me, so turnabout is fair play,” when she broke away.

She went to her friends and sat down to even more cheers.

It was Owen who said, “Wow, Pete. That’s ‘Killer Connie’ Collins, the Olympic skier, isn’t it?”

I suddenly remembered who she was. It was funny how she had turned the tables on me. I explained what had happened at the ski resort to our group, and Karen had a strange look on her face when I finished. I leaned close to her and asked, “Are you okay?”