Chapter 6

Danny didn't get a chance to catch his mom alone for the rest of the day. There was a math test scheduled for the week and that was one of his weak subjects. He did feel some obligation toward his school work. He also had to make a phone call to arrange a meeting with Carmen and possibly a date for his dad.

Danny made the phone call and talked to Clara who promised to talk to her sister. Then he tried to study but the young man couldn't concentrate. If he wasn't thinking of his mother he was thinking of his sister. Danny had been laid twice in two days with Devon and her mother. That should have left him satisfied for the time being but it had the opposite effect. He needed more, a lot more. The trouble was that Devon or Margaret couldn't fill that need, or any other girl he knew for that matter. The only exceptions were his mother and yeah, Heather, his sister. This isn't very smart Danny told himself but he wasn't going to let logical reasoning and common sense get in the way of what he wanted to do.

Finally pushing himself away from his desk Danny stood up and opened his bedroom door. He was just in time to see Heather starting downstairs. "Hey, little girl, do you want to come to my room? I have something to show you."

"What do you want to show me, mister?" said Heather getting into the act.

"My etchings, of course," Danny answered and leered at his sister.

"I don't know, mister. My mother told me never to go into rooms with strangers. Can I trust you?"

"Of course, you can trust me. You can trust me with your life," Danny soothed.

"It's not my life I'm worried about, mister. It's my virtue"

"Heather Ann Dwyer, will you come down here please?" Heather always cringed when she heard her full name being called by her mother. It could only mean she was in some sort of trouble. She hadn't noticed her mother at the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming, Mother," said Heather and shrugged her shoulders at her brother before continuing downstairs. Danny merely shrugged back and closed the door to his room.

Lani wasn't spying. She was passing the foot of the stairs when she heard her children's conversation. At any other time she would have just ignored them but after recent events every sexual innuendo was exaggerated in the woman's mind. Was Danny trying to seduce his sister? He's already seduced Devon and he's trying to seduce me thought Lani. If he was trying something, Lani meant to find out and bring it to a screeching halt.

"I asked you just this morning to refrain from this suggestive banter with your brother. You could talk like that to the wrong person and then you could be in big trouble without realizing it." Lani and her daughter were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Danny started it," Heather complained. "Why aren't you talking to him?"

"For one thing," Lani explained, "I've just about given up on reasoning with your brother. I think there's still hope for you. For another thing, you're becoming a very attractive young woman and I don't want any innocent flirting backfiring on you. Devon's mother has already told me about boys trying to hit on you two."

"That's been happening for years, Mom. I know how to take care of myself around guys."

Years? It didn't seem that long ago to Lani when Heather was still playing with dolls. "Then I guess you're being sensible for now but next year you'll be in high school meeting much older boys, some as old as your brother. Just out of curiosity how long has Danny been teasing you like that?" Lani hoped she wasn't being too obvious.

"Only as long as all the other boys, Mom," Heather replied.

"Oh," said Lani. "Well, promise me you'll tell me if any boy wants to go beyond the flirting stage. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Don't worry, Mom," said Heather. "If any guy tries to get fresh with me you'll be the first to know." She waited a beat and then said, "Unless, of course, the guy is really cute and then I might wait and see what develops."

"This is serious, Heather," exclaimed her mother and then sighed in frustration. "Why is it every time I try to have a serious conversation in this house you or your father or your brother wants to be a comedian?"

"You are being pretty sensitive lately, Mom, even before yesterday. Do you want to talk about it? Is it Dad, Danny or me?"

"It's not you, dear," said Lani, "and thank you for being so concerned but it's something I'm afraid I'll have to work out for myself."

"Well, I'm a good listener if you want to talk, Mom, despite what you may think at times." Heather reached over and gave her mother a big hug. "I love you," she added.

"And I love you, darling," said Lani. She hugged her daughter back and felt better than she had all week. She had called Heather down to chastise and warn her and received words of comfort in return which she badly needed. No, she needn't worry about Heather.

Heather knocked on her brother's door and peeked her head through. "I'm here, mister. Do you still want to show me those etchings?"

"Come on in," said Danny. "What did Mom want?"

"She wanted me to promise to stop flirting with boys so that I might still be pure on my wedding night," she declared dramatically and then giggled. She sat down on the edge of her brother's bed. Danny was sitting at his desk.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Danny dryly.

"Me too," Heather responded. "Will you do me a favor?"

"If I can I will. What do you need?"

"I need rides to school. Devon and I are on the outs right now. Mom can bring me home."

"I noticed you two acted a little tense with each other this morning. What happened?"

"A girl likes to keep some secrets, mister. You sure are snoopy. Are you going to give me a ride or not?"

"I will if you tell me what happened between you and Devon."

"You tell me something I want to know first," Heather insisted.

"Okay," said her brother. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know what's going on between you and Mom and I don't want some bullshit lie. If you want to talk about tense, Mom is really on edge and I think you're the cause."

"I think you're imagining it," said Danny. "Mom always seems to be upset about something. It's not always about me."

"I think it's all about you this time," Heather pressed, "and it started the day you asked Mom out to the movies, last Monday."

"Okay, Nancy Drew, you found me out. I'm the one who stole the top secret plans for the atomic powered rocket ship but you'll never get me or the plans. I have an enemy submarine waiting for me just off the coast. They're picking me up at midnight. I'll just tie you up so you won't be able to alert the authorities. By the time you get loose I'll be long gone along with your beloved country's precious plans."

"Fine, smart ass," said Heather. "I'll just tell Mom to tell you to give me rides to school." She got up to leave.

"Hold on a minute," said Danny. "I'll give you a ride any time you want one. You know that." That seemed to mollify Heather because she sat down again.

"I still want to know why Mom is so upset with you," she said. Danny sighed deeply. The young man could lie credibly when it suited his purposes and he had a reasonable lie all prepared but he was curious to know how his sister would react to his plans. Perhaps telling Heather would sabotage all his plans but perhaps not.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I sure can," said Heather nodding her head emphatically.

Danny got up from his chair and sat back down on the bed beside Heather. "If this gets out I'm dead meat," he whispered in a serious tone. Heather nodded again and leaned toward her brother to better hear his secret. "I'm putting the moves on Mom," he said. For some reason he was more nervous than when he told his dad the same thing.

"For what," Heather asked.

"For what do you think, dummy," said Danny and ran his hand up and down her thigh to give her a clue.

Heather gasped. "Oh, my god! You've got to be kidding," she squealed.

"Keep it down, dammit!"

"You're putting the moves on Mom?" she said at a more reasonable volume. "I don't believe it. You can't do that, can you? No wonder Mom is freaking out. What if Dad finds out? He'll kill you. Why are you doing this?"