Chapter 14

The two weeks between the Midwest swing of the tour and Christmas blew past Don in a hurry. Even Christmas came and went in a flurry of activity. Wading through the over one hundred affidavits in support of John West's lawsuit, Don and Ted Hargrove poked more than a few holes in the case. The whole legal process mostly served to exhaust Don.

Kasey, Jenny, and their boyfriends were constant visitors in Don's house. Don didn't find much time to spend with them, unfortunately. Between wrapping up the television special with Crystal Layne and the lawsuit, he didn't spend much time with anyone.

Christmas day had been good. Presents were exchanged, family and friends visited, and by the end of the day, Don again felt himself exhausted.

It wasn't until he woke up the following Saturday to a quiet house that Don realized he had nowhere he had to be that day. The morning air was crisp as he stepped out on to the deck with his cup of tea. The remnants of a Christmas snowfall still covered most of the ground behind Don's house. He smiled as he stared out into the distance.

"Merry Christmas, Jessie," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't take the time earlier. It's been so busy." He could almost feel the presence of his wife in the cool air around him. For twenty minutes, he stood with his arms on the railing, talking quietly to her, telling her everything. And then he sighed. With one last look, he walked back into the house. It was time to start getting on with life, starting with the New Year's Eve party.

Don knew that everything was set. The guest list was complete. A dozen or more of Kasey's classmates and friends were coming, as were Wes and Leslie, Charlie and Robin and their brood, Hailey, the rest of Cmonster, Crystal Layne, Morty and several dozen other friends and acquaintances. The food, drinks, and party favors were all set. Don made a mental note to thank Leslie and Robin for helping him get everything together.

Most of all, Don realized that he was looking forward to seeing Hailey again. She'd gone to St. Paul to spend Christmas with her family right after the tour ended.

The party had been in full swing for a couple of hours when Don finally found a moment to breathe and get a much needed drink. He smiled as he downed a long swallow of the ice cold beer. It was good to see Crystal having fun outside of work. Her new boyfriend, Keith something, was a good man. Don liked him instantly. Every time Crystal tried to talk about business, Keith had gently steered the conversation back to something else. Crystal didn't even flinch. In fact, after the second time, she pulled Keith's face down to hers and kissed him. Don had always known that Crystal wasn't the bitch most people thought she was. He just never knew how to channel her ambition. Keith apparently did.

He took one more swig of beer and looked around the room. The teenagers had made themselves scarce. It's time to be a Dad and make sure things aren't too out of control, he thought, setting the empty beer bottle in the bin.

Don knew just where to look for the kids. Kasey told him they were going to the game room. So he wandered down the hall toward the room.

"Brandon, not now," Don heard Kasey hiss before he turned the corner. Don stopped and took a deep breath. Everything in him wanted to rush around the corner, but he knew he could not until he was sure of what was going on.

"Come on, Kasey. It's not like I haven't seen them before."

"Someone will see, Brandon. Please. Let's go back to the Game Room."

"Don't be a tease, Kasey."

Don heard enough. He bumped his elbow on the wall.

"See," Kasey hissed.

Don turned the corner to see Kasey push past Brandon and go back into the Game Room. "Brandon," Don said smiling. "I just came down to check and see how you kids are doing."

"Oh, hi, Mr. Woodson, um, Axe. We're doing fine, really. I, um, want to thank you for inviting me. It's really a great party."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Don said. "I've been kind of busy lately. I was hoping I'd get a chance to get to know you at least a little during this break."

Brandon just nodded, nervously.

"Walk with me a moment, Brandon."

"Okay," Brandon squeaked.

Don noticed Kasey peeking around the Game Room door and deliberately ignored her as he guided Brandon back down the hall and out the door onto the patio. Don walked to the rail and then turned back to Brandon. He took a moment and looked the kid over. He was a tall boy, a shade over six feet. He was muscular but not overly so. Brandon looked like a basketball player.

"So, Brandon, tell me, what are your plans?"

"Plans, sir?"

"Yeah, you know. Are you going to college? What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you plan to dump Kasey after you get what you want from her? You know the usual stuff us Dads want to know about their little girl's boyfriends."

"Dump her? What?"

"Breathe, Brandon."

Brandon took a deep breath. Don smiled. He'd been in the boy's shoes before. He borrowed the speech from Jessie's dad. He remembered how he felt with those eyes staring at him as he squirmed. Some how he passed the test, although to this day he wasn't sure if there were any right answers to the questions.

"Okay, what do you say we start again?"

Brandon nodded.