Chapter 20

Car shopping with Sam Van Landingham was an adventure unto itself. His conversation with Merie hadn’t turned to vehicles at any point so Brock’s only assistance was thumbing through his trusty Consumer Reports index on safety features and retaining value.

But Sam managed to whittle the choices down to around five or six before the afternoon was over. Most of the time in Sam’s car was spent discussing Merie and Brock.

Brock confessed he still wasn’t sure what was going on.

“She still wants to date every chance we get but she doesn’t want a boyfriend,” he told Sam. “I’m not sure if it is a matter of semantics or if your daughter is insane.”

Sam took no umbrage at the remark.

“Oh, I’ll lean toward the insane,” he said. “She only wants to date you, right?”

Brock nodded.

“And you want to date only her, right?” Sam continued.

“Uh, well, for my part that is a yes,” Brock said. “But that’s where it gets confusing. She doesn’t want me to date only her.”

Sam gave Brock a worried look.

“Are you sure you’re not projecting your feelings about monogamy onto her?” Sam wondered.

“Oh, no,” Brock said quickly. “Nothing like that. I have no intention of dating anyone but Merie. But, the girls she had the slumber party with, uh, well. I don’t know.”

“They have crushes on you,” Sam said knowingly. “And Merie doesn’t want them to feel guilty.”

“Sort of,” Brock said. “But more than that. She seems to want me to encourage them, to play a role in their lives. If my best friend, Bill, had a crush on Merie, I certainly wouldn’t want her to fuel it. I just don’t get it and I can’t seem to get my point across to Merie that I’d rather not participate.”

Sam laughed.

“Brock, if the decision has been made, you’re stuck,” he said. “You might as well get used to it. Merie’s idea will die a quick death the first time you take one of the other girls out. I’ll bet you that. Just be sure to tell her what you’re doing and where you’re going--and remind her repeatedly it was her idea. Otherwise it will get turned around on you. Hell, who am I kidding, it might get turned around on you either way. But I’ll remind her of this, too, should it come up.”

“So, about the party,” Sam said later. “What do you have in mind?”

“Something simple,” Brock said. “I’ve been sort of playing with scenarios in my mind. I think I’ll see if she wants to go to dinner that night. I’ll drive to Bascomb Bay or somewhere and I’ll figure out a reason to have to go back to the house. That should give you about an hour and a half to get the people in and the cake out. I thought about having the place that catered our pregame football meal do the spread. What is her favorite meal?”

“Food,” Sam said with gusto.

“I was beginning to think her favorite food was whatever I was having,” Brock said with a laugh. “I had to revert to my prison days of holding onto my plate with one hand and shoveling food into my mouth with the other.”

Sam looked over and smiled.

“That’s what I mean about not letting it define your life, by the way,” he said as he put his hand on Brock’s shoulder. “A lot of people would, you know.”

Brock nodded sadly.

“Anyway, how about Cornish game hen, parsley potatoes and some sort of vegetable,” he said. “Then we’ll have cake and ice cream afterward and she can open her loot.”

“When you said you’d take care of the details, you weren’t kidding,” Sam said with glee. “I want to run this past Jean. She may have some improvements but I think it’ll be great. How about we tell her your car is going in for repairs and you use her new one as rental. You might even let her drive to the restaurant. Assuming she passes her driver’s test that Thursday.”

“I like it,” Brock replied with a grin. “I hope she appreciates all the hard work we’re putting into this. We must have spent, what almost an hour, planning out her party and her major present. Think of what we could have accomplished if we hadn’t had to pore over everything with a fine-toothed comb.”

Sam was still laughing when they pulled into the driveway and entered the house. Jean loved the plan and the menu. Everything was set for the Saturday after Merie’s birthday.

The girls convinced their parents to let them have another sleepover and once again Brock went to bed alone but woke up surrounded by females.

This time it was Mel and Jen on each side of him with Merie and Suzy nestled in behind. The only difference from last night was that Jen had her hand firmly on his erection. Brock chuckled to himself and fell back asleep.

Everyone headed home the next morning but not before Brock mentioned that he would be down in two Fridays to pick up Suzy for Merie’s party. The Walshes agreed to meet him halfway on Friday and Sunday if he would reimburse them for gas.

The week before Merie’s birthday was filled with school and shopping. Brock had to buy not only a decent birthday gift for his non-girlfriend but he wanted to get Christmas gifts for his other non-girlfriends, too. Merie would smile and wave to Brock at school but they didn’t hold hands or share any affection in public.

The students chalked it up to another failed attempt to score The Cherry but Jen was noticeably upset.

“Well, are you two dating or not?” she finally asked Brock late in the week. “You talk on the phone and you’ve been to visit her twice this week but you don’t hang out at school and I never see you with your arm around her or anything.”

Brock sighed.

“Well, we’re dating but I’m not her boyfriend,” Brock said with a frown. “She has a whole laundry list of convoluted reasons for it so if you want to know more than that you’ll have to ask her.”

Jen looked at the table.

“I’m sure I’m one of the reasons,” she said sadly. “I’m so sorry, Brock. I am so ashamed at the way I acted that night. Do you think it’ll make any difference if I promise to behave myself?”

Brock shook his head.

Not in the way you think, he thought.

“I doubt it,” he said finally. “I don’t think that really entered into her decision. She says there are some issues that need to be resolved but what happened between you and me isn’t a problem.”

“I feel like I’ve ruined your life,” Jen said morosely and Brock about spit his milk across the room.

“Trust me, Jen,” he said when he quit coughing. “I’ve had my life ruined. You are nowhere close. Merie will figure things out or she won’t. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Brock gave Merie a new outfit that Mel and Jen had picked out on her birthday.

“I hope you’ll consider allowing me to treat you to a belated dinner Saturday,” he asked in his most cordial voice.

Merie curtsied.

“I would be delighted, sir,” she said in a Southern drawl. “I will have to make sure there are no familial engagements. But I tentatively accept.”

And everything was in place for her surprise party by late evening Friday. Brock had been watching Merie for her taste in vehicles and he found as long as it was small and cute she was happy. He suggested a Volkswagen convertible and Sam picked out one that almost matched Merie’s eyes.

Brock told Merie he wouldn’t be able to visit on Friday because his car wouldn’t be available and he drove halfway to Wilkins to pick up Suzy. He was thankful that Tara wasn’t tagging along.

“Oh, she is pissed at me,” Suzy said with relish. “I told her about sleeping with you and she turned a shade of red you wouldn’t believe. I didn’t clear up her misconceptions until later in the week but she was still mad yesterday. Besides, this is a birthday party for a friend that she doesn’t know. It would have been rude to include her.

“Plus you would have made me walk the rest of the way,” she added with a smile.

Merie’s new car was parked in front of Brock’s house when he and Suzy got back so he figured everything was set for the next day.

Brock walked up the front steps of the Van Landingham house at 5:15 p.m. and Sam and Jean met him at the door with a grin and a wink. He handed his wallet to the Van Landinghams to hide and took off his jacket.

Merie came bouncing down the stairs five minutes later. She looked lovely.

“Wow!” Brock exclaimed. “I am severely underdressed. You look amazing.” Merie blushed prettily. She had gone out Saturday morning and got her hair cut and styled. Her auburn locks framed her oval face perfectly.

Brock was wearing a sweater and tan slack and he thought he should have worn a tie and jacket. But he knew Suzy and the Mileses were getting ready to come out and he didn’t want them passing on the road.

“Maybe I should run home and change,” he said. “It’ll only take me a few minutes and I’ll be back.”

Merie grabbed his arm.

“Nope, I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Merie told him. “You missed Friday night date night so you’re stuck with me until the small hours of the morning.”

“Hey, did you get a new car?” she asked when the got outside.

“Loaner,” Brock replied as he offered her the keys. “Mine won’t be available until later and I didn’t want to miss our date.”