Chapter 78

Lunch with Mitch and Megumi went a long way towards calming Kelli back down. Even retelling the events in Brookings and the forest north of the golf course and the nerve wracking hurry-up-and-wait of the county sheriff and police deputy's investigation and all that followed from it.

The person whose calm received the most from it was Bud. Now that he was back in our head, he heard the story completely for the first time from both our points of view.

The food was spicy, but very, very good. I had something made with lamb shoulder, but as it was prepared it could have been called lamb stew. Yum.

"Is this your lunch hour Meg," Kelli asked at one point during the meal.

"Yes, a late lunch because I had to cover the shop while the boss had a business lunch. I'm not sure what kind of business though. We saw our regional rep last month. I think maybe Chaz Cooper has something going on besides work."

"A boyfriend?" Mitch asked, getting a giggle and a punch in the arm from Meg for his efforts.

"He's not gay," she said sheepishly. "Either that or he's gay but still likes to peek down the blouses of his sales associates."

"Well, he seems a bit creepy to me," I said. "I know I only met him the one time, but he seemed like a phony from the get-go."

"Oh he is," Meg laughed. "All image and no substance. What is it they say in Texas? All hat and no cattle? That's my boss."

"I am liking the new laptop setup in the bedroom," I said to Mitch, changing the subject. "I was using it last night before dinner. Made it nice not to have to remember the other one when I go upstairs."

"Good, I'm glad you like it. I think that's the ideal way of having computer access in the bedroom, especially for young singles who don't have kids to share their computers with."

"Sounds like you've given that a lot of thought," Kelli teased.

"I have," Mitch blushed. "I may still be in high school, but I'll be in college next year, and it won't be too many years before that's done."

"Having a girlfriend have anything to do with that kind of thinking?" she asked.

"Of course," he smiled at Meg. "Especially when your girlfriend is someone who you can see yourself growing old with a few decades from now."

That got him a kiss from Meg, who was beaming. It even got me a kiss from Kelli.

"Well Mitch," I said once the kissing was done. "Kelli and I are one of those decades beyond where you are now. You can see that a lot can happen to a person in the time between high school and now. I don't know about Kelli, but I don't think I remember anyone having their act together in high school the way you two seem to. That doesn't mean that one or both of you might not change a lot in that time."

"Be flexible," Kelli added. "You've got a lot of time to decide on how your life is going to turn out, and whether you two are meant to be together. Cooper and I are still exploring that ourselves."

"In the meantime, remember that you have friends. Mitch, I know you have friends. I've met a couple of them. Meg, I assume you have friends as well. If they are truly friends, they'll be there for you. Kelli and I will."

"Absolutely," Kelli nodded. "Meg, do your friends and Mitch's friends get along? Are you two able to share friends? Are there shared interests between the two groups?"

"Oh sure," Meg answered. "We had some friends in common before we became a couple. That's really how we met. I have a few friends who probably wouldn't fit in with Mitch's crowd, but they're what I call my 'A&F' friends. If I didn't work there they wouldn't want me as a friend. I'm too much of a nerd otherwise. So, no by that definition they're not really friends, just acquaintances."

"I've learned that I can't be afraid to look for friends outside of my comfort zone," Mitch said. "I can thank you for that, Cooper. Becoming friends with you, and then Kelli surprised me."

"It kind of surprised me too," I admitted. "But its more about the kind of person you are than your age. Your willingness to help a stranger that day in the mall said a lot about you."

"Now it's my turn to thank you," Mitch said as we were walking out of the restaurant. "Getting me together with the ADT guys looks like its going to work out nicely for me. I don't think I'm going to have to worry about where I'll be working during the summers while I'm in school, and I might even be able to work for them during the school year on a part time basis."

"Do you know where you're going to college yet?" Kelli asked.

"Well," Mitch looked at Meg and squeezed her hand. "We both are hoping to get into Stanford. We'll see."

"What about scholarships?" I asked. "Are you depending on them to pay for school?"

"Mitch is," Meg said. "At least partly. "I've got a college fund my grandparents set up that will cover mine."

"I'm hoping that what I make working for ADT will keep me in clothes and consumables, but my college savings are pretty much non-existent. My parents haven't ever been able to afford to put anything aside for that."

Kelli knew me well enough to recognize when the wheels were turning in my head. She brought it up the moment we were alone.

"You're thinking about helping Mitch with his scholarships, aren't you?"

"I am," I admitted. "But he should know by November or December if he's gotten in. He'll have a good idea what his financial aid situation will be like by then too."

"So you don't have to step in anonymously until close to Christmas?" she laughed. "How appropriate, my studly Santa Claus."