Theresa showed up that afternoon, surprised to find ‘N Sync there, but accepted their hellos with aplomb. She just shook her head at Meredith and smiled as she left. Meredith returned the grin before heading back into the house.
Irene had marinated the steaks that morning, knowing her sister would invite the group to stay for dinner. She handed the meat to Kevin to put in the refrigerator until it was time to cook them, since he volunteered to man the grill, and she gave him a quick kiss before he turned away.
Chris and Joey stared at the couple, shaking their heads, and Joey asked the question. “Why does he always get the beautiful ones?”
“Because he’s handsome…” Brian spoke up from the island where he was preparing the salad.
“Sexy…” Howie finished cutting Xs into the potatoes he’d scrubbed for baking before wrapping them in foil and putting them in the oven.
“And charming.” Meredith finished making a pitcher of iced tea and set it in the refrigerator.
“Do you get the feeling this question’s been asked before?” Lance looked at JC before looking back at Meredith.
Brian put the salad in the refrigerator until the food was ready. Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he looked at their guests. “Anyone up for a game of pool?”
Joey and Lance took him up on the offer, and Howie joined them to make it doubles. AJ grabbed the book he’d been reading and settled himself in a chair in the living room. Nick grabbed the guitar and some paper to work on the song that had been floating through his mind, settling himself in his room. Meredith got on the computer to download e-mail and review some files for next week’s training. Justin, JC, and Chris found a movie they could agree on, and Irene and Kevin sat at the kitchen table and talked.
When midnight rolled around, JC, Justin, Chris, Joey, and Lance made their back to the BOQ after Meredith told them to be at her house by 0800 the next day. She reminded them to bring a change of clothes and to leave their swimsuits.
They waved goodbye, and she closed the door and locked it, setting the security system. She called out a goodnight as she passed various people and fell into her bed with a groan. Looking at the clock, she sighed as she sat up. Standing, she pulled off her clothes, brushed her teeth, and climbed back into bed. Sleep claimed her quickly.
**BsB**BsB**BsB**
On Sunday, Meredith was floating in the shallow end of the pool when she heard the back door open, feet slap against the concreted around the pool, and someone dive into the water. She opened her eyes and saw Howie swimming towards her.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” He slicked back his curls and squeezed water from them. “What time is everyone arriving?”
“What time is it?” She lazily moved her arms to balance herself through the ripples he’d made.
“Around 7:15.”
“They’re supposed to be here at 8.”
“Are you going to make them do anything else?”
Meredith stood and moved to sit down on one of the steps, squeezing water from her own hair. “They’ll have to do your chores again. Why?”
“I was just wondering if you were going to torture them.”
“You don’t think hanging with you guys for two days straight isn’t torture enough?” She grinned and leaned away from the splash he aimed at her.
“You’re in rare form this morning.”
“Got a good night’s sleep, so I’ll be good to go for a *looong* time.”
Howie rolled his eyes. “Remind me to stay away from you today.”
She climbed out of the pool and headed for her towel, wrapping it around her body after she’d dried herself off. She pointed at the young man still in the pool.
“I’ll make it a point to pay special attention to you, then.”
Waving, she disappeared into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before walking outside to retrieve the Sunday paper. When Howie walked into the kitchen, he found the sections spread out across the table as Meredith thumbed through the pages.
“Anything good?” He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
“Garfield and Dilbert.”
“I meant in the news.”
“Nope, not a thing.”
He grabbed the financial section and started perusing the stocks to see how his portfolio was doing. Then he read the business section to see if any interesting news had come up that would be worth looking into for investment purposes. By the time the others got up, he was thumbing through the Sports section while Meredith read through the Entertainment section.
Irene pulled out pans to make pancakes and bacon, and Kevin looked at her.
“You don’t have to cook for us, you know.”
She smiled at him. “I know. I really don’t cook a lot at home since it’s just me, so I have to come down here on occasion and overwhelm Merry.”
Meredith started laughing, causing everyone to look at her. Brian pulled the edge of the paper down to see her face.
“What’s so funny?”
She wiped her eyes and laid the paper down. “It says here that Britney is ready to dump Justin for Nick. Word has it she’s been trying to get in touch with you for days to confess her love.”
Nick groaned and laid his head on the table. “No how. No way.”
She folded the paper and laid it with the other sections. “That would explain why Justin isn’t too fond of you.”
The doorbell rang, and Meredith jumped up to answer it. When she left the room, Nick grabbed the entertainment section and stuffed it in the garbage before she walked back in with the group.
The greetings were more jovial when ‘N Sync met the Backstreet Boys. Irene greeted them as she flipped a pancake in the air. Justin whistled as he watched her.
“That’s so cool.” He took a seat at the table to watch her.
Lance looked at Meredith. “So what do we have to do today?”
She smiled as she looked at the group. “Dishes, laundry…um, I’m not sure what else. I’ll let you know.”
Meredith got up and poured herself some juice, holding up the pitcher. “Anyone want some?”
JC and Joey nodded, and she filled two glasses. She handed them to the young men.
“I’ve got coffee, too.”
Lance, Joey, and Chris nodded, and she brought them cups and filled them, refilling Howie’s and Kevin’s and setting out sugar and creamer. She replaced the pot on the warmer.
“Anyone want milk?”
Brian and Justin nodded, and she poured glasses for them, then leaned over Nick’s shoulder as he read the comics.
“Want a refill, Munchkin?”
Nick held up his glass, and Meredith filled it, then returned the jug to the refrigerator.
“Thanks, Mom.”
He never took his eyes off the paper, missing the glances from the five guests. Meredith missed it, too, since she was walking towards Irene to check on breakfast. Kevin and Brian just smiled at the wary expressions on the faces of the others, shaking their heads at the weirdness of the whole relationship.
“Don’t even ask.” Brian smiled at Lance as the other man opened his mouth.
During the day, when Howie least expected it, Meredith was there. She was behind him when he walked into the foyer. He turned around to get something he’d forgotten, and she’d scared the hell out of him. She was there when he turned around from grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, almost making him drop the bottle. She was there when sat down on the sofa in the den to watch the football game.
“Stop it.” He was exasperated with her.
“Stop what?” Wide, innocent eyes stared at him.
Joey, Justin, Nick, and Brian stared at the pair.
“You know what I’m talking about, and I want you to stop.” Howie was really getting irritated, much to Meredith’s delight.
“D, I don’t know what you’re talking about. How can I stop if I don’t know what I’m doing to you?” She pressed a hand to her chest in an effort to look sincere.
He got up, whirling around to face her before she could move. “I’m going to the living room. *You* stay here.” He pointed a finger at her, narrowing his eyes as he backed away and out the door.
Meredith watched him go, turning around when he’d left. She smiled, and the four others just looked at her.
“What are you up to?” Brian was a little worried at the expression on her face.
“Me? Why would think I’m up to something, Brian. I’m hurt.” She just looked at him.
“That innocent look may work on the others, but it won’t work on me, Davenport.” He threw her words back at her, and she couldn’t help laughing.
“Howie told me this morning that he was planning to stay away from me because I was in a squirrelly mood today. I’m just having some fun with him.”
“Remind me to not to get on your squirrelly side.” Justin leaned back on his hands as he refocused his attention on the television.
“That would probably be in your best interest, Justin.” She got up and headed out of the room.
“Don’t torment Howie any more. We need him sane.” Nick called after her, and she waved a hand in response.
As the day went on, the five members of ‘N Sync took turns doing laundry and dishes. After lunch, Meredith said she was going to the video store, and Nick and Justin said they would go with her.
Nick looked at her, smiling. “You know, if only Justin and I went, we could take the Boxter.”
“No way in hell am I letting the babies of the boy bands loose on the streets in my Porsche.” She rolled her eyes at Nick, who pouted at her.
“C’mon, Meredith. It’ll be fun.”
“Do you know how much damage you could do if you’re spotted, never mind spotted together. I’m not sure there’d be pieces left to patch up, and then we’d probably end up mixing the two of you together.”
Both young men looked at each other, then shuddered. She nodded.
“It’s settled then. Go get in the Cruiser, and I’ll be there in a minute.” Shaking her head, she grabbed her purse, leaning in to tell Irene where she was going.
When her sister heard who was accompanying her, she just laughed. “You volunteered for this?”
“What can I say? I love a challenge.” Meredith pulled the keys out of her purse.
“You’re an idiot.” Irene waved goodbye before settling back into a killer game of Monopoly with Howie and Lance.
“Try to leave them with their dignity.” Meredith smiled as she left.
Irene chuckled. “That may be the only thing they’ll have left.”
The two men looked at the young woman in front of them before looking at each other.
When she got into the SUV, Meredith looked into the back to find Justin behind her and Nick in the very back.
“No one wanted shotgun?”
“We couldn’t agree as to who should get it.” Justin looked out the window as she started the vehicle.
They made it to the store with little talk. Both guys were wearing their glasses and baseball caps, so they weren’t overwhelmingly recognizable. She grabbed the backs of their shirts before they escaped down an aisle and told them they had to think about everyone when choosing a movie. Nick nodded quickly, familiar with the routine, and Justin stood there for a moment before wandering down the comedy aisle to see if he could find anything he thought would appeal to the majority.
Justin finally chose one, heading toward the counter when he saw Nick up there. He looked at Nick’s choice and wondered what Meredith would say. He watched as the other man carefully picked out Red Hots, Twizzlers, popcorn, and Whoppers, adding them to the pile. Meredith appeared behind them, setting her movie choice on the video boxes.
Jake rang them up, and Nick paid for it, grabbing the bag as they headed out. Meredith tossed him the keys, and he grinned as he hopped into the driver’s seat. Justin looked at her before climbing into the back of the vehicle.
Nick took a moment to flip through the CDs he’d left in the car, then slid one into the player, cranking up the volume as they drove home.
Justin walked into the house, rolling his eyes at the five people sitting at the kitchen table. Kevin, Joey, Chris, AJ, and Brian stared at the young man as Nick and Meredith walked in singing.
I wanna
Lick, lick, lick, lick you
From your head to your toes
And I wanna
Move from the bed
Down to the down to the to the floor
And I wanna
Uh uh
You make it so good
I don’t wanna leave
And I gotta nnn know
What’s your fantasy
“Nick drove home, I see.” Kevin sipped his tea as he watched Nick empty the bag onto the counter before tossing the plastic into the recycle bin.
“How do you know?” Chris looked after the three people who’d just left the room.
“In Meredith’s vehicles, if you drive, you get to choose the music. If she comes in singing in Spanish, Howie’s usually driven. If it’s R&B, AJ’s had the wheel. I’ve usually gone classical, and Brian’s pretty mellow as well. When the rap starts, Nick’s taken over.”
“What about when she drives?” Joey took a sip of his coke, swirling the ice in his glass when he finished.
“It depends on her mood. It could be anything from Def Leppard to Garth Brooks.” Brian got up to refill his water, taking a peek at the movies.
“This should be an interesting afternoon.” He chuckled.
Chris looked up. “Why do say that?”
“We’ve got American Pie, Heavy Metal, and Die Hard.”
“Yep, should be interesting.” AJ leaned back in his chair, planning to grab a seat close to Meredith when they watched the movies.
Die Hard was the first movie they watched, and Irene disappeared into the kitchen several times during the course of the show to work on dinner. As they were getting ready to start the next movie, Irene sat down next to Kevin and licked her finger.
He sniffed and looked over at her. “What do I smell?”
She sniffed the air, too. “Dessert.”
“Which is?”
“Apple pie.” She looked around in confusion as everyone rolled on the floor laughing. Irene looked at Kevin.
“What’s so funny?”
“The next movie is American Pie.”
Irene rolled her eyes before smacking Nick on the back of the head. “Just play the tape.”
The group settled down to watch the movie. AJ spent a lot of time watching Meredith---the way she focused on certain parts of the movie, the way she laughed, how she groaned at some of the sophomoric antics of the boys as they tried to get laid.
Once, she looked over and caught him staring at her. She tilted her head, slowly blinked as she gazed at him, then offered a small grin. He grinned back, for no other reason than he was glad to be sitting next to her. Still grinning, she turned back to the movie, but he felt her leg press against his a little harder. His heart did its quick, happy dance at her touch, then settled back into a normal rhythm.
The chili was ready by the time the movie finished, and they all spread out through the kitchen and dining room to eat it in order for everyone to have room. Chris and Joey did the dishes, and they moved back to the den to watch Heavy Metal. Halfway through the movie, Irene paused it and served up the pie, ignoring the snickers as they ate.
Around 8:30, the five losers of the bet thanked Meredith for her hospitality, thanked Irene for the food, and shook hands with the Backstreet Boys before heading back to the BOQ. Meredith closed the door and looked at her team.
“That went well.”
The rest of them laughed as they headed back into the den to just hang out. An hour later, Meredith walked into the kitchen to find Brian and Nick eating more of the pie Irene had made. She grabbed a plate, cut a slice, warmed it up, added some ice cream, and sat down to join them. The missing people trickled in until they were all in the kitchen, with the pie sitting in the middle of the table.
Howie broke the quiet with a small snort of laughter. Everyone looked up at him, and he just continued to chuckle. “I keep thinking about the movie.”
“Anything in particular?” Brian finished off his piece, topping it with the last swallow of milk.
“No, not really. Just that whole first-time terror. I wouldn’t go back to being a teenager if you paid me.” He pushed away his plate.
“So what was it like?” Irene rested her chin on her hands and stared at Howie.
He raised his eyebrows. “You want to know what my first time was like?”
“Not specifics, per se. Just the generalities. What it what you expected?”
Howie leaned back in his chair, playing with his fork. “Yes and no.” He leaned back in his chair and stared at his plate, a smile gracing his lips.
“Her name was Carrie.”
The fork clattering on the plate drew everyone’s attention to AJ. “The Carrie we saw at all those auditions?”
Howie nodded, and AJ shook his head. “How come you never told me? Every guy there wanted her.”
The older man shrugged. “For a while, I wondered if it had been a dream. There was a party at Billy’s house, we all got a buzz lamenting our lack of stardom. Billy dared me to go kiss Carrie. I went over, laid one on her, and the next thing I know we’re in his parents’ bedroom pulling off our clothes. The whole thing was rather surreal.”
Irene nodded. “Whose wasn’t?” She turned to look at Kevin.
He leaned back and looked at her. “What?”
“C’mon, fess up. By the time I’m finished, everyone will have spilled.”
Kevin laughed. “I was a senior in high school.”
Irene opened her eyes wide. “You were a senior?”
“What can I say, I’m from Kentucky. We’re a little slow there.” Kevin looked at the young woman. “Can I continue now?”
“Please do.” She leaned back in her chair, interested in learning something new about the man sitting beside her.
“Her name was Michelle, and I was having problems in chemistry.”
There were several chuckles as they heard what he said. “I’m being serious. They weren’t going to let me play football because of my chemistry grade, so I needed a tutor. Dr. Calhoun asked Michelle to help me.”
He stopped for a minute as the memories danced through his mind. The shy smile that crossed his face told Irene a lot.
“Let me guess, prom night.” She stared at him.
He nodded. “We spent a lot of time talking about school and dreams and what we wanted to do. After the second six weeks, in which I made a B thank you very much, I realized I wanted to spend more time with her away from the books. We were together all senior year.”
“She sounds like a great girl.” Meredith finished her last bite of pie.
“She was, and boy did she know her way around the elemental table.”
Everyone laughed, and Irene looked at Brian. “You’re next, choir boy.”
“Why does everyone insist on calling me that?” He dropped his hands to the table and looked at Irene.
“I think it’s that whole church thing, and you saying you’d probably have been a minister if you weren’t a Backstreet Boy.” Meredith got up and took her plate to the sink, picking Brian and Nick’s plates as well.
He looked around the table. “I was closing one night at the restaurant, pretty pissed I had to be there because it was a big game night, and everybody else had asked off. The door opened, and I told whoever that I’d be there in a minute. This husky voice just kind of drawled an “all right”, and I walked up to the front to find this woman dressed in leathers. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and the most beautiful mouth I’d ever seen. She ordered a fish dinner and sat down on the counter to eat it while I finished cleaning.”
He rubbed his finger on the table as he thought back to that night. “When I got done, she was still sitting there. She crooked her finger at me, and I when I came over to her, she pulled me in for this kiss that totally blew me away.”
He looked around the table. “You know how when you’re a kid, you kind of fumble around when you’re kissing ‘cause you haven’t had a lot of experience?”
The group nodded. “There was no fumbling in this kiss. She asked me if I knew any place quiet, I just nodded. She helped me lock up, then asked if I wanted to show her where it was. I headed for my truck and she stopped me, telling me to get on the back of her bike. She made me put on the helmet, and I pointed her towards Dickerson’s pond.”
Kevin started to chuckle as he remembered stories about make-out sessions around the pond. “Sorry, go ahead.”
Brian smiled as he figured out what Kevin was thinking about. “She parked the bike and we sat there for a few minutes, watching the moon shimmer on the lake. Then she turned to me and started unbuttoning my shirt. She asked my name, I asked hers, it was Nancy, and she proceeded to show me exactly how you make love on a Harley.”
He sat back in his chair, staring at the surprised faces surrounding him.
“No way.” AJ stared at his friend. “You and a biker chick?”
Meredith looked at Brian. “Is that where you got the scar on your shoulder?”
He blushed, and the guys looked at him. Nick raised an eyebrow. “Scar?”
Brian looked at her. “How did you know?”
“When you’ve got your own, you tend to spot them on others pretty quickly.” She shrugged and smiled at him.
“Let’s see it.” Nick leaned towards his friend, and Brian pulled his t-shirt away from his neck, pointing out the faint scar where his shoulder met his neck.
“What happened?”
“She bit me.” Brian let the collar slide back up to his neck.
“Wow.” Nick sat back, impressed by his friend’s story.
Brian looked at Meredith. “Next.”
“Mine’s not nearly as exciting as yours.”
“We’ll be the judge of that.” AJ leaned forward to hear her story.
“Well, I was in Paris on my senior trip, and we met up with some family of a friend of mine. She had a cousin, Jean-Michel, who was a painter. He was starting to become really well known for his cityscapes. Anne and I went over to his flat, and he showed us everything he’d been doing to get ready for a show later that month. Afterwards, he took us to this little café down the street. We sat and talked and ate and drank, and he walked us back to our hotel. The next day, he showed up, but Anne had already left with her parents, and he asked if I wanted to go do anything.”
She picked up her glass and drank some milk as she remembered her vacation. “By the end of the week, I had a serious crush of that man. Two days before we were supposed to leave, he asked if he could paint me.”
“There’s a painting of you somewhere?” Nick looked excited at the prospect.
“No, he wanted to paint *me*. I got to his flat, we had some wine and cheese and bread, he kissed me, and that was all she wrote. He painted the Seine on my back, the Arc de Triomphe on my chest, little cafes on my arms, and the Eiffel Tower on my legs. Then he seduced me.”
AJ sat back, his mind full of pictures of her paint-covered body. He wanted nothing more to trace the lines as they decorated her skin. He looked up into Meredith’s face to find her watching him.
“Your turn.”
AJ tilted his head as he looked at her, then looked around the table. “Germany, right before we released Backstreet’s Back. I was in the hotel bar after a show, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. The jukebox comes on, and it was “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” Then, this woman sits down at the end of the bar, orders Chevas Regal, and lights up. I looked at her, she looked at me, I looked back at my beer.”
He chuckled as he remembered.
“What’s so funny?” Irene watched him play with the crust still laying on his plate.
“I was such a kid back then. I’m surprised she even looked twice. This woman had class. She was dressed in silk, tasteful gold jewelry, and she was drinking Scotch older than I was.” He looked up in Irene’s eyes.
“I finished up my beer, screwed up my courage, and walked over as she was getting ready to light up another cig. I lit it for her, and she smiled at me. She never said a word as she took my hand, led me up to her suite, and proceeded to teach me that making sure your lady is happy will ensure a good time is had by all.”
AJ sat back and looked down at the end of the table at Nick, who was trying to sink into his chair and make himself look as small as possible. “Your turn, Nicky.”
“Don’t call me Nicky.” The retort was automatic, and he closed his eyes as he remembered his first time.
“It was in Sweden, when we were recording our second album. I met this girl when I was sitting in the park sketching. She spoke very little English, but she could draw. We compared sketches, and she finally gestured towards this little coffeehouse that was sitting across the street from the park. We sat and drank coffee and ate dessert. She tried to teach me some Swedish words, I tried to teach her some English.”
He shook his head, still not believing how he ended up in her apartment. “It only took a couple of times for her to get across the idea that she wanted me to come with her. She was going to the university there and took me to this little apartment. The kissing was great, the touching was great, the sex was…” He stopped, looking for the right word.
Meredith looked at him. “Amazing? Unbelievable? Wonderful? Any of these adjectives applicable?”
“Disappointing.”
“Whoa. I wasn’t expecting that one.” Brian leaned forward in his chair.
“It happened, but I think I was expecting more fireworks or emotional release or something. I listened as you guys all talked about how great it was and how fabulous you felt. I didn’t. I even wondered for a while if I’d done it right.”
Irene patted Nick’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. I did learn how great it could be when you really connect with someone first.”
Meredith smiled at him, and he grinned back. Then, six faces turned to the woman who’d started it.
“I believe it’s Irene’s turn on the hot spot.”
She grinned. “This is going to sound really cheesy, but it was in the backseat of ’57 Chevy at the drive-in.”
“No way!” Nick laughed.
“Yes, way. I’d come home after graduation, virginity still intact despite a senior trip to Milan. This guy I’d always had a crush on, David Johnson, came to a party Mom and Dad gave for their friends---he was with his parents. We started talking since we were the only ones our age, and he said he was glad to see me. Told me he’d liked me when we were younger, and we had a good laugh because I confessed my crush. We started dating after that, and at the end of summer, at the last show of the drive-in, as Frankie and Annette are surfing to save the beach, we had sex.”
“Frankie and Annette?” Kevin looked at the woman beside him.
“Beach Blanket Bingo.” She grinned.
The seven of them kind of sat there for a moment and reflected on their memories---good, bad, or indifferent.
Meredith finally stood and stretched, looking at the clock. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for some sleep. You guys should head to bed soon. This week is going to be tough.”
She smiled at everyone as she left the room, Stasi following behind her. When they were sure she wasn’t coming back, they looked at Irene.
“Are you sure she won’t get mad?” Brian chewed on his lip.
“No. But that’s half the fun, isn’t it?” Irene looked around the table.
“I’m in.” Howie nodded at the group.
“Me, too.” Nick smiled.
Kevin looked at the other two members of the group, who nodded at him. “We’re all in. You staying for this?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Irene chuckled as they broke up and headed for their respective rooms.
Table of Contents
Chapter Nineteen