Chapter Thirteen | ||||||
Kevin rolled over and reached for Irene. Looking blearily at the clock, he saw that it was only seven in the morning. He had discovered that she tended to wake early when she had something on her mind, and he wasn’t surprised to smell something wonderful baking in the oven when he walked into the kitchen. Nor was he surprised to find her on the phone talking to contacts about possible buyers for the Degas. “Yes, Andrew, I know, but I’ll be damned if I sell him that painting. If you hear anything let me know.” She ended the call and laid the phone on the counter. “Couldn’t sleep, I see.” Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist. Irene sighed and leaned back into him as they swayed together gently. “Nope. I wanted to put out some feelers while it was still early.” “What happens if you can’t find anyone who wants to buy it?” He stepped away from her to grab a cup of coffee. “Guess I’ll own a Degas.” She opened the oven and pulled out the sticky buns she had made while she was waiting for people to get into their offices. He choked on his coffee, looking at her over the rim. “What?” “If I can’t find anyone to buy it now, I’ll buy it and store it. Someone will want it eventually.” She shrugged as she separated the buns and laid them on a platter. “You’re going to lay out a million dollars, just like that.” He sat down at the table as she joined him with a cup of coffee and a couple of plates. “It’s only money, Kevin.” Irene pulled a bun off the platter and laid it on her plate. “It’s a million dollars, Irene.” He stared at her as she shrugged, clearly unconcerned about spending that much money. As he continued to stare at her, he couldn’t help asking the question that popped into his head. “How much money do you have?” Irene looked up at him, slowly chewing the bite in her mouth. “How much money do *you* have?” Realizing it was only fair of him to answer if he wanted her to answer, Kevin took a sip before he replied. “Counting everything? About 15 million.” He looked at her, waiting for her answer. She took a sip of coffee before answering. “Counting everything? About 65 million.” He choked on the sticky bun he was swallowing, and she stood up to pound on his back. Meredith and AJ walked into find Kevin taking deep breaths. “What happened?” Meredith looked at Kevin before turning to her sister. “He asked me how much I was worth.” She looked at her sister, an apologetic grimace on her face. The older woman sighed as she turned and headed for the coffee pot. AJ looked at his friends. “And this is a problem?” Kevin shrugged. “I was surprised.” “Good surprised or bad surprised?” The young man straddled a chair as Meredith placed a cup of coffee in front of him before she sat down. Reaching over, the older woman speared a bun with her fork and began to cut it. She knew the guys realized they had money, but the exact amounts had never been discussed. She had hoped to avoid the conversation for a while longer, but figured that the time was approaching more quickly than she wanted. “Just surprised.” Kevin looked at Irene, who looked back at him with a wan smile. He reached over and took her hand, holding it in his as he continued to drink his coffee. AJ turned to Meredith. “Am I going to choke?” “Probably.” She continued to eat, and he dropped the subject until they could have a private discussion. The tantalizing aroma soon lured the three remaining men downstairs. If Howie, Brian, and Nick noticed anything wrong, they didn’t say a word. Breakfast was eaten, and plans for the day discussed. Irene would be staying for the record company party, but she had brought something suitable to wear, and she had no real interest in visiting Disney World. After a vote, it was decided to hang around the house, grill some steaks that evening, and just relax. ***Backstreet Boys*** Jane logged onto the Internet and checked her balance. The money from Nick was late, and she was getting a little low on funds. She picked up the phone and called her bank to make sure there weren’t any problems with money transfers. She pursed her lips as she hung up the phone. ***Backstreet Boys*** Irene inspected the kitchen cabinets and made a grocery list of things that were needed for dinner. She and Meredith got directions to the closest grocery store from Nick and headed off to shop. When they left, the five men looked at each other, finally realizing how much of an impact the two women made on the group. “Geez, it’s not as if we haven’t spent time alone before.” AJ rolled his eyes and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. The rest of them laughed and followed him, selecting water, juice, tea, or coffee before spreading throughout the house. Meredith pulled into a parking space and looked at her sister. They looked at the trendy grocery store, sighing at the thought of buying groceries. Neither of them enjoyed it, but they realized that sending Backstreet Boys out into the public on a summer day was just asking for trouble. Walking into the cool interior, Meredith grabbed a cart. The two women walked up and down the aisles, gathering the food on their lists and adding items as ideas struck them. They pushed the full cart to a checkout line and waited for their turn. As they waited, Irene grabbed a People and began to flip through it. “Well, hell.” The younger woman grimaced at the magazine. “What?” Meredith leaned over to look at whatever had caught her sister’s attention. She saw a picture of Kevin and Irene dancing on the sidewalk outside a club in New York. Looking it over, she smiled at the picture they made. “What’s wrong with it?” She began to unload the cart. “I haven’t checked e-mail in a couple of days, so there’s no telling what’s on the lists. I was hoping to avoid exposure for a while.” “You’re dating a Backstreet Boy. Get used to it.” Meredith chuckled. Irene continued to thumb through the current issue. “This is interesting.” “What now?” She didn’t even stop setting their groceries on the conveyer belt. The young woman held the magazine in front of her sister’s face to show a picture of Meredith dancing with each of the guys at Howie’s birthday party. The accompanying paragraph identified her as their commanding officer during the training, with further speculation on her involvement with the group. The final line asked who was the lucky man. “Aw, man.” Meredith rolled her eyes. “You’re dating a Backstreet Boy. Get used to it.” Irene tossed the magazine onto the belt and helped unload the food. “You’re just asking for it, you know that?” She looked at her sister as the young woman chuckled. Meredith paid for the groceries and followed the bagger out of the store. She headed for the Expedition, unlocking it with the remote. “Sweet.” The young man gave the vehicle an appreciative glance, then gave the same glance to the two women. Irene smiled as she tipped the young man, causing him to stumble. The two women held their laughter until they had gotten into the SUV and the young man returned to the store. “Nice to know we can still get a look or two.” Irene buckled her seat belt as Meredith started the car. “But you’ll notice we came after the Expedition.” The older woman laughed as they headed back to Nick’s house. When they arrived, they unloaded the car and dragged all of the bags into the house. Howie grabbed bags when he saw them enter, following the women into the kitchen. The three of them unloaded the groceries, and Howie grabbed the magazine when he saw it. He flipped through the pages, stopping at the picture of Irene and Kevin. “Nice picture” was his only comment. When he got to pictures from his birthday party, he looked at them for several minutes. “D, you okay?” Irene laid her hand on his back. Startled, he looked at her. “Yeah, sorry.” He looked over at Meredith. “I’m sorry about this, Merry. I knew someone was there, but I didn’t think they’d focus on you with all of the celebrities there.” Meredith smiled and walked over to the young man, draping an arm across his shoulder. She looked at the magazine he still held open. “Actually, the pictures aren’t bad. We look like we’re having a great time, which we did, and the one of us is pretty funny.” He looked back at them. “Yeah, it is.” He closed the magazine and laid it on the counter. Howie leaned over and kissed his friend’s cheek. “Thanks for everything, Merry.” She wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. “You’re very welcome.” AJ walked into the room. “Hey, hey, hey. No stealing my woman.” Howie wrapped his arms around Meredith. “Too late, Bone. She’s all mine.” The young man started hitting Howie in the arm until he released her. “Ow. Stop it.” AJ just grinned, pulling Meredith close. Irene laughed at the two men. “You guys are insane, you know that?” “And your point is?” AJ looked at her. “No point, just a comment. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t go with us to the store.” She pulled out Italian dressing and some herbs to make the steak marinade. “What happened at the store?” He released Meredith, settling onto the stool beside Howie to watch the two women work on their dinner. “The bagger liked your Expedition and your woman.” The brunette shook the covered bowl of steaks. AJ arched an eyebrow and turned to look at his girlfriend. “Oh, he did, did he?” Meredith shrugged delicately before she turned to put the marinade ingredients away. He got up and sidled over to her, pinning her against the counter. “And what exactly did he say.” She slid her hands up from his belly to rest on his chest. “Well, he looked at the SUV and said ‘sweet’, then he checked both of us out.” “And how old was he?” “Oh, 17 or 18, I’d guess.” “That explains why he commented on the Expedition first instead of you.” “You think?” She grinned at him. “I know.” He leaned close, whispering to her before he stole her lips in a kiss that left her sagging against the cabinet. Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck, sucking on his tongue. AJ grabbed hold of the countertop to keep them upright, afraid that if he let go, they would tumble to the floor. She caressed the curls at the back of his neck, stroking the skin as they continued tasting each other. Willing to hit the floor, he grabbed her ass with both hands and yanked her against his body. His moan vibrated against her lips, and she sighed in pleasure at the sensation. That pleasure quickly turned to shock as a spray of cold water hit them. Gasping, they turned toward the sink to find Irene standing there with the sprayer. “You looked like you were getting a little hot there.” Meredith narrowed her eyes, and Irene slowly backed away. The brunette held up her hands in surrender. “Now, Merry, you know I was only kidding.” “Three.” “C’mon, sis. It was funny.” “Two.” “If you forget all about this, I’ll buy you whatever you want. Just name your price.” “One.” “Shit.” Irene took off in a run, dodging Nick and Brian as she ran out the back door. Meredith wasn’t far behind her sister, and the two men watched as the older woman reached out and grabbed her sister, yanking her backwards. Irene went down in a tumble of arms and legs, shrieking for help as Meredith sat on her. Irene looked up in fear. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She tried to ward off the tickle torture that was coming. “Shoulda thought of that before.” Meredith just shook her head and proceeded to tickle her sister until the other woman was breathless and crying. She finally relented, allowing the younger woman to stand up. Irene wobbled a bit, having laughed so hard she was dizzy. As they walked back toward the house, Meredith wrapped an arm around Irene’s shoulders. Her sister smiled at her, right before she was pushed into the pool. Irene came out of the water with a gasp. “What was that for?” Meredith grinned. “You looked like you need cooling off.” Turning, she walked back into the kitchen to find AJ leaning against the counter as Howie explained the ruckus to the other three. “Everything taken care of?” He looked at her, tilting his head to one side as he studied the tousled curls and wet clothing. “You bet.” She grinned at him, grabbing his hand as she walked by. “I think we need to get out of these wet clothes.” “I knew I should’ve soundproofed the bedrooms.” Nick muttered as he watched the couple leave the room. ***Backstreet Boys*** Despite Nick’s prediction, they didn’t do anything more than kiss as they changed clothes. Irene’s words were rolling around in AJ’s mind, and he wanted to talk about the breakfast incident. Meredith looked at him, watching the emotions roll across his face. She sat down on the bed next to him, taking one of his hands. “What’s going through your mind, mine?” He turned to look at her. “How much are *you* worth?” Her eyes opened wide at his question, not expecting it. “That came out of left field.” AJ sighed. “You mean you weren’t expecting it after this morning?” “Well, I figured it would come up at some point in time, just not this soon. I kinda thought you would wait until we were alone at your house.” “I was planning on it, until Irene reminded me before you chased her out of the kitchen.” He looked at her face, surprised to see a little bit of fear there. “What’s wrong?” “I don’t want this to change how you feel about me. I’m afraid it will. It has for guys I’ve dated in the past.” She picked at the comforter, not looking at him. “What about Andy?” He laid his hand over hers to stop her fidgeting. “We came from similar backgrounds, so he knew about me.” AJ lifted her chin with a finger, smiling gently at her. “It’ll be okay. Forget I asked.” Meredith sighed, leaning into the hand he cupped against her face. “No, it’s something we need to talk about.” “It’s just a number.” He rubbed her hand gently. “I’ll start. Five million.” She smiled at him and shook her head. “Ten million.” She shook her head again and looked up. “Twenty million.” Another head shake and he began to raise his eyebrows. “Thirty?” Meredith bit her lip as his eyes grew wider with each number. “I think I need you to just tell me.” “102.” She watched him sink against the bed as the air left his body. “Million?!” Shrugging, Meredith watched AJ as he wrapped his head around the number. “I’m sorry if this freaks you out.” “No, no. I’m fine. Really.” He got up and walked into the bathroom. “damnit.” The whispered epithet drifted through the air as she fell back onto the bed. Please, God, don’t let this be a problem for us AJ came back into the room and watched as Meredith pressed her hands to her face. The quiet admission had stunned him. He figured it was a significant amount because of Kevin’s reaction, and he had known that she had money simply by looking at all of the things she had at home. He wasn’t really sure how he felt about that large of a bank balance. While he had a nice amount in the bank, it would be a long time before he reached that level. A part of him was irked. Stupid fucking male pride. Padding across the carpet, he stretched out beside her, pulling her hands way and staring into her eyes. “Is this going to change things?” Her voice was soft. “I don’t think so. It’s just going to take a little getting used to. In the past, I’ve been the one with the money, so I know that people tend to gravitate towards me because of what I can give them. I don’t want you to think that about me.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t, mine. Besides, you said you loved me before you knew.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I did.” Sobering, he stared at her. “It’s just a weird feeling, knowing you have so much more.” Reaching out, Meredith stroked his cheek. “It’s only money. It can’t buy talent or happiness or love. It certainly didn’t help when I was in Iraq, and I would have traded it all to get Andy back. It’s a means to an end, that’s it. I make sure I contribute to my church and my favorite charities. I’ll admit, I like being able to buy things that I really, really want, but I try to remember not to abuse it. My parents did a good job of drilling into our heads that just because we had more money than most people didn’t make us any better.” AJ smiled at her as she spoke, holding onto her hand. “Mine, I don’t want this to be an issue with us. It’s caused problems in the past when I’ve gone out with some guys. I have money, it doesn’t have me.” He nodded, understanding where she was coming from. “I know. It’s kind of like the whole thing of what you did before me. It’s just something I have to get used to.” She nodded, getting off the bed and walking into the bathroom. AJ laid there on the bed, thinking about this strange turn of events. He was the one who usually had to be wary of what people really wanted from him. Now, he felt like people would be watching him. Gonna take some getting used to. When she came back into the room, he smiled at her and held out his hand. She pulled him off the bed, and they walked downstairs. AJ headed for the game room, while Meredith grabbed a bottle of water and walked outside to try and relax. She swam a few laps in the pool before getting out and lying down on a chair. ***Backstreet Boys*** Irene walked outside and found Meredith lying on a lounge chair, staring out onto the bay. She nudged the woman to move over and laid down beside her sister, draping an arm across her. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” Meredith looked at the other woman. “That whole thing with the money this morning. I know it caused a problem with you and AJ because I heard a little bit of your conversation when I walked past your room.” “It’s only a problem if we let it become a problem.” She patted her sister’s arm, trying to reassure the young woman that it wasn’t her fault. “Does it bother him that much?” Meredith sighed before she tried to put the situation into words that made sense. “Because of past relationships, he knows that people hang with him because of his money. I think he’s afraid people will think that of him since he’s with me.” “That’s stupid. All anyone has to do is look at the two of you together to see how much love is there.” Irene sat up abruptly. “Yeah, well, it’s something he has to work through. Just like I have to work through the fact that I’m twelve years older than he is, and people are gonna think I’m trying to hang onto my youth or something.” She realized they both had issues they need to work on in the relationship. “Why do things get so screwed up? Isn’t love the most important thing? Shouldn’t it be about the fact that you two love each other, not the semantics?” The older woman pulled her sister close and hugged her. “It should be. I do love him, so very much.” “And I love you.” AJ’s voice came from behind them, and both women jumped a bit. Irene sat up and got off the chair. As she walked by him, she patted his arm. He smiled at her, pulling her close for a hug before letting her go. Moving to the side of the chair, he looked down. “May I?” She smiled and held out her hand to welcome him. He snuggled up beside her, wrapping his arms around her body. Meredith laid her head on his chest and let out a sigh. “I didn’t mean to be so distant.” He played with a curl that had escaped her braid. “I know. It’s something you have to work through on your own.” They just held each other for several minutes. AJ rubbed her back, soothing both of them. Meredith rubbed his chest, echoing his movements. The calming effect caused them to close their eyes and relax. “Does the age thing really bother you?” She opened her eyes, staring out across the backyard. “Sometimes. You’re twelve years younger than I am. You’re on top of the world. I wondered if I was doing the right thing, wanting to be with you. Beyond all the age and money issues is the fact that I love you. I know what it’s like to love and lose, and I’ve been incredibly blessed to find love again with you. I don’t want to lose it. I’m willing to thumb my nose at anyone who looks at us and thinks we’re insane.” He tightened his grip on her, letting her words flow over him. She was right, beyond the issues that stood out to the world the most important thing was the love. He swallowed before he spoke. “I know that a part of me was upset that you had more than I did. I always thought I had to be the one with more, providing for my family, taking care of everything. My mom had to do so much, that I thought I had to keep the woman I love from having to do that. I thought I would have to take care of everything, but you’ve changed all that for me. I think there were times I chose girlfriends because they needed me, not because they were right for me. You are right for me.” He took a deep breath. “I love you so much it amazes me that there’s this much emotion in my heart without it exploding. I want to shout from the rooftops and do a dance because you love me, too. I can’t let this go. I *won’t* let this go.” Meredith pulled back a bit so she could sit up and look at him. Reaching out, she laid her hand against his cheek. “We’re going to have to make sure we keep talking to each other. If we let these things sit and build up, we could say or do things that we may never be able to repair.” AJ cupped her face in both hands. “I will talk to you when something bothers me. I will listen when you need to talk. I can’t promise that I’ll be happy, but I will do my very best to try and see both sides.” She smiled. “That’s all we can do, mine.” Leaning forward, she sealed their promise with a kiss. The moment she felt his lips open, she shivered at the pure joy running through her. I will not give up on you or us. In the house, Irene looked out the patio door and smiled at the pair. ***Backstreet Boys*** When AJ and Meredith returned to the house, the others breathed a sigh of relief that things looked okay. Nick had been especially worried, afraid that the troubles with his family had caused a problem. He finally caught a moment alone with Meredith. “Hey, Mom.” “Hey, Munchkin.” She finished making herself a sandwich and sat down at the kitchen table. Nick followed her example, making himself a sandwich and joining her. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Meredith noticed the young man kept staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. “Spit it out, Nick.” “What?” He looked at her in surprise. “You want to say something. Just spit it out.” She bit into her pickle and tried to keep the juice from running down her chin. “Are you and AJ okay?” She just looked at him. “What?” “I know you guys were a little tense this morning. Is it because of me?” He pushed his plate away and folded his hands in front of him. Laying her hand over his tightly clenched ones, she smiled gently. “No, sweetie, it’s not you. This is…was just between the two of us.” Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so afraid that he had caused another problem. He needed both of his friends in his life, and any strife would have probably sent him over the edge. Smiling at Meredith, he pulled his plate back in front of him and finished eating. The seven of them rotated through the house. At any given moment, televisions, stereos, and computers were being used, along with the pool and the game room. With the exception of the marinade, dinner was prepared by the guys. Meredith and Irene were instructed to sit at the table and just relax. The two women found it quite amusing to watch the five men stumble all over each other in an attempt to cook the meal. Kevin finally held up his hands. “Stop!” The other four looked at him. He shook his head. “We’ve got to get organized before we kill each other or ruin dinner. Brian, you’ve got salad. AJ and Howie, you’re doing steaks on the grill. Nick you’ve got potatoes. I’ll take dessert.” They each took a different spot in the kitchen to work on their assigned tasks. Meredith sat back and relaxed, having been ready to stand up and take charge if they didn’t get things going in the right direction. It was hard for her to not be doing something. Irene kept making quiet comments, causing the other woman to laugh. The five men looked at their audience, quirking eyebrows as they wondered what was being said. An hour later, dinner was served, and both women paid many compliments to the chefs. Each man preened a bit at the praise. When Kevin set the cheesecake on the table, they looked at the dessert. “I thought you got a plain cheesecake.” Nick stared at the plate. “It was plain. I added the fruit.” He looked around the table at the surprised expressions. “What?” “It looks beautiful, baby. You did an incredible job.” Irene admired the sliced strawberries and the blueberries carefully arranged on top of the cheesecake. “Thanks. Although it hurts when you get strawberry juice in a cut.” Kevin held up his finger to show the small cut. His girlfriend reached out, bring his finger to her lips and kissing it. He smiled at her before leaning over and kissing her mouth. The other three men groaned, while AJ took the opportunity to kiss Meredith. “Can we just eat the cheesecake?” Brian rolled his eyes at the two couples. Irene laughed as Kevin pulled away to cut the dessert. They ate slowly, relaxing as they chatted. Brian and Howie brought out coffee to finish off the meal, and everyone leaned back in their chairs after the delicious meal. “If you ever quit your day jobs, you could throw dinner parties for a living.” Meredith rested her arm on the back of AJ’s chair. “I think I’ll stick to singing.” Howie grinned. “The loss of diners everywhere.” Irene chuckled as she stood up. The two women insisted on doing the dishes, leaving the five men in the dining room. Brian saw Nick leaning in his chair so he could look into the kitchen. “What are you doing, Nick?” “I just wanted to see what they’d do.” He continued to look into the kitchen. “About what?” Howie leaned over as well. “They sing and dance when they’re doing stuff together in the kitchen. Haven’t you ever noticed?” Howie thought about the times they’d been together. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen just the two of them in the kitchen.” Within moments, they heard music filtering out of the room. The voices didn’t join in until Shook Me All Night Long began to play. Unable to resist, they quietly moved to the door to watch Meredith and Irene sing along with AC/DC as they finished cleaning the kitchen. Both women turned at the sound of the applause, blushing slightly when they realized the five men had been watching them. “I didn’t know you could sing.” Kevin draped an arm over Irene’s shoulder as the group headed for the living room. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, babe. That’s part of the fun of getting to know one another.” She smiled up at him as they snuggled down onto a sofa. AJ and Meredith commandeered another sofa, AJ pulling Meredith close to his body as they stretched out. Howie grabbed the oversize chair, leaving Brian and Nick on the floor. They watched a couple of movies before people started heading off to bed. Nick turned out the lights since he was the last one to head upstairs. Smiling, he realized how much he enjoyed the feeling of family that surrounded him. Settling into his bed, he sighed and let himself drift into sleep. ***Backstreet Boys*** The next day, Jane checked her account again—still no money. Picking up the phone, she dialed Nick’s accountant and was told that he was not in and would return her call later in the day. Her anger was taken out on unfortunate sales clerks and cashiers when she went shopping. That afternoon, Jane checked her bank account, dialing Jack as she waited. She was put through to his office and began to browbeat the man before he could even say a word. When he told her that no more money was going to be deposited, she was shocked into silence. In the middle of his sentence, she hung up the phone and immediately dialed Nick’s number. A familiar voice answered, and she was abrupt. “Brian, where’s Nick?” Brian was surprised speechless, then struggled to speak. “He’s in the kitchen. Hang on a minute.” He walked into the other room, approaching his friend. Keeping his hand over the receiver, he looked shaken. “Nick, it’s Jane.” Nick froze for a moment, then wiped his hands on a towel and took the phone. Brian left the room, but didn’t go far in case he was needed. “Hello?” [Where’s the money?] “What money?” He returned to the stove and lifted more cookies off the sheet onto the wire racks to cool. [Don’t give me that, Nickolas. You didn’t deposit your usual amount in my account this month.] “If I’m not mistaken, you told me that you weren’t my mother anymore. Why would I give money to a stranger?” With each word, his anger grew, his voice getting stronger and louder. [I’m sick and tired of catering to your ego. I can’t believe you’d deprive your brother and sisters like this.] “Oh, I’ll make sure the kids are taken care of, don’t you worry about that.” [Holding that money hostage is not going to make me forgive you, Nick. Just send the money.] “Forgive me? Forgive ME?! Who the hell do you think you are? Ever since I started making money, you’ve had your hand held out for more and more and given nothing back. Well, guess what—no more. I’m not gonna to do it. You looked at me and you saw dollar signs, not a son. Fine. I look at you, and I see a greedy, manipulative witch who could care less about who her children are than what they can do for her.” He stopped abruptly, almost frightened of his words. Jane was silent for several moments. [You want to be like this? That’s fine. Stay away from the kids, stay away from me.] The conversation ended with a phone slammed in his ear. He looked at the phone in his hand then reared back and threw it as hard as he could at the wall. The dent in the pristine white wall and the shattered electronics on the floor seemed rather descriptive of his family at that particular moment. He went back to sliding cookies off the cookie sheet as Brian raced to the doorway and looked at the mess. ***Backstreet Boys** Nick didn’t talk about the call from his mother or the resulting explosion of anger that followed it. When the subject came up, he simply ignored all attempts to talk about it or quickly changed the subject. Nobody pushed the issue, afraid of what might happen if the young man got too wound up. The next day, AJ and Meredith packed up the Expedition to return to Orlando. Brian decided to stick around Nick’s house for a couple of days until the party. Howie went home to Cocoa Beach. Kevin and Irene returned to his house, asking the other couple to join them for dinner that night. After hugs and kisses, they seven of them split up. |
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Chapter Fourteen Table of Contents Chapter Twelve |
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