chapter seven: The First Girl He's... "Brushing teeth, I see," Joey commented as she noticed Brendan in the bathroom, a blue toothbrush in his mouth as he looked around for a towel. Giving her a look, he opened the closet door and pulled out a forest green towel. "So, the rumors aren't true, then," she kept on. "They sure aren't," Brendan said finally, rinsing his mouth out then drying his face on the fluffy towel. "Where'd you hear this so-called rumor about me and my 'dirty' mouth?" Joey shrugged and said innocently, "Tate." "Did she, now?" Brendan said, a mischievous smirk finding its way onto his features. "But you didn't hear it from me!" Joey quickly added, blocking him from exiting the bathroom. With a grin, he pushed her aside. "Don't worry about it--my family rags on me about it all the time." "Good evening, Jodie," Ryan said with a mock bow with much fancy twirling of his hands. "Oh, Ryan, dear, she's here?" Mrs. Turner called excitedly from the second floor of the house as she leaned over the railing. Ryan looked up at his mom, a brow raised. "Chill out, Mother Goose." Eagerly, Joey poked her head in through the doorway. Almost immediately, Ryan's mother dashed down the stairs, stumbling only in the slightest on the second-to-last step. "You must be Jocelyn! Come in, come in!" she said delightedly, beckoning her inside their home. Shyly, Joey nodded. "Hi, Mrs. Turner!" "Go ahead and place your coat on the rack--dinner'll be ready in forty-five minutes." "How did I let you talk me into this?" Ryan mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. His mother simply smiled and shrugged, saying, "Oh, don't be silly, Ry!" She looked towards Joey. "You make yourself at home for the time being. We'll see just how good of a host Ryan is tonight…" Amused and quite speechless at Mrs. Turner's kindness and hospitality, Joey looked up at Ryan, who was turning the lightest shade of pink. "Mom, I think I hear something--oh yeah, it's the kitchen calling your name! BYE, Mom." Taking the hint, she nodded and went bustling into the kitchen, which, Joey noted, smelled incredibly good. Ryan had told her this morning that she was quite the cook, and now she knew just what he meant--even though she hadn't even had a taste of it just yet. "So why couldn't Brendan and Tate grace us with their presence tonight?" Ryan asked, shoveling more mashed potatoes and green beans onto his plate, then smothering them all in a thick coating of gravy. "I know the two Kevins went over to Sarkis with Mina, since she was in town." "They went out to dinner, and afterwards are renting out a movie," Joey replied after swallowing down a mouthful of chicken pot pie. "How nice," said Mrs. Turner as she set out a good-sized chicken on the center of the table. "Well, at any case," she continued, now taking a seat beside Mr. Turner and Ryan, "it's lovely having another female in the house for a change." Joey blinked, and in disbelief said, "What about, you know, all the other girls...?" Ryan's eyes slowly roved over towards his mom, looking nothing short of apprehensive about what his mom would say. Quietly, he braced himself. "What do you mean 'other girls'? You're the first girl Ry's ever brought home!" "Ma...." Ryan hissed, dropping his spoon and fork on his plate as he stared at his mother, wide-eyed. "Am I?" Joey said, blushing and going back to her plate. "It's true!" Mrs. Turner said defensively, throwing up her hands and looking around at the other family members seated around her. Across the table, Joey couldn't help but grin as Ryan leaned toward his brother, Tim, muttering under his breath, "This is gonna be a loooong dinner." "Well, that sure was traumatizing," Ryan said as he and Joey sat on the couches of the living room, the clinks and clanks of Tim washing the dishes seemingly distant. "Why do I have to do them, Mom?" he complained. "Because I cooked," Mrs. Turner answered. "Why not Ryan? Or Dad?" "Ryan's got a guest. Dad's... well, Dad's been at work all day." "MAN!" Smirking, Ryan looked back at Joey, who said, "Well, I loved it. The food was great. And your family is so.. hospitable!" "Yep, that's Mom and Dad for you." "What about Tim?" Ryan shrugged. "What about him?" Laughing, Joey slumped slightly in her spot on the sofa. So comfortable... so full... "You know," Ryan began after a while, "all throughout dinner, every time you tasted something you particularly liked, you made this sort of 'Mmmm' sound." "Did I?" she mumbled embarrassedly, blushing for the second time tonight. "Oh... no! I thought--er, well, Mom thought--that it was... cute. Like you were purring... or something." Joey smiled faintly, and said nothing, just kicking her legs back and forth as she sat there contentedly. "Can you believe it's back to DePaul tomorrow?" "Nope..." Ryan said. "It's pretty.... unbelievable?" "Aren't you all awkward tonight?" Joey laughed, though by the way she said it, Ryan knew she was somewhat serious. He sighed. "I'm pulling a Carlson, for once in my life," he said in response, fidgeting with the seam of the seat cushion. Confused, but figuring it was probably a reasonable answer in Ryan's eyes, Joey simply nodded, disguising her puzzlement with a grin.