Our server was pregnant; I would have to ask Angie if we’d started to give girls jobs through the charity. She brought out apple slices for Kyle and Mac, who devoured them. Nate wasn’t a fan, so I gave his to his brother and sister.
Peggy had gone to Greg and Angie’s after her classes, so they all came in together. They had big smiles on their faces when they saw I was in a public place with five children under the age of three. We were lucky that no one complained about the noise they made. Angie and Peggy took over childcare as I took Coby around the restaurant to thank everyone for coming tonight and introduce them to my son. My dad had told me that my granddad had started me off doing this when I was Coby’s age.
I’d expected it was just going to be my family for dinner, but it looked like Mom had let everyone know. Pam and Lacy arrived first, and Coby got some grandma time. Yuri and his mom followed Brook and her family. Tracy showed up about the time Caryn, Megan, and my parents arrived.
It was Little David’s turn to fuss, and Peggy brought him to me to do my magic.
“What’s the matter, Big Guy?” I asked.
There was something about my deep voice that would settle him down. I suspect it broke his concentration on being unhappy. I bounced him around and talked to him while everyone got settled.
“David, have you heard anything more about Trip?” Lacy asked.
I looked at Paul. That reminded me: where had he gone when it was time to take care of babies?
“They’re getting a specialist to look at the injury to his shoulder,” Paul shared. “The docs are worried he might have nerve damage. As far as his prognosis goes, they expect he’ll be fine.”
I told everyone the highlights of my trip to Cuba and making the movie, leaving out the part where Laurent had his accident. At the end of the night, Pam told me she would come over and help me put Coby to bed. Brook said she was seeing me on Wednesday. I gave her a funny look.
“You’re having dinner at your farm tomorrow, and the Pearsons are coming over,” Brook explained.
Sometimes it frustrated me that my women planned my life, but in this instance, I was okay with it. I wanted to see Zoe, Pam, and Brook.
◊◊◊
Tracy joined Pam when she came over. Tracy came up to my apartment while Pam spent time with our son. Mom said Pam had been doing that several times a week. I was pleased that Pam spent as much time with Little David as she did with Coby. It was hard to separate the two boys when they were both there together. Peggy also needed some time on her own. She spent it studying or hanging out with my parents.
Tracy sat next to me on the couch, and I put my arm around her.
“How have you been?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve been contemplating my future. I graduate in December, and then it’s off to college. I don’t even know where you’ll be going.”
“Well, that’s two of us,” I admitted.
“If you had to pick right this second, where would you go?” she asked.
“The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. They have a campus in Beijing.”
Tracy blinked at me a few times and then cocked her head.
“When do you plan to tell your mom this? Because I want to be there when you do.”
I rubbed my chin.
“Yeah, that might not be a good idea. Maybe their San Francisco or Philadelphia campuses,” I reasoned.
“Do you even have the grades to get into Wharton?”
“Straight ‘A’s. I also have a ton of extracurricular activities, and my SAT was 2130. Their average is 2163.”
“You’ve really thought about this, haven’t you?” Tracy asked.
“Some. If they had a higher-level football or baseball team, I’d be all for it.”
“Okay, let’s accept you’re not getting into your dream school. What football powerhouse are you planning on attending?” Tracy asked.
I gave her the same list I gave Coach Hope earlier today. It made me wonder: if I was asked this question twice in one day, I might want to seriously consider my answer. At the very least, I would need to get applications out soon. That sounded like something Caryn could work on.
“You make my head hurt,” she complained.
“You should kiss me more and think a little less,” I suggested.
Tracy had to shake her head to grasp what I was suggesting.
“Sometimes, you make a lot of sense,” she said and kissed me.
◊◊◊
“Damn it!” we heard from the living room.
That made me giggle, and Tracy clamped her hand over my mouth.
“Shhhhh … she might hear us,” she whispered.
“I hear you just fine,” Pam said as the door to my bedroom opened.
“She said you were still broken down there after having the baby,” I said, throwing Tracy under the bus.
“I never said that. David told me to kiss him and something about not thinking too much. You know what happens when he kisses you. It was his fault,” Tracy retaliated.
“Out!” Pam ordered Tracy.
Tracy scurried out of bed and began to hunt for her clothes. She gave Pam a hug.
“I warmed him up for you,” she told Pam and then turned to me. “Figure it out. We need to know so we can do applications.”
