Somehow, all the guys ended up in one van. The girls had had enough of baseball talk and knew that would be all we’d be talking about on the way home.
They’d had a great time in the suite. It seemed Phil was most excited about the food. He told me all about the dessert cart that showed up and let you pick what you wanted. I needed to expose the poor boy to the finer things in life. I joke because I knew exactly how he felt. If I hadn’t modeled, I would never have known something like that existed. I had Adrienne to thank for that.
They also loved that the suite was heated. Late October in Chicago was a little cold for a baseball game.
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When we finally got out of Chicago, we stopped for gas. By then, the guys had settled down, so Brook decided she would risk the ride home with me. We climbed into the back, and she snuggled under my arm.
“What did your parents think?” I asked.
“Even though it was the Cubs, they had a good time. Our dads seem to be seriously bonding. The two of them talked about us all going on spring break again.”
“I sure hope our moms didn’t hear that,” I worried.
“Oh, yeah. We might have to run away to get out of it.”
I just sighed. It wouldn’t be the worst that could happen. After all, our last trip had been great. This time, I would prefer we stayed in hotels. The boat had been fun, but I would rather not have to spend 24/7 on top of everyone. The only place you could go to be alone was your cabin.
“Speaking of vacations … why don’t you come to LA over Christmas? Caryn’s talking about renting me a house while I’m out there,” I explained.
“Would it just be us, or did you want to invite others?” Brook asked.
“I dunno. What did you have in mind?”
“We could invite everyone out for a week. They could come out for the week after New Year’s,” she said, then remembered something. “You have to come home for New Year’s Eve. We’re having a big party, and I’m expected to be there. I need my boyfriend at my side.”
“As arm candy,” Greg mumbled, obviously eavesdropping.
“Listen, Tiny Hands …” Brook shot back.
I heard Angie snort; my brother had stepped in it today. It was good that it wasn’t me this time.
“Now, now. Greg only wishes he were arm candy,” I said, giving my brother a superior look.
“I can still kick your butt,” he warned me.
“I know for a fact that’s not true. You should see David and Cassidy go at it,” Phil said. “Can Jill and I go to the New Year’s party?”
“You need to find a ride. Maybe your mom would drop you off,” Greg said to annoy Phil.
The three of us shot back and forth with rude comments and zingers the rest of the way home. I was glad that Phil had started to come out of his shell and could give it back to Greg and me. It felt like he was finally a part of the family. We no longer worried about hurting each other’s feelings because we recognized that in the end, we were brothers.
Brook, being an only child, was somewhat shocked at our antics. That didn’t mean she was timid about weighing in. The problem was that it also emboldened Angie to throw out a comment now and again. What was it with girls sticking together?
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Chapter 38 – Halloween Kittens Monday October 31
As Duke and I were going out to jog, we found Precious waiting for us by the door. I knew something was up when Duke gave her a complete puppy-scan (sniffed her all over), and she didn’t bloody his nose.
“You not feeling well?” I asked her as I squatted down to check what might be wrong.
Yep, we were having kittens today. Gently picking Precious up, I took her to Duke’s crate. Brit had brought over her blanket, which I assumed was washable, and put it in his kennel. Duke had told me in puppy-speak that he would rather sleep next to my bed than sleep on her blanket.
I set Precious down, and she waddled right into the crate, lay down, and began to pant. All signs indicated she was about to have them. I sent Brit a text to tell her that she’d better get over here if she wanted to witness this. Duke and I wanted to witness this … not so much. Duke seemed to feel the stress radiating off Precious, so he decided we should go outside. I agreed with my buddy, and the two of us left for our jog.
Mischief sometimes arises out of the most innocent of circumstances. Duke and I had gone for an actual jog. Doc Grog had provided me with a mask that made it harder to breathe, which helped raise my heart rate so I could have a shortened workout. The mask made me look like Bane from Batman. When I put it on, Duke wasn’t sure who I was. It was like the first time I wore a baseball cap around him. Once he heard me talk, he was all wiggles and embarrassed.
