“I understand, but you’re going to get Phil killed before the night is out with the way you look,” I said. She started to get mad, so I held up my hands. “I personally appreciate the display, but I don’t want to have to go save my brother when you receive the wrong kind of attention. Believe me, if I saw you in a club looking like that, I wouldn’t care if you were dating my brother. It will end up ruining our night.”
Jill scooted closer to me and almost purred.
“You’re saying I’m
Oh, dear God! I was fine until she ran her hand up the inside of my thigh, and Mr. Happy seized control of the body. I almost made the biggest mistake of my life, but Paul saved me.
“Incoming,” he announced.
Yep. Here came Mr. Lacier, and he didn’t appear at all pleased. I could see Jill deflate, and she opened the door and got out.
“Before you lecture me, David said I had to go change,” she said, then walked past him and back into the house.
Her dad slid into the back seat with me and looked a little confused.
“Did you really?” he asked.
My face split into a grin.
“Hard to believe, right?”
He just blinked.
“You have your hands full with that one. Jill’s trying to grow up too fast. I didn’t feel like saving my brother’s butt when she got hit on, and he took exception,” I explained.
“If only she were more like her sister,” Mr. Lacier almost moaned.
I kept my mouth shut because I’d dated his older daughter. April had been the tallest girl in our class during freshman year, and she’d also developed early. The combination of being tall and having big boobs had made her self-conscious. So, she’d worn tops that were too big, so as to hide her assets, and she tended to walk around hunched over to conceal her height. Jill clearly suffered no such anxieties, as her attire tonight showed.
“Thanks for not just driving off,” Mr. Lacier said. “If my son hadn’t ratted her out, she would have gone out looking like that.”
Jill came back out in a sweater and skin-tight jeans. Mr. Lacier looked unhappy because it still showed off her body. For me, it was much more appealing because it left a little mystery.
“You’ll keep an eye on her?” her dad asked.
I laughed at him when he realized that he’d just told the fox to watch the chickens.
“I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble,” I assured him.
Her dad got out and kissed Jill’s cheek. When she was settled, she turned to me.
“Better?”
“You’ll only cause a small riot,” I assured her.
Paul drove us back to Phil’s. Phil had put on a polo shirt and skinny-leg jeans and looked much better. I made the two lovebirds sit in the back row. They were all whispers and giggles, and I felt old when I wanted to roll my eyes at them.
When we arrived at Brook’s house, I jumped out and rang the doorbell. Ian invited me in.
“How’s our new mayor doing?”
I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture I’d snapped before I left. Duke was in a pile of sleeping babies. They’d eaten and needed after-dinner naps.
“Looks like he’s serving his constituency well,” Ian remarked.
All conversation stopped when Brook came into the foyer with Ava in tow. Brook had on a lightweight black turtleneck with long sleeves. Her skirt was pink and came to mid-thigh. She wore black stockings and high-heeled boots that came up to her calf. Brook caught me checking her out and smiled when she saw my approval.
“Uhm, we have to go,” I announced.
“What time will you have her home by?” Ian asked.
“Sometime next week,” I said without thinking.
Ava pushed us out the door before it got too interesting.
“What took you so long?” Brook asked as we walked to the car.
“I had to make both Phil and Jill change clothes,” I said, and she gave me a questioning look. “Don’t ask. Just be thankful I did.”
Paul opened the door, and Brook slid over so I could get in.
◊◊◊
Dinner was nice. It gave me a chance to get to know Jill better. I’d kept my distance out of respect for my brother and because I found her too attractive. Why tempt fate? With Brook holding my interest, it allowed me to see past Jill’s exterior and actually talk to her. She was funny and an even bigger flirt than I suspected. I was happy that she seemed to really care for my little brother. The flirtatiousness was simply part of her personality, and once I recognized that, I took her come-ons in stride.
Several other couples showed up at the T-Bird. Tim and Tami ended up helping Cassidy and Don double-date so Cassidy’s dad would allow her out of the house. Wolf showed up with Sarah and two girls I didn’t expect to see, Missy and Harper.
When the music started, Brook lured me to the dance floor.
“Still want to jump her?” Brook teased.
I groaned.
“No. Jill does like him, doesn’t she?” I asked.
“Yeah. She has it bad for Phil. I think people assume that she might stray, either because they’re jealous he’s dating her or they believe she’d follow through on her flirting.”
“You should have seen what she was wearing when she came out to the car,” I began and discovered I had some ’splaining to do.
