Twelve Weeks (Serendipity series Book 2)

by Robin Edwards

  “No, she doesn’t live far, but she doesn’t live in Sutton Hills,” I blurt out.

  “So?” He shrugs his shoulders.

  “What do you mean ‘so’? You know how people in this neighborhood, and our family, act about outsiders. It’s like you’re from Sutton Hill or you don’t exist. I don’t want to have to answer all of their questions about who she is, where she comes from, what type of family she has, and all of that,” I explain what I thought was obvious.

  “It’s been a while since I was single, so you’ll have to excuse me, but who gives a shot what any of them say? They don’t have to sleep with her at night, only you do. Baby bro, the older you get, the more you realize people will always have opinions, but they’ll rarely do anything for you,” he looks down and says to me.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want her to be put in an uncomfortable situation, being judged or even looked down at by these people. You know how pretentious they can be, only worried about what you’ve bought since the last time they saw you,” I remind him of the people we grew up around.

  “Sam! Sam!” Nikki comes storming across the lawn.

  “Hold that thought,” I warn Mark as our sister nears us, not wanting her to hear our conversation.

  “Hey, Nikki,” I greet her, knowing she’s in one of her dramatic moods.

  “Mommy said it’s up to you, but you know I need to use the jet, Sam. I’ve already told my girls we can go, and they’ll be expecting me to pull through,” she whines.

  “Nikki, you’re forty-three. I think it’s time you stop calling her ‘Mommy,'” Mark teases her, but she rolls her eyes and shoots him a look of disgust before turning her attention back to me.

  “I’m serious, Sam!” She pouts like a child.

  “Nikki, I was serious about the fuel costs. You don’t have to literally ride in coach, but you can take your friends first-class on a commercial flight. I think that’s fair,” I try to reason with her, though I know it’s useless.

  “Commercial, Sam? You’re bringing this up again? I’ll be riding with people who buy coach seats! Don’t you know how that will make me look?” She pleads, and despite the ridiculous nature, she is completely serious.

  “No, Nikki. Please enlighten us, because me and my family only travel commercially,” Mark interjects, playing his oldest sibling role well.

  “Mark, it’s different when you have kids. This is a girls trip! It’s fabulous! I need to show them I can come through,” she yelps, still focusing on me.

  “Doesn’t Gunther’s family have a jet? Why won’t you use his?” I ask, referring to her husband, whose family is also from Sutton Hill.

  “Don’t you think I would prefer to use my husband’s jet, Sam? He has to fly on a business trip. Otherwise he would let me use it without all this interrogation,” she hisses in frustration.

  “I don’t know what you want me to do, Nikki. It’s too large of an expense for a girls trip down to Cabo,” I look over at Mark, hoping he can help me out.

  “Listen, I’ve got a guy who can help us out,” he begins, and Nikki turns to focus all her attention on him.

  “How?” She asks.

  “He works at Enterprise, and I’m sure he can rent you a minivan that all of your girls can squeeze into,” he begins and Nikki shrieks before storming off in the opposite direction, stomping across the grass as her pointed heels sink into the soil.

  “You won’t even have to see those ratchet coach passengers!” He yells at her, and she flicks him off without missing a step.

  I can barely watch as a deep laughter builds from my chest. With my hand on Mark’s shoulder, I laugh loud and long in disbelief at his idea. Nikki is not going to let this go easy, that I know, but I’m grateful she’s out of my hair for the day. After what Mark’s done, there’s no way she’ll come back around him for at least a week.

  “She’s unbelievable,” Mark shakes his head, taking another sip of his beer.

  “Unbelievable? Yes. Out of the norm for someone in Sutton Hills? No.” I raise my eyebrow, reminding him of my apprehension about telling people about Jamie.

  “Oh, I see what you mean. They’re definitely not the most stable group of people I’ve ever met, but why would you care what they think when their so batshit crazy?” He questions and the truth is I don’t want to care, but I do.

  “I’m not so much worried about what they’ll say about me. I just would hate to bring Jamie around, and she judges me based on their reactions. She already has a perception of people from Sutton Hill, and I know they’ll only prove her right. She’s such a sweet girl, I couldn’t handle anyone treating her as if she’s less than,” I clench my teeth just imagining how upset I would get if anyone so much as said anything mean to her.

  “Sam, at some point, you’re going to have to accept who you are. You’re the CEO of the largest company from all of the residents in Sutton Hills. Plus, you run the foundation. You’re top dog, baby bro. Whoever you want to date gets the highest level of respect, simple as that. You remember how Alyssa set the tone for Don. Just because they all exist in this sick little make-believe world doesn’t mean that you need to,” my brother gives me his best advice.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I guess I’m just making excuses,” I admit.

  “I wasn’t going to call you out on that, but I’d have to agree. You should bring her to the fourth of July party in a few weeks. You know mom would love to meet her,” he suggests.

  “Yeah, maybe. But until I do bring her, keep this between you and me,” I ask, and he shakes my hand in agreement before excusing himself to check on his son.

  Looking around the party, as my cousins sit in the lawn chairs wearing their plaid shorts and polo shorts, drinking forty-year-old whiskey, I wonder how Jamie will react to the chaos that is my family.

  Glancing over at the pool, I imagine she’ll do great with the kids, she’s such a people person. Honestly, there’s no reason for anyone to dislike Jamie. She’s intelligent, beautiful, kind and friendly. Regardless of the topic, she always has something to add to a conversation, and besides all of that, she’s genuine. Nothing about her comes off as rehearsed or seems to have an agenda behind it.

  I’ve never met anyone that cares for others as much as she does, and the way she cares for the people she works with, as well as those we help through the organization, is nothing short of amazing.

  Maybe Mark is right. I need to just make a decision and decide that Jamie is the one for me. Whether everyone else accepts her or not, is more their problem than mine. She’s who I want to be with, and just yesterday I was saying how I need to make some grand gesture to show her how serious I am about our relationship. Introducing her to my family is about as grand as it gets. Although I’m not sure how she’ll react, or how everyone will react to her, I know she will be able to see the effort, and that’s really all she wants from me. I just hope this decision doesn’t blow up in my face.

  Chapter Six

  SAM

  It’s been three weeks since my mom’s barbeque where Mark gave me his advice, and now I’m heading back for the annual Independence Day cookout. Things between Jamie and me have been going great, so I decided it was finally time to introduce her to my family.

  Looking across the back seat as she watches the houses grow bigger and bigger as we drive through Sutton Hills, I wonder what’s going through her mind. I doubt she can be more nervous than I am, but I imagine she’s got to have a bit of anxiety as well.

  Jamie regularly makes jokes about the people I grew up with and their pretentious behavior, and I know that she’s right. I just hope that if anyone displays that type of reaction to her, she’s able to laugh it off.

  I don’t want to mess up what we have, and I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to prove that to her. The look in her eyes and the way she made love to me after I invited her to the cookout was a clear indication that she understood and appreciated my effort. I just hope my family and frie
nds don’t ruin it.

  “Are you nervous?” I ask her, covering her petite hand with my large one.

  “A little bit,” she smiles up at me, running her hand through her hair as she does when she’s worried.

  “It’ll be fine. I love you, regardless,” I assure her, watching her blush from my declaration.

  The driver pulls into the circular driveway, which is more packed than ever, as young men in valet jackets run around to park cars. My mom takes her party planning way too serious, and I actually feel sorry that she made these kids wear coats in the dead of summer for appearances.

  “Let’s go,” I smile, heading out the backseat before offering my hand to help Jamie. She takes it, stepping out of the Bentley in her pretty sunflower maxi dress. She looks stunning, although I’m sure she will stand out like a sore thumb next to the stuffy women from Sutton Hills, who will all be wearing pearls and shift dresses.

  Walking to the door, I decide to ring the doorbell rather than walk in as I would on any regular day. Hopefully, that will allow Alyssa to answer and she can be my escort, so I don’t have to go through this alone.

  “Sam! And…” Nikki says, turning her attention to Jamie as she quickly looks her up and down before painting the fakest smile on her face.

  “Jamie, this is my sister Nikki. Nikki, this is Jamie,” I finish her sentence, glancing over to see Jamie blushing as she looks at Nikki’s extended hand.

  Why would she shake her hand? That’s so formal and unnatural, I think to myself. But formal and unnatural is a great way to explain most of the people at the party.

  Fumbling to hold onto the dessert tray we brought for the party, Jamie awkwardly shakes my sister’s hand. Reaching around the two, I take the tray from Jamie while giving her my most apologetic eyes to silently ask her to excuse my sister.

  In her defense, I know Nikki is just as shocked that I brought a date to meet the family as she is that Jamie isn’t from Sutton Hills. Dating isn’t really my thing, but when I do see women, it’s more private than anything else.

  “Well come inside,” Nikki waves us in. Allowing Jamie to enter first, I leave myself a few quick seconds alone with my sister, and she is sure to take advantage.

  “I didn’t know you were bringing a date. My friend wants to meet you,” she whispers, and I shrug her off before joining Jamie inside.

  The house is packed with guests scattered all around, so I walk Jamie through the maze of my family members, first stumbling on Uncle John, my mother’s brother.

  “Uncle John, how are you?” I ask, and he chuckles boisterously as he always does.

  “Sammy! Good to see you boy!” He excitedly greets me before glancing over to Jamie.

  “And who is this beautiful young lady you’ve brought with you?” He asks.

  “Uncle John, this is Jamie. Jamie, this is my mother’s brother,” I introduce the two, and Jamie gives me a strange look as she blushes. It’s the same look I saw on her face when I introduced her to Nikki.

  Could she possibly be upset that I’ve not introduced her as my girlfriend? I feel a bit old to have a girlfriend, so I figured just using her name would be best. Besides, I don’t need everyone in my business asking how long we’ve been dating and what our intentions are. I just want her to meet my family, not to be inducted into the craziness of Sutton Hills.

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” Jamie smiles graciously at my uncle, looking even more beautiful than when we arrived.

  After a brief conversation with Uncle John, we make it a little further into the crowd, as I wave and hug a few relatives and friends along the way. Jamie appears to be relaxing, and that makes me relax too.

  Together, we make our way through the living room to the backyard, where the sun is shining brightly, and a team of chefs are grilling away while the kids splash and scream from the swimming pool.

  “This is a wonderful family home,” Jamie remarks, taking in all of the décor and events my mom has set up.

  “I know it’s a bit over the top,” I whisper in her ear.

  “No, I think it’s really nice. It feels very… family oriented,” she says after a brief pause.

  “Family oriented?” I jokingly repeat her description.

  “Yeah, like you’d see in movies or sitcoms. I didn’t know that there were actual families who lived like this. It’s really nice,” she explains, looking around at the party.

  From her statement alone, I would guess that she was joking or making fun of the lavish party to celebrate such a relaxed holiday. But watching her face, it feels like she could actually mean it as a compliment.

  “Sam!” My aunt yells, walking towards us with her arms extended high in the air.

  “Aunt Debbie!” I smile back. She’s my father’s sister and my favorite aunt.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she hugs me before stepping back to look Jamie up and down.

  “Hi,” Jamie says awkwardly.

  “Well, don’t just say ‘hi,' come on over here and give me a hug. And later I’ll need the details for that dress. I love it!” She shrieks, hugging Jamie while winking her approval at me.

  “Where have you been? You weren’t at any of mom’s barbeques,” I wonder, having missed her the past couple of weeks.

  “You know I like to get over to my house in Samui before the rainy season hits,” she excuses her absence, squinting her eyes as if I should know that.

  “Aunt Debbie has a place in Thailand, and she lives there more than here,” I explain to Jamie before realizing I’ve yet to formally introduce them.

  “I’m Jamie, by the way,” she beats me to the punch.

  “And I’m Aunt Debby, and you call me just that. Excuse my Sam’s manners,” she jokingly rolls her eyes.

  “You have a place on Koh Samui?” Jamie asks, and Aunt Debby lights up that she’s familiar with the island.

  “Yes! Have you been before?” She asks Jamie.

  “Oh gosh! I wish! I’ve had pictures of it on my screensaver for years,” she reveals, smiling brightly.

  “Oh, you two must come! I’ll show you all around! You’ve just got to come soon, or wait until after rainy season lets up,” she nods her head knowingly, looking between the two of us.

  “I’ll bring her out,” I assure my aunt and she smiles gratefully.

  “You two look good together. I’ll see you later,” she kisses Jamie on the cheek before pinching my cheek playfully. Without words, I know she’s telling me how happy she is for me to bring a woman home. And although she doesn’t allude to it at all, I’m sure she knows Jamie isn’t from around here.

  Thankfully, my aunt isn’t caught up on the happenings and social norms of Sutton Hills like most older women from this community. She lives in Thailand most of the year to avoid the nonsense, so I know she doesn’t have a problem with who I date or where they’re from.

  “Alyssa!” I call out to my closest sibling. She’s just put her son down, who is now taking off running before jumping back into the pool.

  “I didn’t know you snuck in here,” Alyssa makes her way to us. Just when I raise my hands to hug her, she brushes passed me, leaving my open arms empty.

  “Forget you, I’m more interested in this gorgeous lady,” she says over her shoulders, hugging Jamie tightly.

  “Jamie, this is my sister Alyssa. Alyssa, this is my girlfriend, Jamie.” I tell my sister the whole truth because I know she won’t make Jamie feel uncomfortable, and there are no secrets between the two of us.

  Both of their faces light up at my acknowledgment, so much that I roll my eyes at their over the top blushing. Being the youngest child sets you up for a lifetime of embarrassment, and bringing your first girlfriend home at forty is right up there for the most deserving teasing.

  “It’s so good to meet you,” Alyssa says to Jamie, smiling so wide you’d think I’d just told her she’s our long lost sister.

  “Does mom need help with anything?” I ask,
knowing the answer.

  “You know she has a full staff,” she begins before turning to Jamie. “Our mom’s favorite hobby is throwing parties, so she takes these things too seriously. She literally has the chef staff from a restaurant grilling hot dogs,” she scoffs, and I watch on as my two favorite women laugh together.

  A loud yell from the pool draws her attention, and she turns to see her son screaming at another little boy, both of their faces red with anger.

  Turning to tend to their dispute, she looks back to us before taking off, “Sam go put that on the dessert table. And make a plate, there’s so much food. And what we don’t eat mom will make me take home!” She shakes her head before rushing to her son’s side.

  “She seems nice,” Jamie smiles, watching my sister mediate the young boys’ argument.

  “She is. Alyssa’s my favorite, but don’t tell Nikki that,” I whisper before leading her to the buffet line of food.

  After setting our tray of cookies and brownies on the dessert table, I lead Jamie over to the grilled section, as we both pile a plate with a few choices from the seemingly endless options.

  “Sam! Get over here, we’re having a debate and need a tiebreaker,” Michael, my youngest brother, grabs me by the shoulder, and I follow him over to a group of my closest male family members.

  “There he is!” Mark yells when he sees me, and I throw my empty hand in the air while holding onto my plate filled with a hotdog, hamburger, and potato salad.

  “Mark is saying the Cowboys have a shot at the Super Bowl this year. Would you please tell him that team is cursed?” Michael yells, and I shake my head while taking a bite of my hotdog.

  “You haven’t seen their new pickups. I went to the stadium last week to watch them train. I’m telling you, they’re going to be a problem this year. You mark my words,” Mark warns my brother, who seems less than convinced.

  “You’re crazy! Let’s put something behind those words,” he challenged our older brother.

  “Calm down. Not at the party. Just relax and enjoy yourselves,” I laugh while separating the two.