“Na-uh.”
“Yes. Daddy said he was gonna talk to both of us.”
“You know what, ladies?” Jonathon said. “Whatever this is about, I bet you’ll both end up in a lot less trouble after the party, if you just let it go for now.” He tried to throw his eyes towards the bi-fold privacy screen but neither of the girls caught on.
“I agree,” Diana said. She did a zipping motion across her lips.
“Okay,” Avvy said.
Zach rolled his eyes and Erin smiled. Obviously neither of their girls realized the thin Japanese divider didn’t hide their voices. ’’
The door was left open by now while Erin and Zach waited for the next guests. They didn’t have to wait long. Carol and Crystal arrived with Jen and Brock not far behind.
“Hi guys,” Zach said warmly.
“Hi Erin, Zach,” Carol said.
“Please to meet you, Erin.” Crystal was only a minute behind her girlfriend. She shook their hands. “And you Zach.”
“Um, I’m really sorry, Erin, but the dessert I was going to make, didn’t happen, so we bought a cheesecake. I hope that’s ok.”
“That’s fine,” Erin said. “Everyone loves cheesecake.”
“Lucky,” Crystal said giving her girlfriend a heavy-handed pat on the behind.
“Long story,” Carol said with a roll of her eyes as Crystal passed her with the cheesecake to follow the voices inside.
“I cooked.” Jen teased, loud enough for Carol to hear. “Hi Erin, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. I’ve seen you around at school but not often.”
“No we haven’t,” Erin said. “I go to meetings and such, but obviously Zach takes the girls to school because he has to go there anyway. He teaches sixth grade.”
“Yes I know, Zach, he’s my Charity’s teacher,” Jen said.
Erin shot Zach a look but didn’t say anything.
“I’m Brock.” A large man held out a hand to Zach. “I believe you’re Charity’s teacher.”
“That I am. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, I missed the last open house night sorry. Work.”
“That’s fine. You can’t help work commitments.”
“And you must be Erin,” Brock said giving her hand a gently squeeze.
“Hi Brock.”
“Nice to catch up finally.”
“Yes it is.” Erin smiled.
“I’ll just go and find the others and see where Jen’s gone,” he said.
“If they’re not in the living room they’ll be in the kitchen,” Jordan said, creeping back around the screen. “I can show you where the kitchen is, the living room is just there.”
“Thanks, honey.” Brock followed the little dark-haired girl into the house.
***
“You didn’t tell me you were Charity’s teacher,” Erin said.
“And give you something else to worry about? It didn’t matter. Just relax Erin. Here comes someone else.”
A portly man with a receding hairline walked up the path, holding hands with a pretty woman with dark hair. As they got closer Erin could see she had beautiful green eyes. A real contrast to her black shiny hair. These were two of only four guests still to come so this must be Bethany and Kirk or Brittany and Trevor.
“Hello, Erin, I'm Bethany. We’re not too late are we? Kirk got stuck in traffic getting home.”
That answered that question. Erin smiled. “Of course not. Welcome.”
“That I don’t miss,” Zach said, shaking both their hands. “The traffic I mean.”
“Yeah, I wish I could figure out how not to have to commute,” Kirk agreed.
“What do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer. I’m back now for week. Every second week I stay in Denver to work from my office there.”
“Well enjoy the peace,” Zach said.
Erin relaxed. The new guests moved into the living room and she silently congratulated herself. She’d managed to greet all of their guests warmly without feeling like she might just throw up on their shoes. Diana had been right. These seemed like lovely people. Everyone was laughing together in her living room and she didn’t feel like they were laughing at her. They were just friends enjoying themselves. She actually felt excited. It had been too long since she’d relaxed with grown-ups, apart from her husband, that is.
“Seems the rush is over for now. Shall we join the others? We can greet Brittany and Trevor as soon as they get here. They’re the last aren’t they?” Zach asked.
“Yep, that’s the last. Sounds good.”
Zach was just about to close the door when the last couple reached their front gate.
“No, no. Here they come.”
“Sorry we’re late,” A tall red-head man with a friendly smile said. “Brittany was a little late getting home from work and I was still finishing off this.” He held up a platter.
Brittany smiled warmly. “Mixed skewers and dipping sauces. They’re good,” she said proudly.
“I’m sure they will be,” Erin said. “Thanks!”
The two couples made their introductions. Erin and Trevor took their platter through to the kitchen and then came back and joined everyone else.
“How is everyone for drinks?” Zach asked.
“We’re fine,” Diana said. “We all made ourselves at home and Jordan kept us entertained.”
Erin’s tummy dropped. “How?” Was the only word that sprang to mind. “Giving away the family secrets, Jordy?” she asked.
“Not all of them.”
“We really don’t have any secrets, I was only joking,” Erin said.
“I didn’t tell anything about the family.”
“It’s my fault,” Jen said. “I asked the girls what it was like to have your Daddy work at school.”
“I told them it’s not always that great,” Jordan said. “Like when your yoyo manages to break his classroom window.”
“Especially when said yoyo should never have been at school in the first place,” Zach said.
“I wasn’t gonna spin it Dad, I was just gonna show Buddy how fast it was. Besides, Dad, I also said it was good to have you there if you slip off the monkey bars and twist your arm. You’re real kind when someone gets hurt.”
“Nice to know I’m not always an ogre,” he said with a grin.
“No, not hardly at all.”
“I think we should sit down to dinner before the hot dishes get cold,” Erin said, changing the subject. There’s plates in the kitchen. She felt like she should be serving or something. “We’ll get the wine.”
After filling their plates, they moved to the table and found seats.
“Do you think it’s going okay?” Erin asked, sitting down next to Diana.
“I do. Everyone’s eating and talking at the same time, that’s always a good sign.”
They all complimented each other on the food and swapped recipes. “I love your chicken salad Jonathon,” Zach said. “And these sticks are great. You’ll have to talk me through the sauces Trevor. They’d go great with barbecue.”
“No problem and they do.”
“Maybe you should share your recipe, honey?” Crystal said, raising her eyebrow at Carol.
Never one to ignore a challenge, Carol grinned. “Sure thing. You take a cheesecake from the freezer that you have previously bought for just such an occasion at the Cheesecake Factory, and hope that it thaws out in time.”
“You didn’t actually make anything?” Brock teased.
“You know damn well I didn’t,” she answered, poking out her tongue behind her hand. “I’m sure you’ve been told twice already by now. Once by your lovely wife and my best friend, and once by Crystal who just loves to talk about my punishments.”
“Ildrenchay esentpray,” Jen said.
“Wow! You know pigs Latin, too,” Jordan said.
“It’s Pig Latin, not Pigs Latin,” Avvy said.
“Eat your salad,” Zach said.
“Sorry,” Carol said. “And, Erin, it wasn’t th
at I didn’t want to make anything for your party, because I had plans to make chocolate mousse, they just went sort of wrong.”
“It happens,” Erin said with a smile.
“Besides, who doesn’t love cheesecake right?” Jonathon said.
“Well I do,” Brittany said.
“Me, too. What does it matter if it isn’t homemade?” Bethany agreed.
“It doesn’t,” Crystal said. “If that’s what the plan was. If however someone has promised to clean up the house on several occasions and they don’t, and they promise to make a dessert and they don’t, but what they do find time for is goofing off at a friend’s house all day.”
“I ran out of sugar,” Carol said with a grin.
“Not picking sides here,” Kirk said. “But wouldn’t you have been better to go to the store and not Jen’s house?”
“Who said I was at Jen’s?”
“Where were you then?” Brock asked.
“She was closer!”
It was interesting to Erin that there were two camps here. There was the camp of ‘you need to get you act together’ and the ‘shit happens’ camp. The first camp were all the spankers and the second camp were the spankees. Funny enough, everyone was comfortable being in their own group.
“Anyone for seconds?” Zach asked. “Have you had enough, girls?”
“Can we have dessert?” Jordan asked.
“Yes, you can. Go choose what you want and then the two of you can go and watch television in our bed,” Zach said.
“Yay!” Jordan was off her chair in a flash. Avvy was going but lingered a few minutes more, taking the chance to grasp the last few words of the adult conversation.
“Oh girls? You need to feed the bunnies and get them water first.”
“Okay, Mom,” Jordan yelled out. “I’ll do it.”
Carol’s story petered out and drifted into another one, but Erin couldn’t help wonder what the rest of the story was. They actually talk about punishments with each other? She felt like she’d just die if Zach came right out and talked about her spankings. It was like showing your ass in public. She knew that they had public punishments, very rarely, but one had never come up that she’d been able to go to. She didn’t even know if she wanted to. It might be too easy to imagine yourself in the same place.
“Erin?” Zach asked.
“Sorry?”
“Rick was just saying how nice your lasagne was.”
“Sorry, Rick, I don’t know where I was,” Erin said. “Thank you. It’s an old family recipe.”
“It’s very good.”
When Erin came back out after settling the girls in the bedroom, the conversation had changed. She didn’t catch everything that Jen said, but she did catch the raucous round of laughter that followed. “What did I miss?” she asked.
“We’re just talking about what we got spanked for last and why,” Jen said. “Jonathon said his was four months ago, because he picked Ben up from the airport in an unregistered car.”
“Uh-oh,” Erin said. “How’d he find out?”
“He was putting his bag in the trunk. The tag that was up a month ago was a hint.”
“How did you miss it?”
Jonathon shrugged and sighed. “I don’t use the trunk.”
“I’m really surprised,” Rick said, shaking his head. “You are so on top of everything for Brent.”
“I know, I know. I guess it’s one of those things. Plumbers have dripping taps, electricians have light bulbs that are out and organized assistants sometimes lack organization.”
“What did he say?” Carol asked wide-eyed.
“A lot as it happens, with his hand and his belt. Mostly about him reminding me it was due before he left, and me telling him to give me some credit.”
“Oh no,” Brittany said. “That conversation is never going to end well.”
“It didn’t. What about you, Miss Carol?” Jonathon had the choice to pick as he was the first to answer.
Erin blinked. They were all having a turn? Her included?
“That’s easy to remember. That would be this afternoon, for once again neglecting the housework as previously discussed.”
“And not cooking the dessert she was supposed to, and for goofing off with Jen when she had more important things to attend to,” Carol said.
“Hey I wasn’t goofing.” Jen turned to Brock. “Seriously I wasn’t.”
“It’s not your turn yet,” he said.
“With?” Jonathon asked.
“Aptly, the feather duster.”
“It may as well get a work out some way,” Crystal said.
“I think we need a housekeeper.”
“No, we don’t. You need to learn to plan your days better. Next person. Choose someone, baby,” Crystal said.
“I pick Erin. I know, you all thought I’d pick Jen. I already know all her secrets.” She giggled.
Erin opened her mouth and closed it again. “I, um, don’t know what to say.”
“The truth, hon,” Carol said. “You don’t get to pick, tell us the last spanking you got.”
“Okay,” Erin said, taking a big breath and looking at her husband for support.
He blew her a minuscule kiss and winked.
“The last spanking I got was two days ago but it was more stress relief than punishment. Does that count?”
“It counts,” they all agreed.
“Okay, I got it because I was stressing about the party. I was very nervous.”
“And you had a really bad attitude.”
“What did you get spanked with?” Carol asked.
“The paddle that Zach made.”
“Aww, he made you a paddle? How thoughtful and caring of him,” Carol said with a smile.
“Carol.” Crystal shook her head but laughed along with everyone else.
“He’s a giver, what can I say?” Erin said, relaxing now her turn was over. She looked over at Zach, who was all smiles. He was obviously as relieved for her as she was for herself.
“Okay, my turn to pick and I pick, Diana,” she said with a grin. It would be interesting to know if mentors still got spanked.
“Ahh,” Diana said with a glance at her husband. “My last spanking would be after church last Sunday. We had refreshments after the service and I may have accidentally… on purpose… poured my juice down the front of Sharon Tyler’s dress.”
“You did what?” Erin was speechless.
“I know, not my finest moment, but she’s such an insufferable gossip.”
“What with?”
“His hand, because I think he was secretly proud of me.”
A faint smiled turn the corners of Rick’s lips. “It was a punishment, and we’ll leave it there,” he said.
“Did it hurt?” Bethany asked.
“Rick said that was it, Bethany, leave it be,” said Kirk.
“Your turn, Bethany,” Diana said. “Why, what, and when?”
“I may or may have gotten a speeding ticket a couple of months ago and I may have forgotten to pay it.”
“Or mention it,” Kirk said.
“Always a stickler for details, honey.”
“When?” Diana asked.
“Last week with the belt.”
“It was my hand first. The belt was for lying.”
All those on the ‘get your act together’ team nodded in approval.
“Lying is always on everyone’s list of rules,” Diana said.
“It wasn’t so much of a lie, as a...”
“A lie of omission?” Zach helped.
“Oh God I hate the lie of omission thing,” Erin heard herself saying.
“So do I,” Brittany added. “There’s only Jen and I left so who do you want?”
“Scissors, paper rock,” Zach said.
Jen won. “I guess it’s me then and that would be the dreaded lie of omission for me, too,” she said. “This afternoon.”
“Oh no, sorry,” Carol said. “You tried to cover for me didn’
t you?”
“Brock called and asked if I knew where Carol was…”
“And she was sitting right next to you?”
“She’d left, just.”
“When I asked you if you knew where she was, the answer should have been, she was here, she’s on her way home, but you know this now, for next time.”
“Yes, I do. And it was with the belt, guys.”
“Your turn now,” Erin said. Brittany had been fairly quiet through this and she was very interested to hear what she was going to say.
Brittany looked at Trevor and he shrugged. “Go ahead.”
“Ok, like Erin, this is probably more stress relief than punishment,” she said.
“I think Erin’s was punishment as well as stress release,” Carol said.
“Go ahead. Tell us and we’ll decide,” Jen said, her eyes shining.
“It was four nights ago. Work had been unbelievably busy. I’d worn my perfect assistant smile all day and I guess I just couldn’t do it anymore. I opened the door and Trevor was standing there holding what used to be my best cashmere sweater.”
“Oh no.” Erin sighed. He did something to her sweater. She had dreamt of having a real cashmere sweater.
“He apologized right away,” she said, looking at Trevor with regret. “But it was all teeny tiny and misshapen.”
The other girls at the table looked daggers at Trevor.
“You spanked her because you ruined her sweater?” Crystal asked, almost changing camps for a second.
“No, I spanked her because she picked up a potted plant and threw it at me.”
“That’d do it,” Rick said.
“What with?” Carol asked.
“Huh?”
“What did he spank you with?” Bethany asked.
Brittany blew out a breath. “A bread board. He hoisted me over his shoulder and took me to the kitchen and that was just the first thing he saw, I guess.”
“Hate to tell you, hon, but that was punishment.”
Trevor shrugged. “It was what it was. Now did those little girls eat all the dessert or what?”
Erin was full as she and Zach filled the dishwasher with the dirty dishes. Full of food, full of love, just full of everything. It was the most fun she’d had in a long time and she was happy.
Chapter 6
Leading the Way Page 6
