“Mom, Dad, I’m leaving. Brennan’s here,” I called out when I saw him pull into the driveway.
“Okay,” my mom yelled back. “What time will you be home?”
“I don’t know. The Fisher’s are going out, and I’m helping Brennan babysit, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right, honey. Have fun.”
I hopped into Brennan’s car, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Brennan smiled. “Are you ready for tonight?” He rubbed his palms together excitedly.
“I’m ready,” I said, my voice sounding unnaturally high pitched.
He reached over and squeezed my knee. “You aren’t nervous, are you?”
“Only a little,” I picked the remaining nail polish off of my thumbnail.
“Well don’t be. I have the whole evening planned, and trust me, you are going to have lots of fun.”
“What if they don’t like me? What if I’m not as cool a babysitter as you?” Worry lines creased my forehead.
“They’re going to love you,” he practically beamed.
“How do you know?” I still didn’t believe that everyone would like me as mush as Brennan seemed to think they would.
“I just do.”
We arrived at his house five minutes later. From the outside, the house didn’t look any different from my own front porch, shutters, partial brick façade, but that is where the similarities ended. As soon as Brennan opened the front door, I was struck with how different our homes really were. Noise and chaos filled the air, kids were chasing one another and screaming while his dad was yelling at them to settle down. My house was never that noisy. It was always quiet because Ellie spent more time at her friends’ houses than she did at home, and my parents were always at work. Brennan’s house looked lived in – a cluster of backpacks, shoes, and sports equipment littered the entryway, while my house was always in order because my dad was a neat freak. I instantly preferred the warm and inviting feel of Brennan’s house to my own cold museum-like one.
“Mom, Dad,” Brennan shouted over the noise, “I’m back.”
A dark haired woman with big brown eyes came from the kitchen wearing an apron and wiping her hands on a towel. “Hi, I’m Brennan’s mom. You must be Josie. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She smiled warmly and put her hand out for me to shake. I liked her immediately. “Sorry about the mess,” she indicated her surroundings, “I was making dinner.”
“I don’t see any mess. You have a beautiful home,” I smiled and meant every word.
“You’re really sweet. I can see why Brennan likes you.”
I blushed, embarrassed. Brennan’s cheeks looked a little pink too.
Hearing a timer going off in the kitchen, I suddenly remembered that I wasn’t just there to meet his parents, “Can I help you with anything?” I asked politely.
“That would be a great, if Brennan doesn’t mind that I steal you away.” He nodded, and I followed her into the kitchen. “Then I can go and finish getting ready.”
There was a big pan of lasagna cooking in the oven that smelled amazing. She was making a salad and showed me what was left to do. Then she pointed at the loaves of Italian bread that needed slicing.
“Brennan’s great with the kids, and they adore him, but he’s not so good in the kitchen. It’s a good thing you’re here. Not to mention that the kids have been dying to meet you.” She gave me a smile and a quick squeeze. “I’m going to finish getting ready – do you have any questions?”
“None that I can think of.”
As soon as she left the room, a cute little blonde with the same color eyes as Brennan and wearing a pink dress, came into the kitchen and eyed me, warily.
“Hi. You must be Brennan’s little sister, Madison,” I said cheerfully.
She nodded, but she didn’t advance any further into the room. She was probably deciding if she could trust me or not. I thought perhaps she was angry with me because Brennan had been spending a lot of time with me recently, taking him away from her. I knew he was very fond of his little sister, and I was sure it was mutual.
“I brought something special, just for us girls. Wait here a second, I’ll go and get it.” I walked into the front hall, grabbed my purse, and returned to the kitchen. Madison was still rooted to the same spot. Rummaging in my purse, I asked, “What’s your favorite color?”
“Pink,” she answered slowly.
“I knew it.” I pulled a pink sparkly nail polish out of my bag and held it out for her to see. “It’s pretty, isn’t it? I’ll paint your nails for you tonight.” Madison remained silent. “And your toenails too.” Still nothing. I pulled out all the stops, “And you get to keep it when we’re done.” I smiled.
“Okay,” she nodded. “I’m going to go tell my mom before she leaves.” She skipped out of the kitchen and down the hall.
When dinner was ready, Madison entered the kitchen first, “Josie, can I sit by you?”
“I’d like that.” I set a plate in front of her, filled with the delicious smelling dinner. My stomach growled. Lasagna was on of my favorite foods.
Brennan and his brothers came in soon after. “Smells good in here,” he stated, patting his stomach.
“It’s obvious you’re not cooking,” teased one of his brothers.
They all laughed.
Brennan introduced each brother to me as I served the food.
Dinner tasted as good as it smelled. The boys joked around and teased each other about who would win tonight’s game. Halfway through the meal, Madison climbed onto my lap, making me feel like I belonged. It was great to be a part of it all. It was a side of Brennan I hadn’t seen, and it made me feel even closer to him.
Afterwards, little Madison stayed behind with me, while the boys went outside to set up game night.
“Can I be on you team, Josie?” She asked as I loaded the dishwasher.
“Of course you can.” I reached out and gently patted her shoulder.
“I like you,” she confessed, and her pigtails bounced up and down. “I know Brennan likes you too.”
“How do you know?” I asked, curiously.
“We always play Candyland, and one night he left before the game was over. He told me he had a date,” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I’m sorry he left early. You must have been disappointed.”
“No,” she giggled. She looked around, and even though no one else was inside, she whispered, “Don’t tell Brennan, but after he left, I cheated.” She giggled again. “I put the snowflake queen card on top, so that when we played again, I would pick it and win.”
“And did you - win?”
“Yes,” she laughed, mischievously. I laughed too. It was fun to picture this sweet little girl in front of me, pulling one over on Brennan.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. It will be our little secret.”
“I think you’re pretty,” she said, making me blush. It was the first time I had ever gotten a compliment from a four year old. “Brennan thinks you’re pretty too. He said so right before you came over.”
“Really?” I asked, almost dropping the plate in my hand.
“Yup,” she smiled. “Hey, maybe you can be like my big sister. I don’t have one,” she frowned. “All I have are brothers – four of them.”
It was my turn to giggle. Brennan’s sister was too cute with her blonde hair and big blue eyes. And she had a sweet personality to match. “I’d love to have you as my little sister.” I smiled, and bent over to scoop her up.
Walking outside, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The boys had set up an enormous obstacle course, using what looked like every piece of sports equipment that they owned. These guys meant business. Secretly, I was glad that I was somewhat athletic, but I wasn’t about to let them know that. Brennan’s fourteen-year-old brother, Will, couldn’t wait to show me the course. The plan was to split into two teams. Each member of the team would run the course, and then team with the lowest combined time would win. The stakes were hi
gh – the losing team had to make dessert and serve it to the winning team.
Brennan and I were the team captains. I picked Madison, just like I promised, and Owen. Brennan picked Will and Cameron to be on his team. The teams were fair and well matched.
We completed the giant obstacle course one at a time, writing the times on the driveway with chalk. Once everyone had their turn, we totaled each teams’ time.
“We won, we won,” Own shouted, running in circles around the yard.
“That’s not fair. I want a rematch,” said Cameron, scowling.
“You know the rules big guy, fair is fair.” Brennan ruffled his hair. “ No sore losers allowed here, and no braggers either.” He looked pointedly at Owen, who at least stopped whooping.
“Fine. But next time Josie comes over to babysit, she’s on my team,” retorted Cameron.
“Uh-uh. She’s on my team. She’s my big sister,” Madison said proudly.
“Now, now, now, no fighting over Josie or she won’t want to come over again,” Brennan said gently, but firmly. “It’s time to clean up, and then we’ll make dessert.”
We all worked together to clean up the yard, and it was finished in no time. Then Brennan, Will, and Cameron scooped everyone ice cream, topping it with hot fudge and a mountain of whipped cream. We ate our dessert out on the front porch.
Looking at Brennan, I laughed. “You have hot fudge,” I pointed to the spot on my face where it was on his. He wiped his face, but missed the hot fudge. All the kids were watching and laughing. I thought Cameron might even fall off of the porch, he was laughing so hard. “Here,” I leaned over and wiped it for him with my finger.
The boys stopped laughing, and began chanting, “Brennan has a girlfriend, Brennan has a girlfriend.” Madison added a little dance.
Brennan stood and chased them all around the front yard. Everyone was shrieking and laughing. I felt a little jealous that I didn’t have the same kind of family fun growing up. Ellie and I were always too busy arguing with each other. We still weren’t at the point where we enjoyed each other’s company, and I didn’t think we would any time soon. I laughed out loud when everyone ended up in a big heap, with Brennan on the bottom.
Returning to the front porch out of breath, Brennan sat down. “Yes, I confess - I have a girlfriend.” He hugged me to him, “And I think, she’s pretty cool.”
“Me too,” replied Madison and Owen in unison.
“Thanks,” I said, blushing.
Suddenly, Madison jumped up, “You still have to paint my nails.”
“That’s right, I do.” I stood and collected the empty sundae bowls and carried them inside. I returned a minute later with the nail polish.
I painted Madison’s fingernails and toenails on the porch, while the boys played basketball on the driveway.
Soon it was dark. “Okay, everybody. It’s time to move inside. Madison, Cameron, you need to go upstairs and get ready for bed,” said Brennan.
“Ah,” they complained.
“No whining,” Brennan stated firmly, but put his arm lovingly around them as they entered the house and climbed the stairs.
Halfway up, Madison looked over her shoulder and called down to me, “Josie, will you put me to bed?” She asked sweetly.
I looked at Brennan to make sure it was okay with him. He nodded, “It’s up to you.”
“I’d love to.” I followed her up the stairs to her room.
Once she had put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, she asked, “Will you read me a book?”
“Sure. What do you want me to read?”
Madison padded over to her bookshelf and pulled out a large book. “Here,” she handed it to me. She climbed into bed, making room for me. “There is a story in here I like.” She thumbed through it until she came to “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
“I like this story too.”
I read it to her, and then tucked her in. “Goodnight, Madison,” I said, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
“Night, Josie.” She started to close her eyes, then she reached out and grabbed my hand, “You’ll come again, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will.” I squeezed her hand before letting it go. Quietly I made my downstairs to join Brennan, who had just finished putting Cameron to bed.
“Let me guess…she asked you to read Goldilocks and the Three Bears?”
I laughed. “How did you know?”
“I’ve read that story more times than I can count.” He smiled as I joined him on the coach. He lifted a strand of my hair and smelled it. “Why is it that your hair always smells like strawberries?”
“It’s my shampoo,” I blushed.
He twisted it around his finger, “So, what do you want to do now, Rubylocks?”
“Rubylocks?”
“Yeah, I think it’s the perfect nickname for you. What do you think?”
I smiled, shyly. “I like it.”
He pulled me to him and kissed me. It was a slow kiss that turned my insides to mush. When he pulled away he said, “I’ve been dying to do that for hours.”
“Where is everybody?” I asked, nervously scanning the room for one of the older boys. They had to be here somewhere.
He chuckled. “They’re downstairs playing video games. That should keep them busy for a little while.”
I smiled broadly, wrapping my arms around his neck. It was a long kiss, our tongues darting in and out of each other’s mouth. I leaned back, and he trailed kisses down my neck to the base of my throat. My hands were in his hair, pushing him closer. I forget everything, even where we were.
All too soon, he pulled away. “Even though I’d love to continue, I don’t want to get carried away while the little ones are upstairs and the boys are downstairs.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And I know if we don’t stop now, it will be nearly impossible.” He stood and stretched out his right arm. “So, what do you want to do?” He held his hand out and he helped me up.
“I don’t know?” I thought for a second, my eyes roaming the room for ideas. Books and magazines were stacked in piles on the floor, family photos lined the mantle, a checkerboard sat on the coffee table. Maybe…“Another game? A board game?” My eyebrows rose, and my voice filled with challenge.
“Hmm...” Brennan opened one of the built-in cupboards surrounding the fireplace and peered inside. He dug around for a few seconds and then produced dominoes. “Have you ever played chicken foot?”
“Chicken who?” I giggled.
“Chicken foot. It’s easy. I’ll teach you.” He grabbed my hand. “We’ll have to play at the kitchen table because we need room.”
Brennan explained the game in the same methodical way he tackled calculus. He was right; the game was easy, and fun. It was a good distraction from thinking about how good it felt to be wrapped up in Brennan’s arms, kissing.
After the third round, Brennan announced the score, and he was leading.
“How come I keep getting stuck with the double zero. Are you sure it’s worth twenty points? It looks like it should be worth – zero,” I said, frustrated. At the rate I was going, I couldn’t possibly win.
“I’m sure,” he chuckled. “Just remember to always get rid of your highest dominoes first.
“That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Brennan took his turn, and then it was mine, except I couldn’t make a move, so I had to pick. “Oh good,” I laughed sarcastically, picking the dreaded domino again. He tried to hold back from laughing, but couldn’t. He burst out laughing, and then so did I. The rest of the game pretty much followed the same pattern, but I didn’t mind. It was fun making Brennan laugh. Thirty minutes later, the game was over. Brennan won, just like I had predicted.
We were still sitting at the table when Brennan’s parents came home. His dad said a quick hello and went straight upstairs, stating that he was tired after a long week at work. Brennan’s mom hung out long enough to ask, “How were the kids?”
“They were great
,” he replied, putting the dominoes back in the box. “Josie was a big hit. At one point I thought a fight was going to break out over who gets to be on her team next time.”
“It was a lot of fun,” I added, smiling, remembering how cute it was when Madison asked me to be her big sister.
Mrs. Fisher smiled, “Thanks to both of you for watching them tonight. I know it’s probably not how you want to spend your Friday night. We really do appreciate it.”
“No problem, mom.” Brennan blushed.
“It was my pleasure. It gave me an opportunity to beat Brennan in an obstacle course race,” I teased.
“Hey, didn’t I just spank you at dominoes?”
“That’s only because you had an unfair advantage. You’ve played before, lots of times, and this was my first.”
His mom laughed at our playful banter. “Sounds like you two are perfect for each other.” I felt my face flush.
“I’m going to go take Josie home.” Brenna said, reaching for his keys that were in a big bowl filled with odds and ends on the counter.
“Okay. Drive safe,” she said, giving him a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then she turned and gave me a hug too. “Thanks again. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon, I hope.”
Brennan pulled into my driveway and shut the car off. I wanted to invite him in, but it was already late, just after midnight. Taking both my hands in his, he said, “Thanks for coming over tonight. It meant a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome. I loved meeting your parents, and your brothers, and sister. I had a really great time. I’m glad you asked me to babysit with you.”
I wanted to say more – how I felt closer to him after meeting his family, or how he looked like his mom with his dark features but that he had inherited his dad’s brilliantly blue eyes. I wanted to tell him that I’d never felt more accepted than when Madison asked me to be her big sister. I didn’t get any of those words out though, because my throat was tight with emotion. Instead, I touched my lips to his. The kiss said all the things I couldn’t.
The Perfect Prom Date Page 8
