Chapter 38

Paige and I had fun with Frank, June and Erin those next two weeks, even though we were still attending school. My relationship with them changed once more – no longer was I a kid or even just a nephew. Instead, I found that they accepted the ‘we’ that I was with Paige, and we bonded as two couple friends, although since we were related, it was a little closer than just that. Frank made me promise that when or if I moved back to Washington for school, I would put a pizza oven in their backyard like the one we had. He was really enamored of the various breads or pies that could be created in it.

Paige and I drove into Atlanta on the second Sunday after the wedding, waiting in the city to pick up our wayward parents who were due back later in the day. It was our first chance to be alone, and since we were early, we walked through a mall, holding hands, window shopping and feeling happy. In due time we arrived at the airport. Dad and Evie looked relaxed when their plane landed and they walked the concourse looking for us. All Evie would say when asked where they had gone was, “It’s spring in Europe.”

We lost Paige and June shortly after the newlyweds came home – three guesses as to where they went and what they were doing, and the first two don’t count. The bride’s daughter showed back up in twenty minutes, crimson faced, and made a beeline for me as I sat on my bed looking over some project schedules for the upcoming summer builds. She closed the door behind her and joined me.

“That was way more than I ever wanted to know about James. I thought I could remain objective, you know, sort of forget that it was Dad they were talking about, but man, Aunt June is raunchy!” Paige confessed to me.

That had me laughing, “Didn’t I tell you that before?”

“You did,” I heard as she wrapped herself in my arms, “but I thought that they would tone it down a little since I was in there. If that was toned down, I don’t ever want to hear the unvarnished details.”

“Come on,” I cajoled, “surely you’ve heard those kinds of things somewhere before.”

“Not really, my girlfriends aren’t all that slutty, not that Mom and Aunt June are either.” Paige twisted around so she could look at me. “If I tell you something, promise it’ll stay in the family?”

I couldn’t imagine anything so earth-shattering she could tell me that I wouldn’t be able to keep quiet, so I simply nodded.

“You know that Mom always thought she was going to marry Dad, right?”

“Yeah, I think I got that picture over the last year.”

She rolled her lavender eyes as they looked into mine. “Because she wanted James, she was saving herself. When she married my dad, she was a virgin.”

Oh boy. I could see where this was going now. I let Paige burrow closer to me. “Let me guess – Mom is extremely inexperienced in carnal ways.”

“How did you know that?”

Memories of a day in fall came back to me. “Something she told me about your dad doing only as much with her as was necessary to create you. After that he left her alone.”

There was a giggle from in front of me where Paige was resting her head. “Exactly. Aunt June has far more experience than Mom because, well ... Uncle Frank, and she’s seven years younger than Mom. What’s more is, she was willing to share – that part was okay. It was when Mom started dishing on the honeymoon that I had to leave.”

Now that was funny. When I finished laughing, I asked about the trip. “Did she have fun though?”

“The best time.”

Dad and Frank were hanging out in the media room when I finally managed to disentangle myself from Paige. I was invited in, partly because I was a guy, but mainly because I had stopped at the fridge and had two longnecks and a Coke in my hands. They took up where they had left off.

“So England was rainy, France was socked in – how about Greece?”

Dad’s lips creased upwards. “Greece was good. It’s not tourist season yet so we got to walk around and enjoy the sights without being hassled by crowds and vendors. The views were gorgeous and the hotels comfortable.”

Frank pushed, “And the nights?”

I got a sideways glance from Dad. Obviously he was considering whether he could share.

“This never leaves this room. Tim, that means you cannot tell Paige, and Frank, June is never to know.” He looked around like a gangster checking for the fuzz. “I think she tried to make up for ten years of celibacy in just fourteen days,” Dad shared, turning red as he said it.

I waited until he took a drink – this was just too good. “Eighteen years, Dad, not ten.”

He choked a little on the lager streaming down his throat. “Did Paige tell you that?”

“No, actually it was Evie herself last fall. Paige just confirmed it.”

Frank clinked bottles with Dad. “So, you’re the one to break the drought. How’s that feel?”

“Pretty good, Frank. Pretty darn good. Guess I need to take my vitamins.”

I couldn’t let that rest. “Yeah, from what I heard, June and Evie were critiquing your performance and thumbing through the Kama Sutra. Good luck, Dad, it was nice knowing you.”

As the school year wound down, there were a lot of things yet to accomplish. Paige and I took the SATs, the ACTs and every other test the college sadists could throw at us, so that we could have results for our applications in the fall. We closed out the year with a combination graduation party for Trent and other seniors we knew, and a going away party for us. I knew we’d miss our friends, so we made sure they had pizza and fun, and even S’mores.

That was a Friday night after grad. Saturday was cleaning up and packing, and then Sunday saw me driving Dad’s truck-and-trailer tandem up to Minnesota. It was a seventeen hour trip, but we were going to split the distance into two days. The objective was to drive through Chicago, so that Grandpa could caravan with me on the way up. Chicago to Minneapolis was a journey I would make on my own, arriving sometime late on Monday. Being the owner of the company, Dad had flown up. Doing it that way also gave him an extra day at home with his bride.

I arrived late Monday night at the extended-stay hotel we had booked. In Minneapolis we were using our old crews from Seattle for the two houses, with me supervising one build and Pete the other. Dad would be around whenever we needed him, but mostly he’d take care of the niggling administrative things. All of our guys had suites at the same hotel where we were, and they, too, had flown in. On Tuesday, we organized ourselves onsite.

The SEALs say that the only easy day was yesterday – that was particularly true of the work we were doing in the northern states. After putting in a full day on the build, I entered data into the program, updated Paige on the financials, signed checks in the evening and authorized payments for three jobs. Evie had Paige working on her books as well, so all was not just fun and games in Chicago. We worked Monday through Saturday, taking Sunday off. That flowed for four and a half weeks, then we hit a snag.

I had been running analyses on our progress, and I noticed that in the last week it had slowed down. That wasn’t the only problem though – on Wednesday, tempers got frayed and we almost had a fight between guys who had been as close as brothers. When Dad came out to check on the progress at my build shortly after lunch, I mentioned both things to him. He didn’t look surprised.

“Actually, Tim, I’m impressed that you and Pete have managed to keep these guys on an even keel for so long.” He pulled out a folder and asked me to call the crew in for a quick meeting.

All activity stopped when I put my fingers to my lips and blew a short blast. Heads poked up from wherever they were working and saw me gesture, with a roundhouse swing of my arm, for them to gather up. Dad took over when his employees were assembled.

“Guys, you’re doing great work here. More than that, from the looks of things, we’re right where we wanted to be at this point. I have a little surprise for you that even Tim doesn’t know about.”

He held up the folio.

“In this folder I have plane tickets for all of you to go home to Seattle this afternoon. My wife notified your families so they’ll be expecting you at SEATAC later today. In addition, it will be a paid holiday at your regular rate. The return ticket has you back in Minneapolis on Monday evening. Go home, enjoy your families, relax, try not to curse Tim out too much to your wives, and then come back refreshed. We have about three weeks of work left when you get back, so let’s see if we can’t finish up then.”

Dad handed out an e-ticket to all of my guys, waited while we secured the site and got our rent-a-cop situated, and then we followed the van back to the hotel.

I stopped my father when we got to our room. “You didn’t happen to have a ticket in there for me too, did you, Dad?”

“No, I have tickets for us. Get packed, Tim, we’re going home.”

That surprised me. “Georgia?”

“No. Chicago. They say home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in the Windy City. Come on, we have to be at the airport by four.”

It turned out that he had sent Pete’s crew home already, so with my guys on their way we could leave without having any loose ends to tie up. After a shower, I grabbed my Surface, clean clothes that included something to wear for Sunday, shoes rather than work boots, and we caught an Uber to the airport.

Our tickets were once again first-class, deciding for me then and there that I would never again fly cooped up in a seat made for the smaller among us, if I could afford it. My six foot, three inch frame was able to stretch out comfortably, we were served drinks and a light snack, and a steaming towel was presented for us to freshen up along the way. The stewardess flirted with me professionally, but my heart was on the ground at O’Hare already, and for once I didn’t reciprocate with enthusiasm.

Dad noticed, smiling a bit at my laconic replies. His smile grew wider when I apologized to the pretty, young, United employee that had been trying to catch my attention all flight long. I explained that I had someone waiting for me.

Do you have any idea how long the jet way is when you can’t wait to see someone at the other end? It’s miles, and miles and miles long. I was pretty sure the other McKenzie with me felt the same way, as we were walking at just about the maximum clip that was safe for the conditions. It was with a sense of relief that I saw Paige finally, standing with her mother and talking quietly. We stole up to them.

“Hi, Sweet Pea. I missed you terribly.” That’s all I managed to get out before tanned arms encircled my neck, bringing my lips down to hers. Evie was doing the same thing to Dad. We got some very strange looks from passers-by as it was obvious that we were father and son and they were mother and daughter. That kind of thing didn’t bother me at all.

There were private conversations among both couples as we made our way to the parking lot where Evie’s rental awaited us. She drove, knowing the city better than Dad, for having lived in it almost a month now. His visits had mainly been on weekends before he was called back to the headwaters of the Mississippi.

“So, where are we staying?” I asked the young woman holding my hand.

“Mom and Dad are at the Black’s place, and you and I are bunking in with Tara and Sandy. Bill said he’d let us take his car while we’re here so we can do some sightseeing – Navy Pier, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute of Chicago, Willis Tower. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like we’re going to have a very fun few days.” I let my eyes close for a moment, content to be exactly where I was.

“Wake up. We’re here.”

Paige’s hand gave one last stroke of my hair and then unbuckled my seatbelt. I opened my eyes to see us at the entrance to a completely remodeled Emerson residence. It looked a lot like how I remember one of Dad’s sketches showing it last August. Our hosts were at their front door.

“Tim, Paige, come on in,” Angie invited us. “Bill is getting the girls and then you can get reacquainted.” She looked out to see Dad grabbing some bags from the trunk.

“James, can you and Evie stay for a few minutes? Kathryn and Don are on their way with Mandy. When they leave, you can follow them back.”

Our parents allowed that they could be persuaded to come in for a bite to eat and a visit before finding their bed for the weekend. They had just finished accepting the invitation when another car pulled up, disgorging the Black family. All that was missing was the grandparents, theirs and ours. I asked and was informed that the Swifts and the eldest McKenzies were out at some evening show in the city. We’d see them tomorrow.

Soon enough, Tara, Sandy and Bill joined us out front. We were encouraged to come in, leaving outside the flying bloodsuckers that had appeared as the temperature moderated. I think that Tara and Sandy weren’t all that happy with Paige when she molded herself to my torso as we sat on the couch. I had to endure one of them on my lap and the other between Mandy and me. That changed when Mandy snuggled up and pulled her cousin into her embrace too. Of course my contented smile and the sight of the lone male with four women around him was captured and I’m sure would be used in blackmail attempts for years to come. No matter, my arm was only around one person, and she was happy.

Mandy wanted to know what our plans were for the next day. I let Paige take that one.

“After breakfast we’re going to head into the city where there are a bunch of places to see and things to do.” Paige saw the longing in Mandy’s eyes. “Want to come with us?”

“I’d love to,” Mandy gushed. “Believe it or not, except for class field trips, I haven’t really done anything touristy in Chicago. Are you still going to volleyball practice in the evening?”

Paige shook her head. “I haven’t seen this guy for a month. I can skip.”

That piqued my interest. “Volleyball? What volleyball?”

Paige motioned for Mandy to explain. It seemed that the prep academy that Mandy attended had eleven girls on their volleyball team and even though they weren’t allowed to practice officially, one of the parents, a former Olympic Volleyball Team member, had organized Tuesday and Thursday night voluntary scrimmages, along with unofficial, yet professional caliber coaching and training. Since they were one member short, Mandy had convinced the organizing mother to allow Paige to join them. Mandy also mentioned that Paige was as good as the others, and some of them already had scholarships to prestigious University programs.

“Ah,” the light dawned for me. “That’s why I couldn’t always get hold of you in the evenings.”

“Sorry,” a contrite young lady said, “I should have told you.”

I knew how much she enjoyed playing. “It’s no matter. But I think if you made a commitment to your coach, you should go. We’ll just do a couple of things tomorrow that maybe Tara and Sandy wouldn’t appreciate and leave the rest for Friday. Besides, I’d like to watch you play – I didn’t get to do a lot of that last year.”

“And whose fault was that?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Mine, all mine. Do they let spectators in the gym?”

Now she was crestfallen. “School friends and family only. No boyfriends.”

“Good. Then that’s settled, Sis.”

Mandy shook her head. “You two are so bad, but technically you qualify as family.” She looked over at her parents. “Mom, Dad, can I go with Paige and Tim tomorrow? Paige invited me.”

They wanted to know where we were going so once again Paige laid out our itinerary. This time though, I noticed that she had pared it down to the Art museum along with Science and Industry. Those were the two places that it was likely Tara and Sandy wouldn’t get much enjoyment from. She also proposed we do the rest of the family fun things on Friday, and the Emerson twins were slight mollified by that.

By the time logistics were settled, all of us, including parents, would be going on Friday, with only the teens tomorrow. We sat around for a while yet visiting, and then the Blacks announced that it was time to take their guests back. They left with Mom, Dad and Mandy to get situated at their house. Paige and I were invited to do the same at the Emerson place.

We were given our own rooms although we still shared a bathroom. That was no hardship for us, meeting up there before breakfast for a quick kiss and wash of hands. I had to chuckle to myself as I exited the restroom – there was so much of Evie’s touch in the house now, after a summer of design-consulting. We had a quiet breakfast with the Emersons, after which we borrowed Bill’s car to drive over and pick up Mandy. That done, we headed into the city.

The Art museum to which we went wasn’t the kind of thing I normally would have done, but I found it pleasant escorting the two young ladies with whom I was paired. Paige had inherited a modicum of her mother’s eye for design, and Mandy loved art for art’s sake. Me? I remembered the Montana museum and the lesson Dad had taught me the previous summer. The journey was eminently enjoyable when viewed through the eyes of those who appreciated it. I noticed that I was affected by some of the exhibits as well.

For lunch, we walked around downtown until we found Pizzeria Uno. The lunch line wasn’t that bad, so we joined it and gave our order to a server well before we gained access to the interior. I was simultaneously annoyed and excited by the deep-dish pizza that I was served. Annoyed that no one in my life had seen fit to introduce me to this fabulous example of molten cheese, bread and sauce, and excited because I was pretty sure I could figure out how to do this in our ovens at home.

The girls watched me demolish a large by myself, and then clean up their leftovers too. Mandy commented on it.

“Where do you put it all and how can you eat that much?”

I tried to answer around a mouthful. “I work construction for ten to fourteen hours a day. I lift every other day, and I try to run on the days I’m not lifting. I probably burn between four and six thousand calories a day. This summer, I’ve been hungrier at each meal than I ever have been before. I’m also six-three and weigh two hundred and forty pounds, which I bet is twice what you do.”

Even Paige was surprised at my stats. “Seriously?”

I nodded as the last piece of their leftovers disappeared. “Dad made me get a physical right before we started this summer. I may actually be heavier now since I can lift more than I could when we left. Plus, Dad and I have been practicing sparring with each other in the mornings before we go to the job site. It means we have to get up awfully early, but it’s fun.”

The girls looked at me in a new light that afternoon, and my biceps were squeezed more than once. I just smiled. It’s nice to have that kind of attention from pretty ladies. The afternoon was taken up by the Museum of Science and Industry, topped off with a walk back to the car in time to beat rush-hour traffic out of the city proper. We were at the Emerson’s for dinner, where I ate according to my appetite. Angie promised to have dessert for us after we got back from volleyball practice.

Mandy was right. When we got to the gym, the parents wanted to exclude me until she vouched for the fact that my dad and Paige’s mom were married, making us step-siblings. We tried not to offend them by holding hands or kissing, but the chemistry between us must have been evident.

I was approached by a curious father of one of the girls and he wanted to know what was going on. It took fifteen minutes, but he heard the story behind our attraction to each other. After that, we sat companionably, cheering the women on. Even I could see how much better this Olympian was than the combination teacher/coach employed at our high school.

As for Paige, well, her game had clearly improved since last fall. She was blocking the best that the other half of the team could put up against her, and she was showing ambidextrous tendencies by hitting with both her left and right hands. I’m no expert, but it looked like her velocity was better, too. When they had a short break, she came up to see me and Mandy in the stands.

“So? What do you think?”

I shared my observations with her, adding, “I think on top of all that, you’re a match for any one of the girls here.”

She nodded. “It feels good. I’ve been working with Coach Saunders during practice,” that was the former Olympian, “and she’s helped me a lot.” Paige wiped off some of the sweat rolling down her face. “Coach even thinks that she can get one of her former teammates who lives in Atlanta to come out and put on some clinics for us during our season. It wouldn’t be as good as this, but it would really help out the team.”

The whistle blew, and the girls got back to scrimmaging against each other. Although I hadn’t seen many of Paige’s games last year, I could tell that even how they were performing at the moment was better play than our team had produced the entire season. I was proud that my girlfriend displayed the skill to interact at that level.

After practice ended, Mandy and I walked down to the floor and waited for Paige. She showed up with a tall woman, clearly a mother now, but just as clearly a volleyball player herself. I was good-naturedly taken to task.

“So, you’re the one.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re the one who almost cost me one of my stars tonight.”

I laughed. “That wasn’t me. As soon as I heard about the practice, I encouraged sis here to come.” An eyebrow rose at my use of ‘sis’. “Fine, I encouraged my girlfriend to keep her commitment.”

Coach Saunders smiled. “I’ve heard about you all summer from your step-sister here, and from Mandy. Paige says she’s going to attend college wherever you decide, so I hope you manage to land at a school where they have a good volleyball program.”

I cast a quizzical look at the volleyball player in question. “I thought it was going to be a mutual decision. I don’t want you to feel limited in what you want to do.”

I received a headshake and a finger on my lips shushing me. “Coach is teasing you. I told her that you were thinking of attending University of Washington. They have an excellent Volleyball program up there and came in second in the PAC-12 this year. She even knows some of their staff and thinks I have a chance to either get a scholarship or be a walk-on. It all depends on whether they see tape of me playing this year.”

Coach Saunders was grinning at the tweak she had given me. “I’m just sorry that we’ll be losing her after tonight. Maybe she can find a club to play with in Minneapolis starting next week.”

That was news to me; delightful news, but it came at me cold. “You’re coming back with us?”

My girlfriend glowered at her mentor. “Thanks, that was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Oh, don’t be mad at your coach. I’m surprised, and happy, and surprised, and did I mention happy?”

“And babbling,” Mandy added laughingly.

Paige shot us narrowed eyes briefly before taking her leave of us. The two of us waited while she said goodbye to her teammates and coach. The car was slightly smelly by the time we had dropped off Mandy at her house and then returned to the Emerson’s home, but it was the honest smell of hard work. After eating the promised dessert, we took showers before bed, and then it was morning.

Everyone joined us at the Emerson’s breakfast table: Mom, Dad, the Emersons, the Blacks, the Swifts, and our grandparents McKenzie. I received a hug from those venerable persons before we ate, Grandma remarking that I seemed to have put on even more muscle. I just thought I was finally filling out.

The agenda for the day was to start off at the aquarium for some, while others would take a river tour of architecture in Chicago. That was primarily of interest to the design types and construction workers, so we essentially split up by families for the first two hours of the morning. After our tour, we would meet up at the aquarium, do that for another couple of hours, lunch, and then head to Willis Tower for a panoramic view of the city from the observation deck. It was supposed to thunder and lightning early afternoon – if we were lucky, we might be able to watch from high above street level. Once the rain had passed, we would all go to the Navy Pier and walk around for a while. Dinner hadn’t been decided. With Angie’s connections, we could either go to one of her restaurants or she could pull some strings and get us in almost anywhere else.

So that’s what we did. The McKenzie connection had an interloper in the form of Mandy for the river excursion, but that was fine with me. Grandpa gave me a nod and a chuckle when he saw me escorting two beautiful young women, but other than that we were left alone to experience the morning together. Following a fairly fascinating history discussion written in stone and other construction media, we all made our way to the aquarium, meeting up with and acquiring two limpets for the rest of the day.

The thunderstorm in the afternoon was spectacular! As luck would have it, we caught the first drops of rain as we entered the lobby of the former Sears Tower which meant that when we got to the glass-enclosed floor for tourists, lightning could be seen flashing over the lake and illuminating the sky around us. There were a lot of oohs and aahs from the rest of our tourist companions as we all enjoyed the natural fireworks on display.

When the storm had abated enough for us to feel secure in walking around outside, we left, finding the vehicles we had arrived in to take us to the Navy Pier. Since we were in walking-around apparel, Evie spoke with Angie about finding some place there to eat. Bubba Gump got the nod with Dad being sent to make a request for fifteen at six o’clock. That was a fun evening and even though it was a chain, the food was good, the twins were entertained, and we left full and happy.

Six Flags north of Chicago came a’callin’ Saturday morning. This time the grandparents stayed behind to play a round of golf together, leaving the younger families to enjoy the park. We did, too. By the time they closed, all of us were tired, had eaten too much concession-stand food and some were queasy from the roller coasters. Dad and I shared a laugh when we refused to get on the high-rise lift/drop, remembering last summer. This time I called him, ‘Nancy Boy,’ and he called me, ‘Sissy,’ but neither of us could be convinced that it would be fun.

Sunday we went to church and just spent a quiet day barbequing out on the expanse of grass that the Emerson’s gardener maintained behind their house. Dad and I pulled off our shirts and tanned until the bloodsuckers got too numerous. After that, we retreated behind screen doors, enjoying the large fruity drinks provided by various wait-girls.

On Monday morning, all of us got together again for breakfast and said our goodbyes. Grandma and Grandpa would be staying until Grandpa wrapped up his renovations while Evie and Paige would rejoin our family in the extended-stay hotel. The only thing I was nervous about was that the suite we were in had only two bedrooms. That was fine for Dad and Evie, but I really didn’t want to sleep on a pull-out, then try to work a fourteen hour day of manual labor. Well, it wasn’t worth worrying about until we got there.

Dad sprang for first-class again for all of us, and I was enjoying flying now. When we arrived at the hotel, the two adults sat us down and explained what they were thinking.

“Tim, Paige,” Dad began, “Evie and I have discussed how to deal with this situation. We know you can handle being in close proximity to each other and we decided to allow you to choose an option. Mind you, this option is only while we’re here for the next month.”

Evie took over. “First option is that either Tim, or you, Paige, sleep on the pull-out couch here in the common room.”

Both of us looked over to the piece of furniture and I believe our expressions matched. Evie laughed.

“Well, I think I know how they feel about that one, Honey,” she told Dad.

“Right. Second option, one of you gets a single room in another hotel. We’ve already checked and there’s no space here. We don’t like that alternative since it means that one of you will not be here with us. Last option: you both use the bed in the other room. At least we’ll be around and we’re fairly sure you won’t try anything.”

Paige and I glanced at each other wondering how that would work. I was trying to determine if Evie meant that we’d alternate nights with one of us on the floor, or if she meant we’d both occupy the bed at the same time. Paige was obviously trying to come to a satisfactory conclusion as well.

“I think you broke the kids, Dear,” Dad chuckled. “Yes, Evie means what you think she means. However, we only do this on the condition that you not give in to your hormones. Remember that we’ll be here in the next room.” He looked at us. “Why don’t you discuss it between the two of you?”

Paige and I moved into the room that would be shared if we agreed.