The Boyfriend Project

by Rachel Hawthorne

Jeremy was absently running his fingers up and down my arm. When he watched a TV show or movie, he was almost totally focused on the story. Usually I was, too.

  But tonight I kept thinking about Jade’s comment. It wasn’t that I wanted her coming after my guy, but I wouldn’t have minded her showing a bit of interest in him. Jeremy and I had been friends before we’d started dating and I’d never heard of him asking another girl out. But what if he was with me because I’d been his only choice?

  Jeremy stopped the episode before it could roll over into the next one. He shifted slightly, and I peered up at him. He trailed his finger over my cheek. “You seem distracted tonight.”

  I shrugged. “Thinking about my mom. It’s weird for her to have a date. What if she really likes this guy? She wouldn’t tell me his name or show me a picture of him. So I just don’t know what to expect.”

  “Maybe she’s just testing the waters and didn’t want to get her—and your—hopes up.”

  I glanced back over at the TV. “What if she has sex with him?”

  Jeremy laughed, then sobered when he realized I was seriously concerned. “She probably won’t on the first date.”

  I moved so that I was almost sitting on him. He slid down until he was sprawled over the couch, and I was tucked up close to his side. “How many is the right number do you think?” I asked.

  “Everyone is different.”

  Not really wanting to think about Mom anymore, I loosened one of the buttons on his shirt. “So how many dates have we had, do you think?”

  He closed his hand around mine.

  “What if your mom walks in on us?” he asked.

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “Do you have any idea how long she’ll be gone?”

  Shaking my head, I rolled over until I was on top of him. I skimmed my fingers through his hair. “You didn’t get a haircut today.”

  “Nope. Maybe tomorrow.” He grinned. “Or maybe I’ll grow it out.”

  I rubbed my thumb along his jaw. “Maybe you shouldn’t shave tomorrow.”

  “Why?”

  “It’ll make you look older.”

  “It’ll also make my dad go ballistic. There’s a dress code at the office.”

  “But it’s like he’s stifling your freedom to express yourself. You’re not your father’s clone. You didn’t need his permission to go to the beach. Maybe you should rebel a little more.”

  He chuckled. “Rebelling within the confines of the family is one thing. To do it at the office is another. If I was going to rebel there, I’d do it by quitting.”

  “So do it.”

  “Yeah, right.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. I loved the way he did it so his finger trailed lightly over my chin. “So what’s with the hair, the shaving, the rebelling?”

  Sighing, I nipped at his jaw. “I don’t know. It’s summer. It just seems like we should do something radical before we head off to college. Experiment a little.” I kissed him. “You know, explore our independence.”

  He slipped his hands beneath the hem of my top, folded his hands around my waist. “Oh, yeah?” he asked in a raspy voice.

  “Yeah.” I planted my mouth on his, aware of him rolling us until we were on our sides facing each other. I wrapped one hand around his neck and used the other to nimbly free the buttons on his shirt. I flattened my palm against his chest, could feel his heart thudding.

  I heard the front door open, shut. “Kendall!” my mom called out.

  Jeremy jerked back, hovered at the edge of the cushion for a heartbeat before toppling over and landing with a thud on the floor. Bogart yelped and backed away as fast as he could. Quickly I sat up. “In here!”

  Jeremy buttoned his shirt as he scrambled back onto the couch. He put his arm around me as he pressed PLAY on the TV and the next episode started up.

  “Hey, guys,” Mom said as she wandered in and sat in the slider rocker. Bogart crept over to her side, and without a thought—or so it seemed—she reached down and began petting him.

  “How was the date?” I asked, although I had a feeling I knew the answer, considering that it wasn’t even ten yet.

  “Nice.” She looked at the TV. “What are you watching?”

  “The 100.”

  “Mmm.” I knew that meant nothing to her. She read romance novels. She didn’t watch TV.

  “Are you going to see him again?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  As though sensing that my mom had more to say, Jeremy stopped the TV. “Listen, I need to go.” He stood up. “Good night, Mrs. J.”

  “Good night, Jeremy.”

  Holding his hand, I walked him to the front door. Turning, he kissed me. When he drew back, I tugged on his shirt. “Hope my mom didn’t notice that your buttons are one off.”

  He grimaced. “Ah, man.” Leaning down, he kissed me again. “See you tomorrow.”

  As he walked out, he began redoing his buttons. I loved this guy. He was so cute. When he was gone, I wandered back into the living room and curled up in the corner of the couch. “Want to talk about it?” I asked my mom.

  “He wasn’t your dad.” She sighed. “I know that’s unfair, but when I met your dad there was this instant electricity. From the get-go, he made me smile, made me happy to be with him. The guy tonight . . . I kept checking my watch.”

  I understood the electricity. I’d felt it with Jeremy. He was the new kid in town, and I’d decided to be bold and invite him to join Avery and me for lunch. After that, we’d become the terrific threesome, but always there was something a little more between Jeremy and me than friendship. “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault. He wasn’t what I wanted or needed and I knew it five minutes after we met.”

  “So are you going to give someone else a try?”

  “Oh, sure. In a couple of days. Meanwhile, want to share some ice cream with me?”

  I smiled brightly. “Absolutely.”

  Three minutes later, we were sitting at the counter with a tub of chocolate-chip cookie-dough ice cream between us. I took a bite, let it slowly melt in my mouth.

  “We’ve had so little time to talk lately,” Mom said. “How are you doing?” While Avery was my best girlfriend, my mom was a close second. And she had many more life experiences.

  “To be honest, I’ve been a little restless. Not unhappy exactly, but feeling like, I don’t know, like I’m missing out on something. I don’t know why.”

  She gave me a sympathetic smile. “You’re on the cusp of adulthood. It’s natural to question things: what you’re going to do with your life, what you want that life to be.”

  “I guess that’s it.” But it seemed like it was more, like it was bigger than that. That it had to do with Jeremy and me, with us. That thought scared me. I didn’t want to examine it too closely, so I didn’t try to explain it to my mom because I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. Instead, pretending that her answer made me feel better, I dug in for some more ice cream.

  Chapter 8

  JEREMY

  Avery lived a few doors down from Kendall. I always passed her house on my way out of the neighborhood. Tonight as I was driving by, I saw Fletcher sitting on the stairs that led into an apartment over the garage. Avery’s parents were letting him use that room for the summer.

  I saw him lift a bottle to his lips, saw no sign of Avery. I pulled to a stop at the curb just past their house and walked back. Fletcher and I weren’t best buds. I’d barely known the guy before he got involved with Avery.

  But I was feeling a little out of whack since seeing Kendall. I couldn’t explain it but things didn’t seem quite right between us. Not that I thought Fletcher was a Dr. Phil or anything, but he’d had a rep for being a player before Avery convinced him that she was worth leaving all that behind.

  I crossed over the driveway and started up the steps. The light above the garage illuminated him enough for me to see his eyes widen slightly. I didn’t blame him. We never hung out together without the
girls being around. “Hey, man,” I said.

  “What’s up?”

  “I just left Kendall. Saw you sitting here. Where’s Avery?”

  “Got called into work. Some private party or something at the Shrimp Hut. They needed extra hands.”

  “Nice for her, money-wise.”

  “Yeah.” He carried the brown bottle to his lips, tipped it up.

  “Got an extra one of those?” I asked. “I could use a beer.”

  He studied me a full minute before saying, “It’s root beer.”

  That surprised me, but at the same time I was relieved. “Okay then, never mind.”

  “You do remember that Avery’s dad is a cop, right?”

  I chuckled. “Yeah.” There were moments when Fletcher really didn’t live up to his rep for getting into trouble.

  “So how’s the lawyer business?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” I pointed to a step. “Mind if I sit?”

  Shaking his head, he chuckled. “You are too polite.”

  “I’ll take that as a no, you don’t mind.” I dropped down beside him. I’d had manners drummed into me at an early age. Manners and never appearing slovenly. There isn’t a single photo of me with a hair out of place. When we visited my grandparents at Christmas, I had to sit in a chair until the family photo was taken. No roughhousing with my cousins, no snitching fudge or cookies. Heaven forbid I get a crumb on my white shirt.

  Maybe Kendall was right. Maybe I should grow out my hair, shave less frequently. I was eighteen. What could my dad do about it? Oh, right. Cut off my funds for college.

  “You’re so lucky to have your own place,” I said, leaning forward and planting my elbows on my thighs.

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “You and Avery—never really saw that coming.”

  “She makes me a better person.” He held up a hand. “Now I’m getting into soul-baring territory and I won’t go there. Want to come in and watch giant crocs terrorize people? There’s a Lake Placid marathon tonight.”

  I laughed. “Nah. I don’t know why I stopped. I just . . .” I really didn’t know what it was. “I was a little surprised to hear that you wanted to be a cop. Does it have to do with your dad going to prison?”

  Slowly he shook his head. “Mostly it has to do with Avery’s dad taking me in, providing me with a place. Not just the apartment here, but a place in the family. I never had that before.”

  I wasn’t sure if I did, either. Sure, I had both my parents but we never did anything together. Kendall had only her mom but there was way more love in her house than in mine. I liked hanging out over there. And I knew no matter what Kendall did, her mom respected and accepted her. If I bucked my dad, there would be hell to pay, and yet I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about what Kendall had said. I didn’t know if Fletcher would get it, considering the non-relationship he had with his dad, but I didn’t know anyone else who had changed so much in such a short time. “Okay, I don’t know if this will make any sense, but as long as I can remember I’ve been on the path to becoming a lawyer, following in my dad’s footsteps, which is odd because I’m nothing like him.”

  “So you’re rethinking it?”

  “Maybe. Kendall said something tonight about experimenting—”

  “Sure she wasn’t referring to sexual positions?”

  I glared at him. “You’re a lot of help.” I really didn’t know why I’d stopped here. I had other male friends but we mostly played video games together. As for knowing other girls—once Kendall pulled me into her orbit I didn’t develop any other female friendships. She and Avery were enough, although I couldn’t see myself talking to Avery about this since it involved Kendall. I figured Avery shared everything with Kendall and vice versa. I was pretty sure it was a girl thing.

  Fletcher shrugged. “If you don’t want to be a lawyer, don’t be a lawyer.”

  Everything was so black and white for this guy.

  “Lawyer is my trajectory. I’ve never even thought about doing anything else. Not to mention my parents would be devastated.”

  “Parents should be devastated when their kid dies, not when he changes his major.”

  “You don’t know my parents.”

  “Avery thought she knew her parents’ expectations. She was wrong.”

  “Well, I’m not. Trust me.”

  He took another long, slow sip of the root beer. I was regretting not taking one. “So you just sit out here until Avery gets home?” I asked.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Exciting.”

  He grinned. “The exciting happens when she gets home.”

  She had really gotten to this guy, although I had to admit that I was glad he was nuts about her. I liked Avery a lot. I’d always enjoyed hanging around with her and Kendall before Kendall and I got serious.

  “Well, guess I’d better go,” I said, and shoved myself to my feet.

  “Everything okay with you?” he asked as though it suddenly occurred to him that it would be polite to ask.

  I started down the steps and tossed over my shoulder, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

  Now, if only I could believe it.

  Chapter 9

  KENDALL

  I was hosing down one of the kennels when Darla Bernard, another of the volunteers, stopped and leaned against the wired wall of the enclosure. All the enclosures had a drain in the center to make washing them down easier. Even the most housebroken dog sometimes had an accident if he couldn’t get outside.

  “Have you seen Jade making a fool of herself with Chase?” she asked as she chewed gum. “She is all over that guy.”

  “She thinks he’s hot,” I said, although it was probably an unnecessary comment.

  “He is totally, but jeez, give him some breathing room.”

  “Wanting to make a pass at him yourself?” I teased.

  She blushed. “I won’t deny that I’ve thought about it. How about you?”

  “I have a boyfriend.” Who had visited on occasion, with whom she had seen me more than once. Why was Jeremy so forgettable?

  “Anyone I know?”

  I turned off the hose. “Jeremy Swanson.”

  Wrinkling her brow, she looked up at the ceiling like she expected to see his portrait painted there or something. “Oh, yeah, I remember him. Didn’t know you two were together.”

  “Since spring break.”

  “Huh. Well, anyway, Terri wants to see you when you’re done cleaning the pen.”

  She could have led with that, because I was finished. I put the hose away and headed to the reception area, wondering if someone was surrendering a dog, but then Darla could have taken care of that.

  I stopped walking when a text came in from Jeremy.

  Miss U. ☹

  It shouldn’t have made me smile, but it did.

  Miss U 2.

  Then I shoved the door open and went through into the reception room. Chase was there, arms folded on the counter as he talked with Terri. She brightened when she saw me. “Just the person whose opinion I wanted,” she said.

  “Yeah? What’s up?” I asked.

  “They’re going to start breaking ground to build the new wing next week,” Terri said.

  “Great!” She’d been working on fund-raisers and approaching businesses for support for a couple of years now, so we’d have room to house more dogs.

  “So we really need this year’s Bark in the Park event to bring in more money than ever,” she said. She coordinated the annual event that was held in a park downtown. People were encouraged to bring their pets and to adopt pets. We displayed a lot of our dogs. So did a couple of the other shelters. “Chase was telling me about a fund-raiser he was involved in at his college. I was thinking we could incorporate it. He calls it a ‘gun show.’”

  I furrowed my brow. “What have guns got to do with dogs?”

  Chase held up his bent arms, made fists, and displayed a very nice set of biceps. “The
se guns.”

  “Wow! I’m impressed, but how does that bring in money?” I asked.

  “Studs, such as myself, display our guns, and people vote with their dollars for the best set. All the money goes to the shelter.”

  “And people really make donations just to see muscles?” I asked.

  “You bet. I brought in six hundred and seventy-three dollars. Pretty cool, huh?”

  “It sounds like something different, something fun,” Terri said. “And there’s no monetary investment on our part. We just have to find a few guys willing to show off their physique. Think your boyfriend would be interested?”

  At least someone remembered I had a boyfriend. What was more, she thought he might bring in some bucks for the shelter. I just didn’t know if Jeremy would be willing to flaunt his stuff. “I can ask.”

  “What do you think of the idea overall?” Terri asked.

  “Seems a little sexist.”

  Chase grinned. “Hey, it’s no different than a beauty pageant and it’s for a good cause, not a tiara.”

  And he’d no doubt have girls flocking around him, which was probably his ultimate goal in suggesting this. But he was right that it was for a good cause. Convincing Jeremy of that, though, was something else entirely.

  That night we met Avery and Fletcher at Joe’s Pizzeria. They had the best salad bar and pizza buffet in town. Avery and I focused on the salad while the guys loaded up on a variety of slices. Fletcher picked up the jar of Parmesan, sprinkled the flaky cheese on a slice, and set the jar off to the side.

  “So something interesting happened at the shelter today,” I began, putting the jar of Parmesan back in the center where it belonged.

  “All the dogs got adopted?” Jeremy asked.

  “I wish. Wouldn’t that be great? But no, we’re preparing for our annual Bark in the Park fund-raiser, and we’re adding a new element this year. A gun show.” I didn’t know why I grimaced, maybe because all three looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “It’s not what you think.” Then I went on to explain how it worked. I ended with, “So are you guys willing to show your guns?”

  Fletcher shrugged. “Sure.”

  The way his T-shirt hugged him, he was pretty much showing off his build now. I looked at Jeremy. He didn’t appear quite as eager. It was probably the lawyer in him, looking for loopholes, wanting to read the small print. He was the only person I knew who actually read licensing agreements. “So what? We just stand there?” he asked.