“What about us?”
“Has he asked you to do anything?” Karin was curious.
Lesley sneered. “You mean like go all the way?”
“Or even three-quarters of the way.”
“He’s wanted to,” Lesley admitted. “But I told him no.”
“And he was okay with it?” Karin asked, wide-eyed.
Lesley hesitated. “Is any guy ever okay with it? Most guys want everything they can get as soon as they can get it. Some girls do, too. I’d rather wait till I’m sure it’s right.”
“Me, too,” Karin said, happy to know they were on the same page in this important area.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to—at least with Marcus,” Lesley added. “But, then again, I want a lot of things. I just won’t compromise my values to get them before their time.”
“I hear you, girl.” Karin took a breath. “If they want us badly enough, they won’t try to force the action.”
Lesley grinned. “Who would’ve thought a month ago that we’d even be having this conversation?”
“Guess we sold ourselves short in joining the real world of dating, boyfriends, sex, and abstinence,” laughed Karin.
“I guess.”
Karin decided it was time to speed up their run, knowing Lesley wouldn’t want to be left behind.
“I may try out for the track team,” she told her.
Lesley batted her curly lashes. “Since when?”
“Since Coach Cleaver personally invited me to.”
“Well, you go girl, if that’s what you really want.”
“That’s the point, I’m not sure I really do want to give up more of my freedom. Not to mention time away from my best gal pal and boyfriend.”
“Then tell Coach Cleaver you’re not interested,” Lesley uttered bluntly.
“But I am interested...I think,” Karin said, frustrated about the decision as they made their way through the park.
By the time they got home, she had managed to put those thoughts aside in favor of spending time with Reese this afternoon.
* * *
Karin went to Edgar’s bookstore with Lesley. She planned to spend a couple of hours there before Reese picked her up. The Book Basement was on the ground floor of a shopping center, on the corner right next to a podiatrist’s office. Aside from Edgar and Lesley, the only other employee was a woman in her sixties named Gladys. According to Lesley, she was widowed and working because of her love for books.
“Let me help,” Karin told Lesley as she began lifting books from a stack on the floor to put on shelves.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I want to,” Karin insisted, not wanting to see her best friend slaving alone. “Remember, I’m used to doing this at the school library. So I’m pretty seasoned in the art of book shelving.”
“Well be my guest then,” Lesley said.
Karin grabbed a stack and started to slide them onto the appropriate shelves.
“I must admit that it’s nice to have someone here to talk to my own age.” Lesley frowned and lowered her voice. “Not to say that Gladys isn’t nice...and Edgar, too. But it’s kind of weird that he’s my boss and trying to be my friend at the same time, just because he’s dating my Mom.”
“I guess that could be a problem,” Karin acknowledged. “If you’re not comfortable working with Edgar, maybe you should quit and tell your Mom it’s just too awkward.”
“I thought about it, but she’d just think I was being lazy and didn’t want to carry my share of the load.”
“So we could both talk to her and try to figure out something else you could do.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay.” Lesley smiled. “I think my main issue here is that most of the people who come in are like from a totally different bor-ing generation. Except Marcus, that is.”
Karin felt for her. “I’ll try to come by as much as I can, Lesley,” she promised. “That way, you’ll have me and Marcus to keep you from drifting too much away from your own generation.”
“Well, it’s not really that bad, I guess,” Lesley seemed to flip flop again. “I get to read some books that I would never have read otherwise.”
Karin forced a smile. She hoped that Shelly’s financial picture improved soon so Lesley wouldn’t be forced to continue to work at Edgar’s bookstore against her wishes.
Edgar walked over to the aisle they were standing in. “Are you girls all right?”
“Yeah,” they muttered in unison.
“Good. Lesley, when you get those finished you can work the counter while Gladys takes her break.”
“No problem.”
He stood there looking at them for a moment longer as if he had something else to say, but could not remember or chose not to, before leaving.
The girls giggled.
“Yes, sir!” Karin whispered humorously, as if he were taking his job as boss way too seriously. Or maybe that was more for her benefit.
“He’s not the ideal person I’d want to hang around, but he’s not exactly a slave driver either,” Lesley spoke in his defense. “I guess as long as Edgar makes my Mom happy, I can live with him.”
“You can?” Karin pretended to be in utter shock, though admittedly the thought of such was unsettling to her.
“Not literally, silly!” Lesley laughed and the two began playfully pushing each other back and forth. “I meant work for him!”
“That’s better,” Karin chuckled.
“Speaking of which, we’d better finish these books before Gladys freaks out over there while waiting to take her break.”
“Say no more,” Karin said, and got back to work.
When Reese came to pick her up, Karin was happy to see him, but sad to leave Lesley behind. The good news was that Reese relayed a message from Marcus that he would see Lesley tonight.
“I’m glad your parents want to meet me,” Reese said in the car. Karin had phoned him this morning with the news.
“Yeah, so am I,” she admitted, hoping her father wouldn’t intimidate him too much. Or, for that matter, her mother.
“They’ll see that I’m just a young man who happens to be crazy about their daughter.”
Karin flushed. “Then that makes us both crazy, since I happen to feel the same way about you.”
Reese grinned and Karin did the same, feeling that giddiness again. He gave her a quick peck on the mouth and she licked her lips afterwards, enjoying his taste that she was fast becoming used to.
“Where are we going?” Karin asked, since it usually seemed to be a surprise.
“My house,” Reese answered. “I want you to meet my little brother. I promised to shoot some hoops with him. Well, it’s more like him watching me shoot and learning from it. And, while we’re at it, you can say hello to my parents.”
“Oh.” Karin was almost at a loss for words, never considering that she would actually meet his parents before he met hers.
“Are you up for that?” Reese looked at her tentatively.
“Every step of the way,” she said, though her stomach was tied up in knots at the prospect of spending time with the most important people in his life.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Hey, little bro!” Reese greeted his brother with a low-five in the hallway off the living room.
“Hey, man,” he responded, trying to sound like Reese.
“This is Jessie,” Reese said. “Say hello to Karin, bro.”
“Hi.” Jessie smiled and looked very much like a miniature version of his older brother.
“Hi, Jessie.”
He squinted as though they were in bright sunlight. “You Reese’s new girlfriend?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” she smiled, comfortable at the thought.
“Cool.” He turned to Reese. “We’re still going to play some ball, aren’t we?”
“You bet. Why don’t you go get the basketball?”
Jessie sprinted off at about the same time Reese’s mother came down t
he stairs. She was as tall as Karin, attractive, and her short dark hair was wound in Bantu knots.
Reese hugged her and kissed her cheek. Taking Karin’s hand, he said, “Mom, I want you to meet Karin Blanch.”
“Hello, Karin,” she said in a bubbly voice, and surprised her with a hug.
“Hi, Mrs. McKenzie.” Karin felt awkward. She had never had a real boyfriend before, so she’d never had to meet his parents.
“Reese has been telling me about a pretty girl he likes. And I can see the attraction.”
“Thank you.”
“Reese says your mother is a Pilates instructor,” Mrs. McKenzie noted.
“She is. Part-time.”
“I’d love to talk to her sometime and find out exactly what Pilates is all about.”
“I’m sure she’d be happy to fill you in and will probably want to drag you to one of her classes.”
Reese’s mother smiled. “Can I get you something to eat?”
Karin would have been more than willing, but Reese answered, “We just dropped by for a little while. We’re going to play some ball with Jessie. Dad around?”
“You just missed him. He went to the office.”
Reese flashed a look of disappointment. “His car’s out front.”
“That’s because Clyde picked him up. They’re meeting with some important clients.”
“So what else is new?” groaned Reese. “It’s always about business with him.”
“Not always,” his mother stressed.
“Seems like it to me.”
Mrs. McKenzie looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Now don’t be like that, boy,” she chided him. “Not in front of your girlfriend. Your father’s just doing what he needs to do. It’ll be the same with you one day.”
“I can hardly wait,” Reese muttered.
“Karin will get to meet your father soon, I’m sure.”
“I hope so,” Karin said, wondering if this was an invitation for Reese to bring her back. She considered that after Cheryl and probably several other girls, Reese’s mother may have gotten used to a love them and leave them attitude on the part of her son. In Karin’s mind, she planned to be the exception to the rule and stick around.
Jessie came back in, bouncing the ball on the hardwood floor. “Can we go play now?” he asked eagerly.
“Yeah, man,” Reese said.
“I’ll see you later,” his mother told Karin, making her feel as though she would. Perhaps many times, if Karin had any say in it.
Out back, Karin watched Jessie chase the ball down after Reese missed a shot.
“Your mother seems really nice,” she said to him.
“Yeah, she’s cool,” Reese agreed.
“And your Dad?” Karin sensed this was a tender subject and hoped she wasn’t overstepping her bounds.
Reese grabbed the ball from Jessie. “He’s cool, too. We have our differences sometimes, but I guess that’s normal—especially for two people who are cut from the same cloth, as my Mom likes to say.”
“My mother says that, too—only she’s referring to me and her,” Karin said, even if she didn’t necessarily agree.
Reese tossed her the ball. “Enough talk. Let’s see what you can do.”
“Yeah,” seconded Jessie, looking on with interest.
Karin grabbed the ball. “Just don’t expect any miracles.”
“We’ll settle for you putting the ball in the hoop,” Reese said with a chuckle.
Karin chuckled, too, knowing it was all in fun and she had the best teacher for advice, if needed. She looked at the basket, which somehow seemed so far up, took a few dribbles, and let the ball fly. To her surprise, it went in and she high-fived Reese and low-fived Jessie. She was really starting to feel as if she belonged.
* * *
Two days later, it was Karin’s turn to play host to Reese, as he was going to meet her parents for the first time. She had numerous outfits strewn across the bed, trying to decide what to wear.
“You’re not the one who’ll be in the hot seat,” Lesley said as Karin listened on her cell phone. “Just wear something comfortable and tell Reese to dress casual.”
Karin started to relax. “How was when Marcus met Shelly?”
“It was cool. He seemed to hit it off with my mother.” Lesley paused. “But it wasn’t quite as good when he met Edgar, who seemed to get overly protective for some reason.”
“Maybe he was just trying to look out for you,” Karin suggested, “as a sort of father figure.”
“I don’t need a father figure,” Lesley insisted. “Even then, he’s just my Mom’s boyfriend—not my step dad. Anyway, he and Marcus get along better now.”
“That’s good to know.” Karin wondered if her mother and father would both like Reese equally from the start. Or would it take them some time to get used to him? And vice versa?
“To tell you the truth, I wish it could just be me and my Mom when Marcus comes over,” Lesley said. “But since Edgar is more or less a permanent fixture around here now, I don’t seem to have much say in the matter.”
“You really miss your Dad, don’t you?” Karin asked perceptively, knowing how hard it would be for her if she’d lost her father.
“Yeah, I miss him, but I can’t bring him back to life. I can be happy for my Mom, though, even if it’s hard sometimes. But that’s what I’m trying to do.” There was a long moment of silence. “Anyway,” Lesley said, suddenly sounding more cheerful, “let’s get back to the subject of Reese meeting your parents. Tell me exactly what you plan to wear tonight and I’ll be happy to give you my opinion.”
Between the two of them, they decided Karin should wear her maroon turtleneck and flare jeans. After pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she helped her mother prepare dinner as a means to calm her nerves. It wasn’t every day that she introduced her parents to her boyfriend. In fact, she never had and she didn’t want it to somehow turn into a nightmare.
“Momma, please don’t interrogate Reese like he’s a criminal or something,” she pleaded while slicing a cucumber for the salad. “Or will that be Daddy’s job?”
Josephine smiled. “Your father’s a defense attorney, remember? If anything, he’ll go to bat for Reese.”
Karin stiffened. “Does that mean you’re not going to cut him any slack?” she asked warily.
Her mother peeked at the roast in the oven and faced Karin. “I’m not your enemy, child, and neither is your father. We may not be as certain as you are that Reese is the right person for you to date at this time in your life, but we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. So long as he understands there are ground rules he must abide by.”
“Ground rules?” Karin shuddered at the thought.
“Yes. We expect Reese to treat you with the respect you deserve as a sixteen-year-old girl who is inexperienced when it comes to boys and dating.”
“We’ve already been over this, Momma,” she sighed. “He treats me nice. And it’s not like this is our first date.”
Josephine frowned. “Don’t remind me.” After a moment, she smiled. “No one’s going to attack Reese. We want the experience to be pleasant for everyone. So relax.”
Karin let out the breath she’d been holding, and smiled. “Reese’s Mom wants to meet you.”
“I’d like to meet her, too.”
“She’s interested in Pilates.”
Her mother perked up. “Is that right? Well, I’m sure I can point her in the right direction there.”
Karin was counting on it. Having their mothers tight could only help her and Reese get closer in the long run.
“How’s everyone doing in here?” Karin’s father asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Everyone’s fine,” Josephine responded equably. “We’re just getting ready to feed your face and meet Reese, who should be showing up any moment now.”
Greer grinned. “I’m looking forward to both.” He put his arm around Karin. “How about you?”
“I just
want everything to go right, Daddy,” she told him fretfully.
“Don’t worry about it,” Greer said. “Leave the worrying to Reese. I had to go through the same thing when I met your Momma’s folks. Yeah, they gave me the third degree and then some. But at the end of the day, they respected me and understood that I was serious about your Momma. Probably more than she was about me at the time.” He winked at Karin.
“I’ll never tell!” Her mother laughed.
Karin tried to imagine Reese being nervous to meet her parents. He didn’t seem the type to be fazed by much, other than maybe losing a basketball game to an inferior team, trying to bail a friend out of hot water, or maybe dealing with some normal father-son issues. Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t have experience meeting a girl’s parents. She was pretty sure he’d met Cheryl’s parents and wondered how many other parents he’d met before them.
Karin believed that Reese was serious about her, though less certain what that meant exactly. Whereas her heart skipped a beat whenever she thought about him or when he walked into the room. Not to mention when he touched her or kissed her, making her heart nearly pounce right out of her chest. She had no basis for comparison, but Karin was convinced that what she felt for Reese was genuine and special.
The doorbell chimes snapped her out of the reverie.
“Looks like our guest has arrived,” her father said. “Shall I do the honors or—”
“I’ll get it,” Karin quickly cut in.
“You do that,” her mother said. “And I’ll finish up where you left off in here.”
Karin felt the nervousness return to her stomach as she headed for the door and the boy of her dreams who had come to life in a nice, handsome package.
* * *
“Hey,” Reese said simply, grinning from ear to ear.
“Hi, Reese,” Karin said meekly, inviting him in. She gave him a quick scan and saw that he was dressed casually in an open coat over a sage sweater and dark jeans.
“Hope I’m not too early?”
“Not at all,” she said. The truth was he was about a half-hour early, which was much better than being a half-hour late.
“This is for you.” Reese handed her one of two long-stemmed yellow roses.
Her Teen Dream Page 9