Junior Year Box Set

I agreed with him to a point. I’d found that sometimes it was better to see what would unfold instead of pressing an issue. A good example was my contract negotiations for the two upcoming Star Academy movies. If I’d followed Craig’s advice, I would have lost millions. The way I looked at it, waiting was occasionally more of a strategy than it was not accepting change. I knew that I would move forward and do the movie, so I was following my uncle’s advice.

When it came to my current relationships, I realized that eventually, circumstances would cause them to change. I wanted to make sure I didn’t blow all of them up by waiting until we all graduated and went our separate ways. That would be contrary to my life goals. I wanted to see if there was someone special who I would try to continue a relationship with after high school. Of course, I realized that odds were stacked against me, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

“I think you might be right,” I admitted. “Now, the question is, who?”

“If you want my advice, I would say Zoe.”

“I like Zoe and could see us as a good match. Why do you suggest I pick her over everyone else?”

“She has strong family values and a deep religious core that I expect appeals to you. She’s not afraid of hard work and loves the outdoors. I could see the two of you raising a bunch of kids and being happy. Zoe’s very smart and wouldn’t be a pushover. It also doesn’t hurt that she loves you to death and is cute,” Peggy said.

“She is cute,” I admitted.

Peggy rolled her eyes at me. I kissed her cheek and made my way to my room.

◊◊◊

“I bet your ears were burning. Peggy was just pitching for you to be my girlfriend,” I said to Zoe when I found her waiting for me.

She came to me, and I gave her a gentle kiss.

Zoe stepped back and looked at me seriously.

“I want you to know that I want to be your girlfriend. As much as I like the other girls, I know what I want. I’m putting you on notice that in the end, you’ll pick me.”

Wow. I’d never seen this side of Zoe. I liked it. Something I wanted in a girlfriend was a strong woman who knew what she wanted. It was even better that she wanted me.

“I’m thinking maybe everyone should audition for the role of David’s girlfriend.”

“I’m thinking you’re a ‘stupid boy’ and you should kiss me,” Zoe said.

Sometimes she was right.

◊◊◊

Chapter 33 – Big Cat Thursday August 11

Zoe had slipped out during the night. Her declaration that she planned to be my girlfriend had me deep in thought as I rode the elevator down for breakfast. When I reached the lobby, my dad was waiting for me.

“How’s the girlfriend hunt going?”

I showed him my best put-out teenager expression and ignored his barb. I guess it was too much for Tami not to tell my mom. What surprised me was Mom thought it necessary to clue my dad in. I was sure that Uncle John would want to ‘sit down and talk about it.’

“Come on, we need to talk football,” Dad said to change the topic.

That instantly put me in a better mood. We entered the nice restaurant, and I found Dad had gotten us a big table. I figured that Wolf and Tim would want to talk about this. As soon as we sat down, people began to join us. When the table was finally filled, Tim, Wolf, Uncle John, Caryn, Mom, and Tracy had all taken seats.

“We’ve made an executive decision,” Caryn said. “Your dad will take over your recruiting. Kent wasn’t suited for it, and it was agreed it was too big a decision to leave to someone new. Megan will field the phone calls and sort through them with Tracy’s help. The important ones will be given to your dad to call back.”

All I could think was I was glad it wasn’t me that had to hold the recruiting phone. At least Megan was being paid to put up with the abuse. Mom saw I was hungry and let us order breakfast because she was afraid I ‘wouldn’t listen.’ Wolf and Tim seemed happy with her decision.

While we ate, Wolf and Tim told us about Chicago.

“It was rough at first,” Wolf admitted. “We started out doing all the grunt work. Jack wanted to make sure we appreciated the laborers he hires to pick up and fetch things for the skilled craftsmen. We got to spend a couple weeks helping someone with each of the trades. I found out I never want to blow in insulation again.”

“It had to be two hundred degrees in that attic, and that stuff found its way in everywhere,” Tim complained.

“The last few weeks, we were in the office and learned about scheduling, ordering materials, bookkeeping, and creating bids. There’s a lot more to running a company than I ever realized. I can see where getting a business degree will be a must if I want to ever run my own contracting business. I don’t understand how you do it,” Wolf said.

“If it weren’t for Caryn and my family, I wouldn’t have a clue. I plan to take some business classes so I understand what Caryn tells me,” I confessed.