Jamie left Willards with one hand holding Megan's and the other gripping a shopping bag stuffed with his new wardrobe--tweed shorts, blouses with buttons up the wrong side, control-top pantyhose, and cami sleep sets. A wardrobe about which he had serious reservations, except for the pantyhose, but his mother and Megan seemed to think the new clothes were the best idea, that they suited him. Did they suit him? And did his mother and Megan know him better than he knew himself? Jamie squeezed Megan's hand as they walked behind his mother.

"Thanks for coming today," said Jamie. "I don't think I could have done this without you."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I know you have some doubts, but these clothes are going to look great on you. Trust me. Lucelle might even give you a raise just for looking so professional."

"I doubt that. I think she's tight with the salaries."

"Tonight, when you go to bed, wear the purple cami set. I'll wear my set tonight. Hmm?"

"Okay. I guess that'll be kind of cool. Will you wear pantyhose too?"

"To sleep in?"

"I do."

"Sure. Why not. We won't be together, but we'll match. We'll be together in spirit."

"How many uh, ummm…"

"Cami sets?"

"Yeah." Jamie had trouble saying the name let alone imagining himself wearing it, but he would wear it for Megan. "How many do you have?"

"Only the one. You have more than I do." Megan giggled.

In Megan's giggle, Jamie heard an echo of the girls who had laughed at his 'sexy legs'. His disappointment clouded his expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. It's just kind of, you know, funny. I really should have bought a few more for myself."

"It's okay. I guess it is kind of funny that your boyfriend has more, ummm, cami sets."

"That's the spirit. You think your mom will mind if we go back in?"

"Julie!" shouted his mother. "Where have you been?"

"At the Shoe Barn?" Julie approached with Samantha following. They both carried shopping bags bulging with shoe boxes.

"How many did you buy?" said Jamie's mother.

"Just two. And Samantha bought a pair for herself."

"And how did you pay for them?"

"Well, Samantha had her parents' credit card. Could you write her a check?"

"My parents won't mind," said Samantha.

"I thought you were getting one pair and you were going to show them to me first. I guess what's done is done." Jamie's mother sighed and shook her head.

"You're buying Jamie a bunch of new clothes," said Julie.

"I thought we might all indulge in a dessert, but I think you've spent all the money for that."

"One pair was on sale. Twenty percent off."

Jamie's mother rolled her eyes. "Let's see these shoes."

"Mrs. Stewart?" said Megan. "Do you mind if Jamie and I go back into Willards?"

"Sure. We'll be out here."

Megan pulled Jamie toward Willards. "How much trouble is your sister in?"

"Probably depends on what she bought. I can't believe she pulled a stunt like that. What are you getting?"

"A couple cami sets, silly. I can't let my boyfriend have more than me."

Megan led Jamie back to the sleepwear in the junior’s department.

"Let's see. We got you a red one and a blue one. I might get a black one too. Sexy don't you think?" Megan grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Just so I'll have more than you."

They were alone in a sea of silky, girly fabrics, but the most important point was that they were alone. Megan was distracted, shifting hangers and checking sizes, which allowed Jamie time to gather his wits and confidence.

"Ummm, Megan? Ummm, what do you think about ... about going out sometime this week? Like just you and me?"

Megan stopped browsing the cami sets to look at Jamie. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yeah. I guess I am."

Megan surprised Jamie with a hug. His nose nestled in her hair and the sweet scent of her shampoo and perfume overwhelmed his olfactory senses. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest and he detected lace across the top of her cups or maybe he imagined it. He put his free hand on her back to return the hug and felt the band of her bra beneath her dress. He also felt a stirring in his loins as his male member tried to grow but his control top pantyhose contained it.

"You're so sweet." Megan pulled back and then dived in to quickly kiss Jamie on the mouth.

When she pulled away, Jamie stared into Megan's eyes and then remembered he needed to breathe. Just like the kiss in the backseat after the barbecue, Megan had caught him off guard. He needed to initiate one of these kisses, but how did Megan know the right time to do it?

"I should ask you out more often," said Jamie.

"You should. Uh-oh."

"What?"

Megan dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue. "You've got some lipstick on you. Hold still." Megan wiped at his upper lip. "There. That's better. Don't want your mother to think we were snogging in the middle of the store."

"Snogging?"

"Making out. Your mother will think I'm some sort of slut."

"She would never think that."

"So when, where, and what?" said Megan.

"What?"

"Where are you taking me? When? And what are we doing?"

"Oh. Well. What do you want to do?"

Megan laughed. "You asked me. Surprise me."

"Ummm," Jamie's mind went blank. Other than ice cream, which suddenly seemed very lame compared to Megan's kiss, he had nothing.

"Since you're a rookie at asking girls on dates, I'll give you a break. Think about it and then get back to me. Give you an excuse to call me."

Jamie nodded. "I'll think of something."

"You better. Now, put out your hand." Megan hung a blue cami set on his hand and quickly followed it with a black set.

Megan was turned away from Jamie as she browsed the cami sets. Jamie's gaze traveled down Megan's back to where her hips flared out from her narrow waist and then came the soft curve of her bottom. Megan possessed a beautiful and sexy figure. He hadn't taken the time to appreciate it as he'd always focused on her legs and feet. Something about her curves drove a desire to stretch his arm around her waist. He recalled the pictures of ancient statues of goddesses that he had seen in art and history. Those goddesses had nothing on Megan.

Is this for real, or am I dreaming? Was he truly here with this gorgeous girl who was so far out of his league?

Megan turned to face him as she added a crimson cami set to the others hanging from his hand. Jamie's gaze stuck to the soft curves of Megan's breasts as he continued to admire her Greek-goddess figure.

"These sizes are all mixed up. Jamie, are you okay?"

"Oh, sorry. Spacing out for a minute. I guess." Jamie scolded himself. Stop being a dweeb.

"Right. Well let's go pay for these and see how much trouble your sister is in."

Megan led the way toward the cashier with Jamie following behind. The three cami sets hung from his hand, and he held them high so they wouldn't catch on the clothing racks they passed. He sneaked a few glances at Megan's swaying hips.

"Back so soon," said the same cashier who had waited on them not long before.

"Just couldn't stay away. Put them on the counter, Jamie. Now these ones are for me." Megan dug in her purse.

"Such pretty colors. I didn't know we had any black ones."

"Yeah, I found a couple buried in between the other colors. It pays to swing every hanger."

Jamie thought that sounded like something his mother would say. How many hours of his life had he wasted watching his mother sort through racks of clothes?

"You two are going to clean us out of sleepwear."

Megan laughed. "I was telling Jamie that I simply couldn't allow him to have more cami sets than me."

The cashier smirked at Jamie. He looked down, at his feet, at his Mary Janes.

"Snag the bag for me, Jamie." Megan pushed her wallet inside her purse as she walked away.

The cashier held out the bag to him. "Have a nice day," she snorted, accompanied with another smirk.

Jamie snatched the bag and hurried to catch up with Megan. As they stepped onto the main aisle to leave the store, Megan was a step ahead of Jamie.

"Here's your bag." Jamie held it out to her.

"Oh. I thought you were going to carry it."

"I don't think I can carry them all in one hand." Jamie was caught between wanting to do whatever Megan asked of him and wanting to hold her hand. Now he feared he had pissed her off.

Megan appeared confused.

"Never mind," said Jamie. "I'll carry them."

"Oh, I see. You want to hold my hand." Megan took her bag in one hand and Jamie's hand in the other. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"I can carry your bag if you'd rather."

"It's okay. You can have an opinion. You can even disagree with me. Some of the time."

Megan laughed and Jamie joined her, but he wasn't so sure about disagreeing with her. Megan seemed like a firefly that he had caught between his cupped hands. Its yellow light glowed where his palms met, so he knew it was there, but if he opened his hands to look closely, it would fly away.

~o~O~o~

Megan slid out of the Stewart’s car and stepped around to the trunk, which Mrs. Stewart popped from inside the car. Jamie followed her.

"I'll get it for you." Jamie reached in among the bags to pull out the one belonging to Megan.

Megan walked toward the front door, her sandals clicking on the sidewalk. Jamie trailed a half-step behind, carrying her bag.

"Thanks for coming," said Jamie. "It would have been a dull day without you."

"I don't think it would have been dull, but definitely not as much fun. I'm glad I could be there to help you out. You really will look great in your new clothes."

"I'll take your word for it." Jamie handed her the shopping bag as they stood facing each other.

Megan waited. She pursed her lips, hoping Jamie would take the hint. Initially she had found his shyness cute and sweet, but it was starting to grow old. What did she have to do to convince him to take some initiative? Did he think she would reject him?

Jamie leaned in to kiss her. It was not a passionate kiss. What could she expect with Jamie's family watching? But, she could feel some passion behind it. One of his hands rested on her hip. Progress at least.

"That was nice," said Megan.

"I'll get better," said Jamie. "Promise."

"I'm sure you will. We'll practice."

Jamie's face flushed. Megan laughed. It was so easy to make him blush.

"Good luck at work tomorrow and don't forget to call me about our date plans. I can't hold my calendar for you forever you know."

"Somebody else has asked you out?"

"No, silly. I'm just teasing. But call soon."

After their final goodbyes, Megan headed inside. She slipped off her wedge sandals and walked through the house in her stocking feet in search of her mother. The chatter of baseball announcers wafted from the family room along with the scent of nacho chips and cheese. Megan detoured into the family room where her father relaxed in a recliner with his plate of snacks in his lap.

"Hey, dad. How was the golf?"

"Megan. Not bad. Beat my handicap and won fifty bucks off Clark."

"Didn't mom tell you to stop gambling?"

"It's boring as hell otherwise. How was your shopping. Buy something fun?"

"Just some new jammies."

"Have a seat. I got plenty of chips. Might be some guacamole in the fridge."

"I need to talk to mom."

"Try the garden."

Megan walked to the back of the house and out onto the deck. The afternoon sun had warmed the red-stained planks. She felt the heat through her feet. Her mother was mulching and weeding flowers around the edge of the deck. Megan leaned over the rail.

"I'm back. Well before dinner."

"I see. I'm about done here. Did you have a nice time with ... with Jamie and his family?"

Was she about to say boyfriend? Megan decided not to push it. "We had a great time. His grandmother was very interested to meet me. We had fun shopping too. I bought a few more cami sleep sets."

"That's nice. Did Jamie buy a dress?"

"No! He bought some nicer shorts to wear to work."

"Gardening always encourages me to think, you know." Her mother looked up at Megan. "I'm sorry I've been so negative about Jamie. I'm certain he's very nice. Always seemed rather shy as far as I could tell, but maybe he's different when you get to know him."

"He's very sweet and he's not as shy as you think. In fact, he asked me out on a date."

"Really? What are you two doing?"

Megan laughed. "It was so cute. He didn't have any plans yet. He's going to call me later."

"Oh, dear. If you wrap that boy any more tightly around your finger, you're going to break him."

"I'm hoping some time with me will improve his confidence. It takes a lot of guts for him to wear pantyhose openly. You know he asked his mother to buy him some more today." Megan pressed her lips together to stopper the flow of words. She hadn't intended to tell her mother about that part.

"And did she?"

"Yes, I helped him pick out some patterned tights."

Megan's mother smirked. "I'm certain he'll enjoy those."

"Is Melissa still sick?"

"Yes, poor thing has been in bed all day. Will you go up and check on her? I need to wash up."

Megan snatched her shopping bag from the entry hall on her way upstairs. The talk with her mother had taken an unexpected turn. Maybe it was time for her parents to meet Jamie. Invite him to dinner next Sunday? Her mother was right about the poor boy being wrapped around her finger. She liked being in control, but sometimes she didn't. Her mind flashed to Josh. He made her gasp and her heart race when he touched her, or more like grabbed her. She felt a little frightened when she was around Josh but in a good way. Jamie just needed more confidence.

Megan found Melissa sitting on the edge of her bed with her feet propped on a chair. Her younger sister was painting her toenails robin egg blue. Melissa didn't look up from her task.

"Mom says you've been sick all day."

"So?"

"You're not fooling me."

"I wasn't trying to fool you."

"Should I report you're feeling better, dying, or about the same?"

"Hmm. Tell her I'm feeling better. Being sick is boring." She noticed the shopping bag at Megan's side. "Did you have fun shopping with sissy-hose Jamie?"

"Calling people names? You are so juvenile."

"I call 'em like I see 'em."

"I treat your friends with respect. I expect the same from you. In fact, I'm going to invite Jamie over to have dinner with us."

"No way. Mom will never agree."

"We'll see. And that shade of blue. It looks terrible on you." Megan turned before Melissa could stick out her tongue.

~o~O~o~

"How about tuna sandwiches?" said Jamie's mother. "There's tuna in the cupboard and some shredded cheese in the fridge. Think you two could whip those up? I don't feel like cooking anything."

"Sure, Mom." Julie and Jamie spoke in unison as they followed their mother into the house carrying their respective shopping bags.

The three of them removed their shoes inside the door. Jamie studied the Mary-Janes on the floor and had to admit they weren't so bad to wear. He really hadn't noticed them once he got busy talking with Megan. And no one else seemed to take note of them either. His mother reclined on the couch with her eyes closed as if she were about to fall asleep. "Let me know when the sandwiches are ready."

Jamie followed Julie up the stairs. He emptied the shopping bags on his bed. His attention moved first to the pantyhose and then the tights. Picking up a package, he imagined his legs as those of the model and then turned over the package to read the back. He wondered where he would wear the tights. Maybe on his date with Megan since she had picked them out. Thinking of Megan diverted his attention to the cami sets. His fingers slid across the slippery material. Why do girls get to wear all of this stuff, but boys don't? It didn't seem fair, but he was going to wear them. These were really his clothes. He was finding it hard to wrap his head around the idea. "One small step for man," he thought. "One--"

"Hey, are you going to help or sit around-- Wow, what a spread." Julie stepped into his room.

"I'm ready." Jamie stood up. "I might have to give some old clothes away to make room."

"Mom never bought me that many new clothes all at once. It's not even your birthday."

"You got some shoes."

"Not without some controversy. Come on. I'm hungry."

Jamie followed Julie down the stairs. She had removed her dress and replaced it with a loose-fitting top and shorts. She had left her pantyhose on. Did she usually do that? Was that in solidarity with him? He hadn't gotten around to thinking about changing his clothes.

His mother was asleep, curled up on her side. Jamie dawdled as he passed the couch. His mother's dress had ridden up exposing her legs in black nylon up to mid-thigh. The image reminded Jamie of how his mother had caught him wearing her pantyhose only a few weeks ago.

As he entered the kitchen, Julie tossed a yellow floral-patterned apron at him. She had already donned the plain gray one, the one he usually wore.

"You're wearing my apron."

"I got here first," said Julie. The tuna, cheese, and mayonnaise were already on the counter. "How about you mix up the tuna and I find something to go with it?"

"Aye, aye, captain."

"Did you talk to Megan about anything interesting?"

"I talked to her. I'm not a total doofus."

"And? Don't make me pry it out of you."

"I asked her out."

"Wonderful! I knew you could do it if I kicked your bum hard enough. So where are you taking her?"

"I don't know."

Julie bent over laughing. "You asked her out with no plans?"

"I was hoping you and mom could help me. It's not that funny."

"I'm sorry. It is that funny. We'll talk about it over dinner."

Jamie turned to fixing the tuna while Julie scoured the kitchen for something to complement the sandwiches. She failed to stifle small bouts of laughter.

"Mom. Mom." Jamie shook his mother's shoulder.

She stretched her arms and smiled at him. "That yellow apron is a good color for you."

"It's a bit too flowery."

"I suppose so, but a yellow blouse might look adorable on you."

Once they were seated, Julie wasted no time in spilling the news.

"Jamie has a date with his girlfriend."

"Oh really. Did you ask her today?"

Jamie knew there was no reason to feel embarrassed, but he still felt the warmth as his face flushed. "While we were in Willards and you were yelling at Julie about her shoes."

Julie kicked his leg but not enough that their mother would notice. "And he has no plans."

"I was hoping you and Julie could help me figure something out."

"And what to wear," said his mother.

Jamie hadn't given a thought to that topic, except for the tights.

"Well," said his mother. "Do you have any ideas or are you leaving it completely up to us?"

"Uhm... well...."

"You should do something at the mall," said Julie. "That way you have options. You can go to a movie, get something to eat, or just walk around and talk. Or all of them."

"That's a good suggestion. Kind of a one-stop solution." His mother turned to him. "What do you think, Jamie?"

"Won't the mall seem kind of lame?"

Julie laughed. "You're mostly looking for a chance to talk to her. Hang out with her. Save the limo-ride and five-star meal for prom."

"I think Julie's right. I'm not driving you around all night so pick one place. If you want to spend a long time with her, the mall is probably your best choice."

"And there will be festivals you can take her to this summer for something different."

"Okay. Should I let her pick the movie?"

"Or pick one when you get there. Make it a surprise for both of you."

"But don't drag her to some sci-fi or action film. I don't think Megan's that kind of girl," said his mother.

"Boys are always doing that," said Julie. "So stupid. Girls are not impressed."

"Now, what should you wear?" His mother tapped her lips. "How about those shorts with the gold buttons that Megan picked out for you? And a white blouse. Too bad we didn't pick any blue pantyhose to go with them. I'll pick up some for you at lunch tomorrow."

"Every time I turn my head Jamie is getting more clothes," said Julie.

"I'll get some for you too," said his mother. "Megan will be so pleased you're wearing the shorts she picked for you."

"Can't go wrong there," said Julie.

"Well, I guess we've figured everything out," said his mother. "What do you think?"

Jamie felt like his head was spinning. His mother and sister had made all the decisions for him. Where was the discussion? Maybe they were right about everything.

"Okay," Jamie said. "I guess I should call Megan."

"After you two clean up the kitchen and dishes. I'm going to relax with a book and try to forget about all the money we spent today."

~o~O~o~

Megan pulled up the shorts of her burgundy cami set over her beige pantyhose and then stretched out on the sheets of her bed. The cool, slippery feel of the material against her skin was so refreshing. She had changed her sheets just to make the experience more luxuriating. And then there was the new sensation of her nylons tugging across her legs as she moved them against the sheets. She had never slept in pantyhose before. The notion had never crossed her mind. She should have asked Jamie what it would feel like. It was so odd to imagine that a boy she knew had experienced something feminine before she had. However, the way Jamie (with a firm push from his mother and her, she had to grin at that) was busting through gender boundaries, maybe wearing pantyhose to bed or even wearing pantyhose shouldn't be considered exclusively feminine?

She rolled onto her stomach and moved her legs from side to side, relishing the subtle pull of the nylon. Snaking a hand beneath her breast, she caressed a nipple with the fabric of the cami. Her other hand found its way between her legs.

A phone chattered but she barely registered the sound through her closed door and activities.

"Megan! Megan! Telephone."

Her mother's shout shocked Megan out of her pleasurable dream. She sat up the edge of her bed feeling both annoyed and somewhat guilty. The faceless boy in her fantasy had resembled Josh a lot, lot more than it had resembled Jamie.

"Megan!"

"Coming!" Megan slipped on her yellow robe hanging on the back of the door and stepped out into the hallway. "I'll take it up here, mom."

There were two extensions upstairs: one in her parent's bedroom that she could never use and the one in the so-called library--a converted bedroom with no bed, two walls of bookcases, a small writing desk, and two stuffed chairs. She picked up the phone in the library. Taking the call upstairs avoided worry about her sister listening in.

"Got it, mom." The clatter of her mother hanging up followed. "Hello?" She had a strong suspicion the caller was Jamie. His mother and sister had doubtlessly helped him work out the details of their date.

"Hey, Megan. It's Josh. Were you asleep or something?"

Megan's breath caught in her throat. Not Jamie. Had she summoned Josh like some incubus?

"Megan? You there?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. A ditzy moment there, I guess." Megan giggled. "I was surprised it was you."

"Who were you expecting? My rival?"

"I was expecting one of my friends."

"Uh-huh. Well, some of the guys are organizing a party for Saturday at the reservoir. I thought of you."

She suspected he was thinking of her in a bikini.

"Well, ummm, Saturday? I'm already committed to something with a friend this week, and I don't know what day it will be."

"Tell your friend Saturday is out. I got there first."

"That wouldn't be very nice."

"All's fair."

"Maybe I can call you back and let you know?"

"You're missing out on fun in the sun. The water. The beach. There'll be plenty of food. Beach volleyball."

"Thanks for the offer but I can't say one way or the other yet."

"Bring your friend along too. I don't care."

Megan stifled a laugh as she imagined Jamie hanging out with Josh and all his jock friends. The poor boy would be mortified.

"I don't think my friend would enjoy that. Not much of an outdoorsy person."

"Who is this friend anyway? Sounds kind of lame."

"It's not someone you know."

"Whatever. Tell you what. I'll call you back Tuesday night. If your friend hasn't made plans by then, you're coming with me on Saturday. Deal? Sounds fair to me."

"Okay. I'll talk to you Tuesday." Megan was relieved to finally find a way out of the conversation, or did she?

"Tell your friend Josh said hi."

After their goodbyes, Megan absently dropped the handset into its cradle. What had happened? Did she just agree to a date with Josh for Saturday? He wouldn't take no for an answer. Did she want to go on Saturday? A day at the beach did sound fun. Maybe some of her friends were already planning to go or would be soon.

Megan headed back to her bedroom in a daze. Her nylon-clad legs swished as she walked.

~o~O~o~

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Jamie slipped on a pair of Sheer Energy suntan sheer-to-waist pantyhose. After pulling them up and adjusting the waistband, he sat back down and rubbed his legs together. He enjoyed the swishing sound of nylon against nylon as he admired his clean-shaven legs in nylon. He had been wearing pantyhose for so long now that he found his legs looked and felt strange whenever he wasn't wearing hose.

Taking a deep breath, he turned toward the pile of purplish material and readied himself to cross a new frontier. If not for Megan promising to wear the same outfit to bed tonight, he would have chickened out and donned his usual sleep shirt. His mother would start pressuring him after a few days if he didn't wear them on his own.

He fumbled with the top to find the tag at the back. The material was so silky and light, almost insubstantial. The cami settled down over his torso on its own, sliding over his skin like mercury over glass. The straps were thinner than any top he had ever worn. His shoulders twitched as the fabric tickled. He stepped into the tap pants and settled them over his hips. The bottom of the cami barely reached the top of the shorts. The panty of his pantyhose extended a hands width above his bellybutton so when he moved around or stretched, the cami would ride up to expose the pantyhose panty.

He took a few steps around his room. Women had been keeping secrets from men. These were the most comfortable pajamas he had ever worn. So lightweight that he felt like he was wearing nothing. His upper body was wrapped in cool slippery silkiness.

So much did he want to see Megan in this outfit. Did women even appreciate how wonderful this material felt? Megan probably wouldn't wear a bra with it. The idea sent his body to stirring and straining against the gusset of his pantyhose. If only he and Megan could have a sleepover. We'll keep our pantyhose on. He rubbed his hands over the material, wondering if anyone made sheets out of his stuff.

A knock at the door shattered his wild reveries.

"You decent?" The voice belonged to Julie.

In something so skimpy he wasn't certain how to answer, but if one considered the pantyhose, he was covered from chest to toes.

“Yes, you can come in.”

Julie closed the door as she entered, which was unusual and cued Jamie in that something was up. Julie hadn't changed out of her clothes from dinner.

"Wow. Aren't you all sexy and ready for bed?"

"Ha ha. It is super comfortable though. I'm surprised."

"Really?" Julie perched on the end of his bed. Jamie sat beside her.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well. You know, if you were the old Jamie, the pre-pantyhose Jamie, I would never have considered confiding in you. But you're different now. I feel like we've grown closer. A bit more like sisters, maybe? Do you feel it?"

"Uh. You think I'm becoming a girl?"

"No, silly. It's like we're closer. Like sisters are."

"Megan has a sister and they're not very close at all. The opposite. How would you know anyway? You don't have a sister."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I guess you're just becoming more mature."

"That's inevitable."

Julie laughed. "It's not. It's so far from inevitable. Quite the opposite. Trust me. Anyway, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell mom? Not until I'm ready?"

Their mother strove to foster an environment of open communication with her children. Jamie knew part of his mother's disappointment with the initial pantyhose incident had been that Jamie was keeping secrets from her. Wild thoughts ran through Jamie's mind: Julie got a tattoo; Julie had been arrested; Julie was on drugs; Julie was pregnant. He didn't want to know any of these things.

"Well, can I trust you?"

"Sure, but why don't you just tell mom?"

"I'm not ready. And I need to talk to somebody about this besides Sam. And I might need your help."

Jamie cringed. Keeping secrets plus aiding and abetting. This was going down the tubes fast. His curiosity was ramping up as well.

"Okay," he said slowly. "But I don't want to end up grounded for ... years."

"You won't. I promise. If anything hits the fan, it's going to be all over me."

He nodded.

"So, you know the shoe store Sam and I went to today?"

Jamie nodded. Visions of the pair shoplifting shoes filled his mind.

"There's this guy that works there. Aaron. He's really cool. And he likes me. We've been taking lunches together several times a week."

"Wait. This is about some guy you like?"

"If you want to put it that way but I don't just like him. We've got real potential for a relationship. The problem is: he's older. He's finished two years of college."

"You can't go out with someone that old. Mom won't let you."

"That's just it. And keep your voice down. He's a great guy. But I know mom won't give him a chance. I have to figure out a way for mom to meet him and see how wonderful he is before she knows about us."

"Take her to buy some shoes."

"It needs to be a social setting. Like a party or dinner."

Jamie shrugged.

"Problem is he asked me to go with him to a party on Saturday afternoon. I may need you to help cover with mom."

"Where's the party?"

"The less you know, the less you have to lie."

"And I thought my life was complicated."

"I can trust you, right? You won't tell mom and you'll help?"

Jamie nodded. A tattoo would have been easier.

"That cami looks good on you. I think purple's your color."

"You have to be extra super nice to me from now on."

"I've always got your back. Didn't I help with your date? Now you can help with mine."

The mention of his date with Megan got him thinking. "Should I have called Megan tonight?"

"Well, you did kind of wuss out, but there are positives to making her wait. Suspense builds anticipation." She squeezed his knee. "She'll be excited to hear from you tomorrow. Just don’t put it off any longer." She rose and headed for the door then stopped with her hand on the knob. "Goodnight, sis."

Jamie lunged for a pillow at the other end of his bed. His cami pulled up above his bellybutton, exposing much of the panty of his pantyhose. His throw came too late. The pillow thumped against a closing door.