Innocent Milf Ch. 20

Chapter 20

My Dad got to the door before I could when Cary rang the bell. I could hear him talking as I approached. "Well, just so you know. If you and your kids ever need a place to hunker down, you can always come here," he was finishing.

Cary was dumbstruck. After a moment, she smiled timidly. "That's incredibly generous of you Mr. Baker. I really appreciate it."

"Ah. Here's His Royal Highness now," Dad joked as I came up behind him. "And please, call me Neil. Well, you kids have fun." So saying, he sauntered upstairs.

Cary followed me to my room, making light, normal conversation. I had already moved my Genesis in there so that we could run video game music while we talked. And maybe even actually play some games if we felt like it. Mostly, I just wanted a chance to sit and hold her hand and be close to her. As soon as the door closed, Cary fell into my arms, and we stood for several moments just embracing.

"How are you, mon amour?" I asked

Cary squirmed. "Oooh, French. I could get used to that." She turned and leaned her back into me, pulling my arms around her middle. "I feel like I've been walking on clouds all day. It doesn't seem real. I've never been this happy."

I turned her head towards me and kissed her. She twisted in place to face me and pressed herself against my chest, kissing back. Then, as if remembering something suddenly, she drew back. "Did you talk to Liss and Sascha?" she asked.

I nodded, then chuckled, sliding the on-switch for the Sega up. As the blue logo spun onto the screen, I sat down. "Sascha was ready to tear me a new asshole because she's friends with Carla, and had already heard that I showed up with 'a hot college chick.' You should know that she was fiercely indignant on your behalf because she thought I was leading you on and then fooling around with some foxy mystery girl."

Cary blushed. "You're making that up."

I raised my hand. "Cross my heart, hope to die," I swore. "She told me that if I broke your heart, she'd never hang out with me again. She's definitely in our corner." And a good thing, too, I thought to myself. "In fact, she said she'd go cast some spells for us. I mean, I don't actually believe that sort of stuff works, but it's nice to know that she'd do that."

Cary smiled. "Liss?"

"A harder sell." I switched Streets of Rage II to sound test mode so that music could play continuously while we talked. "She's worried about how Eric will try to hurt you. Or me, actually. She said she won't cover for us, but she won't tell my parents until we give the go-ahead."

"Hmmmm." Cary sat on my bed and leaned back. "I sort of expected that. She's pretty protective. And she's right to think that Eric is a jerk. Apparently my landlord Rio thinks he saw Eric's car waiting in the parking lot for an hour or so around 11pm. I'm thinking I'll need to ask for a restraining order if he keeps this up." She sighed. "I talked to my friends, too."

"Tell me about it," I said.

"I will. But did you hear what your dad said?" Cary's face was alight with wonder.

"Yeah, I did. Dad may be a little odd sometimes, but he really does mean well. They knew Eric showed up after they left, and were concerned for you." I found myself thinking of my parents more as individuals recently than as a familiar parental presence. Maybe hanging out with Cary had made me look at people older than me less as background characters and more the heroes of their own stories. After all, the gap between my parents and Cary's ages were nearly the same as between myself and her. They probably thought of her as sort of like a kid sister.

"Okay, so--my friends." Cary took a breath.

=====

"When I went home, I couldn't sleep. I was too excited--and I felt somehow that if I went to sleep, it would break the spell of our night together. But eventually I knew I needed to get some rest and tell my friends. So after I put my dress and the rest of my clothes away, I called Sami. I knew she would want to hear first, and I was sort of dreading telling Lori anyway.

Sami came over--it was her ex-husband's weekend with her kids, so she had time. You might not remember, but Patrick and her little daughter Melanie are in the same grade. She actually saw Jack when he came to do that pioneer presentation that led to me first meeting you. Oh, look at you smile!

Anyway, Sami came over. She took one look at my big grin, and guessed immediately. I told you last night that she had been taking me to bars since Eric and I separated, and suggested that I just sleep with you. What I didn't tell you is that part of the reason she's been so worried about me not... not "getting any" as she puts it, is that she takes home a different guy from a different bar every time she goes. So, I'm not used to her being jealous of me.

But when I told her about how you faced down Eric and chased him away--about how you made me your plus one and took me to that fancy, magical, excitingly naughty party, about how you gave up a free car for my sake... well, let's just say she spent more time calling me a "lucky bitch" than not. Anyway, she was thrilled for us. I'm not sure she understood that I intend for this to be more than a fling. She mostly concentrated on how fun it is to sleep with somebody younger who has so much energy.

Ha! You should see your face. But it's true. No need to be embarrassed.

Anyway, she wanted all sorts of details. Don't worry, I kept it R-rated, if not PG-13. I told her about the games at Ty's party, and the relative anonymity, and the fact that you had given me a pseudonym to protect my reputation. She was really impressed by your forethought, by the way. And of course, I told her I won the vacation to Mexico.

Oh, she wanted to know all about the night afterwards, too. I told her that you were everything I hoped for and more, and that you really knew how to treat a girl right. Ah, there's that smile again. But I didn't give her any details except to say that we didn't get a great deal of sleep, and that I was a little sore--but in a good way. And that yes, you... ahem, "got me there" more than once.

Well, she said she was happy for us and that she'd keep a lid on things until the divorce goes through. And then she announced that she was going home to her wine and her vibrator. She always knows what to say to make me blush, even after I've just described a night with you. Maybe especially after that.

After that, I took a nap. Samantha was next, although I almost needn't have bothered. Sami had called her while I was asleep and told her nearly everything. She wanted to know what I wore, which Sami and I hadn't discussed. And she told me in no uncertain terms that when I get back from vacation, the three of us are going to lunch: you, me, and her. No, I don't know for sure what she has planned, but I wouldn't be worried.

The next call I had planned worried me a little more--I decided I should probably call and talk to Lana--Sascha's mother. Lana's a bit older than me--more your parents' age. She and I met when she bought one of my earlier paintings for her house. As far as I know, it's still up there. Which one? I think it was the one of somebody's hand trying to push a book into a VCR slot.

Anyway, I didn't tell her as much--just that I had a new boyfriend and that he was younger than me. And that I was very happy. I didn't think it would do to tell her right away that you were also Sascha's friend.

Lori? Yeah... she was a little more hard-nosed about it. She told me that she wasn't surprised--that I had been sending out signals since the first time she met you at your bluegrass gig at the restaurant. And she said that I was acting like a silly lovesick schoolgirl--which I don't disagree with, because that's how you make me feel. But that's not the whole picture. You really have no idea how remarkable it was that she gave you the time of day and thinks reasonably well of you.

Anyway, she said I was acting foolish, and that I should really give myself time to get used to being single and self-reliant again before jumping head-first into another relationship--especially one with a younger man. Hey, don't look so stricken! I'm just letting you know what she said. I finally got her agreement not to spread it around the gallery or anything until I get paperwork signed.

It wasn't exactly support, but it wasn't as much pushback as I expected, either.

Also, I got a call from the travel agency, and worked out an addition to the package for taking my kids! We'll be leaving next week. I bet Eric will be furious, imagining me having all sorts of fun somewhere that he can't stalk me. Of course, that means that you and I have to make up for the time we won't have together, too."

=====

I sat back. While Cary had talked, I had switched tracks a few times on the game to keep up the sounds. After a moment, I stood and stretched. "Are you good for a walk?" I asked. "I feel like we've been cooped up down here long enough."

Cary raised an eyebrow, but levered herself up. "Sure! Where did you have in mind?"

It was late spring, so the stars were just beginning to glimmer in the dusk sky as I pulled my crappy old hatchback into the parking lot at Breakenridge Park. Several other cars were still parked, but I didn't mind. Cary hopped out of the car with the enthusiasm of a kid at Christmas, and immediately glued herself to my side.

We had hiked perhaps hundreds of miles collectively on various trails throughout the area in our nine months of friendship, but this time, everything felt new. My arm was around Cary's waist, and she had her hand in my back pocket, lightly squeezing my butt as we walked. It took us a moment of laughing to try to sort out a gait that didn't have us stumbling over each other as we walked. However, once we found a good pace and rhythm, it felt completely natural.

The stars seemed brighter, and the smell of the slowly-greening rocky landscape more pleasant. I was enchanted by the slow, smooth swing of Cary's hips under my arm as we walked and talked. Having seen her naked did nothing to make her seem less magical or beautiful in my eyes--if anything, knowing what was underneath made me want her even more. Occasionally, we would stop for a slow, tender kiss.

"We should go practice shooting my new Kentucky rifle before the Rendezvous," I murmured. Then something occurred to me. "Oh, hey! You never told me what my graduation present was. If it was you in that dress, it was the best present ever." I considered my statement. "Except for what came after. That was even better."

Cary giggled into my chest and started walking again, this time grabbing my hand and swinging it back and forth as we strode into the gloom. "Nope. You'll get it soon enough. It's a surprise." She thought. "You might have to wait until after I get back from Mexico, though."

As we passed through a stand of close-clustered scrub oak on a dusty strip of gravelly trail, I leaned towards her. "So. When we were helping to unpack, we found a series of books that started with Clan of the Cave Bear. What's it about?"

She turned towards me with a quizzical look, and then saw my facial expression. "You! I think you have some idea of what it's about, Mister."

I chuckled. "Sami and Samantha sort of hinted. Is it good? Should I read it?"

Cary shrugged. "Maybe. Why would you read it?"

"I like history. Stone Age history isn't my strong suit, but I'm sure it would be interesting. And if it's important to you, then I'd like to read it." I gripped her hand tighter. "Somebody's favorite books and movies are like a window into their mind. It tells you something about them."

"And...?"

"And I realized that I want to know every single thing about you." I brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "And not in a creepy way. Just... I love you. There are so many mysteries about Cary Bernham that I want to explore."

"Okay, shoot," she said with a smile. "Five things. Nothing's off-limits... hmmm, except for some of the stuff from Truth or Dare last night. I don't think I'm ready to delve into those. If something is too sensitive for right now, I might pass."

That meant no asking about her foursome or possible porn movie. Somehow, those had filtered out of my brain until her mention just now, and I found myself curious all over again. Instead, I pretended to think hard. "All right. Who was your first boyfriend?"

By the tone of Cary's voice, I could tell she was rolling her eyes. "Douglas Dunbury, ninth grade. I don't even know if he really counts, but we held hands and went to the school dance together. We were both so embarrassed that we could hardly look at each other. We never even kissed, which was fine since I probably thought that's how babies were made back when I was fourteen. Now you--who was your first girlfriend?"

I lifted Cary by the waist over a clump of spiny tumbleweed choking the trail, and then hopped over it myself. "Also a 'D' name. Danella Estevez. No relation to the actor. Pretty similar story, actually. Eighth grade, and we had no idea what to do with each other. I kissed her on the cheek, and she started crying. I found out later that she only agreed to go the dance with me on a dare. Next question: have you done any other dancing besides belly-dancing in college?"

Cary thought about it. "I mean, I love to dance, and I can pick it up pretty quickly. But the only formal classes I took were those Middle Eastern Dance classes during my junior year in college. That was a pretty wild time. Why, do you like it?"

I nodded--probably too enthusiastically, since she started laughing. "Are you kidding? You were amazing last night." I almost brought up how well she danced at her birthday party, but thought better of it. "I'd love to see you dance more. You know, if you felt like it."

"Hmmmm. I'll consider it. Second question for you: what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?"

"Sausage gravy on buttermilk biscuits with a side of bacon," I said without the slightest hesitation. "It's one of the only things I can reliably cook without destroying it. I'll make it for you sometime if you like. I can even make it over a campfire, if you want to try some at the Rendezvous."

Cary laughed. "Well, that was sort of backwards from what I meant--I was going to make some for you the next time we spend the night together." The absolute certainty in her statement about spending the night together immediately awoke a boner that had been idling for some time.

Since we were out in the middle of a regional park at night, I figured I'd better cool it, and wait until later. Instead, I asked, "Number three: You've met my parents. Do I get to meet yours sometime?"

Cary was quiet for a moment. "Pass," she said. "We'll come back to that another day. But you can meet my stepmother anytime. She's in town, and she looks after the kids from time to time. They love her. Her name is Jennifer, but Patrick couldn't say her name when we was little, so he calls her 'Nanna Nenny,' and Annie picked up on it as well." She gave me a mischievous look. "All right, you: what is your favorite position?"

I stuttered once I realized what she meant. "Uh... I'm not--"

Cary squeezed my butt through my back pocket. "Listen here, this is important stuff. Don't hold out on me. Do you not have a favorite? Why so shy, suddenly? You're the cool, experienced one--I'm the shy, naïve one, remember?"

"Really?" I asked. "Wait, how can that be true?"

Cary stopped and looked at me. "Are you asking me how many people I've slept with? Is that your fourth question?"

I shook my head. "You know what? No. I don't care. It doesn't matter. You're my Cary, and that's all I care about. As long as we make each other happy, who gives a shit?" I thought about her original question. "I don't know if it has a name, but I liked when I was in the chair and you were facing me and riding me."

I could see Cary blush, even in the semi-dark. It was adorable, and I pulled her close. "Two," she said quietly. I frowned, but then my eyebrows shot up. She looked me in the eyes and nodded. "Two. I've only ever truly had sex with two men in my life before last night with you."

"Three," I said. "Three before last night with you. So how about that. I guess I am the worldly, experienced one in comparison!" I didn't ask how what she said could possibly be true if she had had a foursome on her honeymoon. "If you still have that Kama Sutra, maybe you can look up what that position is called. My turn for my real question number four: what made you decide to be an artist?"

Cary lit up, and spent the next half hour as we made a slow circle back towards the parking lot telling me about how she had always loved to sculpt and draw pictures, and that she had been given a set of watercolors for her tenth birthday. I heard about her favorite art teacher in Junior High encouraging her, and how she had won a local art contest in high school, before deciding to go to college in California for art. We had almost gotten back to the car when she realized how long she had been talking.

"That's what you get for asking about art," she laughed. "Okay, your turn to talk. What made you pick mandolin? I get that it's sort of old-fashioned and matches up with pioneer era stuff, but why not banjo or guitar or some other instrument from back then?"

"Oh, man. Now you've done it," I smirked. "If you thought your half-hour epic about painting was long, wait until you hear about this." Cary feigned a look of horror, and I waved my hands. "No, not really. The short version is that when we lived in Wisconsin, we went to some sort of hokey event put on by a group of folks kitted out as knights and princesses, and I saw somebody dressed as a jester playing what looked like a pear-shaped guitar."

Cary lifted an eyebrow. "Huh. I didn't know that people did that."

"Now that I think of it, it's probably not too different from our Mountain Man events." It had been a long time since I had thought of that occasion. "I guess it just seems sort of silly to me since all the history from back then happened across the ocean instead of right here. Anyway, the pear-shaped guitar was something called a 'lute.' I wanted to learn to play one, and it kept showing up in cartoons like Disney's Robin Hood. But nobody sold one. In fact, every music store clerk looked at my dad like he was nuts when we went looking."

"So you never found one?" Cary asked.

"Nah. But when we moved out here, I was so lonely from having left all of my elementary school friends behind that they decided to try to track one down for my birthday." I smiled in recollection. "My birthday is right near the beginning of the school year, so I hadn't met Jack yet--that wasn't until he switched classes in January. Dad went to a little music store downtown--I think it's shut down now. But for the first time, the guy didn't think he was crazy. He just explained that lutes were super expensive if you wanted to order one from Europe, and otherwise he'd have to order a kit. But then he showed Dad a traditional arch-back mandolin and told him that I wouldn't know the difference."

Cary laughed. "Did you?"

"I looked up the words from the manual it came with," I said. "So, yeah. But instead of feeling cheated, I felt like I had stumbled onto a whole new world. Because I'd only heard a little bluegrass before. But once I learned that mandolins were used in bluegrass, I had new vistas to explore."

"So the mandolin came first, and bluegrass second." Cary tilted her head. "I wouldn't have expected that."

I opened the door for her, and she climbed into my car. I had been intending to ask her when she lost her virginity, but given that she'd only slept with two people before me, I didn't want to open a can of worms about her marriage. "Turn about's fair play: what's your favorite position?"

I couldn't believe after everything that Cary could still look bashful about stuff like this. But she knotted her hands together and wouldn't meet my gaze. "That's... um." She colored.

"Listen here," I parroted. "This is important stuff."

Cary giggled and buried her face in her hands. "I figured it wouldn't embarrass you." She took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. "Okay. No secrets between us. It's just that for a long time, I thought women were only supposed to lie on their backs and just let the man... you know. Do his thing. I thought other--other positions were for porn stars and women of the night."

I almost lost it laughing at 'women of the night.' But I nodded sympathetically. I was getting the idea that her upbringing had either been painfully strict, or just incredibly sheltered.

"And occasionally Eric would--" she shook her head, unable to finish. "It doesn't matter. Nearly everything he did made me feel dirty. So I didn't think women were supposed to have favorites until I started talking with Sami and Samantha. And by then, I had no interest in experimenting with Eric. That ship had sailed."

"So... no favorite?" I asked. "We'll have to change that."

Cary flapped her hands in a self-conscious gesture. "I didn't say that. I'm just building up to it, because I'm afraid you'll think I'm weird."

"Weird? No way. No matter what you say, it'll be hot," I promised.

She took a deep breath. "When... when you held down my arms and I wrapped my legs around you. That--that was good. That was really good. I mean, everything else was great, too. But that drove me wild."

I raised an eyebrow. So Cary had a bit of a submissive streak. I wondered if there was any connection to her sexy caveman books. The glimmer of an idea began to form in my mind, and I saved it for later. To spare her some of the discomfort, I encouraged her. "Okay, your last question. Feel free to embarrass me as much as you like to even the score."

She took a couple of deep breaths as if to steady herself, and then fixed me with a gaze that had my erection returning with a vengeance. "Last question..." she mused. "Okay. My last question, now that you've got me all heated up, is: would you make love to me in the back of your car? I've never done it in the back of a car before."

It took me all of half a second to zip us to the most secluded corner of the parking lot where the lights didn't reach and a pair of pine trees shadowed the area even in the daytime. Once I killed my headlights, we were virtually invisible. As long as nobody else tried to come park in this space.

I scrambled to the back seat over the console, and Cary, giggling, followed me. It took us very little time to discover a challenge--my little two-door car had a backseat best described as "claustrophobic," and could barely accommodate us sitting side by side. We sure wouldn't be able to lie down lengthwise, and at least one of us would be squashed uncomfortably if we tried to bend our legs to fit.

"Here," Cary said, smiling. "Sit in the middle and look out between the front seats."

I scooted over, and Cary struggled and finally swung her leg over to straddle me. Even with her legs bent, however, she had to lean really far forward to sit on my lap without banging her head on the ceiling of my tiny car. "Turn around," I said, "face the front and sit on my lap. I bet if I keep my legs straight and you put them either side..."

She was already moving and figuring it out. Sitting on my lap so that we were both facing forward, she had enough room to put her legs on either side and still rock back and forth experimentally, causing my erection to chafe against the inside of my boxers. "I think this will work," she said. It took us another couple of breathless, laughing moments to get our shorts pulled down sufficiently. Cary had to kick off a shoe and pull her short denim cutoffs down to dangle from one knee, along with her panties.

I reached forward to touch her between her legs, but she grabbed my wrists gently. "No, wait. We've been outside and touching a lot of stuff out here. I'll get a yeast infection."

Completely flummoxed, I frowned. "I... what?"

"I'll explain later. It's gross. Just... touch me other places." She guided my fingers down her thighs and back up her abdomen to her breasts underneath the light T shirt she wore. I lifted up the back of her shirt and unsnapped her bra with one hand, and pulled it partly down the front with my other.

"Hey," she giggled, wiggling her bottom back and forth. "That's going to be tricky to put back on here in the car!"

"That's a problem for later," I chuckled. I was having problems of my own, trying to get a condom out of my wallet and into place at such an awkward angle. "Now come here." I pulled her back and positioned her as best I could right over my wobbling, erect dick. She relaxed her legs and settled down onto it with a low moan of pleasure. I found that I had to lean back just a little bit to keep at the right angle. Luckily, I was hard enough that I wasn't in any danger of slipping out unless she really started bouncing up and down.

Cary started bouncing slowly, and I guided her hips into a rocking motion. She caught on quickly and started doing that instead, her breath coming in long, slow exhalations as if she were pacing herself. I sat up just a little and nipped the back of her neck and then her ear with my teeth. She yelped and then giggled. "Oh! Look what you've found!" I let my hands run up and down her sides, down her smooth, shapely legs, and up to cup her breasts lightly. Then I kept them moving up until I was ruffling her hair from both sides, and giving her upper shoulders a light massage in time with her rocking back and forth.

"I don't know what to do with my hands," Cary laughed. "I want to touch you, but without reaching behind and tweaking my arms, I can only reach your knees."

I flicked out my tongue and ran it up her back, making her shiver and moan. Her lower folds twitched as I did so, and I felt myself responding. After a moment, I could see goosebumps on her skin. "Ooooh, that's not fair," she said.

"I can reach everything I need to," I said smugly. "You just have a nice ride." A thought occurred to me. "And show me where I'm missing something. You know, move your hands where you think mine should be." As I said that, I started slowly pumping in time with her rocking back and forth. Her breathing immediately quickened.

Cary took my hands and placed them firmly on her breasts. Then she leaned backwards so that our cheeks were nearly together. I gently tweaked her nipples, smiling as she made a happy noise. She leaned back just a little more, and I pushed my head forward to kiss her cheek--the only part I could reach. As I did so, I felt the head of my penis inside slip slightly up and backwards, and touch something spongey.

She immediately stiffened with a little shriek, and then ground her bottom downwards. "Holy God," she moaned. "Don't move. Don't you move an inch."

I couldn't tell at first if something very good or very bad had happened. It only took a moment of her rapidly accelerating breathing and her drawn out lust-filled whines to realize that it was the first. She made tiny little bounces up and down, always keeping the tip of my dick against the same spot inside of her. I ran my hands up and down, and squeezed her breasts firmly but not hard.

"Good?" I asked. I really just wanted to hear her say it.

"S-soooo good," she stuttered. "Just hold on f-for a little bit longer."

Incongruously, I suddenly remembered that I had a sunroof in this car, and wished I had at least pulled back the inside cover so that we could see the sky. I made a note that if we ever did this again, that would be first on the list. I didn't have long to think; Cary soon started pushing herself back into me with increasing urgency, and guiding my hands all over her body. I took her cue and stroked her all over. One of her hands reached back and knotted in my hair. The other she put on her belly and held firmly in place.

I nibbled at her neck again, and kissed. I could feel her quivering reaching a fever pitch, and she gasped out loud. "Matt! Matt, I'm close!" She pressed her back into me. "I love you!"

"I love you too," I said. "Mon amour. My Cary."

The spasms came in waves, and Cary made her almost-silent hiccupping orgasm sound that I had heard last night as well. Or had it been this morning? It didn't matter to me, because feeling and hearing her orgasm on top of me sent me over the edge, too. The warm gush of everything washed over me, and I sank back into the seat of my car. Belatedly, I realized that I should have put a towel or something down. After that came the thought that I didn't have a towel in my car, anyway.

Cary huffed a couple more deep breaths, and slowly pulled herself off of me. I could see the wetness glistening on her and the shaft of my condom in the weak light as she did so. After a moment, she rolled over to the side and sat squashed onto the passenger's side seat beside me. I shuffled to the side, trying to make room.

"You... you are amazing," Cary beamed.

I shook my head. "I could say the same for you. How can you be so reserved about things like that and so... so good at them?"

Cary giggled girlishly--the same giggle that had made my heart skip a beat on the day we first met. "An artist is only as good as her tools. And you're pretty fantastic to work with, mister." She nuzzled against me. "You make me want to try everything I've ever been too shy to do. And believe me, you have no idea what a big change that is for me."

Privately I thought that I benefited by comparison to her past experiences. Listening to the way she had practiced speaking to fake-Eric for about her imaginary affairs had given me the impression that he was a pretty selfish asshole in bed as well as out. But there was no way in hell I was going to bring him up and ruin a perfectly good night. For the moment, I was quite content to let Cary think I was some sort of sexual wizard by contrast.

I sighed deeply and pulled her against me as the night air cooled us. The windows had fogged up along the bases. "The rest of this summer is going to be awesome. And you're going to have so much fun in Mexico!"

As we contorted ourselves into pretzels, Cary smirked. "Well, now I wish I'd gotten a minivan instead of a four-door," she joked.

A surprised laugh rose out of my chest--loudly enough that if anybody else was in the parking lot, they definitely heard it. Cary managed to find her shoe and toss it up front while I pulled my cargo shorts back up. We couldn't stop looking at each other and smiling as I drove us back. I risked a quick kiss in the car before we opened the doors, fairly certain that we couldn't been seen.

"I'll call you tomorrow!" Cary promised as she jumped into her car to leave.

I stood and stretched, thinking over our conversations. We never had gotten around to deciding how to tell Jack. Since Cary was going to be leaving for her vacation soon, maybe something would occur to me over the week that she was gone. Jack and I were certain to hang out at least a couple of times then.

The air smelled good, and I looked up at the stars as I breathed in deep. As I did so, a thought occurred to me.

It would take some work, but I was going to give Cary a great surprise this summer.