thousand,” he says.
“Ooo,” I pretend to be impressed. “Yeah, so six-thirty, and remember it’s a luau.”
“What does that mean? For guys, I mean.”
“Grass skirt, nothing else, of course.”
Jason laughs. “Didn’t know you’d go there, H.D.”
“I don’t make the rules.” I shrug.
“OK, so grass skirt for the guys. What does that mean for the girls?”
“Oh, lots of things,” I sniff, pushing my hair back. “Wrap skirts, blouses, halter tops, leis…”
“That doesn’t seem fair.” He grins like always as he watches me, and I have to confess, I kind of like it.
“Again, you’ll have to take it up with the Hawaiians,” I say, turning off to class.
Mom braids my hair for the luau, this time with two braids on each side just at the top, and I fluff out the rest, very Vogue . She’s finishing up when I hear the doorbell and see Dad walking over to greet my… I guess this is a real date. But the only one. Dad opens the door, and I yelp. Jason’s standing there in what looks like only a grass skirt. Another half-dressed male!
“Uh…” Dad seems confused. “You must be…”
“Jason, sir,” he grins, walking into the room. I’m afraid to look, but at the same time, I can’t turn away. Jason’s standing there shirtless in a long grass skirt with a lei around his head. He actually looks kind of hot.
“That’s some get-up,” Dad says. “Anything under there?”
“Yes sir,” Jason moves the grass to reveal khaki shorts. I didn’t see them in the darkness of the porch. “I have this, too.”
He pulls out a Hawaiian shirt and slips it over his bare chest. I feel myself start to breathe again. It’s not such a bad-looking chest he’s covering up, actually. Strictly as an observation, of course.
“That was for H… Harley,” he finishes, his eyes twinkling at me.
“What does that mean?” Mom’s eyes are not twinkling. She’s not smiling either as she approaches my fake boyfriend.
“Oh… Mrs. Andrews?” Jason looks startled, but he recovers quickly and sticks out his hand. “Jason James.”
“Jason,” Mom shakes his hand, then unceremoniously drops it. “Now why would you show up half-dressed for Harley?”
“Umm…” Jason looks confused, so I jump in between them.
“It’s my fault, Mom. I told Jason the guys had to dress like that. I thought he knew I was kidding.”
“I figured you were,” he says. “It was a joke.”
Mom doesn’t relax, and I decide against pointing out the whole double-standard going on here. I’d been understanding about her ridiculous skin-cancer on the butt thing.
“Well, you’re not to be out late,” she says.
Dad puts his hand on her shoulder. “It’s good to have a sense of humor,” he says.
But Mom’s still in hyper-protective mode. “Drive carefully.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I say. “Jason’s been very ten and two, eyes on the road all week.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” she says.
“Home by eleven, kids.” Dad smiles and slides his arm around my mom.
“Yes, sir,” Jason says.
I follow him out to his stupid Gremlin.
“What next, Jason? Jeez.” I fluff my hair again. It’s already getting flat. “Did you really not want to go to the luau after all?”
“Damn, Harley, your mom’s a total babe!” he finally says. “You could’ve warned me.”
“What?” He is so unexpected.
“And your dad had on a priest collar.” He stops and opens my door. “What’s that all about?”
“He’s the pastor at First Prez,” I say, getting in the Gremlin. “You didn’t know that?”
“Nuh uh.” Jason closes my door and jogs around. “I didn’t know what to say when your mom walked over. I was thinking she looked just like…”
“Pocahontas?”
“No… I mean, Yeah! That’s better,” he says. “I was thinking of someone else. But Pocahontas is way better.”
I really don’t feel like talking about this. “Well, get over it. There’s a line.”
“What?”
“A line of
“Ooo,” I pretend to be impressed. “Yeah, so six-thirty, and remember it’s a luau.”
“What does that mean? For guys, I mean.”
“Grass skirt, nothing else, of course.”
Jason laughs. “Didn’t know you’d go there, H.D.”
“I don’t make the rules.” I shrug.
“OK, so grass skirt for the guys. What does that mean for the girls?”
“Oh, lots of things,” I sniff, pushing my hair back. “Wrap skirts, blouses, halter tops, leis…”
“That doesn’t seem fair.” He grins like always as he watches me, and I have to confess, I kind of like it.
“Again, you’ll have to take it up with the Hawaiians,” I say, turning off to class.
Mom braids my hair for the luau, this time with two braids on each side just at the top, and I fluff out the rest, very Vogue . She’s finishing up when I hear the doorbell and see Dad walking over to greet my… I guess this is a real date. But the only one. Dad opens the door, and I yelp. Jason’s standing there in what looks like only a grass skirt. Another half-dressed male!
“Uh…” Dad seems confused. “You must be…”
“Jason, sir,” he grins, walking into the room. I’m afraid to look, but at the same time, I can’t turn away. Jason’s standing there shirtless in a long grass skirt with a lei around his head. He actually looks kind of hot.
“That’s some get-up,” Dad says. “Anything under there?”
“Yes sir,” Jason moves the grass to reveal khaki shorts. I didn’t see them in the darkness of the porch. “I have this, too.”
He pulls out a Hawaiian shirt and slips it over his bare chest. I feel myself start to breathe again. It’s not such a bad-looking chest he’s covering up, actually. Strictly as an observation, of course.
“That was for H… Harley,” he finishes, his eyes twinkling at me.
“What does that mean?” Mom’s eyes are not twinkling. She’s not smiling either as she approaches my fake boyfriend.
“Oh… Mrs. Andrews?” Jason looks startled, but he recovers quickly and sticks out his hand. “Jason James.”
“Jason,” Mom shakes his hand, then unceremoniously drops it. “Now why would you show up half-dressed for Harley?”
“Umm…” Jason looks confused, so I jump in between them.
“It’s my fault, Mom. I told Jason the guys had to dress like that. I thought he knew I was kidding.”
“I figured you were,” he says. “It was a joke.”
Mom doesn’t relax, and I decide against pointing out the whole double-standard going on here. I’d been understanding about her ridiculous skin-cancer on the butt thing.
“Well, you’re not to be out late,” she says.
Dad puts his hand on her shoulder. “It’s good to have a sense of humor,” he says.
But Mom’s still in hyper-protective mode. “Drive carefully.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I say. “Jason’s been very ten and two, eyes on the road all week.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” she says.
“Home by eleven, kids.” Dad smiles and slides his arm around my mom.
“Yes, sir,” Jason says.
I follow him out to his stupid Gremlin.
“What next, Jason? Jeez.” I fluff my hair again. It’s already getting flat. “Did you really not want to go to the luau after all?”
“Damn, Harley, your mom’s a total babe!” he finally says. “You could’ve warned me.”
“What?” He is so unexpected.
“And your dad had on a priest collar.” He stops and opens my door. “What’s that all about?”
“He’s the pastor at First Prez,” I say, getting in the Gremlin. “You didn’t know that?”
“Nuh uh.” Jason closes my door and jogs around. “I didn’t know what to say when your mom walked over. I was thinking she looked just like…”
“Pocahontas?”
“No… I mean, Yeah! That’s better,” he says. “I was thinking of someone else. But Pocahontas is way better.”
I really don’t feel like talking about this. “Well, get over it. There’s a line.”
“What?”
“A line of
Similar Books
