My Life With the Walter Boys (25 page)

“Apparently the woman speaking with Danny is one,” Katherine told him.

“What woman?” Cole asked.

We all turned toward Danny and Jillian, but she was gone and he was making his way across the room toward us with a grin on his face.

“Guess what?” he asked.

“She wants to make you the next A-list actor in Hollywood, and you’re going to become so famous and rich that you can buy me a house?” Cole asked. We all shot him a look, but Danny was too happy to care.

“I’ve been offered a spot in their company’s summer training camp. After the program, if things go well, I could be in New York productions this fall!”

“Oh, honey,” Katherine said, pulling her son into a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Congratulations, Danny,” I said, waiting for my turn to hug him. “This is so exciting!”

“Thanks, Jackie. I really owe you,” he said, pulling away from his mom to face me. “If you hadn’t spent all that time reading lines with me, I don’t know if I would have gotten the part.”

“That’s not true,” I told him. “But I’ll accept your gratitude anyway.”

“So when does this training camp begin?” Katherine asked.

Danny hesitated. “That’s the thing. I’d have to leave for New York as soon as summer starts.” When he saw the frown on his mother’s face, he added. “I am, after all, an adult and the company will provide lodging until I find a place to live.”

“Okay, dear,” Katherine said. “Why don’t we discuss this later?”

“All right,” said Danny. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but there was still a huge, excited smile on his face.

“Mom! Mom!” Zack and Benny shouted as they crashed into their mother’s legs. “We’re hungry.”

“Come on, Walter clan,” she said, raising her voice so we all could hear her. “Head out to the cars. We have a celebratory dinner to prepare.”

During the last week of school, I stayed locked in my room so I could focus on studying. When it was finally time for exams, they passed in a blur of Scantron sheets, true-false questions, and written essays. Afterward, the Walters spent the first week of our newfound freedom vegging out, their thoughts of school long gone, but all I could think about was getting my results back. I knew I’d aced all my classes because every final had been a breeze, but I needed visual confirmation before I could relax.

“Hey, guys, come here,” Nathan said.

I glanced up from my anatomy notebook. For the past hour, I had been sprawled out on Alex’s bed, double-checking all my notes to make sure I hadn’t missed a question on the exam. Alex was wrapped up in a quest on
GoG
and Nathan had been teaching himself a new song, but now his guitar was gone and he was hunched over his laptop.

“What’s up?” Alex called, hardly looking away from his own computer screen.

“Grades are in,” Nathan replied.

“Oh!” I scrambled off the bed and over to Nathan’s desk. He slid the computer to me, and I quickly logged in to my school account. “Come on,” I muttered as it took forever to load. Finally a new screen popped up.

“A, A, A, A, A, A,” Nathan said, reading off my results.

“No shocker there,” Alex said.

“You never know,” I told him. “Freshman year I got an A- in my history class because my teacher said my final paper was too long. That was horrible.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Heaven forbid,” he said, but it didn’t bother me.

Finally
it was summer. That meant I could relax and maybe even take a trip to New York. The knots in my neck and back loosened at the thought. But before I could go home, there was Will and Haley’s wedding, and tonight was the night before the big day.

Katherine had spent the entire morning making cupcakes, which Haley had requested over the traditional wedding cake. The two hundred or so personal chocolate cakes were left to cool on the dining-room table, and the room was strictly off limits to prevent any of the boys from eating them. The rest of the day was dedicated to scrubbing down the kitchen while Katherine kept an eye on the dining-room entrance to make sure no one snuck in.

At one point, I heard her shout at Jack and Jordan. Two seconds later, there was the telltale sign of retreat—the pounding of their feet on the stairs. Now that the kitchen was clean and all her cooking done, the space was off limits. The rehearsal dinner was taking place at a fancy Italian restaurant in town.

“You want to check your results?” I asked Alex, moving away from the computer so he could get a turn.

He grimaced and shook his head. “I’d rather not ruin this weekend’s fun. I’ll check on Monday morning.”

“Kids,” I heard George shout from the bottom on the staircase. “Everyone needs to start getting ready. We’re leaving in an hour.”

It was time for the celebrations to begin.

***

I didn’t know which was more alarming: the fact that Parker was sitting on my bed with a sleeping bag at her feet, or that she had a bouquet of flowers in her hands. After the lengthy rehearsal dinner, during which Zack stabbed Benny with a fork and Jack and Jordan almost set the tablecloth on fire, we headed back to the Walters’ house to get a good night’s sleep.

“Um, hi?” I said, not sure what she was doing in my room.

“These were waiting for you,” she said and tossed me the flowers. They came at me fast, but I managed to snap my hands up and catch the bouquet in time. Parker’s features wilted, almost as if she had been hoping to hit me.

“Who are they from?” I asked, burying my nose in the roses. They were beautiful with huge, deep red petals.

“How am I supposed to know?” Parker shot back as she made herself comfortable on my bed. “But whoever it was, they’re a sap. Roses? Come on.”

They must have been from Alex. He was so sweet. “I think they’re beautiful,” I responded, holding them out to admire. A note fell out and fluttered down to the floor. I bent down and snatched it up before Parker could read what it said. Hopefully, Alex hadn’t written anything too cheesy or inappropriate.

Jackie
, the scribble read,
I’m sorry I keep screwing up and making mistakes. Life didn’t come with instructions.
There was no signature. My mouth went dry, and I quickly discarded the flowers on my dresser.

“What’d the note say?” Parker asked, curious about my sudden change in attitude.

I crinkled up the piece of paper and tossed it in the trash. “Nothing,” I said. “So what are you doing in my room?”

Parker opened her mouth to respond, but the bedroom door swung open.

“Jackie, I was hoping you’d be here,” Katherine said. She shuffled into the room backward, holding the end of a cot. Isaac appeared on the other end, muttering something about slave labor. As soon as they set it down in the limited empty floor space, he was gone.

“Isaac,” Katherine called after him. “Remember to bring those blankets and pillows in here.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he called from down the hall. Katherine pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything else on the matter.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Parker will be staying in your room for the next two nights,” Katherine explained. “Grandma Green flew all the way out from New York and is staying in her room.”

At the rehearsal dinner I’d met some of the Walters’ extended family, Katherine’s mother being one of them. Since Parker and I were the only girls, it made sense that we would have to share a room for the weekend so an out-of-town guest had somewhere to sleep. I just wasn’t sure if my new bunkmate was going to be hostile or friendly.

“Okay,” I said, avoiding Parker’s gaze. I could feel her watching me and didn’t want to appear too anxious. “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“I want everyone out of bed by seven o’clock so we all have time to get ready. Knowing me, there will probably be some last-minute chores to complete, things that slipped my mind. I was wondering if you could possibly do Parker’s hair tomorrow. With eleven boys, I’ve never been an experienced hairdresser.”

“No, Mom!” Parker complained, jumping up. “I don’t want my hair done. Why can’t I wear it like I always do?”

Katherine gave Parker a stern look. Her daughter’s normal look typically lacked the use of a brush. “Because tomorrow we all have to look presentable. You especially since you’re in the wedding.” As she said this, a pile of bedding flew through the open door and landed on the floor with a thump. Katherine massaged her temple. “Thank you, Isaac,” she said and rolled her eyes. “A-plus effort.”

“No probs, Aunt Katherine,” he called, already halfway down the hall.

Katherine turned back around when we heard his bedroom door slam, and Parker immediately started to pout. “I never wanted to be the stupid flower girl anyway,” she grumbled, kicking at one of the pillows Isaac had slopped on the floor. “It’s stupid.”

“Remember, you’re doing this to make your brother happy,” Katherine reminded her.

This seemed to win the argument, but Parker still grumbled and plopped down on the cot, clearly not happy.

“Good,” her mother said with a curt nod. “You two should go to bed. It’s late and tomorrow is going to be long.”

“Good night, Katherine,” I said as she moved toward the door. The rehearsal dinner had worn me out, and I had no problem turning the lights off early.

“Sweet dreams,” Katherine said to the both of us. When Parker didn’t respond, she glared at her daughter.

“Night,” Parker mumbled.

After Katherine left, I turned to Parker to tell her that I wouldn’t do her hair too girly for the wedding, but the scowl on her face kept me quiet. Gathering my toiletries and pajamas, I decided to go down to the bathroom and get ready for bed, giving her time to cool off. When I got back, Parker had already turned the lights off and was curled up on her cot, clearly in no mood to talk.

I lay awake for a long time, unable to fall asleep. I could sense that Parker was awake as well, even though she didn’t move an inch. There was a tension in the room that could only be caused by another sleepless person.

Finally she sighed. “I don’t want to wear a dress,” she said, her voice coming up out of the darkness.

I wanted to tell her that it would be fun, that the right dress could make any girl feel special, but it was the first time she’d opened up to me, and I didn’t want to ruin it. “How come?”

“They’re so girly.”

“But you are a girl,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

“I’m a Walter,” she said, as if that meant something different.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “Because you live with a bunch of boys, you’re required to act like one?”

She considered this for a moment, and I could see her outline in the dark, twisting her blanket in her hands as she thought. “Yeah, kind of. Being one of the boys makes me special. Everyone at school knows who I am—Parker Walter, the tough girl with eleven brothers who can play tackle football and burp louder than any of the guys in my grade.”

I laughed. “But what about at home?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you’re just one of the boys, what makes you different from your brothers?”

“I don’t know.”

“Honestly, Parker, you have the best of both worlds,” I said, sitting up in bed. “You can enjoy doing boy things, like watching sports and playing video games. But you can also put on a dress and be a girl. That’s something that your brothers can’t do.”

She was quiet for a long time. “I never thought about it that way.”

“Being a girl doesn’t make you weak, Parker. It makes you special.”

“I guess I can wear the dress, but just this once,” she said. “And you have to promise not to curl my hair.”

“All right,” I told her. “It’s a deal.”

***

Saturday morning did not go smoothly. Since life with the Walters was always unpredictable, I’d set my alarm an hour earlier than needed as I almost expected some kind of tiny disaster to occur. Of course, the extra hour wasn’t near enough time when something
did
happen. I was standing at the toaster waiting for my English muffin to pop when I heard a scream.

“Katherine?” I asked, rushing into the dining room. “What is it?”

“The cupcakes,” she said, clamping a hand to her mouth in horror. She was standing at the head of the dining-room table, and for a moment, I was afraid they were gone—
how
could
the
boys
eat
two
hundred
cupcakes?
—but then, she stepped aside, revealing all of baked treats. “I forgot to frost them.”

“Okay,” I said calmly. “I have some time. Where’s the frosting?”

She disappeared back into the kitchen and I heard the fridge open. “…Just knew something like this would happen. Told George something wasn’t right before we went to bed, but did he listen?” A moment later she was back, carrying an armful of supplies. “So the frosting is already mixed,” Katherine told me, quick to use my help. “You just need to make sure half of the cupcakes are frosted teal and the other half yellow. I have a few icing tubes with different piping tips you can use. Once they’re all frosted, I also have sprinkles that go on top.”

And just like that, I had a huge project on my hands. I thought it would be easy, but I’d never frosted two hundred cupcakes before. It took a lot longer than I thought. I was only about halfway done when I looked at the clock and panicked. I still needed to take a shower, get ready, and do Parker’s hair.

“Crap, crap, crap!” I said, as the frosting in the tube I was squeezing ran out. Refilling the tubes was the messiest and most frustrating part of the job.

“Jackie, are you okay?” someone asked.

I glanced up to see Cole. His hair was damp from a shower, and he was already dressed in his suit. When he leaned against the table, I realized he was eating a cupcake.

“Can you please not do that?” I snapped.

“Do what?” he asked me through a mouthful.

“Eat those! They’re for the wedding.” I yelled.

“Sorry,” Cole said quietly after swallowing. He looked away from me, and I was flooded with guilt. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on him, because none of this was his fault.

“Look, Cole, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” I said. “It’s just that I still have to get ready and help Parker, and this is taking forever.”

“Do you need help?” he asked after a second, completely catching me off guard.

“Thanks, Cole, but you’re already dressed. I wouldn’t want you to get your suit dirty.”

“That’s no problem.” He started to shrug out of his jacket. When that was off, his fingers began working the buttons on his shirt, and I couldn’t help but stare. Soon he was down to his dress pants and undershirt. “Okay, boss,” he asked, setting his clothes aside where they wouldn’t get dirty. “What do you need me to do?”

It took me a minute to regain my composure, but then I breathed a sigh of relief. “Here,” I said, handing him the empty icing tube. “If you could fill this with yellow frosting and start on that row over there, that would be amazing.”

“Sure thing,” he said, taking the tube from me. “And by the way, you have frosting on your nose.”

“Did I get it?” I asked, using the back of my hand.

“Here,” Cole said, stepping forward. He brought his finger up to my face and rubbed it off. Then he stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked away the frosting. “Got it.”

My cheeks went pink, and I turned back toward the table to hide my embarrassment. “Thanks,” I said, grabbing one of the sprinkle containers. “We should probably get to work.”

“Of course.”

I risked a quick glance in Cole’s direction. He was already spooning the yellow paste into the tube, his hands quick, but on his face was the classic Cole smirk. We both knew that he had gotten to me.

***

“Are you kidding me?” I complained to Nathan when we reached our assigned table. My name card was right between two boys—Cole and Alex, to be exact.

Will and Haley had already said “I do” in a ceremony by Katherine’s blooming garden, and cocktail hour had just ended. For dinner, there were two huge tents set up in the backyard, with enough room to seat all the wedding guests.