Hit rewind…
It was around five in the afternoon when Eric and Spencer reluctantly said their goodbyes. Her mom always came back home for dinner, and the two didn’t want to take a chance of Eric staying too late and Evan coming home. And Eric's parents would be wondering where he was.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Eric asked. The two stood before the front door, wishing their evening didn’t have to be cut short. Though Spencer had promised that if she could, she’d sneak out ;after. Provided her dad took the stupid ankle monitor off.
“Not sure. Actually Sunday is like the one day of the week we’re not at each other’s throats, me and Dad. He’s… I don’t know, calmer for some reason. What are your plans?” Spencer asked.
“Helping my mom get ready for Thanksgiving. She was going to do the shopping today, and then start cooking tomorrow.”
“Four days in advance?”
“She likes to be prepared. And she has a tendency to go a little crazy with things like that. She cooks enough food to feed an army. Which isn’t a bad thing now that she, Dad and Nate eat so much.” Eric said.
“Is it just going to be your family?”
“Ya. What about your family, do you guys do anything special?”
“Not really. Just going to hang with the distant relatives that only come our of the woodwork for holidays and stuff. They’re all on my mom’s side, my dad’s an only child.”
“So is it like a big family of panthers, or leopards?” Eric corrected himself. Calling a leopard a panther is the same thing as calling a groundhog a woodchuck.
“Mostly. A few other exotic cat species, and a few domestics. But my mom and aunt are the first in the family to date outside the ‘werecat’ group.” Spencer said.
“Huh, are interspecies relationships uncommon?”
“No, but dogs and cats do have something of a rivalry. Always trying to one up each other. That, and werewolves tend to have very dominant personalities, whereas werecats are more free-spirited.”
Eric wanted to spend the rest of the night talking to Spencer about weres, her family, and anything else he could think of. But a car pulling into the driveway causes them both to panic and run into the back room. Eric opens the door, and prepares to exit the house. Spencer strains her neck to see around a corner, and to see who’s home first.
“Spencer, is your father back yet?” Maggie Lawson shouted into the house. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her mother’s voice.
“No,” Spencer called back. She then shooed Eric away, kissing him once on the cheek as a silent goodbye. Then quickly shuts the door in his face. Unfortunately for Spencer, her mother caught on pretty quick. Maggie smelled an unfamiliar scent, and went to see who her daughter might be trying to hide. She didn’t arrive fast enough to see a face, but she didn’t need too. Someone was definitely on the other side of the door.
“Spencer…” Maggie started, crossing her arms.
“Yes?” Spencer said, feinting total innocence.
“Who was that?”
“Who was what?”
“Spencer, I’m not going to get mad at you. Just tell me who that was. I won’t tell your father, provided that wasn’t anyone… inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate… define inappropriate.” Spencer thought. A human boy who recently broke up with his girlfriend spending an afternoon alone with his attractive neighbor. Spencer knew her father would think that was inappropriate.
“Well?” Maggie said, waiting for Spencer’s response. She was chewing her lip nervously, unsure if she should come up with a lie or not. Every idea that came to mind was ridiculous, and unbelievable, so Spencer sighed and tells her mom the truth.
“It was Eric.”
“Eric? The Anderson boy?”
“Well that’s the only Eric I know, so ya.” Spencer grumbled. She shifted uncomfortably, still by the back door. Her mother was watching her so intently, it was weird. Normally her father was giving her the stink eye. Eventually she relaxed, Maggie lowering her gaze and asking her daughter to join her in the kitchen so they could talk somewhere more comfortable.
Maggie makes herself coffee, while they talk. For a moment, the buzz of the machine is the only sound.
“So, you and Eric huh?” Maggie asked.
“It’s not like that. We’re friends, not… whatever you’re thinking.” Spencer said quickly. They were in that awkward period in-between friends, and “more than friends”.
“His girlfriend…”
“Is no longer his girlfriend. I can assure you of that.” Spencer said.
“Well considering that Friday night he DID have a girlfriend, you’re either lying or something happened when he went out.”
“I’m not lying!” Spencer said, getting a bit worked up. She was so fed up with her parents, more specifically her dad, not trusting her, or her word. Granted she did lie more often than not, but she’d never be the object of a cheater’s affection.
“I believe you, Spencer, I believe you. I had to check didn’t I?” Maggie said, calming Spencer.
“Sorry.” Spencer says quietly.
“Will you be seeing more of him in the future?”
“I think so.”
“And do you ever plan on telling your father?”
“Uh, maybe. If he promises not to rip my head off, or Eric’s.” Spencer said, dead serious. She got the feeling that her father didn’t want her seeing another boy as long as she lived.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? He likes the Andersons, or, um, Martha and William at the very least” Maggie said thinking of last night’s activities. But truth of the matter was, she knew very little about Eric other than that he seemed to be relatively quiet and maybe even a bit withdrawn.
“Samantha said of the two Eric was the more socially awkward. Not exactly Spencer’s type, but that’s a good thing considering her previous boyfriends.” Maggie thought. He’d spent most of the dinner sitting in his chair deep in thought.
“Ya, but you know how Dad is about stuff. Especially when it comes to me seeing people. After Jeremy…” Spencer trailed off.
“I’m sure he’ll come around. And Eric is nothing like Jeremy, I can say that much. In comparison, Eric’s a saint. A definite improvement, which earns him a few points in my book.”
“Your book isn’t Dad’s book.” Spencer pointed out.
“Alright I’ll give you that. But if this gets serious, tell him. You two need to have some sort of relationship outside of him locking you in the house, or grounding you until armageddon.” Maggie sighed.
She said nothing more on the matter, and started preparing dinner. Spencer retreated to the living room to watch TV, and to cover Eric’s scent. She all but rolled on the couch to cover any lingering smells. Had she been able, she would have shifted so she could mark the couch with her cheeks.
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Evan returned a little over an hour later. He was tired, most from the drive and the long conversation he’d had with his dad. Mike had retired to Seattle after his wife’s passing, and exiting the Navy. Weres, while generally very healthy, could still get diseases and, more specifically, cancers. And the family was reminded that even they weren’t above death. His father’s loneliness was one of the reasons Evan agreed to move across the country. That, and Maggie’s family was here as well.
“I’m home!” Evan calls into the house. He smells his wife’s cooking, pork chops and varied side dishes. He doesn’t dare get i her way, but pokes his head around a corner to watch.
“Need any help with that?” he asked, knowing full well that the last thing she wanted was his help. Evan couldn’t cook, simple as that.
“No, I’m alright. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.” Maggie said.
“Anything interesting happen at the hospital earlier?”
“Interesting? From my standpoint, no. But I’m sure a TV audience would find it enthralling.” Maggie joked.
“Where’s Spencer?”
“Living room. And while we’re on the subject, would you please remove that stupid ankle monitor. It was a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“Actually I do.” Evan admitted, which caused his wife to momentarily stop her cooking and stare at him like he’d grown wings and a second head.
“Who are you and what have you done to my husband?” she asked, mystified.
“Dad talked some sense into me.” Evan explains. That was enough for Maggie. Mike was very… persuasive as far as his son was concerned. If he said jump into boiling water, he’d find a way to get Evan to do it.
“I’lll have to thank him next time I see him.” Maggie chuckled to herself. Evan rolled his eyes and went into the living room. Spencer was lying on her stomach watching TV, in the most uncomfortable position Evan thought possible without breaking a leg.
“Trying out for Cirque du Soleil are we?” he asked.
“Maybe.” Spencer said, looking at her father. She’d overheard their conversation, and stuck her leg out to him. Evan cracked a weak smile and went to find the key.
“You’re my first kid, you didn’t come with a manual or anything.” Evan said while removing the ankle monitor.
“Pity. If you had one you could figure out how to rewire my brain to your liking.” Spencer said. Evan managed to stop himself from yelling at her, remembering what his father said. He knew Maggie was listening, so he said something else.
“I’m happy the way you are. Alright sure I’d prefer it if you weren’t such a handful, but I guess that’s partially my fault.”
“It is?” Spencer almost fell off the couch, she was so surprised. Her mom was right, who was this man and what had he done with her father? Best yet, what did they replace him with? A body double with feelings? Evan sat on the end of the couch before continuing.
“I was deployed most of you childhood. And then we got bounced around the east coast a lot for my assignments.”
“Ya but that wasn’t your fault. Wasn’t anyone’s fault really.” Spencer said, sitting upright.
“No, but I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. You haven’t had it easy, nor had the experiences I would have liked you to have. This isn’t exactly the ‘stable’ environment I had in mind when you were born.” Evan said.
“As if any environment is stable’.” Spencer said sarcastically.
“Still, I’m just worried about you. After what happened with Jeremy and all, I just don’t want you to get hurt again. You’re still…”
“If you call me your ‘little girl’ I think I’ll give you a reason to put that thing back on my ankle.” Spencer said. Evan paused before doubling over with laughter.
“Fair enough. Anyway, tomorrow I’m going to be working on the Harley. Care to join me?”
“Seriously? You’ll let me touch it?” Spencer asked. That motorcycle was like a second child to her dad. And he’d always had a strict, “only I’m allowed to touch her” policy. He’d spent almost ten years rebuilding her from next to nothing. Just a beat up frame, a pair of deflated tires, and a broken headlight.
“Promise not to break anything, sure. You’re getting pretty good around that kind of stuff. Jonathan might come over with his Dodge.” Evan said. Which meant Elle would be spending the day with Maggie.
The two had zero interest in cars, motorcycles, or how to put them back together. For a a brief period of time, Spencer wasn’t interested either. And then one day she found taking her Barbies apart was more fun than making them have tea parties. Eventually that interest shifted from dolls to toy cars, to real ones.
“Dinner’s ready you two! Come in and set the table!” Maggie called from the kitchen. Evan and Spencer walked in, having a conversation about the different parts the motorcycle needed before it could be driven. Maggie smiled, happy to see them getting along so well.
“I really have to call Mike and thank him. Now if only we could get him to move in with us. Maybe things would be this nice all the time.” she thought.