Catching Up with Friends

"I guess that's a unique form of punishment," Clive responded after his wife informed him of their daughters' discipline for the fight. Still, his tone revealed his concern over one aspect of the situation, which his wife picked up on immediately.

"Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking, and I'm working on it," Rachel said.

"I'm not complaining, hun. It's just that your solution might end up backfiring spectacularly," Clive commented. Even from this distance, he could make out the signs and gestures of several women flirting with his nephew. "I love Cormac dearly, but he has a way of unknowingly flirting with every attractive woman that he's around. Our girls aren't going to respond well if Ilaria and Carmella's daughters toy with him."

"I know that!" Rachel replied in exasperation. "I'm trying to think up a solid assistant for Cory. Maybe a girl that can keep the others off-balance or distract him from flirting back."

"Alright, I trust you," Clive said before he amended that point. "Just don't pick anyone from the law firm. I don't need Clarence all riled up tonight. He and Blair have already argued over whether or not Cormac can be a summer intern at the firm because of that reason."

"Any more than normal?"

A vibrating phone halted any comeback.

"Ah, Dalton is finally here," Clive announced, reading the screen.

"Are you still upset over our room mix-up?"

"It doesn't sound like it can be fixed at this point, but yes, I am. Did you see how much an Executive Suite costs for just one night?"

"You already told me, hun."

"And you're not concerned? That's a lot of money for us."

"I've decided not to let it worry me," Rachel responded, holding up her half-empty wine glass. "We'll be fine."

"Yes, we will, but we'll need to cut back somewhere. Having two tuitions next year is already worrying me," Clive admitted.

"I figure that we can just skip a vacation this year," Rachel said, shrugging.

"Really? I wanted to go somewhere special for Lacey's graduation gift."

"Hun, that girl is going to be booked solid this summer with graduation parties. We'll be lucky to pry her away for a trip to Harvey's cabin or to see family," Rachel remarked, chuckling. "So stop worrying about the room. Tonight's a special night for Finn...and Cassie. So consider the exorbitant price a worthy one for them."

"Yeah, yeah, you got a point," Clive responded as his phone buzzed again. "I also don't like how it looks. People might talk about how two civil servants can afford one of those ritzy rooms. Or assume that I'm getting favors from wealthy friends. Those attacks on Dunkley could swing my way."

"You're a good, honest man, honey. Everyone knows that," Rachel said, kissing his cheek. "Who is that?"

"Marshall. Clarence is acting up," Clive revealed with a heavy sigh.

"Dalton can wait a few minutes. First, you go save your little brother from your cranky, big brother," Rachel ordered, swatting his butt.

"And you take it easy on the wine," Clive ordered back before hurrying off to save his younger brother like he'd done thousands of times.

"You done eavesdropping?" Rachel asked aloud to the room.

"Please. I'd call it listening for the call to swoop in and back up my bestie," Gabriela declared, sliding over.

"And where did you rush off to?"

"Jared and JoJo made a break for one of the rooms. They would've never made it back in time for dinner. Maybe even the ceremony."

"Wow, those two have sure turned into bunny rabbits," Rachel commented, more in amazement over JoJo's part.

"Ugh, they're probably trying to get as much screwing in before we head back home," Gabby said, shaking her head. Not wishing to reload the image of the wine cellar stuck in her head, she changed subjects. "So I see the new law firm secretary is out."

"I figured as much. Jacinda's a lovely thing, and Clive's mentioned her on several occasions when moaning about Finn's lack of dating. Also, Clive warned Cormac to give Jacinda time to settle in before he swoops in," Rachel said, smirking. "For me, I'd likely eliminate her as our assistant because she's an ex-cheerleader."

"Ah! Picking a cheerleader might not be the best way to keep Carmella's daughters calm. And the other girl, whoever she might be."

"I told you, Gabs. Izzy is Ilaria's daughter," Rachel reminded, growing exasperated.

"And I told you that I don't know who that is," Gabby shot back.

"Carmella's cousin. Two years older than us. She was the girl from miniature golf our sophomore year. The one you swung your club at. Does any of that ring a bell?" Rachel listed, watching as realization dawned in her friend's eyes.

"Oh, that bitch? Maybe we wouldn't have to worry about her daughter if you hadn't held me back."

"You nearly whacked Alexis in her head," Rachel pointed out.

"And I could've knocked some sense into her as well. Who marries Cyril Olesky?"

"Not now, Gabs," Rachel responded, wanting to end that conversation before it began. "So if Jacinda is out partly due to her ex-cheerleader status, that also eliminates Maggie McSweeney. I could send Ashlynn over..."

"And deal with your school secretary crying over a broken heart? I love Cormac, but he has a way of doing that unintentionally. Besides, you said the girl is a walking bundle of bad luck when it comes to dating," Gabby recalled.

"That's why I strongly thought about asking Harvey if I could borrow Chastity. She'd keep that table off-balance for a couple of hours based on her personality alone," Rachel conjectured.

"And keep Cory off-balance, too. His usual lines would bounce right off her wholesome deflector shield," Gabby said with a short laugh.

"Unfortunately, I think Harvey needs her more than we do."

"Yeah, I saw his ex-wife marching around a few minutes ago. So who else?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Most of the attractive women are likely here with a date. And, no, don't even suggest a younger girl. We don't need that situation again," Rachel warned, sensing that Gabby's opening mouth might lead to that suggestion. "Plus, I have to ask someone to leave their family or friends for this favor."

"Hmm, that does leave us in a predicament," Gabby remarked. Then, tapping her finger against her chin, she perked up. "I got it! We have the perfect choice. A sexy girl who's single and isn't here with family. Oh, shit! You're going to love this--"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" A voice cut off Gabby as arms reached around to hug Rachel from behind. The beaming look on her BFF's face stopped Gabriela from pushing her suggestion for the moment.

"Does this mean that you forgive me for the earlier scene?" Rachel asked, turning around to hug Finn from the front. She gladly accepted a kiss on her cheek.

"Why would I ever blame you for what Lana does?" Finn replied with his own question.

"Hi, Mrs. S!"

"Oh, it's wonderful to see that you could make it, Kiki," Rachel greeted over Finn's shoulder. Then, scanning all of Finn's college friends, she added, "It's wonderful to see all of you here."

"Out of the way, momma's boy," Kiki ordered Finn. She moved in to hug her housemate's mother.

Jamie-Lynn, Auggie, and Zaylie followed the procession of hugs.

"And I'd better thank Tinsley again for convincing you to fly back," Rachel told the beach blonde.

"Oh, I'm on double duty now, Mrs. S. She's got me taking care of another problem for her," Zaylie revealed brightly.

"And I don't want to know," Rachel replied, deciding that ignorance was bliss tonight when it came to Tinny's plans. Then, turning back to Finn, she asked, "So I did good with my surprise?"

"The best, M-Aunt Rachel! I couldn't think of a better one."

"Well, I have another one, but if you feel it can't top your friends showing up, then I guess I should send that one home."

"Ooh, what did she do, Eoin?" Kiki asked, assuming that Eoin was also in charge of wrangling this surprise.

"Beats me," he admitted in denial.

"Rachel, you didn't have to do more for me," Finn moaned.

"I did this one for you and your mom," Rachel replied, piquing everyone's interest, including Gabby's.

"Hey, stop keeping shit for me!" her best friend ordered.

"Another old friend just arrived out in the lobby and is setting up," Rachel teased the reveal.

"Setting up?" Finn repeated in confusion.

"Now, I considered this idea to be a longshot, and I had no say in it happening beyond offering a simple suggestion. So thank her for doing the heavy lifting and getting it to happen," Rachel continued, causing several listeners to get impatient.

"Get to it, Rach," Gabby hissed.

"Well, what wouldn't be a night for Cassandra and Finn without a Buzzy Bee connection?" Rachel teased further, sending Finn's head to the side in deep thought. "For those of you that don't know, Finn's old newspaper mentor is now a reporter for Channel 13 in Muskie Harbor."

"Cleo's here?!" Finn's head shot up in shock.

"Yes, Cleo Monroe is here with a news truck and a cameraman. She's going to file a report about your mom's literary foundation and the planned programs. That brilliant girl pitched the idea as a positive story about looking ahead to the new year. So get your game face ready," Rachel said, winking.

Finn scooped up his surrogate mother in another firm hug. This time, his kiss on the cheek missed slightly, landing partially on the side of Rachel's lips. The red-haired mother shivered as a tingle ran up her spine.

"Who's Cleo's cameraman?" Barney asked.

"Oh, Barn," Kiki groaned.

"Who cares about him?! We need to get our soundbites ready. And you're going to use your connection with Cleo to get me on the news. She never seemed to like me that much," Eoin told Barney, slapping his shoulder.

"I wonder why. You could be on the news almost every night with the shit you pull at Zurbrugg," Kiki remarked, returning a slap to his shoulder for Barney.

A pair of giggles alerted Rachel to the presence of Serinda and Sanna Bank. When asked what the two teenagers were up to, they responded that they wanted to see Lana's — and, to a lesser extent, Peyton's —face when she saw the surprises. Immediately, Kiki, Jamie-Lynn, and Zaylie inquired about their friends' whereabouts.

"Peyton is over tending to Sean," Rachel gestured in the direction. She then explained the punishment for causing a scene at such an important event for Finn.

"I guess that allows me to avoid Lana for a while," Finn responded, looking relieved.

"They do get potty breaks," Gabby chimed in.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Kiki remarked, rubbing her hands together. Then, raising her voice, she waved a hand in the air, "What the hell, Stratton?! Can't you come over and say hi? Way to be a rude bitch!"

"You just had to do that," Auggie groaned.

"What...THE FUCK?!" came the shout from the back corner of the ballroom.

"Sit down!" a guy's voice ordered.

The group couldn't clearly hear the several back-and-forths from the prison table, but they heard the shout.

"I. NEED. TO. TINKLE. NOW!!!"

---

"I thought you said that your nephew was a good kid."

"Sean's a very good kid," Brandy responded to Wrenn's comment. Along with Fawn and Wrenn's husband, Tim Engram, the two of them stood watching the scene play out at the unofficial cheerleader table.

"From here, he looks to be more like your sister."

"Wrenn, Sean is nothing like Bridget in high school," Fawn stated.

"Didn't he just get punched? And what's with all those girls hanging off of him? That's not the sweet little Seanie that I remember," Wrenn pointed out.

"Sean does not run around looking for fights, nor is he a womanizer--"

"Seriously, what's wrong with you?!" Fawn interrupted Brandy's defense. "You've been in town for a week, so you know all about what happened at Wasp Lake. I'm the one who told you and your parents," the blonde librarian added in exasperation.

"I have a lot on my mind. You try to run an entire department at work while raising a newborn."

"Tabby was born like a year ago," Brandy muttered.

"Her name is Tabitha!" Wrenn insisted.

"Oh, right! Should we go over and congratulate him?' Tim asked his wife. "I haven't seen Sean since the wedding, I think."

"Not now, Tim," Wrenn brushed him off. "We wouldn't want to scare off his groupies."

"Maybe you should go get her a glass of wine," Brandy suggested.

"I don't require a drink," the complainer of the trio retorted.

"I'm gonna go get her a drink," Tim mouthed at Brandy and Fawn.

"Also, Sean didn't get into a fight; you saw what happened. He was trying to stop the cheer and dance squads and accidentally got hit in the face," Fawn continued to defend one of her favorite students.

"And you grew up here, so you know who the big shots are to people. The kid got hurt saving Harvey fucking Diamond's daughter! She's the cheer captain, so obviously, she's got the cheer squad watching over him," Brandy pointed out.

"I'm just saying that some of those girls look awfully young for him," Wrenn defended herself.

"Whitney is the cheer captain. You wanna take a wild guess about who those sophomores might be?" Brandy challenged, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, the so-called Babybees," Wrenn responded sarcastically.

"So-called? So-called?! I was one of those--"

"And what do they call those other ones these days? The ones getting a little handsy. The Hornybees?" Wrenn inquired. Never a fan of cheerleaders or Sugarbees, she'd often pushed Brandy's buttons in junior high and high school. "I hope they haven't brought back the Honeys-for-Hire."

"Don't even go there," Brandy warned with a hiss.

"Okay, you need to come back home more often," Fawn remarked.

"Are we sure about that?" Brandy mumbled.

"Why? Because you know all those girls," Fawn continued while motioning with her hand for Brandy to shut up.

"I do not," Wrenn stated after peering again at the girls.

"Not only do you know them, but you also know their mothers," Fawn pointed out.

"Are they related to Bridget's friends?" Wrenn queried as it dawned on her that she might know the girls.

"Way to guess right, genius," Brandy responded with her own sarcasm.

"Now, let's play nice," Fawn stressed. She left unspoken to play nice until Wrenn could loosen up after a few drinks. "I'll give you a refresher course. You see the two brunettes perched on each side of Sean's wheelchair?"

"Tinsley's twins?"

"No, they're a couple of years younger and still in Hawaii," Fawn corrected. "No, those are Lauren Caputo's daughters. The one brushing Sean's hair is Rowan, while the one kissing his cheek is Loren."

"Weren't they triplets?"

"Lex Rogers is talking to Penn over there," Fawn pointed to the far end of the table. Then, turning back, she resumed, "The one with the bag of ice is...hey, where did Dove go?"

"Damn, that girl sure can blend in for such a cutie," Brandy commented after scanning the area.

"Well, if you saw the cute brunette with the ice bag, that was Dove Flavin, Cookie Keeble's daughter."

"Okay, okay, I'm remembering. So I guess the Hispanic girl crawling onto Sean's lap is Gabby's daughter. I recall her crush on him," Wrenn guessed.

"Um, no. Juliana Lockett is like five years younger than that girl," Fawn corrected. Her eyes widened as she watched the leggy, dark-haired beauty swing around and start rubbing her ass against Sean's lap. "That one is Ariana Lago, Addison Craft's stepdaughter."

"Ring any bells, Sherlock?" Brandy needled.

"I said that I was remembering," Wrenn replied heatedly. "I was the one who helped watch some of them with Fawn back in high school and college. You're the one who couldn't be trusted."

"Hey, I was allowed to help by then," Brandy defended herself. "I mean, by college, I was allowed."

"Just not in junior high or high school," Fawn snickered, tapping Wrenn on the arm. That actually brought a grin to the face of their more uptight friend.

"Who's the handsome blond?" Wrenn inquired, nodding toward the far end of the table.

"Getting restless with married life?" Brandy teased.

"I'm happily married and don't go after younger men."

"Shit, I'm equal opportunity for men of all ages," Brandy responded with sass. "Fawn's the one who likes younger guys."

"No, the blond looks too old for Fawn. She likes hers behind a desk," Wrenn remarked, winking at Brandy.

"Wrenn! I do not go after my students," Fawn asserted in a huff.

"Not yet."

"Hold on a second, Wrennie. Let's be fair to Fawn. She prefers to wait until the diploma is in hand before hiking her skirt up," Brandy continued her teasing, leading Fawn to stick her tongue out at her two co-best friends.

"I'm just going to ignore the talk that could cause me trouble at work," Fawn said before returning to Wrenn's earlier question. "I already told you the name of the blond. That's Penn. Penn Wexler."

"Oh, Shelly Penfold's son. Of course, I should've known when you mentioned Cookie," Wrenn realized as her husband returned.

"Uh, here you go, honey," Tim said, handing over a glass of wine.

Distracted by another person's approach, Wrenn took the glass, and without thinking, she took a sip. Fawn and Brandy nodded knowingly.

"Wrenn! How have you been?" Bridget inquired, moving to hug her little sister's co-best friend. "Hey, Tim!"

"Hello, I mean, hi, Bridget. Uh, Happy Holidays," Wrenn's husband gulped, pulling his foot out of his mouth. Despite having visited Honey Hollow since he started dating his wife in college, he still seemed awed by how many beautiful women lived in the small city.

"Happy Holidays to you too!" Bridget greeted back. "Now, how about you go get your wife another glass of wine?"

"He just brought me one," Wrenn pointed out.

"And one isn't going to be enough to loosen you up. Skedaddle," Bridget motioned Tim away, but he stood frozen in awe.

"I don't need **** to loosen up," Wrenn argued, but not as fiercely at the older woman.

"Sure, you do. Why do you think I gave you your first-ever beer? Now whip out your camera. I want to see some baby pictures of Tabby."

"Tabitha," Wrenn protested weakly.

Fawn held in a grin at Wrenn's shift in attitude. She recalled the time that Bridget went off on Wrenn for her excessive whining back when they were kids. Brandy didn't find it as funny as she didn't like her big sister upstaging her.

"Tim, go get your wife another drink," Bridget gently reminded.

"Uh, okay, but what's with that redhead screaming that she needs to tinkle?"

"Oh, that's just Lana. Don't mind her. She's always causing a scene."