A Distraught Daddy

Details about what actually happened were scarce. All the others were told was that Jared and Ramsey walked in on Austin and Lacey having sex. That resulted in Austin attacking Jared, causing damage to the hallway and great room furniture. Most of the arrivals back from the hot springs could tell that wasn't the whole story but shrugged it off. Sean wanted to know more but was afraid to ask. And Jared seemed **** to talk about it too.

Instead, Sean found himself once again having dinner at the kitchen island with Newt and Jared. This time JoJo replaced Lacey from the night before as their dinner companion. JoJo attempted to stir up a conversation, but none of the three boys wanted to talk. With the two additional arrivals, seating arrangements became more of a challenge to balance. The small round table from the back of the main room had been pulled over slightly, so it was in the dining room, providing the two needed seats; Whitney and Owen sat there. Sean wondered what they would do when Peyton, Lana, and Finn arrived the next day.

Harvey seemed more amused than anything over the broken furniture caused by the fight between the two teenage boys. For one of the first times in his life, he felt relieved to have a daughter and not a son, even with Whitney's constant boy drama. Gabriela, on the other hand, had been livid to learn her son not only engaged in a fight but ruined some of their host's new furniture. Despite Harvey declining that the boys pay for the damage they caused, Gabriela vowed to make her son pay in other ways. Jared had been informed that he would be grounded for three weeks when they returned home to Rattle Ridge. She wanted it to be a month at least, but Jeff stepped in to lessen the impact, explaining it had all been a misunderstanding that got out of hand.

Both boys had been warned that if they got into another fight with each other, Austin would be sent home, with his parents learning how he had behaved as a guest. Unable to go home, Jared would fare a much worse fate; he would get banished to the bunkroom for the rest of his stay. He would essentially be a prisoner, unable to leave the room and have his meals sent over to him. Even with these warnings, the adults decided to keep the two apart for the night by having Jared sleep on a couch in the rec room. Hopefully, by the next day, things would cool down between the two.

The hardest hit by the news of what happened turned out to be Clive. Not about the fight, but the revelation that Lacey had become sexually active with her boyfriend. Left speechless at first, he nearly came to tears when he learned his little cupcake wasn't a virgin any longer. His wife took the news in stride. She'd already known since the day after Lacey first had sex. Rachel had to calm her husband down when he wanted to find Austin and strangle him. Sitting now at the dining room table, Clive glared at his daughter's boyfriend, watching the two of them like a hawk.

"Keep your hands where I can see them, buster!" Clive interrupted everyone's dinner for the third time by threatening Austin.

"Daddy!" Lacey wailed in embarrassment once again.

"Hun, calm down; you're causing a scene again," Rachel told her husband gently, laying a hand on his arm. He nodded and went back to nearly stabbing the pasta with his fork.

Harvey covered his smile with a napkin. At least he'd never been in denial about Whitney having sex someday. A terrible flirt at a young age, he'd been more surprised that it took her as long as it did to lose her virginity.

"Uh, so as I was saying, you and Leonard missed a great time at the hot springs. Nature at its finest. Hopefully, he'll be able to join us soon, and we can go back for another visit," Jeff told Bridget. Everyone else acted overly interested in the conversation to avoid the tension boiling off of Clive.

"I remember from last time how beautiful the hot springs can be. I'm sorry I missed it. I would love to go if we can find the time. However, I'm not sure if Leonard will make it up here for our stay. But you should be able to catch up with him at the charity ball," Bridget responded, not wanting to bring up the argument she had with her husband earlier in the day.

Austin stiffened as he felt a hand slide between his thighs. Shocked, he glanced over at Lacey. His girlfriend appeared innocent, as she followed the conversation. What the hell, Lace?! Do you want your dad to kill me? The teenager gulped further as the hand moved to rub its palm over his soft member.

"Mrs. Tarver, we're hoping to go ice skating tomorrow, if you wanted to come with," Whitney cheerfully told the woman.

"Oh, that sounds like a fun idea. I haven't been on skates in years. I hope I don't embarrass myself," Bridget added with a laugh.

"Now, pumpkin, remember the forecast isn't looking too promising. You might have to put off the ice skating for a day or two. It's still shaky enough that it looks like we won't know for sure until the morning," Harvey reminded his daughter. Whitney responded with a sad pout, causing him to add, "We've got plenty of time to go, so don't worry."

"Yes, it might be very windy tomorrow. That's the reason I wanted to get here tonight, besides seeing all of you, of course," Bridget added. "Hopefully, it's not too bad, or Finn and the girls will have a rough drive."

"I hope the three of them are having a good time tonight. I feel so old to think that two of their high school friends are having an engagement party already," Rachel chimed in.

"I can't imagine Finn getting married. He's still a little boy to me," Sybil commented about her nephew.

"I feel the same way. At least, Brian and Becky are a year older than them, but it still makes me wonder how long until we have to start planning a wedding," responded Bridget.

"Maybe for Peyton. Lana likes playing the field far too much to settle down anytime soon. I'm more worried she'll end up with an accident and have to get married," expressed Rachel, about her concern for her oldest daughter.

A grumble interrupted the conversation as an upset Clive stood up from the table. Austin nearly panicked. Mr. Stratton must have seen Lacey's arm moving. I'm dead! The high school quarterback prepared himself for a fast getaway.

Austin needn't be worried as it turned out that Clive had heard enough talk about his daughters' sex lives. "My back is bothering me. I'm going to go lie down for a bit," he snapped, storming off and up the stairs.

"See what happens when you don't use discretion, Lacey. Now I have to deal with your upset father," Rachel told her.

"Sorry," her daughter meekly apologized, holding her hands up.

What the... Austin thought, seeing both his girlfriend's hands in the air while a third one continued to rub his growing bulge. Finally, risking a look down with Mr. Stratton out of the room, Austin nearly shit himself. Following the hand up an arm and to a face, the teenager's eyes met the smirking face of Kimberly Goose. Mouthing a hello, the platinum blonde gave his cock a final hard squeeze.

"Let's talk later," she whispered in his ear, placing both of her hands on the table.

"Rachel, pick up something from the bar downstairs and get a few drinks in him, so he calms down," Harvey suggested. "Better yet, take him and the drinks out to the hot tub and get him to relax there. Maybe kill two birds with one stone."

"I think I just might do that later. Thanks, Harvey," the redhead replied with a smile and a nod to her host.

"I know that worry, Rach. I always tell Jared to make sure his condom is extra tight when he plows those fertile fields," Gabriela chimed in, hoping to embarrass her son. He was in for a whole lot of motherly embarrassment until she felt he'd been sufficiently punished. "I'm not ready to be a grandmother."

"Ugh!" Jared groaned loudly.

Next to him, Newt nearly fell off his stool.

"Is there a problem, sweetie?" Gabriela said kindly but flashing a predatory look at her son.

"No, I'm going to head over the bunkhouse and grab a few things for tonight," he quickly explained, wanting to avoid more of his mother's wrath. Standing up, he looked at Sean and Newt and asked, "Anybody want to come with?"

Newt quickly said yes. He was happy to flee back to his tablet and video game. Now uncomfortable around his old friend, Sean declined. Should I ask what happened with Ramsey or tell him about my crush? No, I'm not ready for either one yet.

"Newt, you better not disappear and hide," JoJo warned her friend. "Your screen time is supposed to be limited."

"Does everyone talk to my mom?" he moaned, following Jared out of the room.

"Well, I best get mine and JoJo's bags out of the car before it gets too late. Where should I park my car?" Bridget asked Harvey.

"There's still a spot left in the garage. Just pull it in there," he explained before turning to his daughter. "Whitney, could you open the garage for Mrs. Tarver and show her to her room too?"

"Sure, Dad"

"Um, what room should I stay in?" a **** JoJo asked.

"Oh...there should be one bunk left in the boathouse, but you probably don't want to deal with all the boys out there...wait, Finn's getting that bunk when he comes tomorrow," Harvey contemplated the increasingly crowded sleeping arrangements.

"JoJo can take the foldout bed in the master suite for tonight. Then tomorrow, we can figure something different out when Lana and Peyton arrive," suggested Whitney.

"There's no need for all that. If JoJo doesn't mind, she can share the room with me," Bridget said, looking over at her son's best friend, who seemed fine with the idea. With everyone agreeing, the older woman turned to her son. "Honey, could you grab my things from the car and put it in the garage too?"

"Sure, Mom. C'mon, Jo," Sean replied. He was happy for a reason to leave as Ms. Goose wouldn't stop eyeing him up. The older woman had winked, licked her lips, and mouthed "later" to him when she was sure no one was looking. "As soon as you unpack, I need to talk with you. Things are getting really weird."

The two teenagers grabbed their coats and headed out into the cold air. Whitney waited in the doorway, using the remote control to open the garage door for Sean. Taking the suitcases and garment bags out of the car, JoJo moved them inside towards their blonde hostess while Sean parked the car.

"Thanks, honey," Bridget said, grabbing her bags and starting up the stairs with Whitney and JoJo.

"Where do you think you're going?" Whitney asked Sean, abruptly stopping midway on the stairs.

"Uh, with you. I need to talk with JoJo after she finishes unpacking," a confused Sean answered.

"I don't think so. Just wait downstairs until she's done," the cheer captain ordered, motioning him to go away.

"What; why?"

"Your mother and your best friend are going upstairs to settle in their room and unpack. Give them some privacy," the buxom blonde explained with growing impatience.

"Yeah, so what?" Sean asked, having no idea what the problem could be.

"Well, they'll be unpacking all their clothes. Everything. So unless you want to watch your mother and your best friend unpack their underwear, you best scoot," Whitney informed him like he was a little boy.

"Oh! Uh, yeah, JoJo...um, just come find me whenever you finish," he said, already fleeing back down the stairs.

"You certainly have a way with my son, Whitney. I can't recall the last time I've seen Sean turn tail and run like that," Bridget said with a laugh.

"Let's just say I have plenty of experience ordering boys around," she said, flashing a smile.

Hmm, from what I've heard, she does have plenty of experience with boys. Whitney oozes confidence. Maybe I should ask her for help with JoJo instead of Peyton. If JoJo had even a fraction of Whitney's spunk, the girl could be a hit with boys. Now I just need to find a way to get JoJo to let me help.

The second story room impressed both guests with its craftsmanship. The large, wooden beams gave the place a rustic vibe. A queen-sized bed sat in the center of the room, a large dresser with a mirror, two nightstands on each side of the bed, and a small desk in the corner. The bedroom also had its own full bathroom connected to it.

"Wow, your father never fails to deliver when it comes to quality. This whole cabin is amazing, and I've only seen part of it," Bridget told the teenager, who beamed in pride at what her father had built.

"Thanks! This is the room I picked for myself. So just ignore some of my clothes and stuff. If you want, I can give you a short tour once you're done unpacking, Mrs. Tarver. It probably would be best for you to know where everything is for this week," Whitney happily offered. She couldn't quite say why, but Whitney always liked when she spent time with Mrs. Tarver over at the Strattons' house.

"If you don't mind, I would love that. JoJo, would you like to join us?" Bridget asked the brunette, but Whitney interrupted before the teenager could respond.

"I think Sean wouldn't forgive us if we stole JoJo for any longer. It's already been an eventful two days, and I know Sean wants to tell his bestie all about his fun," she said with a wink and knowing look over at the JoJo. That left Sean's mother and best friend to wonder what he'd been up to so far.