Seating Arrangements

"Excuse me. Can I have your attention?" The speaker asked for the second time.

TAP TAP TAP

Bridget tapped the microphone after not enough ball-goers stopped their conversations. Sighing, she already wondered if Rachel might still be the better person for this duty, even in her current state of mind. The teacher-turned-principal had plenty of experience in addressing unruly students.

Raising a hand in frustration, Bridget prepared to try again. However, a small body leaned over on its tiptoes to pull the microphone down after saying, "I got this."

"Hey! Listen up, people! A doctor is talking! So shut up!" Sanna shouted into the microphone. Then, turning, the fourteen-year-old smiled at her aunt's old friend. "Okay, it's all yours again."

"Um, thank you," Bridget responded as Serinda fist-bumped her younger sister. Adjusting the microphone, Bridget noted with pleasure that most of the room now faced the stage. "Uh, hello. For those of you who might not know me, I'm Bridget Tarver. I was one of Cassie Bank, I mean, Cassandra Singer's oldest and closest friends. On behalf of Cassie's family and friends, I would like to thank you for attending tonight's charity ball and supporting Cassandra's Story Society. We can't wait to tell you about all the wonderful things we have planned to spread Cassie's love of reading to future generations."

A small round of applause broke out.

"I wasn't supposed to be the person up here addressing all of you. However, in light of recent developments, I'll be your primary emcee for the evening."

A piercing whistle echoed around the ballroom.

"Yay! MC Dr. Smokeshow!"

"Brandy, behave."

"Hey, I almost went with MC Dr. Sex Kitten, Mother."

Bridget couldn't help but smile at her sister's shout and their mom's admonishment from the next table over. Then, of course, several old friends, led by Gabby, added their own catcalls.

"Okay, okay," Bridget responded, motioning with her hands for them to calm down. "I won't be the only speaker up here tonight. First, I'd like to introduce these two adorable girls. They fill my heart with such joy every time I see them, as Serinda and Sanna Bank are almost the spitting image of their Aunt Cassie at their age. So say hi, girls."

"Hello," Serinda said, leaning in for the microphone to catch her voice.

"Hi," the suddenly bashful Sanna greeted by waving to the room.

"The Bank sisters will be my helpers for this evening. So you'll have plenty of time to find out how much this new foundation means to them," Bridget promised as the girls stepped to her sides. "We'll also hear from some of Cassie's friends, siblings of friends inspired by her, and a few of her former students. I think Rachel Stratton has lined up an entertaining list without it dragging--"

"What the fuck about me?!"

"I was getting to you," Bridget gritted through her teeth at her co-host. "And you just screamed that into the microphone."

The Bank sisters giggled on either side of her.

"Oops. Sorry, Dad! Sorry, Mom!" Tinsley Toone paused as Bridget picked up her phone. "Are they mad?"

"Well, your dad covered his face, but I think your mom is used to your dirty mouth after forty years," Bridget told her friend before turning the phone's screen to face the microphone and crowd.

"Howdy, folks!" Bridget rolled her eyes at Tinny's odd greeting for her. "I'm Tinsley Toone, formerly known as Tinsley Day, but you can all call me Tinny. I'm the remaining member of the Day-Bank-Fallon trio of best friends. I'm super bummed that I couldn't be there tonight because of a family emergency. BUT, I am thrilled that I get to help fill in for Rachel Stratton, even if it's because of a bunch of bullshit that everyone in this room knows is fucking--"

"Language, Tin," Bridget reminded.

"Oh, right. Sorry! I've been sitting all the way out here in sunny and warm Hawaii while moping about not being there and sipping on some wine."

"I don't think she's only been sipping," Sanna whispered past Bridget toward Serinda.

"Huh?" Tinny asked, thinking Bridget had said something to her.

"It's nothing," Bridget replied, pulling her phone away from the mic.

Still, Tinny could be heard complaining and griping about not getting a stage name.

"DJ Toones!" Brandy supplied, earning a shout back from Tinny.

"Alright, we'll be back after dinner. Now, we're running behind already, so if everyone can make their way to their seats, the wait staff will be over in ten minutes. Thanks," Bridget ended.

"Get to your seats!" Sanna shouted into the microphone again.

---

"You know one thing in life that's guaranteed? That your sister will never change, Teddy," Dean Dawkins joked to his friend, the junior Theodore Day.

"I don't know how I survived living in the same house as her and next door to Brandy," Teddy remarked. That caused his mother to admonish him.

"You should be thanking both of them for preparing you for life," Virginia Day stated. "They both love you to ****."

"Yes, nothing in adult life can be worse than what those two--Wait, the twins might be a scarier duo," Theo Day said about his granddaughters.

"Your aunt is funny," Dean Dawkins' six-year-old son told Trey Day.

"Auntie Tin IS fun," the eight-year-old stated.

"No, she says bad words. Words that get you in trouble. Don't use them," Tenille Day corrected. The ten-year-old looked to her mother for support.

"Listen to your sister," Olympia told her youngest.

"Is Auntie Tin in trouble, Grandma?" Trey asked.

"We gave up a long time ago, sweetie. Here, take this," Virginia said, slyly handing her grandson a piece of candy.

Shaking his head at his candy-pushing wife, Theo leaned over to whisper into her ear. "When do we tell Teddy about Crystal?"

The issue surrounding their son's cheating high school sweetheart had bounced around with no one having a good idea about how to approach it. Virginia wished that the awful woman would just leave before Teddy saw her. She also worried over what Tinny had alluded to in her outraged phone call earlier. Theo seemed to want to let Teddy know while quietly encouraging Brandy to handle any ****.

"Let's try to avoid it until after the ceremony," Virginia replied, distracted upon noticing a person approaching their table. "Hello, dear. How wonderful to see you again."

Nate stopped and looked at his grandmother with concern. Fuck, I hope this isn't happening. "Uh, Grandma, you just saw me. We've talked. Do you remember--"

Watching his grandmother walk past him, Nate felt miffed until he saw who she greeted and hugged. It was Zaylie, his old friend and former girlfriend.

"Oh, hell no!" Nate exclaimed. Ignoring the dirty look from his Aunt Olympia, his voice raised even further as Virginia motioned to an empty seat. "No fucking way! No way, Grandma."

Trey laughed and clapped at his cousin's foul mouth.

"Zaylie is our guest. Treat her that way," Virginia informed Nate. "So sit down and zip it."

"Blame your mother, kid," Theo chuckled. "Besides, we love Zaylie. You're the one who screwed it up."

Plopping down in his seat, Nate's mood darkened as the busty blonde sat down next to him. Flashing a broad smile, Zaylie introduced herself to Dean and his family. Her winning smile brightened as Dean's daughter commented that she was pretty.

"Why, thank you, sugar! Too bad Nate didn't think that was enough."

"I don't know what you're up to, but stop it," Nate warned.

"Your mom is the one who insisted I fly here for Finn," Zaylie replied before lowering her voice. "She said that you deserved a bit of punishment."

"What? Why?!" Nate questioned. Then, mulling it over, he began to fret out loud. "Fuck, what did she find out about? Was it...oh, gawd, I hope not."

"Nathan, please watch your language. There are innocent ears at the table," Olympia scolded her husband's nephew while nudging Teddy.

"What? Uncle Teddy? He never cared about swearing in front of me when I was their age," Nate pointed out. "Right?"

"I'd be more worried about what your mom knows," Teddy responded, ignoring his wife's scowl. "Tinny always knows. Why? Because she probably did it first."

"And probably got away with it," Dean joked, recalling his childhood.

---

"You know, I could've pushed him over," Peyton pointed out.

"It's our responsibility," Kizzy declared before glancing around for backup.

"Right," Beatrice stated. As squad captain, she had taken over the physical responsibility by pushing Sean toward his family's table.

Just minutes before Dr. Tarver asked everyone to move to their tables, the Babybees held an impromptu huddle to discuss tightening up their efforts. Zoey and Ariel had also agreed that Sean needed to be watched more carefully to avoid a repeat of what happened during the fight. So they decided to split into pairs to rotate monitoring of the injured hero for the rest of the night. The Babybees also hoped this would lessen any blame Whitney directed at them.

"And we'll be within shouting distance if you need help," Zara informed Sean.

"No, there will be no shouting," Peyton stated, shooting her brother a glare.

"I wasn't planning to," he replied.

"There he is!"

Beatrice abruptly halted the wheelchair as a woman in her early fifties stepped in front of it. Not sure if the woman was Sean's relative or a family friend, the other Babybees stopped and listened.

"Hi, Mrs. Kappmeyer," Peyton greeted. Then she quickly hugged the Tarvers' next-door neighbor, and Mr. Kappmeyer joined in.

"Hello, dear. We've been so worried," Deidre Kappmeyer revealed, tightening the hug. "And how are you, Seanie?"

"I'm fine. How's Watson? Is he happy? Eating? Missing me?" Sean rattled off.

"Oh, he's enjoying his vacation. Mom spoils him rotten," a third voice added. "Although he does miss you. Once you hit the news, Watson heard us say your name and kept getting more excited. He'd run to the door or to the window to look for you," Keira Kappmeyer relayed as she leaned over to hug her neighbor.

"Who's Watson?" Ariel whispered.

"Sean's dog. He's a beagle. Don't you listen?" Kizzy challenged.

"Whoa!" YoYo sounded, checking out the abundance of cleavage that the new arrival flashed in front of Sean's eyes.

That valley of flesh didn't go unnoticed by Sean. Nor did his sister miss his eyes glazing over as Peyton elbowed his shoulder to snap him out of the daze. Sean barely noticed as his brain transported him back to Christmas night. He hoped whatever he said made sense to Keira as her dress morphed into that skimpy and transparent piece of lingerie that he'd seen his former babysitter wearing for the holiday. Nor could he forget watching as the busty brunette disrobed to allow her boyfriend to suck those delicious-looking nipples.

"Who is she?"

"Another hot girl? Another one?!"

"Why isn't he more popular at..." YoYo was about to say something about Sean when a different thought struck her. "Kizz, why the hell is Katie wasting her time with Palmer when Sean is right here?"

"I don't know. Maybe cause she's dumb," Kizzy said, sounding a little defensive.

"Well, it's her loss," Ariel commented.

"Zoey saw it. She used to have a crush on him," Zara reminded her squadmates.

"Used to? Why stop?" YoYo questioned in disbelief.

"That's his next-door neighbor and former babysitter," Harley revealed, knowing the Tarvers slightly better than the other girls.

"Ex-babysitter? Oh, I bet he's jerked a few off to her."

"Yolanda!"

YoYo didn't have a chance to respond as the Babybees plus Ariel silenced themselves as Deirdre Kappmeyer introduced herself to them. She also asked their names, to which they replied.

"Wow, you have quite the band of nurses, Sean," Keira teased.

"Whitney ordered them to watch over me."

"Hey, we're happy to help," Kizzy proclaimed.

"They're the junior varsity cheerleaders," Sean finished explaining.

"I guessed as much. Take good care of my neighbor, girls. He looks like he could use as many nurses as possible," Keira joked.

"We're not his nurses. We're his candy-stripers," Zara clarified.

"It sounds sexier," YoYo added.

"Oh, boy. It looked like you're going to have a handful at your house," Keira remarked to Peyton. Then, she added to both Tarver siblings, "I'll be at my parents' for a few weeks if you need any help."

"Th-thanks. That would be cool. I mean, to see you more," Sean sputtered, trying not to mean watching her fuck her boyfriend.

"We should get lunch this week," Peyton replied, with Keira agreeing enthusiastically. There is no way I'm staying in town for three weeks until classes start again. Not if all these cheerleaders are going to be around. I should...no, I will go back up earlier. I can start studying for my new classes in peace and quiet. Only Kiki is staying at the house during the break. "Where are you sitting?"

"We're at the Boxwood Court table with the Gibbles and Dentons,'" Deidre replied first.

"We should head over there," Hugh Kappmeyer said, encouraging his wife and daughter to do so.

"We'll talk later," Keira said to Sean and Peyton while leaning down to hug Sean again.

"Hey, tell Newt to stop hiding in the shadows. I haven't seen him all night," Sean told their ex-babysitter.

"Will do," Keira replied. Then, after two steps in the direction of their table, she turned back around. "Actually, I'll tell his mom that you said that," the brunette said with an eye wink.

With the Kappmeyers gone, Beatrice resumed pushing Sean the final fifteen feet to his family's table. Peyton attempted to hurry the Babybees back to their table, but what she feared happened next.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends, Sean?" Pepper Fallon asked her grandson.

---

"See? This is exactly the situation that I worried about when he chose the DA's office," Clarence Stratton said to his children while they stood near the doors to the lobby.

Justin and Honor nodded in agreement with their father. As both ambitious siblings had plans to someday succeed their father as managing partner, they eyed one another up for any distance from their father's beliefs to criticize.

"I don't see how this affects you," one of Clarence's friends commented.

"You don't? Well, I didn't realize that you were so naive," Clarence spat back. "This is not only going to drag the Stratton name through the mud; it will bring scrutiny to everything our firm does on the criminal side. My god! Lionel Arness is going to have a field day with this."

"We've always been overly cautious regarding our interactions with the district attorney's office. Clive insisted on it as well. We need to be vigilant about any conflicts of interest," Hayden Peel stated. As the lone attorney currently standing in the small circle that worked on the criminal side of Mulberry, March & Stratton, Hayden felt the need to defend their practices.

"Our practices don't matter right now. This is about perception. If people believe that Clive runs a dirty shop, it will reflect poorly on all of us," Clarence complained. "We need to develop a counterattack for anything that tarnishes the firm."

"And I've already begun that," Emma Mulberry announced as she joined the small circle. "I just got off the phone with Walter. I felt awful about interrupting his family vacation, but he was thankful that I called."

A petite woman, Emma proved that appearances could be deceiving. While she might appear delicate, the former public defender was tough as nails. She currently oversaw the criminal side of the law firm with Walter March. Emma was also the only person at the law firm who could intimidate Clarence.

"And what is your plan?" the managing partner inquired impatiently.

"We vigorously defend Clive's reputation as much as possible without appearing to have a conflict of interest. Walt wanted everyone at the firm to know that he sees these allegations as utter bullshit," Emma passed on.

"Of course, he thinks that. He got the job at our firm because of his law school friendship with Clive," Clarence replied.

"Walter got hired based on his abilities. Unlike others on the business side," Emma responded, her eyes flickering over at Justin and Honor. "And don't tell me that you believe for one second that your brother is corrupt."

"Of course he's not," Clarence admitted, finally saying it aloud. "However, Clive might be a sloppy boss. We know he gives his assistant DAs way too much latitude."

"Which is why we've hired several of them. That includes Sabrina, who has been stellar since we brought her in," Hayden said, happy that Emma had joined the group.

"But that doesn't mean that one or two of them couldn't be taking bribes. You know, I blame my father and uncle for telling their tales of being real-life Perry Masons to Clive when he was a boy. That's what inspired him to turn his back on--"

"Enough!" Blair Trimble commanded her older brother. Joining the group, she pointed her finger at Clarence. "Don't you dare pass the blame off on our family."

"I would...you know that my belief is that family is what holds the firm together."

"Do you? I'm willing to wager that Marshall hasn't said a peep in support of Clive as he knows that you'll immediately jump down his throat," Blair guessed correctly about their youngest sibling.

"Well, do you have something to say?" Clarence challenged Marshall.

"I, um, I agree that Clive would never do anything illegal."

"Of course, you'd defend him as he's always doing that for you," Clarence responded dismissively. "You never understand the bigger picture."

"Pull your head out of your ass for once, Clarence," Blair ordered. That shocked several of the firm's attorneys, who feared their boss. "There is an obvious reason for this crap to drop today and at the ball. The filing date is in two days. This was the first shoe to drop. The second will be the identity of our brother's opponent, and it will be coming soon."

"Politics," Clarence sneered.

"You don't seem to mind politics when you're glad-handing them for your ultimate dream of becoming a judge," Emma pointed out.

"That's merely a possibility. I like to keep my options open," Clarence scoffed.

"Well, watch and listen, big brother. I'm stepping in and going on the counterattack as soon as I know our adversary," Blair announced. "I'm gonna need Della. Is she around?"

"Della? You can't just requisition one of my top paralegals," Clarence argued.

"No, she and Cameron went away on a romantic getaway," Hayden told Blair.

"Hmm, what about her daughter?"

"Daisy? She's around here somewhere," Hayden said.

"Good. That girl is as smart as a whip. We'll have a chat after dinner," Blair stated, nodding at her own idea. "Speaking of dinner, I can't wait to see Harley."

"Oh, she's not sitting with me. Her cheerleader friends have their own table," Hayden revealed.

"Isn't that nice? It's good to have loyal friends, especially after what her mother put her through. I'll have to find her after dinner as well," Blair noted. Then, with her eyes momentarily landing on Clarence in disdain, she addressed Marshall. "Well, aren't we going to sit down? It's been almost ten minutes."

---

"Mother, why does Fletcher get to have Paige sit at our table and I can't have Rylee?" Sienna questioned, marching over to where Sela stood with Fiona.

"After what went down, that's what you're worried about?" Fiona asked her niece.

"Rylee has a family that insisted she sit with them," Sela informed her daughter.

"So Paige's family doesn't want her sitting with them?" Sienna inquired sarcastically.

"You know your cousin," Sela replied as if that was enough to explain the situation.

"Yes, Fletch tends to bounce off the walls if Paige isn't around to rein him in," Fiona admitted.

"Oww! Don't do that, perv!" Sienna scolded as Fletcher stepped around her after pinching her ass.

"Is Her Highness playing tattletale again?"

"Fletch, please don't start."

"Fine, I won't, Mom. But if Sienna doesn't like the seating arrangement, she can go sit at Kermit and Kathy's table. I'm willing to bet that I look a lot better afterward," Fletcher suggested. "She can even sit between Estelle and Stephanie."

"And get clawed during their next catfight? I think not!"

"I feel for Kathy. The tension is carrying all the way over here," Fiona said.

"Maybe if she taught her daughter not to pull people's dresses down, it wouldn't be so bad," Sela commented.

"And maybe you should teach your kid not to take so long getting dressed that I miss Steph pulling down two dresses simultaneously," Fletcher grumbled.

"Oh, there's Bridget," Fiona said before motioning for the two teens to go away. "Sit back down and try not to embarrass us in front of the Abbotts."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Poppy is handling that role," Sienna remarked.

"Bridget! Over here!" Fiona flagged down the blonde doctor.

"Hi! I looked around earlier for you two--Wow! That's quite a dress, Fi," Bridget praised, motioning for the silver-haired beauty to do a twirl.

Fiona Wynwick wore a bluish-silver mermaid gown. Off-the-shoulder, it showcased an abundance of cleavage nearly matched by the leg length that the high slit revealed. The Wynwick Foundation chairperson returned the compliment for Bridger's somewhat similar black gown.

"And you're looking as stunning as always," Bridget told Sela, who had been irritated about not getting complimented first.

The busty blonde made quite the mother-daughter duo as she also wore the same emerald green. However, unlike Sienna's regal dress, Sela opted for a sexy trumpet-style gown that highlighted her curves.

"Okay, so here's who Rachel has planned for speaking tonight besides you," Bridget said to Fiona.

The two women spent several minutes reviewing the evening's itinerary. Sela occasionally added a comment here or there. Most of her points centered on questioning the wisdom of choosing Tinny as the last-minute co-host. With time running out, Bridget and Fiona agreed to discuss the plans again toward the end of dinner.

In a hurry to reach her table to check on Sean, Bridget found herself **** to smile as an old busybody stopped her. The elderly woman complained about the fight between the rival squads. She seemed particularly outraged that Lana and Teresa had lost their tops. Not wishing to start an argument, Bridget assured the woman that nothing else of that sort would happen again during the ball. The busybody vowed to hold Bridget to that promise.

"I also see that Dr. Tarver is in attendance," the busybody said, not referring to Bridget. "I must say that I'm surprised to see him."

Bridget couldn't quite catch the last portion as the woman continued speaking as she walked away. Oh, no! Leo is here, and he's probably with Sean...and my parents!