An Unknown Flavor

The pair of smooth, long legs and creamy thighs moved back and forth, acting as a magnet to Sean's eyes. Quick glimpses of a couple of sculpted lower ass cheeks peeked out as the short robe shifted with each step on the stairs. So mesmerizing was the beauty of the view that the connection from his brain to his legs become fuzzy for a second, causing the teenager to stumble on his next attempt to climb a stair.

"Hey, watch it back there! We don't need to lose all our hard work," Whitney snapped, looking over her shoulder and down at her classmate. She noticed that Sean's tray full of freshly made donuts wobbled precariously.

"Sorry, I slipped," Sean bashfully apologized, thankful that Whitney hadn't noticed why he slipped.

"Be more careful from now on," Whitney stated the obvious as she moved to resume climbing the final steps.

Reaching the main floor, they discovered the rest of the cabin was slowly waking up. The Strattons sat at the kitchen island chatting with Harvey and Bridget.

"Good morning, Whitney. Good morning, Sean!" Clive greeted, a little too cheerful when it came to Sean's turn. Bridget noted this and how awkwardly the eldest Stratton had also greeted her.

"Morning, guys," Rachel chimed in, throwing an unreadable look at her husband. "It looks like even on vacation, you two have chores."

"Tell me about it," Whitney replied dryly. She nearly threw her pan of donuts onto the island in front of her father.

"How'd they turn out?" Harvey asked. His eyes already zoomed in on two partially overcooked donuts in the corner.

"Don't look at me, Dad. That's all on numbnuts over there."

"Me? You're the one that was staring at the wall daydreaming!" Sean protested. "You're supposed to be the donut expert. This is the first time I've ever done it."

"Guess that's another cherry you popped poorly."

"Now, kids, let's not start fighting this early in the day," Harvey interjected. "Whitney, that was not a nice thing to say. Sean's our guest, so apologize."

Whitney responded by sticking out her tongue. Only after her father repeated her name sternly did she add, "Sorry."

Before Sean could issue the snappy comeback that he came up with, the doors to the sunroom opened, interrupting him. Finn strolled in, looking wide-awake and chipper. A round of "good mornings" welcomed him.

"At least it looks like one person got enough sleep last night," Rachel commented.

"Yep, those bunks are actually very comfortable. I fell asleep right away," Finn replied brightly. "Ooh, you're making your donuts, Harvey. I love those."

Harvey held back a grin as he knew why the Singer son likely fell asleep quickly. Also, only he saw the young man's eyes flicker toward the living room and the sleeping Ellie.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you best of all the kids my best friends had, Finn," Harvey said, slapping the new arrival on the shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm the only kid your best friends have. Unless Larry has a love child hanging around campus up at school," Finn responded, his eyes roaming the bowls of glaze, frosting, and sprinkles laying on the countertops.

"And you said people wouldn't want my donuts, Bridget. Not to be an 'I told you so' person, but I told you so," Harvey commented to the woman standing near him.

Sean watched as his mother turned, glared at Mr. Diamond, and then stuck her tongue out at him. Needless to say, he was shocked by her juvenile behavior. Whitney experienced the same feeling as her father responded by darting his hand out to try and catch Bridget's tongue, but missed as she closed her mouth.

"Someday, I'm going to catch that tongue, missy. You won't think it's so funny then."

"You couldn't catch it back when you weren't an old man, so what makes you think you will now?"

"Old man? Why I'll..."

Across the kitchen island from the bickering cooks, Rachel started to giggle, drawing attention to her from everyone in the room.

"Sorry. I'm having flashbacks to Bridget's house on Sunday mornings back when we were teenagers. Those breakfasts could be a blast," Rachel explained. "I was so happy that Gabby introduced me to your family."

"My mom loved those years when Harvey would show up and take over the kitchen with Beverly. It saved her a lot of baking, she'll tell you. She loved to brag and have her friends taste the wonderful stuff her daughter's boyfriend baked."

Whitney's attention immediately perked up even further. Daughter's boyfriend?!?

"While I would love to take all the credit, it was a team effort. Beverly helped quite a bit, and Brandy was our taste tester, of course," Harvey added with a chuckle. Lost in his memories of happy times, he failed to notice his daughter nearly leaning over the countertop as she hungered for more information.

"Yeah, Mom would always go on about how you were the son she always wanted," Bridget commented. "Probably still are after all these years."

An awkward silence filled the room for a few seconds. Harvey's grin faded as memories of less happy times wormed their way back into his mind. While Bridget looked to be deep in thought, Clive took an intense interest in a bowl of sprinkles. All the time, Whitney's head swiveled around, searching for even more details. Sean and Finn looked at each other and shrugged, unsure what was happening.

"Well, I always thought you were like a big brother to Bridget and Brandy," Rachel remarked, hoping to lighten the mood back up. "A couple of the girls on the squad that year actually thought you guys were all related."

"I never had any girls nearby in my family. My cousins lived out in Hawaii, so I only saw them a couple of times a year as my aunt never visited here. Larry's sisters were quite a bit older than us," Harvey stated. "So, yeah, I considered them the closest thing I had to cousins or little sisters."

"I never saw you as an older brother," Bridget snorted. "You were my older sister's hot boyfriend. Even thinking of you as a cousin seems creepy."

A few jaws in the room dropped at the revelation, but Whitney's shock came from her father's reaction. Harvey blushed.

"But, I know Brandy absolutely saw you as her big brother," Bridget continued. "It made sense since she was so much younger."

"Brandy still considers me to be her big brother. She sends me cards or calls all the time for birthdays and holidays," Harvey revealed, unaware of the growing shock on Bridget's face. "You know there's a Sibling Day? I never knew that until she started sending me cards for that back when I was in college. I gave Graham a hard time for not knowing," he added with a chuckle.

"Wait, what? She sends you cards on Sibling Day? How the hell did she do that? She would have been barely in grade scho--my mom, of course."

Brandy? I've heard that name before, but where? Whitney hurriedly tried to recall.

"Yeah, it's nice that she cares enough to send me cards--Graham never does that--and she likes to brag and show me off to her friends. Although it can be a little embarrassing at times too, like at the police station--"

"Police station! What the hell were you doing at a police station with my little sister?" Bridget shrieked in shock.

"Uh, shit...yeah, you weren't supposed to find out about that," Harvey awkwardly responded. Sighing to himself, he figured there wasn't any point in keeping the secret any longer. "Brandy got rounded up in sting for underage drinkers during her freshmen year at Zurbrugg. It was one of those are crackdowns they do of the college bars. Since she had a fake ID on her, they tried to scare her into giving up where she got it from. Your dad taught her well, she knew not to talk to the police without a lawyer, but she was scared to **** of calling your parents. So she called me."

"She called you when she got arrested?"

"She did. It was in the middle of the night. Willow wasn't happy that I got up and drove all the way to Arbor Corners. But Brandy was in tears on the phone, and I wasn't going to let her sit in jail. She really played me up as a hero. All I did was show up with my lawyer; he did the rest, getting the charges reduced or dropped for her and her friends."

"Harvey, I can't believe...what did my parents say?"

"Oh, they don't know. And you better not tell them, you got that?" Harvey ordered. "I don't want them mad at me. I hurt them enough already."

"Brandy!" Whitney blurted out as she finally recalled where she heard that name before. "You said she was a family friend that you babysat a few times! You never said--"

"Whitney, take the next batch down and fry them," Harvey said, handing over a new re-filled tray of dough.

"But, I want--"

"Hurry and go. You know the dough can't sit for long, and we have one more batch after this. Sean can help you again. Now go!"

Harvey watched as about a decade was shaved off of his daughter's age as she stomped out of the room. A confused Sean followed at her heels, entirely baffled by the stories he heard of his mother and aunts.

"Okay, buster, no more lies. Spill it!" Whitney bellowed immediately after slamming her tray down on top of the rec room bar. "Tell me everything you know."

"I know nothing, I swear!"

"You better not be lying to me, Tarver, or I'm going to make your life a living hell."

"I swear this is all news to me."

"Hmm, so be it. But you know things. You just might not know that they're important," Whitney mused, pausing to consider her questions. "You said this Aunt Beverly lives down in Blackbridge?"

"Yeah," Sean answered, looking down at the tray he still held. "Are you going to start frying these?"

"You can do it. I have more important things to consider."

Sighing at his plight, Sean began to place the dough into the hot oil gently. "Why don't you just ask your dad about my aunt?"

"Oh, I will; I will. But I want as much ammunition before I do," Whitney said ominously, slightly scaring Sean. "I'll have to talk to Peyton as well. Maybe she pays attention, unlike her simpleton of a brother."

"Hey, enough with the insults, or I'm not helping you."

"You're helping me, whether you want to or not."

"Nope, I'm not helping if you're going to be a bitch," Sean replied, turning his back to her and focusing on the donuts.

"Did you just call me a bitch?" Whitney angrily demanded.

"Did all that cheerleading ruin your hearing?"

"No one calls me a bitch."

"Well, if you act like a bitch, then you're a bitch."

"Listen up, buddy. I will make you miserable every single day at school if you don't apologize to me right this second!" Whitney threatened, moving into Sean's personal space. "It won't be that hard to make you into nothing at school."

"Miserable? Ha! Aren't you already doing that right this minute?" Sean said, focusing on placing another round of dough into the fryer. "Your dad asked you to make these, and instead, you pass it off onto me, all the while insulting me."

"I have more important things to worry about than grunt work!" Whitney nearly shouted, placing her hands on her waist.

"Ah, and there we have it. Miss Diamond thinks she's too important to do the work of peasants. Isn't that how you see people like me?"

"No, I don't. Don't twist my words, Tarver."

"You're the one acting like the spoiled rich girl demanding that people do want she wants. And then you decide to threaten me by going all queen bee at school. So, I think you're the one that should be saying you're sorry, not me."

The room went silent except for the sizzling of the fryer. Sean used the tongs to turn the future Long Johns over, all the while he waited.

A faint "Sorry" finally arrived.

"Did you say something?" Sean asked.

"I said I was sorry!" whined Whitney.

"No, say it like you mean it. Not like you just want people to do your bidding."

"I'm sorry, Sean. I acted like...a bitch," Whitney admitted, gritting her teeth. "I-It's just that my dad never keeps anything from me. He tells me everything, and I mean everything. You would be shocked at what he's willing to tell me. So when I suddenly learn that he's been keeping something like your aunt from me, I know it's ultra-important."

"Okay, apology accepted. And I'm somewhat sorry for calling you a bitch," Sean said as he pulled the donuts out of the fryer. "Ask away."

"Okay, thanks. Now, it's clear from what we heard that my dad and your aunt dated. It also sounds like they must have dated for a while. Tell me about her."

"Uh, as I said, she lives in Blackbridge. She and my mom have never gotten along much."

"No, you du--no, what does she look like?" Whitney questioned, biting her tongue in frustration.

"Oh, I guess like an older version of my mom," Sean heard Whitney sigh in annoyance. "I mean, Aunt Beverly's got long, blonde hair and blue eyes. She's a little taller and maybe weighs a few pounds more--not that she's fat or anything. She just looks more like a mom than my mom."

"I don't mean now, but when she was back in high school. When my dad knew her," Whitney pointed out, trying very hard to be patient with him. "I've seen pictures of Bridget from when she was a cheerleader. Did Beverly look similar back then?"

"Kinda, I guess. Aunt Beverly wasn't a cheerleader, and I don't think she played any sports. She sounded more like a serious student than my mom and definitely more than Aunt Brandy. So she wasn't as athletic looking like my mom," Sean said, struggling to describe a relative's appearance.

"Look, I need details, Sean. Was she hot? What about her body? Boobs and ass, those things," Sean shot her shocked look back. "I'm not asking if she was hot in the 'you want to fuck her way,' but how you would describe her as you would any other woman."

"Uh, yeah, Aunt Beverly was pretty back then. I guess you could say beautiful. She's still pretty now, in an older woman way." Whitney motioned for him to continue. "I don't know about her butt, but I guess she had bigger boobs.

Gawd, he's hopeless. Hopefully, Peyton will give me better details. Maybe there's even a picture or two of this Beverly in all those albums they brought with them of Cassandra.

"Okay, what about her personality? Was she wild back then, like your mom? Boy crazy?"

"B-boy crazy? M-my mom?" Sean stuttered, taken aback by the concept. Sure, he knew his mom and friends were a bit wild back then, but boy crazy made it sound dirty.

"Don't wig out on me. I need answers."

"Uh, no, Aunt Beverly isn't like my mom. She's more...uptight. I guess that's the word. She's the relative that yells at us kids to behave and follow the rules. I don't recall ever hearing about any of her boyfriends. If we hadn't heard about your dad, I would have thought she didn't date much in high school."

"Rule-follower, uptight, and limited dating experience? This is very odd," Whitney mused. "Tell me about this husband of hers? Does he look or act like my dad?"

"Like your dad?" Sean started to laugh at the absurd notion. "Not at all. He's short and thin. He's also a very quiet person, doesn't talk much at all."

"Hmm, interesting. What does your uncle do for a living?"

"He runs some construction company. Not like building houses, but cabinets or stuff like that. It's his family's business, and I think he does more the bookwork side of things. They met in college and moved to his hometown after graduation."

"Family business? Interesting. What about children?"

"You sure you want to take over your dad's company someday? You're reminding me of a lawyer right now," Sean joked but didn't laugh as he saw Whitney's serious face. "My cousins are twenty-two and twenty."

"That will be all for now about Beverly," Whitney decided. "Tell me a little about Brandy."

"Aunt Brandy is awesome," Sean remarked, his face brightening up. "She's my favorite aunt. You don't need to know about her looks, do you?" Relieved that Whitney shook her head no, he carried on. "Brandy's the baby of the family. I guess sort of the accidental kid as she's ten years younger than my mom. I know she's been a handful for my grandparents over the years. Fun-loving, she travels all over. Last I heard, she's taking a break from graduate school as she can't decide what to do. You would like her; everyone likes her."

Sean's exuberance over his aunt proved infectious as Whitney found herself smiling too. I think I need to meet this Aunt Brandy again someday. I only had a quick look that one time. Both Dad and Sean got bright smiles when they talk about her, so she must be something special. If my dad considers her a little sister, then is she my aunt too?

Sean placed the last of the donuts on the tray. He looked over at Whitney, seeing her deep in thought. For some reason, that slightly troubled him.

"Oh, we're all done already?" Whitney asked, snapping back to reality.

We? You didn't even lift one finger. "Yep, all done with this batch."

They each picked up a tray and headed to the stairs.

"You did what?!" a voice roared from inside a bedroom.

"It sounds like someone found out which hole you stuck your peg into last night," Whitney smirked, looking over her shoulder.

All Sean could do was gulp in fear.