Surprise invitation

Mary seemed at a lost for what to do. I know she wanted to called Zack and tell him to make sure he did his patrol down by the river that day; she has known Michelle and Tara since they were all in elementary school together.

“Lindsay, I can’t not tell your father; what if something happens to your friends?”

“They won’t see it that way mom! All they’ll see is that I told on them, they won’t be my friends anymore.”

“But Zack always patrols down by the river,” I told Lindsay. “Even if you didn’t tell your mom, your friends could still be caught by your dad.”

Lindsay sighed, “I know that Aunt Anna and I told Michelle about it but she didn’t seem to care, she still said that if dad showed up there, it’s because I told him to go.”

My cell phone started to ring, without even looking at the caller ID, I knew it was Josh. “Hey handsome,” I turned away from Mary and Lindsay, trying not to listen as Mary attempted to convince Lindsay that her friends wouldn’t hate her for this.

Josh said hello and then asked me to tell him I was on my way in. “Jess is really excited about spending the rest of the day with us at the park, he’s been talking non stop about the ‘teetot’.”

“I wish I could tell you I was on my way,” I told him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked immediately.

“I’m still coming it’s just that…” I glanced over my shoulder at Lindsay and Mary, sighed and then told him what was going on. “I just wish I could do something,” I told him. “But there’s nothing I can do.”

“I don’t want you to call dad!” Lindsay cried as she ran pass me. “You don’t understand mom! They are the only friends I have!”

“Sounds like things aren’t going that well over there,” Josh observed. “Maybe, if you want too, we could postpone –“

“No Josh! We promised Jess and I really don’t want to be the one to go back on that promise. There is nothing I can do, Lindsay doesn’t want Mary to call Zack and Mary wants to call Zack. I can’t do anything about it.”

“How about you call Zack?” He asked.

I told him how Lindsay’s friends would blame her if Zack showed up there. “They are being unreasonable!”

“Do you want me to go down there?” He asked seriously. “I could be out doing a million different things down by the river, so it’s not like they would suspect anything.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh Josh, thanks for offering honey but I don’t know if that would work.”

“Sure it would,” he told me. “And it would shock the hell out of the kids and maybe they would smarten up! Meeting 18 year old boys when they are 14? Are they crazy?”

Josh and I talked for a couple more minutes before he told me to please hurry.

When I hung up, I locked myself into my bedroom to get ready to hang out with my guys. It didn’t take long to slip into a comfy pair of shorts and a t-shirt and it only took about five minutes to throw together my overnight bag because I had already picked everything out the night before.

Once I was packed, I headed upstairs to see how things were going. “Mom called dad!” Lindsay informed me the second she saw me. “I told her not too but she did!”

“And I told you I had to call him!” Mary looked ready to snap. “Your father promised that he wouldn’t go himself, and he wouldn’t send a uniformed cop down there either. The person that ‘interrupts’ your friends won’t seem out of the ordinary.”

I smiled when I hear that. “That’s what Josh was saying just a few minutes ago,” I told them how he offered to go down there. “I’m glad that someone will be checking up on them, I would hate to have anything bad to happen to them.”

Lindsay glanced back and forth between her mom and me. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to them either,” she said quietly. “I just…” she sighed. “Thanks for calling dad,” she went to her mom and gave her a hug.

I was on my way towards the door when Cassie came running down the stairs with her friends in tow. “Oh Aunt Anna, you’re still here!”

“I’m just on my way out,” I told her.

“Good,” she smiled at me. “Do you think you could give us a ride into town? Gwen’s house is on the way.”

One look to Mary told me that she didn’t have a problem with it, so I told them I would drop them off.

“Can I go with you?” Lindsay asked her sister and her friends.

“Umm, no!” Cassie laughed and took off upstairs with her friends. “We just have to grab something Aunt Anna! We won’t be long.”

While they went upstairs, I pulled out my cell and gave Josh a called. “I’m leaving right away,” I told him when he answered the phone. “I just have to…” I trailed off when I spotted Lindsay slumped on the couch, she looked so lonely and bored.

“What’s going on Anna? What do you have to do?” Josh’s concerned voice pulled me out of the trace like state I was in.

“I have to drop Cassie and her friends off at Gwen’s first,” I paused and then I told him about Lindsay again.

“You are worried about her, aren’t you?”

“I’m that easy to read?” I asked him.

He chuckled, “When it comes to your family, yes you are honey.” He hesitated for a second and then made a suggestion that surprised me. “If Lindsay doesn’t think it’s too lame, why don’t you invite her to come with us today? I know one little boy who would love to have another person to entertain for a while.”

“Are you sure Josh?” I was a little skeptical. “You don’t have to invite her along just because I’m worried about her.”

“Anna come on, you know I would do anything for you. Hanging out with your niece when she’s sad and lonely is something I know you want to do and since you already have plans to go to the park with Jess and me, I don’t see why Lindsay couldn’t come along, unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless she thinks hanging out with her aunt’s boyfriend and little boy is uncool.”

“I don’t think she’d think that,” I told him with a laugh. “If you are sure, I’ll ask her and you’ll see if she thinks you are cool or not, when I get there.”

“Sounds great,” he told me. “I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up with Josh and went over to Lindsay. I told her and Mary that Josh was wondering if she would like to join us and I swear Lindsay actually jumped up and screamed, ‘yes!’