Dinner Party

I looked approvingly at Susan as she and Makani came back from the spa. Hammer was a warrior; he’d want a strong woman, not some ditzy, heavily-made-up, desperate divorcee. Susan’s hair laid in gentle waves down her head to her shoulders. Her face glowed with health, and her fingers and toes had been manicured and coated with clear polish. She looked naturally beautiful.

We switched places, and I took Susan into her daughter’s room to look through her suitcase. She’d brought sensible clothing for summer, but we didn’t want to blend in now. I found the yellow Bodyglove bikini and handed it to her. “Put this on while I look for a dress,” I said.

She looked at the pieces of neon-yellow fabric connected by thin straps like I was nuts. “I haven’t worn a suit this revealing since before my first child,” she objected.

“Put it on, trust me,” I said.

She went into the bathroom, coming out like her suit was on fire. “I can’t wear this! You can see my stretch marks!”

I had her turn around. “You look hot,” I said. “Hammer’s only going to get a glimpse before you get in the tub, so don’t worry so much.” I handed her a colorful, light silk dress with Hawaiian flowers on the print. She pulled it over her head and smoothed it out. “See? Perfect.”

“It’s thin enough to see the suit under it!”

“I know. That will tease Hammer’s eyes while you remain covered. The poor guy is not going to know what hit him,” I said excitedly.

“I don’t know why I’m trusting you with this,” she said.

“Because you haven’t had a date since the Obama administration?” Susan let out a breath. “Hammer is a great guy. We’ve told you how he came to our aid at the beach, and how good a trainer he is. Hammer retired to take care of his wife, and then he lost her anyway. He’s lonely, but he felt something today. We can all see it.”

“I’m so nervous!”

I grabbed Susan’s hands so she wouldn’t damage her makeup. “Just relax. The bond is going to help you. Treat it like an ember; protect it from the winds, feed it tinder, and turn it into a roaring fire.”

We walked back into the living room, where Brent and Luke were watching a baseball game. “Wow, Mom,” Luke said as he saw her. “You’re beautiful.”

“It feels weird to be romancing a male with my son and daughter in the room,” Susan said.

“He’s your mate, Mom,” Amy said. “I’m excited, and he’s a strong male. We’ll get him comfortable and disappear when it is time.”

The cornbread was coming out of the oven when there was a knock on the door. “Come on, Mom,” Amy said. The two opened the door to Hammer, who was nervously standing with two six-packs of beer in his hands. “Welcome to our home, Hammer,” Amy said.

Susan held the door open as he walked in, kicking his shoes off and leaving them by the door with the others. “Thank you for inviting me. That smells great,” he said. “Can I put these somewhere?”

“I’ll take them,” Susan said. He almost dropped one of them as her hand touched his, but they completed the handoff.

Amy reached for his arm, and he offered it. She led him into the living room, confident in her steps in her home. “You met Luke this morning. This man is Vicki’s father, Brent Lawrence,” she said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Brent said. “Thank you for taking good care of our daughter.”

“She’s a great kid,” Hammer said. He sat on the couch with the guys as we got the table ready; I didn’t miss how his eyes followed Susan’s body as she moved between the kitchen and the dining room table. Naturally, we set him next to Susan at one end of the table, while Brent and Liv took the other. Dinner was a lot of fun, with lots of stories as we lingered over the food and drink. The two relaxed, finding little reasons to touch each other without being obvious.

It was nearly sundown when I realized that they were lost in a bubble together. “Girls, help me clean the table,” I said.

“We can help,” Susan said.

“Hammer, can I ask you a favor?” I asked. “My parents have never seen a sunset over the Pacific. Do you think you could take them to the beach while we clean up?”

He looked at Susan, who took his hand and nodded at him. “A walk on the beach sounds wonderful after that meal,” she said.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said. They got up and headed towards the door. “You guys will let them have their time, right?”

I could sense Brent’s amusement in his answer. “Oh, we’ll just sit on the sand and wait for them to come back,” he said.

Amy let out a breath when Hammer’s Mustang Convertible left our driveway. “That went well,” she said.

“So far, so good. Let’s get everything cleaned up. Liv is going to warn us when they are coming back, and we need to be in the hot tub when they walk in. If we can’t talk Hammer into a soak, Susan has no excuse to show him that bikini.” There was not much left of the food to put in the fridge, and it was almost ten o’clock when I got the warning. “Hot tub time,” I said.

Amy and Luke got in the tub with me, leaving plenty of room for our parents. “Come in and relax,” Amy told them.

“We’ll be right there,” Brent said as he led Liv to the bedroom to change.

Susan pulled off the dress, exposing that neon yellow bikini to Hammer’s wide eyes. She turned away and folded the dress before leaning over to set it on the table. “Do you need to borrow a suit,” she asked.

“I’m good,” he stammered before he pulled his shirt off. His cargo shorts were over a swimsuit, so he’d listened when we told him to bring it. He helped Susan get into the hot tub before he sat at her side. “How are your feet doing,” he asked as a foot floated over his legs.

“A little sore after the long day,” she said. Hammer started rubbing her feet, not stopping when Liv and Brent joined us. Makani stocked the cooler on the deck with ice, beer, and water for us before going back inside to call their parents.

Ten minutes later, Mom was in Brent’s lap as he rubbed her neck, and Hammer’s massage had moved up Susan’s leg to above the knees. “I’m heading to bed,” I told them. “Don’t forget that Amy is in my room tonight since my Mom and Dad are taking the master.”

“I’m going too,” Amy said. We said our goodnights and got out, wrapping towels around us before going back inside. Luke went inside to watch a movie with the twins, leaving the ‘old people’ alone in the hot tub. Amy was able to handle her routine alone, so I took my shower and got into bed. She came in just after I turned the lights out, sliding under the sheets next to me. “It seems like it’s working,” she whispered to me.

“We have to let them do it alone. Your Mom should talk to Brent about how to handle a human mate. Have her call Terry Foster as well. He just got engaged to Denise Chalmers, and is planning to tell her about us soon.”

“I hope it works,” Amy said. “Is Terry changing her?”

“He will tell her about the change, but he doesn’t want to risk it. Not while her son is young,” I said. “You know the odds, and your Mom does too.” It was a coin flip to change humans, and there was no predicting who would survive. My Mom’s heart stopped during the change, but they got her back. It was safest not to attempt it.

The next morning, the twins took the car to the airport to pick up their parents while I took Amy, Luke, Liv, and Brent out to the beach for our morning workout. Susan was still sleeping when we left; she had gone out for late drinks with Hammer after Brent and Liv went to bed. Luke said she came in about two in the morning and went to sleep right away on the foldout couch, not telling him anything.

She didn’t smell like she’d slept with him yet.

I wasn’t surprised to find Hammer waiting for us at the beach; as a SEAL, he was used to operating on little sleep. He was in a good mood, but he wasn’t a man to kiss and tell. Instead, he turned north and set a punishing pace for the rest of us. Brent and Liv decided halfway through that they’d prefer a walk on the beach instead, and they didn’t catch up again until our calisthenics finished. “Hammer, can I ask you a favor?”

“You can always ask,” he said with a smirk.

“We only have one car, and not enough room for everyone who wants to watch us at the dojo to fit,” I said. "Makani and Noelani’s parents flew in this morning, and Luke wants to watch too. If a few of us could ride there and back with you, Susan wouldn’t have to stay home.” That got me a flash of a smile.

“I suppose I could find room in my car for Susan, Brent, and Luke,” he said. “The four of you could bring the girl’s parents in your car.” He looked over at where my parents were watching. “I’ll bring them home. You five, run.”

“Yes, Sensei,” I said with a horrible salute and a laugh. By the time we got home, everyone was sitting around the table eating breakfast. I greeted Kaia and Jack warmly, not having seen them since the week we moved in. With all the parents, there was no room left at the table. I grabbed a big bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and raisings, scrambled eggs with cheese, and fruit and took it out on the back patio to the ‘kid’s table.’

When we arrived at the dojo, I smiled as I saw Hammer holding Susan’s hand as they walked towards the door. We changed and lined up as the other students came in. Hammer spent most of the session teaching takedowns and reversals, rotating partners until we were well-acquainted with the mat. The twins each challenged up at the end of the training session. Makani moved up two spots with a submission, while Noelani fought to a draw. When we finished, Hammer drove them home before returning to the dojo for his afternoon classes.

Dad ordered pizza for when we got home, and all too soon, it was time for us to leave.