"Did you invite her?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, Mom, for the third time, she said she's coming."

"Good. I want to meet the girl who's been making my son all googly-eyed whenever he's on the phone." She tweaks my nose with a finger like I'm a toddler.

"Guys don't get googly-eyed, Mom."

"If you say so." She grins and returns to the kitchen where my Aunt Stacy is decorating a cake while swatting away her twin toddler hellions at the same time. They don't visit much—maybe twice a year since they live in a different state—but when they do, Mom tends to perk up a bit. Maybe she'll behave after all.

"Luke, get that stick out of Logan's hair!" Stacy barks. "And where did you get a stick from anyway?"

A two-year-old clad in nothing but a pull-up diaper flashes through the hallway, giggling. I catch him and lift him high into the air. The boy squeals with delight and smacks my arm with a stick. "You must be Luke, you little troublemaker." I grin at him, taking the stick away and carrying my errant cousin back to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Seth." Stacy wipes her damp forehead with the back of an arm, which sends more brown strands of hair into disarray. "I swear, sometimes it feels like I adopted two Tasmanian devils instead of giving birth. Do you think a zoo will take them?"

I laugh as I set the boy down, ruffling his dark hair. "He's not so bad."

She lifts an eyebrow and points at me with the bag of frosting she's been squeezing. "Babysit him for a week, then get back to me."

Luke jumps and swipes at the bag, eyes intent on the white frosting.

"Lord help me," she says, setting the bag out of reach on the kitchen counter. "The last thing these boys need is more sugar."

"Sugar!" Luke repeats, arms raised in a pick-me-up plea.

I scoop him up again and whirl him in a circle, sending him into another round of squeals. When I set him down, he waddles out of the kitchen to join his quieter twin in the living room.

I follow him. "You guys want to watch a movie?"

"Fish!" Luke plops his padded butt onto the floor and presses his hands against his cheeks, moving them like gills.

This gets Logan's attention. He sets his action figure down. "Nemo!"

"All right, Finding Nemo, coming right up." I locate the DVD and pop it into the player.

The doorbell rings right when I hit Play, which is an interesting effect.

"I'll get it!" I call and bound to the front door.

Tai stands there in his cargo shorts—the nice ones—holding an obviously man-wrapped present. The gift wrap is lumpy and lifts up in one corner as he holds it up to me.

"Thanks, man." I take the box and gesture him in. "Aside from Aunt Stacy and the twins, you're the first one here." I pause and tilt my head dramatically. "Which is surprising, actually. You feeling okay?"

Tai chuckles and glances around the room before whispering, "I thought you might need to be rescued from your mom."

I grin at his thoughtfulness and nudge my fist against Tai's meaty arm. "Good thinking. You're the best."

Glancing at the clock, I keep wondering when Jordi is going to arrive. Or if she'll show up at all. We haven't talked again since that unfortunate phone call, so it's quite possible she's changed her mind.

My mom comes bustling out of the kitchen, ripping her apron off and tossing it onto a nearby recliner. "Goodness, I have to pee so bad." She pauses by me, brow wrinkling as she peers at my t-shirt. "You're planning on changing, right?"

I look down at my spotless Iron Man shirt. "What's wrong with it? It's new."

"You have so many nice shirts, but you only wear these super-hero ones. What happened to all the respectable button-downs I got you?"

"I think his shirt looks nice. Superheroes are very trendy right now," Tai affirms.

She regards Tai for all of two seconds before barking at Seth, "Pick a different shirt. Now. I'll not have you looking like a bum at your own birthday party." She bustles off without waiting for a reply, slamming the bathroom door.

"Dang." Tai raises his eyebrows at the bathroom door. "Sometimes I forget how intense she gets."

I shake my head. "This is her behaving."

"Sorry, bro."

The doorbell sounds again, kicking my pulse up a notch. Is she here?

I open the door.

It's not Jordi.

"What's up, birthday boy?" Chuck, the neighbor who loves to barbecue even in the dead of winter, shoves an inappropriate six-pack of beer into my arms before ruffling my hair and barging past me into the house. "You may start the party, y'all! The Chuckster is here."

"The Chuckster?" Tai whispers into my ear.

My mouth twists into a sardonic smile. "Yeah, Mom invited him because apparently he's family now." I eyeball Chuck as he heads to the yard to instruct Dad on the proper way to light a barbecue. "I don't think she was pleased I only invited two people."

The sound of throat clearing makes us both turn around. Through the open front door stands Jordi, with Winnie close behind her.

"You came!" I break into a huge smile. My first impulse is to rush over and fold her into a hug, but then I remember how awkwardly our last phone call ended. Would a hug even be welcome?

Wait, I'm still holding Chuck's stupid beer.

I push the six-pack into Tai's chest and give Jordi stupid wave.

She smiles with amusement. "Of course. I said I would."

"And she brought reinforcements," says Winnie. "Hope that's okay."

"Totally okay," I assure them. "Mom will be thrilled I have more than two friends."

"Hold on." Jordi lifts a large, quilted bag of some sort and presents it to me. "Happy Birthday."

"Whoa." My eyes grow huge as I take the curious package from her and heft it. "It's big."

Jordi grins. "I think you'll like it."

My fingers itch to rip the bag open right that second. I almost do, but then I see her eyes drift past my shoulder. I peek behind me to find Mom standing there, eagerly waiting for an introduction.

"Oh, Mom, this is Jordi. And her friend, Winnie." My stomach threatens to leap out of my throat, so I tighten my abs to keep it in place. Please don't embarrass me, Mom.

She pushes past me and extends an eager hand. "Glad to finally meet you, Jordi."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Jensen." Jordi gives her a winning smile and pumps Mom's hand.

"That is a beautiful skirt." Mom tilts her head to examine the fabric. "The colors are so vibrant!"

Jordi spins in quick circle, causing the skirt to flare out. "Vibrant colors for vibrant personalities."

"How delightful." Mom takes a step back and places a reproachful hand on my shoulder. "See, Seth? Clothing makes a statement." She eyes my obviously deficient outfit one last time before addressing Jordi again. "Well, I'm glad you made it. The snacks are on that table, and burgers will be out soon. Make yourself at home." With a quick smile, she speeds back to the kitchen.

Mom used the word delightful, which is a first.

"She's nice," Jordi says, regaining my attention.

"For now," I say grimly.

Jordi leans in for a conspiratorial whisper. "For the record, I like Iron Man."

Her breath on my ear sends a shiver down to my pants.

A pointed cough from behind reminds me that Tai is still standing there.

"Sorry. You've met Jordi, right?" It's not until I look at him that I notice Tai's eyes fixed on Jordi's friend. "Oh, and that's Winnie. Sorry, Winnie. My mom likes to say I was raised by wolves when she wasn't looking."

Jordi laughs while Tai and Winnie size each other up.

"I've seen you at school," Winnie says, eyes narrowed slightly with interest.

A corner of Tai's mouth lifts up. "It's kind of hard not to."

Winnie returns his half-smile, and they seem content to stare at each other, as if communicating telepathically.

"Right, so..." I remember the quilted package in my hands. "I guess I'll put this over there. Mom'll get upset if I open gifts 'before it's time'." I make air quotes before setting the gift down on the credenza against one wall with the other gifts. Tai does the same with the beer. I pivot around to face my friends, staring blankly at them. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do next. See, this was why I hate parties.

"Um, anyone hungry?" I ask hopefully.

"Take me to your Cheetos," Tai says, which evokes an unexpected guffaw from Winnie. He shoots her a quick smile before following me to the snack table.

"As requested,"—I hand him the large orange bag—"your snack of choice."

Tai opens the bag with no effort and offers Winnie first dibs.

"Why, thank you." Her eyes never leave his as her hand dips into the bag and removes a handful.

I watch this exchange for a moment before turning to Jordi. "I'm glad you're here." Wait, did I say that already? I gulp and try my best not to feel stupid.

"Me too." She glances around the not-crowded room. "How many people are you expecting?"

My nervous laugh makes me cringe inside as my eyes dart around the room. "I think this is about it. My mom wanted to throw me a birthday party, and I guess two guests don't quite cut it. Which is why she invited her sister. And her kids. And the neighbor."

As if on cue, Chuck ambles back into the room, beer in hand and eyes on the newly arrived girls. "Ladies." He bows deeply without spilling a drop. "Chuck Denny, at your service."

"What's up, Chuck?" Tai says with a straight face, squaring his shoulders, which makes it seem like he fills the entire room.

"Whoa there, big fella. What do they feed you at home?" Intimidated, the man takes a step back. After exchanging a few more inane words, he retreats.

I suppress a smile. I'll have to thank Tai later for scaring away the creep. My eyes roam to Jordi's large gift sitting against the wall. I really want to open it. Maybe I can take a peek?

No. I'd like to avoid my mother's Stinkeye of Doom, so I'll wait.

*hides behind piles of votes to avoid Stinkeye of Doom*