Read Online The Ties That Bind by T. Starnes - Free Book Online Page B

guess Vicki wanted to make sure everything was clear, and out in the open.
    I let Zoe sit next to Vicki, and I sat across from them. As soon as Zoe and I were seated, their kitchen staff or servants, or whatever they are called, started bringing out serving platters of food. I was still a little amazed every time I visited Vicki's house. It was weird placing the down to earth Vicki I knew, in the same context as someone who grew up around this kind of wealth. A brief grace was said, and then we all started loading up our plates. I was surprised it was just me, the girls and Vicki's parents. I was expecting all kinds of other people to join us. After a few minutes, Mr. Hollabrand broke the silence.
    "Caspian, I hear from Jonathan Colleta that you are doing some interesting things. He says you have gone into business with Ted Baker and an engineer."
    "Yes sir. Marcus, the engineer, had a really good idea. It seemed marketable, but Ted didn't have the capital to move forward with it. I saw it as an opportunity, and offered to invest the rest of the money they needed, on the condition that I got to take an active role in the company."
    "And they went along with that?"
    "Well, I was offering a lot of money; and yes, so far it seems to be working out."
    "That is what Jonathan tells me. He won't go into details, but he seems pretty excited by it."
    "We are keeping things very quiet for now, but it is exciting."
    "I am surprised they would get into business with someone so young."
    I could tell he was fishing for information and I didn't really want to talk about details yet.
    "I guess they saw some value in my contribution. I have gotten good advice from Jonathan on the entire project, also, and everyone involved seems happy."
    He reacted slightly when I used Mr. Colleta's first name so casually, but Mrs. Hollabrand broke in to ask, "So, I understand from talking to Vicki that you three kids, plus one other girl, are dating each other. That is an, unusual situation."
    If she was trying to divert her husband to a safer topic, then this was a swish and a miss. I could see Mr. Hollabrand frown, but I answered her question, anyway.
    "Yes, ma'am, we are. I know it is not a traditional relationship, but the girls seem happy and I know I am."
    "With three women dating you, I bet you are," Mr. Hollabrand muttered.
    "Richard," Vicki's mom admonished, "there is no call for that. Vicki has been very upfront with me about the whole thing. First, you should be aware that it isn't three girls dating Caspian. They are all dating each other. From my conversations with Vicki, and some with Zoe, I understand they are as infatuated with each other as they are with Caspian."
    Vicki reached across and held Zoe's hand, "Yes, we are."
    Mr. Hollabrand glowered some more, but his wife continued, "I know Caspian resisted the situation, at first. He was worried that one of the girls would get hurt."
    He looked at me surprised, "Three girls offered to date you and you tried to turn them down?"
    "Well, it was only two at the time," I responded. "But yes, I tried to. I was worried that there was no way we could do this that didn't end up with someone getting hurt."
    "That doesn't seem like a common attitude for most teenagers."
    I shrugged, "All I can say is that I am not the average teenager. My experiences before moving here, and after, have both been pretty unique. They've given me a different outlook on life. I believe that it is important to do what is right, even if ... or rather, especially if ... what is right is not the same as what I want."
    He looked thoughtfully at me for a moment, and then said, "I see," before returning to eating his mashed potatoes.
    We made a lot of small talk from there. All three of us talked about our classes, and I explained about the accelerated program we were in. They asked about sports, and Vicki told them about my injury and not being allowed to play any longer. The conversation wound down into another awkward