There was a pause, then Katie asked, "So, are you interested in going on a date? Maybe this Saturday?"
"Sure. Did you have something specific in mind?"
"Excellent," she said, a hint of excitement in her tone. "I have been invited to attend a party at the Stetle Harbor Yacht Club. Would you be willing to go with me?"
That sounded like the sort of thing only wealthy people could attend. Was she invited because her family was wealthy, or because she’s attractive and someone was hoping to impress her?
Was she inviting him because she thought it would be a fun thing to do together, because she was curious how he would handle himself in that kind of setting, or because she wanted a shield against unwanted advances? Did it matter?
He’d never been to a yacht club, let alone a fancy party, so regardless of her motivations, he’d go with her, just for the experience. Thinking about the last possibility, he decided to tease her.
"Oh, are you hoping to use me as a shield to fend off the advances of horny young masters?"
She giggled. "No, that’s not why I’m asking. I really do want to spend time with you."
It was still possible she was also testing him. He’d dressed in cheap clothes during high school, so it was unlikely for her to think he was wealthy.
Maybe she didn’t remember, or didn’t notice. Or maybe she did and just didn’t care.
He’d find out when he went.
If she was testing him to see how he handled himself, he’d reserve judgement until he learned why. But, regardless of her true reason, he wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to rub elbows with the local elite.
"Will it be casual or formal?" He needed to know what to wear.
"Um...Not formal, but not casual either. These people don’t do jeans and a t-shirt, so I guess you could call it elegant casual."
"So, button-down shirt and slacks, but designer brands?"
"Yes, something like that. If you don’t have anything like that, I could-"
She was probably going to offer to buy something for him.
"Don’t worry about it, Katie. I think you’ll be surprised at what I’ll be wearing."
He would have to go shopping.
"Oh, okay. If you’re sure."
"Yep. Can you message me your address?"
After receiving her address, he said, "Alright, I’ll pick you up at 5. I look forward to seeing you."
"My too!" she replied.
After hanging up, he called Miranda.
"Jack?" she asked, puzzled. He usually didn’t call her since they could just talk in his soul space.
"Hey Miranda, I’ve been invited to a party at the Stetle Harbor Yacht Club this Saturday and-"
"Oh my god, seriously?!"
Well, looks like she’s heard of it!
"Yes, and I need to buy some appropriate clothes for an elegantly casual evening. I don’t want to embarrass myself, and I don’t want to look flashy."
He wanted to look like he belonged there, but also wanted to look understated.
"I can help you shop for clothes, but I’m not very familiar with who all might be there and what would make the best impression. Are you okay with me bringing my sister along?"
He chuckled to himself. With his soul strength, and their family philosophy, her sister was likely to have a strong reaction to him.
"Are you okay with her trying to swallow my cock in the changing room?"
"Oh damn! You’re right, she just might do that. What about my mom? I think she can control herself."
"Sure, if you think she can provide significantly better fashion advice."
"I think she can. I mean, I’m pretty sure I know what you will want to wear, but I’d be more comfortable if we got her advice."
"Sure. Okay. Is it enough to just go shopping on Saturday? Or will we need more time?"
"Um, I think we need to start this evening. I’ll call my mom and see if she’s free."
"Okay. Message me when you find out. I’ll meet you at the hotel in a bit."
That was one date arranged. Now it was time to call Samantha.
As Jack located Samantha’s entry in his contacts, he wondered how she would react. They’d never actually talked, other than a few brief words during class. Would she act like Katie?
He pressed the call button on her entry. The phone rang a bunch of times before going to voice mail.
"Hello Samantha, this is Jack. Madison gave me your number and said-"
"Jack? Are you there?" A high pitched, almost child like female voice interrupted his message. Maybe she was screening her calls.
"Yes, hello. Samantha?" They’d only ever exchanged a few words, so he wasn’t sure if it really was Samantha.
"Yes. I...um, how are you?" She sounded hesitant, maybe shy.
"I’m good. Madison told me you said it was okay for her to give me your number. Is that true? Is this a good time to talk?"
"Yes. I told her that, and yes, it’s a good time to talk. I was just reading this paper on quantum tunneling."
He’d heard about quantum tunneling from Rina, who’d said it was a fact chip designers had to deal with.
He was tempted to ask why she was reading about it, but if she was anything like Rina, he’d spend hours listening to technobabble. Eventually he would learn enough to actually understand what Rina was saying, but he wasn’t there yet.
"Great. So...what did you think when Madison called to confess?"
"Oh, um. I was really surprised. I don’t think I could have handled the embarrassment of doing something like that. It kind of impressed me."
"You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish if you are highly motivated. I think she found it just as embarrassing as you would. It’s just that she had no choice, confess, or lose any chance of restoring our friendship."
"What if she hadn’t confessed? Would you have really..."