Chapter 38: Great Expectations
After the talk with Jake, the next day, Judith and Cindy appeared very close to each other, driving Uncle Alan completely insane.
Dad was not happy either, but at least he was satisfied knowing why Cindy had never gotten involved with him.
I ignored it and headed back to Brentwood since it was Jay's Night - a family tradition.
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When I arrived, I went straight to the kitchen. Gloria was on the phone.
"Of course, we would love to have the baby. All the other cousins are sleeping over tonight. Okay, see you tonight. Bye-bye."
"We got Lily too?" I asked, reaching for a cup of coffee.
"Si, mi bebesita," Gloria said cheerfully.
Manny, who was reading a newspaper, asked, "Is Haley still coming?"
"You're related," Jay scolded. "I'll spray you with the hose," he warned.
"But is she really coming? There's a party at Andrew Adler's nearby," I commented.
I got invited but ended up declining because of Jay's Night
"She will. She promised," Jay said firmly, almost as if it was a jab at me.
"Hey, I love the family tradition - the Sloppy Jays, the P.J.s…" I began.
"…and the fact your girl will be part of it too," Jay added.
"I told her she could go to the party without me. What can I do if she prefers to be here? And you all agreed with it," I replied, unfazed.
Yep, I told Summer she could go, but she insisted on coming here
Jay and Gloria are much more open about me having a girl over here (as long as I keep things discreet), since I could easily go to Dad's house without any restrictions.
Brenda was a different case because she always behaved like a well-mannered girl, and she was going to Yale, which impressed the family (though she wasn't exactly well-mannered when she was alone with me).
Manny looked at me hopefully. "Will Marissa come?"
I ignored him and turned to Jay. "I think we need a bigger spray."
Manny frowned, shaking his head, and went back to reading his paper.
I headed to my room to read a book and continue working on some papers.
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At night, I came downstairs since it was almost time for everyone to arrive and saw Gloria singing loudly in Spanish to Lily, who she held in her arms.
I frowned and moved closer to Jay, whispering, "I'm pretty sure there must be a few dead birds outside."
"Lily is probably deaf," he agreed quietly. We both stared at the baby in silence as Gloria kept singing horrendously.
"But we're not, so we better make sure no karaoke microphones ever enter this house," I continued, earning a dry chuckle and a nod from Jay.
A message popped up on my phone, and I went to answer the door.
"Hi, Sun. Nice P.J.s," I greeted as I opened it and saw her wearing a pink pajama with a tiny sun on it.
She kissed me. "I had to buy one. The others I have aren't exactly... family-friendly," she winked.
I ignored her provocation, because I want a normal family night. But later this night, I would make sure to punish her insolence.
I gave her a playful pinch on her bum, making her jump and slap my hand.
We walked to the kitchen and chatted normally with Jay.
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The doorbell rang, and we went to answer it.
Jay opened the door while I saw Manny giving himself one last check in the mirror. I just shook my head.
"There are my little stinkers!" Jay greeted as Haley, Alex, and Luke walked in.
"Howdy," Alex said casually.
"Hi, Grandpa," Haley smiled.
"Well, hello there, Haley," Manny tried saying in a seductive tone, running his fingers along his glass of Coca-Cola.
"Take it down a notch, Jethro," Jay stopped him.
Haley gave him a weird look but turned to me and Summer. "I can't believe you guys aren't going and you're staying here."
"Your cousin can be very persuasive," Summer shrugged.
"So, you guys ready for some fun?" Jay opened his arms happily. "What?" he exclaimed after noticing Luke's expression.
"I love you, Grandpa, and I'm never gonna forget you," Luke said, hugging Jay tightly.
"Okay, okay. Back at ya, champ," Jay replied, confused. Then he turned to Haley. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is a pajama party. Where are your P.J.s?"
"Yeah, they're in my bag. I need to talk to you about something," Haley began.
But Alex cut her off right away. "She wants to go to a party with Dylan, Grandpa."
"Shut up, Alex!" Haley snapped and turned back to her grandfather. "It's at my friend Andrew Adler's. He lives three blocks from here."
"Oh, Jake told me. Walking distance," Jay noted.
"Right." Haley tried again, "So I wouldn't ask you this because I love coming to your house, but it's kind of an important party, and I-"
"Somebody invites you over, the last thing you wanna do is insult them," Jay completed
"Exactly," she agreed.
Jay put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad we agree," he said and walked away.
"Haley, if I were you, I'd lose that smile," I warned her, realizing she hadn't understood what had just happened.
She was turning toward me when Jay shouted, "P.J.s on, Haley!"
"What?" Haley exclaimed.
"Um, I would be happy to let her change in my room," Manny stepped forward.
Jay came back with a spray bottle and used it on Manny, and I grabbed one too, doing the same right after him.
Manny wiped his face and threw his arms open indignantly in our direction.
I used the spray once more just to be sure.
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