Chapter 5

By this time Gwen wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She had all she could do to keep from crying as Lisa patted her hand and tried to calm her. Meanwhile, Paula was horrified. What had gotten into her normally quiet and reserved husband? She struggled to find words to diffuse the situation. What a way for a young man to be treated the first time he meets a girl's parents!

"Sir, I respect your conditions and will abide by them without hesitation," replied Steve calmly as he extended his hand to Ted Anderson. "You've done an incredible job raising your daughters and I will do nothing to bring dishonor or harm to any of them, and especially to Gwen. You have my word."

Ted Anderson beamed as he shook Steve's hand. It was always best to clear the air in the beginning, before any misunderstandings occur. He had taken the bull by the horns and laid the foundation for his daughter's well being. It was only as he looked for admiration on the faces of the other folks in the room that he sensed something may have been awry. The silence has almost deafening. Paula forced a smile as she offered everyone more coffee.

That was the scene as Lisa descended the stairs and loudly cleared her throat. All eyes turned to her as she moved to her father and hugged him.

"Dad, if we weren't so sure that you really loved us, we'd think you were trying to ruin our lives sometimes. As long as Steve so graciously accepted your conditions, I want everyone to turn their attention to the stairway. Prepare to have your breath taken away. I give you Miss Gwen Anderson!"

Gwen had never been so embarrassed in her life. Her anger allowed her to lose her jitters. She would give her father a "speaking to" of her own tomorrow! As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the silence made her stop thinking about her father, and the embarrassment he had caused. Gwen looked around and saw jaws hanging everywhere. Tears were rolling down her mother's cheeks. Kate was holding her hands to her mouth. Then she looked at Steve.

He made no effort to conceal his appreciation as he stood nearly transfixed. Gwen could see his eyes move over her body and it excited her. It was far different than when the boys at school stared at her chest or made suggestive remarks. She didn't feel insulted or dirty by the way Steve so obviously enjoyed looking at every inch of her.

As Steve approached Gwen, he looked directly at her, even as he spoke to her father. "Sir, your daughter is incredibly lovely. If she'll agree to accompany me this evening, I promise that I'll do everything in my power to guarantee her safety as well as protect her honor. Gwen, I am releasing you from the wager, but I'm again asking you to go to the dance with me."

Gwen instantly gleaned that Steve was doing everything in his power to placate her father and his insensitive demands. He was actually showing her father more respect than he may have deserved after his tirade a couple minutes prior. With that understanding of Steve's motives, Gwen became more tolerant of her father. A girl's suitor should make an effort to live up to the expectations of her father, shouldn't he?

"Thank you, Dad, for putting this rogue in his place. He can't take advantage as long as I have a father like you looking after me. It's a girl's prerogative to change her mind, however. I've reconsidered my previous decision. I would be pleased to be your date for the evening, Steve."

Gwen's response to Steve opened the flood gates. Suddenly everyone was laughing and talking. Paula was hugging a very smug husband as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Kate produced her camera and insisted that Gwen and Steve pose for a few pictures. Of course, everyone else quickly took advantage of the situation and used their camera phones to capture the moment.

Gwen's aunt Diane hugged her and then hugged Steve as she whispered to both of them. "That was some of the fastest thinking I've seen in a long time. You saved Ted from a very bad moment. I think Paula was considering pouring hot coffee on his head, but you two made him look good. I'm impressed!"

It was Dorothy Fields that loudly stated what everyone had been thinking a few seconds later. "Gwen, you are absolutely stunning! I've never seen a more beautiful woman, and in that dress, it's pretty apparent that you're all woman. You have to be the best looking couple this town has ever seen!"

As soon as things calmed down, Paula watched Gwen take Steve's hand and tug him toward the door. It was a small gesture, but it reassured Paula that Gwen was finally in control of her thoughts when she was near Steve. As the door closed, Lisa hugged her mother and wiped away tears that found their way down her cheek.

"Mother, did you see how beautiful Gwen was? I had to talk her into wearing my red dress. Now I'll never be able to wear it again after seeing how she looks in it. She's been working out, Mom. The dress was a little loose in her waist and tight in the bosom! My little sister sure has grown up and I'm so happy for her. Let's hurry up and get to that dance. I need to find out if I can still break hearts. Gwen's made me feel old and ugly all of a sudden."

"Steve, I'm sorry about my Dad," began Gwen as soon as Steve pulled out of their driveway. "He heard us talking about the bet and somehow came to the conclusion that I was going against my will. He felt that since I had declined once, it should have been the end of it. He's a pretty good father, but he doesn't always understand the women in his life."

"Gwen, I think you should be proud of your dad. I admire how direct and to the point he was. He made it pretty clear what was expected from me when I dated you. As far as I'm concerned, he did exactly what a good father should do. There is nothing to apologize for, and a lot to be proud of, if you ask me. You have a wonderful family."

Gwen was surprised both by Steve's response to her apology and his declaration that she had a great family. She thought it over and realized that she'd never given much thought to how lucky she was to have the family she did. Lisa had loaned her the red dress and spent hours helping her prepare for her first real date. What more could you ask from a big sister? Gwen also realized that she knew almost nothing about Steve and really needed to learn more. It then occurred to her that was the very reason people dated. Maybe she had underestimated its value.

Steve had spent some time with Jim Archer in an effort to know what to expect at the benefit dance. It was important to Steve that he make friends and be accepted in his new town. He didn't want to ruin things because he didn't understand customs in the area. He felt as prepared as he could be for what he expected to be a very memorable evening.

As Gwen and Steve entered the VFW hall, a tall thin girl approached Gwen and hugged her as she looked at Steve. She wore a forced smile and appeared to be intimidated by Steve.

"Gwen, I saw the YouTube spot and still had a little trouble believing this. You're making all of your friends proud. You look like a fashion model and your date is incredible. I guess you'll be sitting with the jocks from now on. Bev, Mark, Barry and I are sitting over by that wall, so stop in and say 'hey' if you get the chance."

"Charlotte, this is Steve Hammer. Steve, meet Charlotte DeVries. She'll be in our English class. She's really funny. She makes any class fun. I don't know where we'll be sitting, Charlotte. Steve and I haven't given it a thought yet, but I guess we'd better now," replied Gwen while nervously looking at Steve.

"Gwen, I'd be happy to sit with your friends, if there's room for us. Remember that I'm new here and haven't met anyone but the guys on the football team. I see plenty of them in the showers and on the practice field. If there's no room for us, could you at least introduce me to them?" replied Steve. "The showers, Steve?" asked Charlotte as she arched her eyebrows several times. "Maybe you can help me find the man of my dreams. I could tell you what I'm looking for, and you could tell me who, if anyone, fits the bill."

"Charlotte! You can't expect Steve to help you with that! You'll just have to interview them the old fashioned way," laughed Gwen.

"In case you haven't noticed, Gwen, I'm not exactly beating them off with a stick. I can't suddenly show up with a tiny red dress that shows off all sorts of treats that men like in women. I'm stuck with these," lamented Charlotte as she briefly hefted her small breasts. "I haven't conducted any "interviews" yet in my entire high school career and it doesn't look like that's going to change. That is unless you introduce me to your fairy god mother that transformed you from our conservative valedictorian to a smokin' hot seductress."

"Do I look bad, Charlotte? I trust you to be honest. I was worried about wearing this dress, but Lisa insisted that it looked good. Do I look cheap, or foolish?" questioned Gwen quickly.

"Gwen, you may look like a million bucks, but you're still working through those insecurities, aren't you? You're the classiest looking girl I've ever known and you look great tonight. Don't ask me again because if this were a movie, I'd be the sarcastic, skinny friend that's thrown into the mix for comic relief. I can't keep reassuring you all the time. God, I wish I had your problems!"

Gwen's friends were deep in conversation when she and Steve approached the table. Charlotte called to them, "Hey, guys! Get a load of Gwen, as if you need any encouragement. I want you all to meet Steve Hammer. He's my date for the night, so you boys had better behave or he'll break you in half. Don't be sneaking any feels of my assets."

"You'll have to point out the aforementioned assets so we know what to avoid," teased Charlotte's friend Mark. "Good to meet you, Steve."

Gwen was more than a little surprised at how well Steve interacted with her friends. She could tell that her friends were pleasantly surprised as well. Within a few minutes, he was chatting with them as if they had all grown up together.

The hall had filled quite rapidly and it appeared that the benefit would be a success. Gwen spotted her family and their friends seated at a table across the dance floor. They didn't appear to be able to stop looking her way and Gwen made a mental note to mention that fact to them before the evening got too much older.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm Johnnie Dee and I'll be your host and DJ this evening. As you all know, this is a benefit for Tim Archer. That means we're going to try to raise money, which means that I'll expect everyone here to do their part. To start with, is there anyone here that would refuse to allow me to auction off a dance with them, or their partner? If so, please step over against that wall by the picture window? No one? Great! We'll be getting under way in a couple minutes. Later, you'll be hearing from Tim Archer to thank you for your generosity, so give until it hurts, Ladies and Gentlemen!" pleaded the DJ.