Calmly, Carefully, Completely (The Reed Brothers 3)

He smiles at me and nods. “How many of you have solid plans for when you get out?” he asks.

The boys look toward one another.

“How many of you plan to graduate?” he asks.

Only half of them raise their hands.

“How many of you plan to work?”

All of them raise their hands.

“How many of you plan to have children that you’ll take care of?”

Only the boy with the picture in his pocket raises his hand.

“How many of you use condoms when you’re hitting that?” Phil asks.

The boys laugh.

Phil chuckles. “Then a lot more of you are planning to have kids than I thought.”

Phil picks up a stack of notebooks and passes them around the circle. He gives me one, too, and a pen. “For group tomorrow, I want you to write down one solid plan for when you go home.”

“You mean like college and straight As and shit?” one boy asks.

Phil shakes his head. “College, buy a goldfish, get married, get a job, go to the state fair… Write about something you can accomplish. And tell me in one page or less what you plan to do to get there.”

“Do we have to share it with the group?” someone asks.

Phil shrugs. “Only if you want to.”

The boys all take their notebooks and put them away in their cabins, and Phil breaks up group, sending the young men off to do chores. He stops me, though, with a hand on my shoulder. “You did really well talking to them.”

I shrug. “I have a lot of brothers. It’s what we do.”

“Some of these boys have never had a male presence who will actually listen to them.”

I nod. “I can tell.” I look at the group as they spread out around me, going about their chores. “I might learn as much from them as I can teach them, though.”

He squeezes my shoulder. “No doubt.”

“Where do you want me to go now?” I ask.

“Check in on Karl. I think he’s at the pool.” He looks up at me.

I lift up the leg of my jeans and look down at my tracking bracelet. “Can I get this thing wet?”

He nods. “That model can be submerged, yes. So, feel free to jump in any time.” He grins at me. “Hey Pete,” he says. I turn back. “Tonight, we’re going to let the youth boys use the pool. I’d like for you to be there in case any of them want to talk. After dinner, try to get free of whatever you’re doing?”

“Yes, sir,” I say.

I start for the pool. But at the last minute, I turn back and change into a swimsuit. I can’t help but look around for Reagan on my way. But she’s not there. Then I find her. Wearing a bathing suit and sitting in a lifeguard chair with a whistle between her lips.

I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s watching the pool with the trained eye of a professional. Then she sees me, and her face colors.

God, she’s pretty. I’m a guy, so I take in the very serviceable bathing suit she’s wearing. It’s red, and it covers all the parts of her that should be covered and then some. But she might as well be f**king naked as far as my nerves are concerned. And my dick, for that matter. I did mention that I’m a guy, right?

She has her legs crossed, and she has a big funky straw hat on her head, goofy white glasses and her nose is creamed with white paste. She’s f**king adorable. She blows her whistle and one of the boys running on the side of the pool slows down, looking up at her sheepishly.

Something hard bumps into the backs of my legs, making my right knee buckle. I look back to find Gonzo grinning at me. You look like you were on the wrong side of a gang fight, he signs, and then he points to my eye.

I shrug. That’s what happens you grab a girl the wrong way. Take note: Some of them can kick your ass.

I thought the other kids were lying, he says. Then he laughs. She really hit you? He looks toward Reagan and grins. That’s what you get for putting the moves on my girl. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. He points a finger at me in warning.

“Why aren’t you swimming?” I ask, using my voice.

He points to the piece of plastic. Kind of hard to breathe when it’s full of water.

“You can’t swim with that thing? Really?”

His face falls. I should have left it alone.

“Then what are you doing here?” I ask. “You could be riding horses or doing something fun.”

He looks toward Reagan. And miss seeing her legs? Absolutely not. I’ll stay right here.

I chuckle and shake my head. The boy’s funny. I’ll give him that. I pull a chair up close to him and sit down. “Just so you know,” I say. “I’ve called dibs on that one. So you can stop dreaming.”

Dude, she punched you in the face. He laughs.

I pat my chest. “I can be charming when I want to.”

When will that start? He grins.

I punch his shoulder. “Do you have any siblings?” I ask.

He shakes his head. You want to apply for the position?

This kid is a lot wittier than I would have guessed. “I already have four brothers, thank you very much. I don’t particularly want any more.”

What’s it like having that many people in one house? Must be a big house.

I shake my head. “No, it’s actually a really small apartment.” I shrug. “But it works for us.”

Do you miss them?

I nod. Particularly Sam. “I do miss them. I only got to spend one night with them before I got drafted to be your mouthpiece.”