Rick Tells Pete

"I wasn't naked," snorts Rick. "When I'm running low on stuff, I sometimes sneak into the house to get leftovers and beer. The last time I just happened to be coming from the gym and wasn't wearing a shirt, just some sweaty running shorts. Alice caught me in the kitchen. You should've seen her face. She couldn't keep her eyes off my crotch."

"You're sick, dude. But what's stopping you from coming to dinner? Didn't you hear Mom? The girls are going to be sooooo excited at the chance to see their big sexy brother."

"Step-brother," says Rick, correcting him. "Really enjoying this, are you, bro? I get it. It's payback for me messing with your little boy toys. But it's not going to work. I'm not going anywhere near that henhouse."

"Oh, I think you will," says Pete with a sly smile. "You owe me, big brother, and not just for all the months I covered for you. You really owe me for all the times I made excuses to Bobby for you, and to myself too, because of all the times we needed our big brother and he just wasn't there. He was hiding out in the treehouse."

"Well, look at you. You really are all grown up, aren't ya, little brother. OK, sure, I'll do it. I'll make an appearance at dinner. I'll even make nice with the . . . um, what did you used to call them?"

"'The Catty Bunch.'"

Rick laughs out loud. "That's a really good one. I'll have to remember that when they start to drive me crazy. Listen, I'll come to dinner and even behave myself . . . on one condition. After lights out, you sneak back up here later tonight."

Pete hesitates. "Rick, I don't know. That sounds awfully risky."

"Hey, little brother. You wanted to play with the big boys and now here's your chance. So what's it gonna be: you stay in and be Daddy's good little boy one more time, or you do what you've wanted to do all along and come back here?"

"Fine," says Pete defiantly. "I'll come back, but only because you promised to help me get Jeremy back and you still haven't told me how to do that. I'm not giving up on him, Rick."

Rick gives him a knowing look. "You're a heck of a lot closer to getting what you want than you think, little bro. But what the hell, sure, you come back later and I'll tell you anything you want to know. And who knows? Later on, maybe you and me and him . . ."

"No way, Rick."

"Whatever you say, little brother. It's all in good fun. Come on, let's hit the shower. Say, do you recall some of the wild times we used to have in the shower?"