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“I know you’re an adult,” her father retorted, releasing Toby. “Don’t take that tone with me, young lady, because I will still pull you over my lap…”
“And I’ll tell mom,” Samantha pursed her lips to hide a smile as her uncle busted out laughing – because they all knew her dad worshiped the ground her mother walked on, and he could never tell her, ‘No’…
“She’s got you there, Thumper!” her uncle crowed in delight.
8
Hours later, it was painfully obvious to Samantha that the Flyboys team and their extended families were divided significantly into three groups.
First, you had group one – Team Toby.
This group of friends and family members were obviously in full support of whatever they thought was brewing between the two adults. Knowing their past, having grown up with the families, it was hard to hide all your deepest, darkest secrets when it was on display for the entire clan to see.
Everyone knew who got their period first, who broke a tooth, who got a Nintendo for Christmas, and who had a crush on who. There were no secrets in a small town… even if it was much bigger now.
Team Toby shockingly included her own mother, Aunt Glory, Uncle Hunter, the entire Saxon family, Betsy and Melody. It surprised her that there was that much silent support for the young-boy-now-grown to finally go out on a date with the girl he’d had a crush on forever… but the signs were there.
Second, you had group two – Team Samantha.
Her father was the lone wolf there – and it was a little unnerving. There were several other players that would be arriving later on for the graduation celebration and perhaps it would reveal more followers of Team Samantha, who thought she was doing the right thing, staying far away and keeping the handsome man firmly entrenched in the Friendzone.
Then there was group three – the scariest of them all!
Team F.A.F.O – fool around and find out.
This was the group that ardently believed in, ‘See where the nuke drops and watch the fireworks, boys’. These were the people that were egging on both sides, stirring the pot, and subtly trying to push them together, but only to see what happened as a result of that chaos.
It seemed that almost all of her father’s friends were on Team F.A.F.O… just to get her dad riled up.
Samantha had to agree – it was a little funny and discomforting to see her dad angry, because he never got mad. He was the quiet one that could always be counted on. Her mother called him her ‘rock’… because Jackson ‘Thumper’ Sloan was unshakable.
… Unless it came to his daughter.
Every time Samantha was asked to do something, Toby was told to go and help her – and vice versa. It was glaringly obvious, to the point it was laughable.
Including today…
“Sam, honey, can you start unfolding all the chairs and help set up?”
“Sure.”
“Toby, help Sam. There are a lot of chairs and I think some are in the storage room, too. You’ll probably need to help her carry them out.”
“Sam’s a strong girl – and I thought you wanted Toby to help move planes?”
“We can do it – and Toby can help Samantha in the storeroom.”
“No, he can’t.”
“Sure, he can.”
“I promise that the Air Force taught Toby how to set up a chair and all those big muscles… yup, he should definitely help Samantha.”
“Sam – come help me move the planes,” her father ordered – and she whirled around in disbelief.
“Which is it?” Samantha asked bluntly. “Set up chairs or move the planes?”
“Toby,” her father called out. “Which are you doing?”
