Junebug - (On Hold)

Ch. 7 - The Surprise

It wasn't until Miles and I finished our breakfast that Alexander and Finn made an appearance. As a steady stream of water rinsed my cereal bowl, I felt a strong arm wrap around me and a light kiss press against the top of my head.

"Good morning, Junebug," Xander's voice was still groggy from sleep.
"What is on the docket for today?"

Good question. My shoulders lifted in an apathetic shrug as my mind pondered how I was going to fill my days with my brothers. I'm sure however we end up spending this summer will be a blast, but it is going to be hard to find stuff we are all into. It's not like I can just suggest a rom-com marathon. Well, I guess I could, but Finn probably wouldn't be too thrilled with that idea.

"Well what were you planning on doing this summer before Mom sprung her news on you?" Miles piped up from the other side of the counter.

A sad smile tugged at my lips. "Nothing you guys would be interested in, I can tell you that much. Mom and I were gonna have one prolonged girl's weekend this summer. Movies, makeovers, pedicures, the whole works." My voice trailed off as I realized how eager I sounded.

The look of distaste that crossed Finn's face was priceless. My older two brothers shared a different look. They looked almost guilty.

"Juniper," Xander sighed, "I'm sorry you got stuck with us instead of Mom this summer. I didn't realize you guys had that all planned out. You must be pretty bummed to be stuck with your boring old brothers for two whole months."

Ha! As if anything in this house could be described as boring.

"No, no, no! My dudes, my guys, my bros, trust me. I am a-ok with spending the summer here. I love you guys, and I missed you all so much. Sure, my plans changed, and that sucks a little bit, but we are going to make new plans. Our plans. We are together and that is all I need to have a great summer," I said to the guys surrounding me in the cramped apartment kitchen.

Their faces melted into soft smiles and before I knew it I was surrounded in a smothering group hug. At least Finn lightened up on the cologne since last time.

"You are seriously the sweetest, baby girl," Miles whispered into my hair, "we are going to do whatever it takes for this summer to be the best you have ever had. Mark my words, Juniper Jacobs, you are about to have the best break of your life."

That was a pretty big promise, and yet I somehow found myself believing him.

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My suitcase had been dropped into the corner of Finn's room, so I had to wade through piles of clothing and baseball equipment just to find myself a change of clothes. I pulled on my favourite skinny jeans and a black t-shirt before searching for something to layer on top. I was searching for my customary red flannel shirt when I came across one of Finn's university sweatshirts. The worn blue material looked too soft and comfy to ignore, so I swiped it off the floor and slipped it over my head. The faint smell of Finn's cologne invaded my sense and brought a grin to my face. When it wasn't suffocating me, the scent felt like home.

A knock on the door brought my attention back to my surroundings. Miles popped his head into the room and smiled when he saw what I was wearing.

"Nice sweatshirt there, Bug, though it looks like it may be a tad big for ya," he said, gesturing to the material that I was practically swimming in, "anyways, I've got a surprise for you. Come out once you are ready and we'll head down to the car."

Running a brush through my hair, I pondered what Miles could be planning. From past experience, I didn't have the highest standards. When you grow up with three older brothers you learn that guys don't always know exactly what a girl is going to enjoy. Once I had been having an absolutely dreadful week, and the boys had the brilliant idea to cheer me up. They took me paintballing. I was 10. My body was so riddled with bruises afterwards I looked like a flippin' grape.

I chuckled at the memory. Mom was furious when she found out. Good times.

Making my way down the hall, I noticed that both Xander and Finn were nowhere to be seen.

Sensing my confusion, Miles spoke up from where he stood waiting for me. "Finn's got a baseball practice and Xander likes to go watch every now and then. It's just you and me this afternoon, kiddo."

Without another word, Miles led me out the door and downstairs to the lot where his car was parked. We piled in and Miles pulled out onto the street.

"So, where are we going?" I tried to keep the impatience out of my voice, but my curiosity and excitement made that very difficult.

When Miles shot me a smirk and an exaggerated shrug I knew my question wasn't going to be answered until we arrived at the mystery destination. Frustration at being left in the dark began to edge into my mind, but I quickly suppressed it. Miles just wanted to do something nice for me. Given my brothers track record on surprises, I was a little wary, but if I trusted any of them to know how to cheer me up, it was Miles. He has always been the sensitive one. Well, I guess Xander would be able to as well. He has always understood me in a way no one else can. I guess I'm basically just saying that I would not trust Finn to come up with a good surprise. Pretty sure he is the one that suggested paintball in the first place.

Miles and I drove in silence for the most part, quiet radio music flowing from the speakers and the occasional exclamation from me whenever we passed a cute dog. After about ten minutes of driving, Miles pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall. Dozens of business filled the sections of the building in front of me, but from where I sat I couldn't read the signs.

I leaned forward in my seat to see the signs that lined the storefronts and couldn't help the little gasp of disbelief that escaped my lips.

"You took me to a spa!" Well, that or he wants to go in to Murray's Tackle and Bait Shop, but I am assuming it is the former.

A proud look crossed Miles' face as he studied my pleased expression.
"You seemed pretty disappointed that you were missing out on doing this stuff with Mom, so I figured I would take you myself. I'll just wait in the car and you can go get yourself a fancy little pedicure or something."

"Wait, you're not coming in with me? But Smiles," I said, breaking out the nickname I used to use for him when I was younger, "It's not the same getting a pedicure alone! Half the fun of the plans Mom and I made was that we were gonna do it all together. I just want to do all of this stuff with someone I love. And you know I love you."

I pointed my biggest puppy eyes I had at my big brother, hoping he would give in. I know it was sort of manipulative, but I just really want to share this with him... and I really want to see if I can trick him into getting his nails painted pink.

Miles' face morphed slowly, but I recognized every stage that it went through. First, disbelief, then pure horror, followed by uncertainty, and finally, resignation. I knew he fell into my trap before he even agreed.

"Alright, fine. I will do this with you. But only if they have a really manly polish colour in there."