h4Chapter 31 - After the Apuse/h4

As the apuse settled, a small group of girls from my ss came rushing over.

"That was so cool, Jake!" one of them said, eyes wide with admiration.

"Yeah, you sang like a real pop star," added another, practically glowing.

I gave a small nod and a polite smile, but under my breath, I muttered, "Do I have some kind of aura that attracts lolis?"

Just then, Uncle Charlie walked up with his signature smirk.

"So," he said yfully, "are you nning to charm every twelve-year-old girl in the city, or just the ones in your school district?"

I gave him a dry look. "Hrious."

He chuckled. "I mean, I knew you had range, but you''re starting to get fan mail from the swing set crowd."

"I need a new audience," I muttered.

"Hey," Charlie shrugged. "Take the fans where you can get ''em."

Before I could respond, Miss Tuttle approached with a warm smile.

"Jake, that was a beautiful performance. Truly moving," she said. "You''ve got real talent."

"Thanks, Miss Tuttle," I replied.

Then she turned to Charlie. "And you—you''re excellent on the piano."

Charlie shed his trademark grin. "I try to keep up with the prodigy here."

Miss Tuttle chuckled, then slipped a folded note into Charlie''s hand. "If that dinner offer still stands," she said with a yful glint in her eyes, "give me a call."

Charlie looked down at the note, then back at her with a sly grin.

She winked and walked away, leaving him blinking in pleasant surprise.

"Oooh, Uncle Charlie''s gonna getid," I teased.

"Jake?!" n said, shocked and clearly disapproving.

"Hey, I''m just pointing out the obvious. If you want to scold someone, scold Uncle Charlie," I said, shrugging in self-defense.

Charlie folded the note with a satisfied grin and slipped it into his pocket. "I love parent-teacher night."

n rolled his eyes. "It wasn''t even your kid performing."

"Details, n," Charlie said breezily. "Details."

I shook my head. "Can we just go before you hit on the PTA president too?"

Charlie grinned wider. "Toote."

n groaned. "Let''s go."

———

Outside, the sun had dipped just enough to cast long shadows over the parking lot. Parents chatted in clusters, kids chased each other between cars, and Charlie took a sip from a bottle—one that definitely wasn''t filled with water.

"Great job in there, buddy," n said as we walked toward the car. "You really took the spotlight."

I nodded. "Thanks. I was worried it mighte off too cheesy."

Charlie snorted. "Kid, if I had a dor for every time I sold a cheesy jingle and cashed a check, I''d have... well, exactly as much money as I already do."

n turned back to me. "Seriously though, I know we tease, but that was special."

I nced over at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. "Thanks, Dad."

As n pulled out of the school parking lot and we headed toward the car, I remembered that Dad had recently bought Uncle Charlie''s old Jaguar—since Dad''s Porsche only had room for two. Uncle Charlie, of course, had upgraded to a Mercedes.

The car was quiet for a few minutes, windows down, warm air blowing through. I leaned back, letting the night breeze cool my face.

"I think I''m gonna miss this ce," I said softly.

"You''re not even gone yet," n replied.

"Yeah, but... it''s weird. When you know something''s ending, it starts feeling different. More valuable."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "The nostalgia starts before the farewell. That''s how you know you''re getting older."

"I''m twelve," I reminded him.

"Still counts," he said, taking another sip.

———

After a few days, the house smelled like fresh coffee, toasted bagels, and sunscreen—which could only mean one thing: Summer Vacation.

n sat at the kitchen table with hisptop open, scrolling through travel sites, while Charlie sipped a mimosa like it was already the weekend.

"So, Jake," n said, looking up, "since you''ve officially wrapped up the school year and—well—leveled up academically, we thought you deserved a proper celebration. I was thinking... Barbados?"

I blinked. "Barbados? Seriously?"

Charlie nodded. "Sun, beach, drinks in coconuts. What''s not to like?"

I paused, thinking. I''d never been to Barbados before, and as one of the most famous Caribbean inds, it had to be gorgeous.

"Alright," I said, hiding a small grin. "I''m listening."

n tapped something into hisptop. "Flights are open next week. We could go for ten days, maybe more if you''re up for it."

"I''m definitely up for it," I said.

n hesitated a beat. "There''s just... one thing. Mom wants toe too."

I raised an eyebrow. "My mom or iyour/i mom?"

Charlie, without missing a beat, muttered, "Does it matter?"

n sighed, clearly ufortable. "Well... both."

Charlie chuckled and leaned back in his chair, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fantastic. A tropical ind getaway with not one, but two hurricanes in heels." Then he turned to n. "Why would you even tell them about the trip?"

n raised his hands in surrender. "They both didn''t want to be left out of Jake''s big vacation. What was I supposed to do?"

Charlie scoffed. "If I remember correctly, our mother used to ipray/i for vacations without us. She shipped us to camp every summer just to enjoy a martini in silence."

I leaned forward, grinning. "Yeah, well... you weren''t exactly people she could brag about at brunch or making her win millions."

Charlie just gave me a look.

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