Deb grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her brow. It was an atypical Saturday morning at the Scott house. For the first time in a long time, Dan had risen early to put in a morning at his auto dealership and Nathan was enjoying a rare weekend that didn't include a rise and shine practice courtesy of Coach Whitey. She herself had awakened long before the alarm clock was due to sound off. Retreating to the large and spacious room Dan had worked hard to convert to a home gym, she had begun an aerobic workout to a DVD as well as a round of Yoga and Pilates. Nothing got the blood circulating like a good early morning work out and headed to her kitchen for a light but healthy breakfast, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for being so productive. Still in her mid thirties and secretly tickled that her son's friends often referred to her as the town MILF, Deb took care of herself and it showed. She worked out when time permitted and always tried to eat right. Wearing just the right amount of make up, she styled her long blonde hair and wore clothes similar to the ones the younger girls sported. And with an ass and a pair of D cup breasts that bounced like jello on springs, the pretty wife and mother couldn't help but be satisfied with her overall physical appearance.

Checking her out her tans lines and flat stomach in the mirror, Deb tossed the towel over her shoulder en route to the kitchen. She could very well have gone for oatmeal, pancakes, bacon and eggs but she was determined to be a good girl and settle for cottage cheese along with pineapple, orange slices and apple chunks. Humming to herself, she almost didn't notice when one of the downstairs bathroom doors flung open unexpectedly. To her greater shock was the cute little raven haired woman clad in only a blue towel emerged. Hair wet, she shot Deb a half smile as she breezed by the woman as if she were the one paying the mortgage on the house.

"What in the hell…"

Before she could say another word, her younger brother emerged from the same bathroom, water from the shower glistening to his tanned muscles as his towel barely seemed to cover his hips.

"Hey, sis", he said casually.

Surely her eyes were deceiving her or did her visiting brother have some strange girl in her house, in her shower and then act as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Cooper William Lee!"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Uh oh. I feel like I'm back in middle school again. You're using the full name, sis. I must be in trouble."

Deb folded her arms.

"Tell me the extra 20 minutes on the treadmill really did a number on me and I must be seeing things."

"What's wrong?"

"Some young lady, and I do use that term loosely, just walked out of the shower and…"

"Oh. You mean Paula. She's a friend", he shrugged.

"A friend?" Deb raised her eyebrow.

"A special friend", Cooper joked, poking his sister in the ribs. "You know the ones that come with benefits. Or maybe you don't know. You have been the old ball to Dan's chain for a while now."

"That is not funny! Cooper Lee, I want that girl out of my house this instant!"

"Okay, okay. Hold your horses. We'll skip the breakfast. I'll just tell Paula to get dressed and she'll be out of here in a jiff. No sweat, anyway. She has to get back to work."

Deb's mouth fell open.

"Work? Tell me she is not a…a…you know…"

"A flight attendant?"

"No. A hooker!"

Cooper crinkled his brow.

"Definitely not a hooker. I mean, not to brag but your little brother isn't hurting in the sexiness department. I'd never pay for it, Deb."

His older sister was fuming.

"Paula or whatever her name is, has five minutes to be out of this house and I want to see you in the kitchen, front and center…and dressed", she made a face, turning her head.

He shrugged nonchalantly as she headed to the kitchen where she paced back and forth for ten minutes. A taxi pulled to the front door and she watched Cooper escort the woman out and give her a quick kiss before joining her in the kitchen. He grabbed an apple and took a seat at the table.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Damn right I wanted to see you!"

Cooper frowned.

"You're not mad…are you?"

"Mad? Mad? Are you kidding me? I am furious!"

"Why?"

"Oh no you don't! Don't give me that wide eyed, innocent, care free look and that stupid lopsided grin like you did nothing wrong. It won't work, not this time."

"I didn't."

"The hell you did!"

"Sis…"

"Cooper, you are a guest in my home. How dare you invite some stranger…"

"Whoa. Is that what all this is about? Deb, Paula is not a stranger. I met her a while ago. She's a stewardess. Occasionally we see each other. She had a domestic flight with an overnight layover at the New Brunswick County Airport so we hooked up to pass the time. I didn't know it would be such a big deal."

"It's a huge deal. First of all, this is someone you probably don't know very well out of the sack and it's someone I don't know at all. What you did was very inconsiderate and disrespectful."

"Sorry."

"And my son is in this house."

"Nate?" Cooper grinned. "Aw, come on, Deb. You can't be serious. Nathan isn't a baby anymore. Besides, it's not like he's a virgin or anything."

Deb shuddered involuntarily at the very thought.

"Nathan is an impressionable 17 year old boy who looks up to his uncle. Like it or not, ready or not, you're a role model."

"Okay, okay. You make it sound like I committed murder or something. I just got laid. It won't happen under your roof again. Chill."

Deb shook her head.

"Why can't you be more responsible? For God's sake, you're almost 30. Will you ever grow up? You can't act like a college kid forever."

"You sound like Mom and Dad."

"You mentioned when you first got here that they had been on your case."

"What else is new?"

"Why?"

Cooper tried to laugh it off.

"Why? Because they're Mom and Dad, that's why. Do they need another reason?"

"What happened to the car racing thing?"

"I gave it up."

"Why?"

"Come on, sis. What's up with the third degree? And weren't you like the main one on my ass to quit it?"

"It's a dangerous sport and I worried about and you and if in fact you are done with it, I am relieved but that is beside the point. The point is, you go from one harebrained debacle to another. It used to be BMX riding and before that bungee jumping and didn't you go down to Florida once to wrestle alligators?"

Cooper's eyes lit up.

"I'd almost forgotten about that. It was a good time."

"I think that's the problem. Your whole life is nothing but one good time."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You're not a teenager anymore. You're a grown man that needs to establish boundaries and instill some stability somewhere."

"Sis…"

"What happened to Sarah?" Deb prodded again.

Cooper sighed and looked away, getting serious for the first time all morning.

"Sarah and I split up. She left me."

"Why?"

"You want to hear all the sordid, pathetic details? Fine! She left me for another guy. I didn't want to get married and she was ready and you know how I feel about ultimatums so she split. End of story."

"She was a nice girl. See what I mean?"

"You're just like Mom. I knew you'd find a way to turn all this around on me. Look, I'm a free spirit kind of guy. Yeah, eventually I want a wife and kids and a house and the Volvo and all that but not now. I'm not ready yet, Deb. And I refuse to cave on that. It wouldn't be fair. Maybe you forced yourself into a marriage you weren't ready for but not me."

Deb's breath caught in her throat as she looked away, tears stinging her eyes briefly.

"Cooper…"

"I'm sorry", he hung his head. "That was way out of line. I had no right to talk to you like that and I apologize."

"It's okay", she regained her composure. "And maybe there's an element of truth to that."

"Deb…"

"I can't complain. I won't pretend to have some horrible life when I don't. Yes, there are things I wish I had done differently. And as a mother, I want more for my son and as your big sister, I want more for my little brother. I want you to be happy, Coop."

"I am."

"Are you? Then why are you here? Why are you running?"

For that he had no answer.

"Look, I'm sorry I screwed up. If you want me out of your hair, I can pack up and be gone in an hour."

"It's not that. I want you to stay. I want to spend time with you but at the same time I want to see you get your life together."

He shot her that infamous grin that had broken a million hearts.

"I'm on it."

"I just bet you are", she grinned. "I won't tell Dan about this."

"Thanks."

"And it better not happen again."

"Scout's honor."

"And promise me a little less rest, relaxation and skirt chasing and a lot more focus, drive, and responsibility."

"You bet. Hey, just call me Mr. Responsible."

"I wouldn't go that far but I do have a proposition for you."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course not but I think you'll actually enjoy this. If not, suck it up and make the best out of it."

"Sounds like a real drag already."

"You love spending time with Nathan and he adores you."

"Yeah. He's a great kid. I love my nephew."

"And I do want you to take on more responsibility, be more mature."

"Okay…"

"Homecoming is around the corner. The school makes a huge weekend out of it."

"Cool."

"And that Sunday night, there is a Formal. I'd like for you to chaperone."

Cooper chuckled.

"You mean be the dork that checks tickets at the door and goes around putting balloons between the kids dancing too close?"

"Among other things."

He shrugged.

"I accept. That's a cake job, anyway."

"It is harder than you think and I want you to take this on with a sense of pride and responsibility. I want you to take it seriously."

"I will. No spiking the punch…I promise."

"Cooper!"

"Just kidding. I can do this, Deb and I'll do you proud. You're right. It's a chance to prove to you that I'm not a total jackoff and it's a chance to spend some real quality time with Nathan."

She took her hand in his.

"This is your first test. I'm trusting you. I mean it, Coop. Don't mess up."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

He leaned back and reached for another apple, tossing it in the air and catching it before giving his sister a wink and a grin.

"Relax. It's a high school formal. What's the worst that could happen?"