Debbie cooked fried chicken for dinner. James set the table, and then helped with the mash potatoes. Both mom and son were excited for Sunday. In fact, when everyone sat down for dinner, Tom must have thought he was back in high school. Debbie and James kept talking about what kind of appetizers and drinks they should serve. It reminded Tom of the planning that went on when a party was being planned for the weekend the parents were away. 

But it made him feel happy inside, seeing the excitement in their eyes. He felt a little guilty about not helping with the planning, but he had to make sure Becky was prepared for her presentation. That was his top priority.

Once Meg left her mom in the dining room, she went to Amanda’s room. She told her little sister everything that happened, even the three words that shook her world. Amanda gently teased her older sister, but she was happy for her. She had met James twice, once during the summer, and then the day before. She knew he was nice and respectful, and if her sister felt about him a certain way, then she did too.

Meg heard her father come home, and went back out into the dining room. She gave him a hug, and then brought up about Sunday. She wanted to know if it was ok to go, and if it was, could he drop her off and pick her up? 

Leo Daniels looked at his wife, and could tell that she was in no mood to talk. She had been drinking, like she did every day. He knew how she felt about Betas. He also held them in contempt. But he also knew that he would need them to serve a purpose for him occasionally, so he learned to tolerate their existence.

He asked Meg about the Beta, and if his house was set up for an Alpha. Meg felt a sense of nervousness, and said his name was James Adams. He had a back deck that was equipped for Alpha guests. He was in her class, and he was a nice, respectful boy. She didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t tell her parents that she loved him.

Her father was a little impressed that a Beta would make accommodations for an Alpha. But there was something about his last name that stuck in her father’s mind. Adams. Where did he know that name from? He knew he should remember, but it just escaped him. But he told Meg that he would drop her off and pick her up, and that he wanted to meet this boy and his family. Meg ran and gave her father a hug, thanking him. And then she bounced into her room and did her homework.

Once the door was closed, Michelle looked at her husband as if to ask why he said yes. Leo saw her look, and pointed out that Meg needed the boys help, and besides, the instances of Betas accommodating any Alphas in the house of property was extremely rare. And that intrigued him enough to meet the boy and his family. His wife wasn’t happy, but she knew her husband was stubborn, and once his mind was made up, there was no chance of changing it.

After Becky finished her dinner, all she could think about was the upcoming presentation that she would be giving to the owner of the company on Friday. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and tremendous self doubt was creeping into her mind. She needed to talk to someone, but she didn’t want to bother Tom. So she called Susan, who tried her best to talk her friend down from the proverbial ledge. Becky did calm down, enough to have a normal conversation with her friend. Once again, she thanked Susan for sending her Tom. He was really helping her with everything, and she would always be grateful to her friend. Susan told her not to mention it. She was glad to help both of them.

James awoke before the alarm, and followed his familiar morning routine. Shower, dressing, making breakfast for everyone. He was surprised that it made him feel happy that he could cook for his parents. 

But he grabbed his stuff and booked out the door before his parents came out of their bedroom. He went up the steps, and saw Meg in her usual seat. He made his way to sit next to her, giving her a kiss before sitting. He could tell that she was happy, and he was thrilled when she told him that Sunday was a go. The only thing was that her father wanted to meet him and his family. 

Immediately, images of James’ encounter with her mom flooded his brain. Was he going to have to deal with two psychos? Meg could see his face tense up, but she tried to reassure him that her father was nicer than her mom. She didn’t know if James believed her. She didn’t even know if she believed what she was saying. But she wanted to calm him down. She just gently held his hand until the bus arrived at school.

Tom arrived at work, and immediately noticed that Becky wasn’t in the lot waiting for him. In fact, he didn’t even see her car. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. A groggy voice answered. Tom said good morning, and asked if everything was alright, because it was almost 8:30, and she wasn’t at work.

He heard an ‘Oh Shit!’ and a bunch of ‘Damns’ and she told him that she would be right in. Tom told her not to rush, he would handle everything until she arrived. He wanted her to drive safely. She thanked him and hung up. Tom just smiled.

He made his way into the building and to Becky’s office. Getting situated, he turned his computer on, and then went out and made coffee for the both of them, placing Becky’s on her desk so that it would be waiting for her. 

He went back to work, examining the potential solutions he had come up with to her ideas. He noticed that things needed more tweaking, but things were generally heading in the right direction on that front.

Suddenly, the office door swung open, and a very flustered Becky was profusely apologizing to Tom for being late. He looked up at the giant lady and reminded her that she was his boss. She didn’t have to apologize to him for anything. Becky sat at her desk, and noticed the coffee that Tom made for her. She thanked him for the drink. She really needed that cup of coffee. 

Tom sat at his desk with a smile on his face. He asked Becky if she had another late night. She looked at him and said that she had trouble sleeping, because she just kept thinking about the presentation. She was really worried about it.

Tom came over to her, put his hand on her arm, and told her again that she would be fine. All she had to do was be herself, and she would shine. It was the only thing that she could control. Just remember to breathe, and the rest would work itself out. She smiled at him, and thanked him for his help and support. Her smile got wider when he showed her his progress on her ideas. It took her mind off the presentation, at least for a little while.

James spent most of home room thinking about a possible meeting with Meg’s father. She had given him a heads up about her parents’ attitudes towards Betas, but he felt that her mom went overboard lording her Alpha status over him. And if her dad was anything like her mom, he was in trouble. He knew that eventually he would have to meet them. He just wished that they could be more open-minded with Betas. He hated not being able to present himself as Meg’s boyfriend, but he knew it would cause problems for her. 

But the morning classes went by fairly quickly. English class dealt with Shakespeare’s use of language for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, except that after five minutes of class discussion, the topic veered way off course. It drove both Meg and James crazy that what should have been a simple discussion turned into a free for all regarding the quality of the food the school served for lunch. 

Soon it was time for lunch. After hearing all the adjectives that were used to describe the quality of the food, both Meg and James were leery about eating what was being served. But it gave them an opportunity to talk about Sunday. James set the time for 2pm, and Meg said she would be there.

Just before lunch, Susan stopped by to check on Becky. She apologized for not being there earlier, but with the owner coming Friday, she was in a meeting with her father to work out the itinerary for the visit. 

She asked her friend how she was doing, and Becky was about to admit that she overslept, until Tom interjected that 2pm on Sunday would work, if it was ok with them both. Susan said that was perfect. Becky agreed. Tom also told Susan that Becky needed a little more time to prepare for her presentation, but promised that she would be ready by Friday. Susan smiled at them both, and said that she would let them get back to work. 

She left, and lunch arrived. Becky asked Tom how Debbie was in between bites of her food. Tom told her that she was really looking forward to seeing her and Susan on Sunday. That made the giant lady feel good. She really liked Debbie. She was very down to earth, and was a genuine person, with no pretense. She instantly knew that she could trust her judgment if she ever had a problem and needed advice. It was rare for an Alpha to trust a Beta’s advice, only because they had different experiences with life. But she knew that Debbie would never steer her wrong.

And once lunch was over, Tom got to work on prepping Becky for Friday, constantly stressing about the points she needed to emphasize. And he hammered home that she just needed to be herself. Show the owner who she was as a person, and it would go smoothly.

Gym was the last class of the day, meaning that Meg and James would be apart until they were catching the bus. It drove both of them nuts that they couldn’t do gym class together, but it was what the school wanted. But the bus ride home ended the day on a high note for both. James had given her his cellphone number, and said that she could call him anytime. She winked at him and said that she just may do that. And then it was time for James to get off the bus, after giving her a kiss goodbye.