In the living room, Mike was chilling on the couch with little Sheldon, bored out of their minds watching some educational channel.
On the TV, an old guy with a white beard was droning on about molecular structures.
Over on the side, Grandma Connie had gotten tired of playing cards by herself—gambling's no fun solo—so she put the deck away, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and plopped down with them.
The three of them were just sitting there in comfortable silence, soaking up the quiet vibes, when suddenly Missy burst out of her bedroom.
She was decked out in an oversized black jacket, huge sunglasses on her face, and hugging a fake guitar like she was some rock star. Full-on rocker mode, yelling, "Sheldon, you gotta hear my latest creation..."
She'd come out planning to mess with Sheldon a bit, but midway through her sentence, she spotted Mike on the couch.
Realizing her "ladylike" image was about to crash and burn in front of him, Missy's face went full panic. Before anyone could react, she bolted back into her room and slammed the door with a loud "bang."
"What was that all about?" Sheldon looked back and forth, totally confused.
Connie just shrugged—no explanation from her.
A minute later, Missy reappeared in the living room, this time in a cute little bee outfit with tiny wings.
Acting like she'd forgotten the whole rocker thing, she put on this adorable expression, holding a handful of candy, and walked right up to Mike. "Mike! When did you get here? Want some candy?"
She had no idea that her trying-so-hard-to-be-cute act was pretty cute in its own way.
"Thanks, Missy~" Mike smiled and grabbed a couple pieces from her hand.
"You're welcome~" She replied all prim and proper, then shoved Sheldon aside to squeeze in next to Mike on the couch.
Mike had just unwrapped one and was about to pop it in his mouth when he noticed Sheldon, pushed to the edge, staring at the candy like a sad puppy.
"You want one too?" Mike offered.
Sheldon swallowed hard but turned it down. "Thanks, but candy at night is bad for your teeth."
He said it all proud and tsundere-like, turning his head away—but right then, his stomach let out a perfectly timed growl.
Kids going through growth spurts get hungry fast anyway, and it was already past dinnertime. Sheldon was clearly starving.
"You guys haven't eaten yet, huh?" Mike asked.
Connie was super laid-back about meals, and when she heard that, she perked up. "You gonna make those stir-fry dishes from the other day? I can be your sous chef."
Those home-style stir-fries Mike whipped up a couple days ago had seriously impressed her.
"Nah, not really in the mood to cook tonight," Mike shook his head. Then he suggested, "How about I treat everybody to takeout?"
Takeout didn't excite Connie as much—she's an "anything goes" eater—so she just said whatever works for her.
"What about you two? What do you want?" Mike turned to the two kids staring at him eagerly.
"I want fried chicken—lots and lots of fried chicken!" Missy shot her hand up excitedly.
Sheldon thought for a second, remembering how Dan's Vietnamese food at lunch always looked good. He said all reserved-like, "I'd like to try some Vietnamese... maybe curry chicken or mustard-flavored lobster..."
Gotta hand it to Sheldon—his memory was spot-on. He remembered every hometown dish Dan had ever mentioned.
"Hey, Georgie! We're ordering takeout—what do you want?" Mike yelled out the door to big George, who was still out in the yard setting off firecrackers.
"Beef pizza!" Georgie shouted back over the pops and bangs, then showed up at the door. "What'd everybody else get? Tell you what, I'll go pick it up and save on delivery fees."
Mike was cool with that. He handed over some cash and told him everyone's orders.
Less than half an hour later, Georgie was back with a huge bag of food and a few beers.
At the table, Georgie cracked open a beer for himself and one for Mike. Connie glanced at it but didn't say a word.
By the time everyone was mostly done eating, George and Mary pulled back into the driveway after their date night.
Mary thanked Connie for watching all the kids so well this time.
Meanwhile, George pulled Georgie aside—probably because there were two empty beer bottles in front of him.
Mike shot Georgie a "you're on your own" look, then headed out with Connie back to their place.
...
Over at Katie's house, she was standing in front of her closet, picking out clothes for tomorrow's family "date."
"Mom~ Come look—how's this outfit for tomorrow?" After digging forever, Katie finally settled on a little white mini skirt.
It was super short, thin, and form-fitting—honestly looked more like lingerie than going-out clothes.
The second her mom walked in and saw her daughter's spicy getup, she said gently, "Katie, you look gorgeous, but... is this really appropriate to wear in front of company?"
"Mike's not company..." Katie muttered under her breath. She was feeling the pressure and wanted to make a big impression on him tomorrow.
Seeing her mom's reaction pretty much sealed the deal for her.
"Okay, I get it." Katie had made up her mind. Not wanting to hear any more nagging, she playfully pushed her mom out of the room.
Staring at her daughter's closed door, Katie's mom finally understood how her husband used to feel.
Inside, Katie hugged her pillow, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Finally, she grabbed her phone and called Mike.
"Hey, Mike. It's me~"
She kept her voice low on purpose.
"Katie? What's up?" Mike had just finished brushing his teeth and was passing through the living room when the phone rang.
"Um... I just wanted to remind you—tomorrow at noon, don't forget the time."
"Got it. I'll be at your place right on time."
"...Okay then! Goodnight, Mike. Sweet dreams~"
She paused for a bit before saying bye.
"Goodnight~" Mike hung up.
He turned around and saw Connie still in the living room, nursing a beer, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him.
"Mike, don't forget—there's protection in the cabinet. You're still young; don't go knocking anybody up."
Connie said it with that knowing tone.
Mike was pretty open-minded, but talking "adult" stuff with Connie? Still super awkward.
He mumbled an embarrassed "Got it" and headed to his room while she chuckled teasingly behind him.
At the same time, Regina and Karen were on the phone, dishing about girl stuff.
Somehow, the conversation drifted to Mike.
"Karen, why don't you call him and ask him to hang out shopping tomorrow?" Regina suggested, picturing Mike's handsome face.
"Regina, if you like Mike, why don't you just call him yourself?" Karen probed carefully.
Both girls kinda sensed the other had a thing for him.
Karen held back because of Regina's pressure, while Regina was too proud—she wanted to stay in control.
"No way, he's still in my evaluation phase," Regina declared. "You call him. I'll be right here giving you advice."
In their hot-girl squad, Regina always ran the show—strong personality and the richest family.
With the queen bee's orders, Karen had no choice. She switched to a three-way call and dialed Mike.