Motives, like sign posts, could be considered each person's alternative paths in life. Sometimes you avoid one path and take another. This novel is about people's choices and where they lead.Nick's and Jeannie's are, like most adolescents, simple. They are unwrapping each layer of intimacy.Nick's step-dad is jealous of his relationship, and when he confiscates one of Jeannie's love notes to Nick, he learns what they have already done and what she wants to do next.Nick's mom is caught between missing her first husband, who was killed in combat, and wanting to give her son a dad.Forbidden by both of them to ever see Jeannie again, Nick becomes angry and vulnerable.Marie, a beautiful high-school cheerleader, likes what happened when an innocent game of spin the bottle got more than out of hand with Nick. More experienced than Nick, she takes advantage of the situation and lures Nick into the spell of her charms.Nick's step-dad is paid more than money doing remodeling projects, but he takes advantage of Jeannie's mom when he goes to collect their rent. Shocked, she can't believe she didn't resist his advances, but worries that he threatened both her daughters if she resists him in the future.Pat, Jeannie's older sister, is bored with her love life with Bob, and shares other love experiences with her sister. Not fully understanding why she consents to witness her sister's love making, Jeannie finds herself drawn to watching and being watched.Bob takes advantage of Jeannie and gets her to do something so he will get a love note from her to Nick.This novel could have been titled The Tangled Web.Like many things is life, they sort themselves out, but sometimes there are consequences.