June shook her head. “Her last gallery showing was such a disappointment for her. I know she’s struggling, though she’ll never tell me how much. And then losing her dad… She’s taken a knock, and I’m not sure she’s been able to stand up again.”
Mom glanced up to see me lingering in the doorway. Busted. “Do you need something, Adam?” Mom asked sharply.
“I wasn’t—I mean, I’m not—I came in for a beer,” I stammered like a little kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
Mom pointed at the refrigerator. “I told you where they are.”
I went and pulled out a couple of bottles and then made sure to fill Meg’s wine glass to the brim.
I turned back to Mom and June, but they had started whispering together again.“Sorry for interrupting,” I said and then left the kitchen.
Back outside, I could see Meg laughing at something my dad had said. Her head thrown back, exposing the long, pale column of her throat. She had grown into a damn fine-looking woman. Too bad, she was cold as ice.
“And then he ran down the street, his pants around his ankles. The entire neighborhood could see his boxer briefs,” Dad howled, and my face flushed red.
Fucking hell already.
“Dad, seriously? You haven’t grown out of telling embarrassing stories about your only son?” I groaned, handing Meg her wine.
She noticed how very full the glass was and narrowed her eyes. “I never get enough of mortifying stories where you’re concerned, Adam.”
“It was funny because this didn’t happen when he was a kid,” Dad cackled, slapping his knee. “Nope. You could understand a toddler running around with his butt hanging out for the whole world to see. But our Adam was twenty-two!”
Lena howled, wiping her eyes. And Meg laughed so hard she could barely breathe.
“Don’t have an asthma attack on my account,” I retorted sweetly.
Meg stopped laughing and surreptitiously flipped me off under the table. I didn’t even try to hide my grin.
“That’s not even the best part, Dad,” I continued for him, figuring it was better to laugh with ’em. “I didn’t even realize my running shorts had slipped down around my cheeks until a random dude cat-called me. I have a very fine ass, apparently.” I shrugged and took a swig of my beer.
“Nice, bro,” Lena smirked.
“Now come on, you know that’s not the first time Adam’s lost his pants.” Meg’s entire face lit up. I guess she was enjoying the “humiliate Adam” hour.
“What? This is news. Tell me!” Lena exclaimed gleefully, rubbing her hands together like a Disney villain.
Meg turned to her but gave me an amused look. “It was on the Gravitron.”
I slapped my forehead with my palm. “Fuck. The Gravitron.”
Meg nodded. “Oh, yes. The Gravitron.”
Lena looked back and forth between us. “What’s the Gravitron?”
“The Gravitron is a horrible ride that makes you want to vomit. And it’s also the sight of my greatest humiliation before the half-naked jog Dad just regaled us with.” I looked at my dad, who merely shrugged.
“It’s a good story,” was all he said.
I finished my beer, appreciating the slight alcoholic haze that had descended. “My belt broke. That was not my fault,” I argued good-naturedly.
“I definitely have never heard this one,” Lena proclaimed, clearly excited at the prospect of adding another Embarrassing Adam story to her repertoire.
Meg sat forward, crossing her arms on the table. Her hair fell over her shoulders in tangled waves. I had always liked Meg’s hair. She would complain it was too heavy, too messy. But it framed her face in such a way that she reminded me of some wild pixie in the woods. She didn’t seem to have aged a day. Meg Galloway wore her late twenties well.
“It was the summer fair at school, right?” Meg spoke directly to me without any sarcasm or insults. It was a nice change from the last twenty minutes.
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. The summer before tenth grade.”
Meg grinned, and it was nice to see. It had been a long time since I had seen her eyes sparkle like that. “We were on the Gravitron. I remember not really wanting to go on it because I had seen some kid get sick after getting off. But of course, Adam whined until I agreed.” She rolled her eyes.
“Hey, I didn’t whine. I simply provided a solid argument as to why it was the best ride at the fair,” I countered, laughing.