“They did.Anentireaisle.You would’ve thought I was hemorrhaging.Good thing tampons don’t expire.”Zoey shakes her head, but I catch the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
That’s the way it tends to be with loving families.In the moment, you want to murder them, but later, everything just becomes a funny memory.
“And that happens a lot with them?”
“Taking things way too far?Oh, yeah.My parents and I refer to them as Occurrences with a capitalO.I’ve had many Gunner brother Occurrences.There was the time in high school when they convinced the front office to let them all sing me ‘Happy Birthday’ over the intercom system.Don’t get me wrong; they’re fantastic singers.But my anxiety went through the roof when everyone in the school stared at me for the rest of the day.And, hell, don’t even get me started on prom.”
I want to get her started and never have her stop.
“Please.Ineedto know.”
Zoey smirks.“You’d think three college guys and a guy working on his MBA would have something better to do on a Saturday night than chauffeur their sister and her date to a school dance.Timmy was terrified to hold my hand after that car ride.”
It’s all I can do to shove the laughter down.
“Not that they threatened him.”She gives me a placating gesture, though I have to wonder if maybe Zoey doesn’t know the whole story of that evening.“I don’t even know if that was the point of them driving us.Sometimes, I think they just want to make sure all five of us are experiencing important life moments together.And that’s the thing about Occurrences.Each one was kind of embarrassing, but it was hard to get mad at them because they’re my brothers and they’re trying.After a day or maybe a week, I forgive them, and we move on.”
“But something happened?”I guess.
Sun shines off the streaks of gold in Zoey’s hair as she tucks the mass of it behind her fingers.I want to reach out and run my fingers through the strands to learn the texture.
She huffs out a breath and crumples her empty chip bag.
“The incident happened.”
9
ZOEY
“I was dating someone.”
Something about Warner’s attention shifts.Not that it increases or decreases.It just changes.
“It had been close to a year.We were getting serious.At least,Ithought we were.”
Warner’s sandwich lays forgotten, and I reach across the table to nudge it toward him.This story is easier to tell if I don’t have someone’s undivided attention.His lips twitch before he raises the food to his mouth.
“Apparently, he and I had different ideas of commitment.Mainly monogamy.”
“He cheated on you?”
I don’t know if I should be flattered by the disbelief in Warner’s voice.I decide to have no opinion about his tone at all and simply nod.
“Made the mistake of taking the girl to a restaurant where my friend works.She let me know, and when I confronted him, he confessed and asked me to forgive him.I didn’t.I broke up with him.Sounds like the end to the story, right?”
Warner continues to watch me as he wears a deep frown.He’s still handsome, but the expression does not suit his face.Warner is meant to grin and laugh.Maybe he’ll find the next part of the story funny, even if I still can’t.
“What happened?”
A sigh from my soul leaks out, heavy and resigned.“I made the mistake of telling my brothers exactly why we broke up.They had a more intense reaction than I’d expected.”
“Why wouldn’t they?I’d be furious if someone cheated on one of my siblings.”
Taking a moment, I bite my own sandwich, only answering after I swallow.“Being angry is fine.Taking revenge when it wasn’t their problem to deal with was not.”
Even now, I wonder if there was a way I could’ve stopped them.
“Did they beat the guy up?”Warner asks.
