“How long did you dance today?” Bean asks.
“About two hours,” I answer. Alex purses his lips.
“Min, you need to get in soon.”
“I will.”
“Mmmmhhmmm, sure. I’m going to harass you about it until you do. You know that’s probably something you have to do forever. Fucking drunk driver.” She turns to Alex, who quickly looks away from me and toward her. “Remember that, Dad? I flew out to New York to visit Minnie in the hospital,and you were in Paris for work, so you couldn’t come with me. Jeez, you two should have met a bunch of times, but something always got in the way.” Bean looks back at the road.
“I do remember. I don’t remember the drunk driver part.”
“I don’t think we even knew that at that point. I just knew there was an accident when I called and asked you to get me there. Your plane was with you, and I was in full panic mode, but you found one for me in like ten minutes.”
“I couldn’t do much else for you, being so far away,” he says. I see him start to look up toward his sun visor. I turn and stare out the window, not letting myself get caught up in Alex’s eyes again.
Chapter 19
Selfies and petty theft
Alex
Pretending I don’t know Amelia is difficult and awkward. Pretending I don’t want to grab her and kiss her is fucking torture.
I’m riding in the car with my two favorite people, but I can’t enjoy it at all. Amelia will hardly look at me or talk to me. And that little bit of our normal morning routine where she showed up with coffee and pastries just about did me in. I had to bite my tongue so hard it bled to keep from saying something in front of Lizzie.
But this is a conversation that needs to be just between Amelia and me.
They sing along with the loud music, and after a couple of songs, I see Amelia loosen up a bit and dance around in the back seat. I can’t help but smile because they have some synchronized dance moves.
“Hey, play that one song with the violin,” Lizzie requests. I laugh, but Amelia just grabs Lizzie’s phone, and a few seconds later, a song starts. “Yes!”
I turn to Amelia, “How did you know she was wanting this song out of all the songs with violins?”
She shrugs. “Just did,” she mumbles, not looking at me.
“We’ve been best friends for years, Dad. That’s not even the weirdest thing we do.”
After a few more songs, we’re pulling off the highway and into a parking lot.
“Ugh. I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming to the falls on a Sunday. In August. We know better than this shit. It’s already swarming with tourists. Next, you’re going to try to get me to go to the cheese factory and the shops in Long Beach or Seaside!” Amelia drags a pair of sunglasses out of her purse as she looks out the car window.
“Cheese curds, Minnie. You know you want them.” Lizzie turns around in her seat and wags her eyebrows with a smile.
“Of course I want them, but fuck, not in August, I don’t. Last time, we had to park a hundred miles away and stand in line for like three hours to buy our ice cream and cheese! Then we ate it all before we even got home. Not just the curds, literally all of it. I’m going to start ordering online instead of driving out there.”
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. Well, our garlic breath was. And don’t bitch about the shops. We always leave with rings that turn our fingers green, random stuff dipped in chocolate, and like ten pounds of saltwater taffy.”
“I should have asked Gloria for more danishes. You’re making me hungry.” Amelia leans her head back on the seat.
“Me, too. Is there food up here somewhere?” I ask.
“Usually. Let’s go see,” Lizzie says, turning the car off and getting out. Amelia follows quickly, obviously not wanting to be alone with me even for a few seconds. We make our way through a tunnel and over to a building with bathrooms, a gift shop, and a coffee stand. I buy us each a muffin and we eat them on a bench with a view of the bottom of the waterfall. Except there’s not much of a view with all the people milling around in front of us.
Lizzie sighs. “I really thought we would beat the crowd. Sorry, Dad. I know a ton of people isn’t your cup of tea.”
“I don’t care, kiddo. I’m just glad to be here with you.”
When we’re finished with our second breakfast of the day, we start heading up the walking path. There are a couple of steep spots that seem to give Amelia some trouble, but she pushes on like they don’t. I insist we take a break more than once–which earns me glares from Amelia and thankful smiles from Lizzie–before we reach the bridge that crosses in front of the waterfall.
