“Oh,” Melody says, slapping the air as if what she’s about to say will be a joke. “Journey needs a distraction at the moment, and she’s taken a liking to Parker. We thought it might be good for them both tonight.”
We. Hannah was right.
I cross my arms over my chest and step to the side. “So, what’s this ‘we’ thing? You didn’t want to share the news?”
“Dad, don’t be a jerk,” Hannah says, swatting me in the arm.
I’m about to snap at Hannah for hitting me when I notice how red Melody’s cheeks are. She’s staring down at the ground, avoiding any form of eye contact. I embarrassed her. Brett releases an exasperated sigh. “Bro, things are uh—new. Take it easy, okay?”
“New?” I ask with a stifled laugh. “Weren’t you two in love with each other back in high school or some shit?”
“Bro, language, come on,” Brett says, pointing at Parker.
“Do you girls want to see what I found in the back of the store today?” Melody asks Parker and Hannah.
Parker perks up and shimmies out of Brett’s grip and Hannah shrugs but follows Melody as she walks into the storefront.
“What’s going on? Why didn’t you at least tell me someone else was taking Parker tonight? I didn’t recognize Journey, and it made me nervous as hell to see her with some random chick.”
“You didn’t recognize Journey? Haven’t you seen her over the last month?” Brett asks.
I shake my head. “No, where would I have seen her?”
Brett drops his head into his hand. “Well, let’s see … there was a goodbye party for Harold you didn’t attend, nor the wake or the funeral. So, yeah, I guess you wouldn’t have seen her at any point, but I’ve seen her almost daily since Melody has been home and I felt comfortable with her taking Parker tonight. It’s not a big deal.”
“You could have told me,” I argue.
Brett drops his head to the side. “Something happened, didn’t it? What could have occurred at a bake sale, Brody?”
Naturally, my eyes roll up toward the ceiling and I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to hold back the laughter rumbling through my chest. “Dude, she basically pinned me against my truck tonight, kissed me, and told me she would never be interested in me because I have a beard. Who the hell does that?”
Brett’s eyes narrow as if he is trying to piece together the scene I described. “She kissed you? Why do I have a tough time believing this? Where in the school parking lot? In front of Parker and Hannah?”
I’ll leave out the part that Hannah was oddly watching. “The girls were in cars already. I don’t know. It seems like we have some unfinished business, apparently.”
“Unfinished business,” Brett repeats with a chuckle. “From New Year’s Eve fifteen years ago when she chased her boyfriend out of the party?”
“Because he walked in on us hooking up? Yes.” Obviously.
“Don’t get your hopes up with Journey. She’s not in a wonderful place right now. I can tell you that much. Her dad just died, and she hardly speaks a word to anyone, expect Parker, evidently.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“That she kissed you in the school parking lot?” He’s looking at me like I’m nuts.
“Yes.”
“Sure, I believe you. Just take it easy, okay? You can’t act the way you normally do and explode into people’s lives as if you have reserved seating there. Their entire family is fragile at the moment.”
I slap Brett on the shoulder. “Thanks for the advice, bro, but I think I’ll take things from here.” Brett throws his head back with annoyance and I walk out to the front of the store to collect Hannah.
The three of them are looking at some weird coin on the counter. “Hannah, we better get going so you can do that math homework,” I say.
“I’m sorry if my sister did something to offend you tonight?” Melody says as she lifts the coin from the counter. “She has a big mouth and doesn’t always know when to close it.”
Hmm. I can take that a few different ways. “She didn’t offend me,” I tell her. “No more than I likely offended her.”
“Ah,” Melody says with a quirky smile. “I suddenly recall the trouble you two got into when we were kids. You were the mastermind behind all the grand ideas and we usually took the fall for whatever you convinced us to do.”
