“Yeah, she does keep it warm. I try to visit in the morning or evening, so I don’t roast in there.”
“She’s really sick, isn’t she?” I asked. I knew my mother wasn’t well, but the reality of her condition was just starting to hit me.
“No, she’s not.”
“Do you always take her to the hospital?”
“Kelly and I take turns.”
“Well, now, you can count me in on the rotation.”
“You don’t have a car.”
I rubbed a hand down my face. “Yeah, that’s the other thing on my to-do list today. I might have to borrow one of the loaners from the garage to go looking.”
“Fine by me. It’ll be nice to have help for Mom’s appointments.”
I suddenly felt guilty for having been gone so long. I hadn’t realized how much my siblings needed me. “Sorry I didn’t come home sooner.”
“No way,” Foster said, shaking his head.
“No way what?”
“You don’t get to feel guilty. I’m the reason you went away in the first place. No guilt.”
“You know you can’t just order someone not to feel guilty.”
“Why not? You’re a soldier. You’re used to taking orders.”
“SEAL,” I corrected him.
“What?” he said as he threw his cigarette to the ground and used his shoe to put it out.
“I’m—I was a SEAL. Soldiers are Army. I was Navy. I’m a SEAL.” I clearly hadn’t been around enough if I had to explain this to my brother.
“Well, la-di-da.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“I learned from the best.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t take orders from you. Besides, I’m your older brother.”
Foster grinned. “I can always try.”
“Will you give me a ride to the garage?” I said, changing the subject.
“Sure.”
“Okay, let me go say good-bye to Mom,” I told him. I opened the squeaky door.
“Maddox.”
I looked at my brother. “Yeah?”
“I just thought you should know, the building next to Addison’s has an apartment open for rent.”
I gave my brother the finger and walked into the trailer. My brother’s laughter followed me in.
Nine
Addison
I leaned up against the front of my building, off to the side of the big crowd taking up the main drag in town, which had been closed off from traffic. The sun had gone down a while ago, but the streetlights and the lights from the band’s trailer on one end of the block put off plenty of light.
I’d said hi to almost everyone I saw and made small talk with a few, but otherwise, I wasn’t participating much. I was doing a lot of people-watching as I sipped on my beer. Even though I might have to bail someone out tonight, I wasn’t on duty yet.
“Hey, what are you doing over here, alone?”
I looked over to see Pete joining me.
“Not much. Just observing everyone. Wondering if anyone’s going to jail tonight.”
Pete laughed. “My money is on Jason Mueller.”
“Where is he?” I asked as I straightened from my post and got up on my tiptoes.
“Over there.” He pointed to the corner where Jason Mueller was stumbling around, clearly drunk.
He yelled at something someone had said and threw his beer can on the ground. It was people like him who’d made glass bottles against the rules at this thing.
“Isn’t he too young to drink?” I asked as I dropped down to my heels.
“Nope. He turned twenty-one earlier this year.”
“Well, at least he won’t get charged with underage drinking.” I crossed my fingers he wouldn’t be arrested for any other reason, too.
Pete put his hands in his pockets and nodded to the crowd. “How do you feel about that?”
I turned to see whom he was talking about. Despite the event being called a street dance and there being a live band playing, only a few people actually danced. It was more like a street party than anything.
I squinted as I searched the crowd. It took me a second, but once I spotted Maddox, my eyes zeroed in on him. At the moment, he was very close to Dani, who had her hand on his chest and was grinning.
I shrugged. “Eh, I told her she could have him.”
Sure, these were the words I’d said, but inside, I was holding myself back from marching over there and punching her in the face.
I had thought about Maddox often over the years, but it seemed I’d forgotten the jealous streak he brought out in me. I had never felt that way about another guy before or since.
That was surely a bad sign.
Maddox looked up from Dani and met my eyes.
“You told Dani she could have him?”
I looked back at Pete. “Yeah. I saw her this morning, and she said something about how fine he was.”
“And you’re really okay with that?”
Pete had been in college when I dated Maddox, but he knew the same history as the rest of the town. Plus, I’d talked to him a few times about what had happened. He knew how much it had hurt me when Maddox left and didn’t contact me.
“Sure,” I said. “Maddox and I dated a long time ago. We’re ancient history. He doesn’t owe me anything, and I don’t owe him anything. If he wants to date Dani, he can.” Although I couldn’t exactly wish them a happily ever after.
“It’s best you stay away from him, Addison.”
I spun around to see Simon had come up on the other side of me, looking as stuffy as ever. It was a street dance in a small town in the Midwest. He was the only one wearing a suit, and it made him stick out like a sore thumb.
“Your father wouldn’t approve.”
I chugged the last of my beer, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and threw my cup in one of the many trash cans lined up on the street. I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Simon?”
“You should really act more like a lady. You represent your father.”
“No. I represent myself, and I will act any way I please. If anything, you represent my father. That’s why you’re here, correct?”
Simon pursed his lips.
I smiled. I was right.
“Your father insisted I make an appearance.”
I didn’t understand why. My father acted like he was the king of Brook Creek because he had some money when, in reality, nobody cared what he thought.
I never wanted to be like my father.
I waved Simon off. “You made your appearance. You can leave now.”
Simon looked at Pete and then took a step closer to me. “Addison, you must consider whom you date. It reflects upon your father.”
I pretended to be confused at first. “Oh, you mean, Pete?” I laughed. “You’re mistaken. You see, Pete is more likely to date you than he is me.”
Pete wasn’t gay, but he had an older brother who was, and he knew just what to say to get rid of a closed-minded fool like Simon.
Pete studied Simon. “Nah…he’s too skinny. I’d break him in half. He couldn’t handle me.”
Simon blanched and took a step back. He looked horrified, and I had to pinch the inside of my arm to keep myself from laughing at his reaction.