Always Something There to Remind Me (10 page)

“Whatever. It’s still a fact. There’s no way you can make me believe it’s true that you never notice a pretty girl.”

“It is true.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “Okay. Right. You are never, in any way,
aware
of other girls. You never notice if someone’s pretty or not. Not even in passing.”

He thought about it for a moment. “I don’t look.”

“Okay, but do you
see
? Sometimes? I mean, look at Theresa. She’s pretty. Don’t you think?”

“Not my type.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “Come off it, she’s every guy’s type.”

“That’s why she’s not
my
type. Plus”—he kissed her—“she’s not you.”

“She’s
kind of
like me. I mean, we do spend a lot of time together.”

He looked at her and laughed. “Are you trying to talk me into Theresa?”

“No,
of course not
. That would be
totally
against every rule there is.” She leaned against him again. “I’m just saying it’s normal to
notice
when a girl’s pretty. Pursuing it would be a whole different thing, but
noticing
other attractive people is normal. Girls notice attractive girls as well. If guys had any idea what made guys attractive, they’d probably notice them too.”

He shook his head but he was still smiling.

A few minutes passed in easy silence.

The wind picked up and lifted the dank scent of water and earth over them. Erin inhaled it deeply. “I love that smell, don’t you? It’s like it could be another time, you know? In medieval forests it probably smelled just like this.”

“Probably.”

She leaned against him. “We should go fishing.”

“When?”

She shrugged. “Sometime.” She actually liked fishing and knew he did too. She could bait a hook, cast like a champ, once she’d caught a four-and-a-half-pound trout in New Hampshire. She’d do pretty much everything except clean the fish. How was it that they’d never done it together before? “Could we fish here, do you think?”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to eat anything I caught in here.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t want to eat anything I caught, period. I just like fishing.”

“What?” He laughed. “But you don’t keep the fish?”

“No way.” The very idea grossed her out. “Taking that squirming, slimy thing and
eating
it? Yuck.” Of course, she ate fish sticks or filets served in restaurants, but she preferred to think of her food as coming from big anonymous factories, rather than all googly-eyed and gasping for air as they’re lifted from muddy, disgusting water.

“You are seriously nuts,” he said, but he said it affectionately. “You know that?”

She wasn’t buying that. “You like cleaning fish, seeing the eyes and the scales, and the flapping gills and anything else that’s stuck to it, and then eating it?”

“Of course,” he said easily. “You’ve just never had fresh fish before. I’ll make you try it.”

“Ew.”

“You’ll change your mind.”

“I doubt that.”

“We have trout for breakfast all the time in Michigan.”

“Ugh!” Scales, fins, and eyes came to mind. “For
breakfast
?”

“Sure.”

“I’m packing Pop-Tarts.”

He sighed and shook his head, but his eyes were warm. He was used to all the things about her that drove him crazy. She knew it was amazing that he loved her so much, but at the same time she knew no one would ever love him more than she did and he was lucky to have her even if she didn’t eat the same things he did. She was perfect for him. At least she thought she was.

They made their way through the Champales as the sun moved across the sky and finally dipped behind the trees.

“Should we go find Theresa?” Erin asked. Her mind flitted to all the horror movies she’d seen where camp counselors are impaled against trees in the woods in the middle of intimate acts. “Seems like it’s been forever since we saw them.”

“They’re on their way,” Nate said.

“How do you know?”

“I saw them across the lake about five minutes ago, walking to the path.”

Erin was impressed. “You’re a regular forest ranger, aren’t you? Aware of everything within a ten-mile radius?”

“You’ve got to be alert so you don’t get eaten by bears.”

“There aren’t bears around here!”

“Sure there are.”

Fear crossed her chest. “In Potomac Falls?”

He nodded somberly. “There’s a lot of wooded acreage back there.” He gestured across the water. “Lots of wildlife.”

She studied him for a moment, then noticed the tightening at one corner of his mouth. He was lying. She rolled her eyes and stood up. “You almost had me.”

“Don’t worry,” he went on, dusting himself off. “I’ll protect you.”

“From guys in Izod shirts and penny loafers?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

She collected the empty bottles and dropped them into the bag they’d brought them in. “What would I do without you?”

The trees rustled several yards away, and Theresa and JP emerged, looking flushed and disheveled.

“Oh, my God,” Theresa said. “Some old guy walking his dog just snuck up on us.”

“Oh, no.” Erin cringed, imagining the scene he might have walked up on. “What did he see?”

“Oh, yes.” She nodded, confirming. “He got a good look at my ass.”

“Probably made his day,” Nate said, taking Erin’s hand. He started walking up the path with her in tow.

She followed, tossing over her shoulder, “It wasn’t someone you know, was it?”

“God, I hope not,” Theresa said, raking her fingers through her tangled hair. “We didn’t exactly chat.”

“It was Mr. Beardsley,” JP volunteered.

“
What?
” Theresa stopped and gaped at him. “You
know
him?”

“I know who he is, yeah.” JP sounded unalarmed. “He brings his car to the service station all the time.”

“Awesome,” Theresa said dryly.

“He’s blind as a bat, don’t worry about it.”

Theresa sighed and met Erin’s eye. Erin shrugged and turned to follow Nate.

“I wouldn’t do that in public,” she said quietly to him.

“What about your beach fantasy?” he asked, suppressing a smile.

“Private beach,” she said, imagining the horror of having someone walk up when she was in a compromising position like that. “Very private.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Do that, because I think it would be amazing.”

They picked their way through the dusky woods. Fireflies were beginning to bounce through the trees by the time they got to Nate’s car on the road outside the path.

“My parents are away overnight,” Theresa said, as they climbed into the car. “You guys want to come over?”

Erin looked at Nate. “Bedroom,” she said with a smile. “With a lock. And a bed.”

He smiled at her. “Whatever you want.”

“Sold!” she said to Theresa in the backseat.

When they got to Theresa’s they had a few beers and watched some TV, but around ten o’clock, Nate and Erin decided to go up to bed.

The guest room that had become “theirs” for these times when Theresa’s parents were away had two twin beds and a private bathroom. They always wedged into one bed together, though. It never occurred to them to do anything else.

“’Aybe ’e should ’ove to ’ichigan,” Erin said, brushing her teeth. She was wearing his Puerto Rico T-shirt to sleep in.

Nate came up behind her, still fully clothed. “What?”

She spit the toothpaste out and tried again. “Maybe we should move to Michigan. After you’re done with school, I mean.” She loved the idea of moving out with him after college. “What do you think?”

“I could do that.”

“I think I could too.” She pulled a length of floss off and started flossing. “You can buy real food there, right?”

“Nope, just fish.”

“Damn.”

He nudged her out of the way and reached for her toothbrush and put toothpaste on it. “You’ll get used to it.”

She dropped the floss into the trash can. “I’ll starve, thanks.”

“You’ll still cook it, though, right? After my long, hard day of fishing?”

“Oh, sure.” She opened the mouthwash and took a swig, swishing, then spitting, before handing him the bottle.

He did the same.

Across the hall, they could hear Theresa and JP at it again.

They exchanged a look.

“She’s really loud,” Erin commented, a little embarrassed.

He nodded, unflappable. “Some guys like that.”

She was almost afraid to ask. “Do
you
like that?”

He took her in his arms. “I like
you
.” He kissed her cheek, then her hair, and held her tight for a minute.

She relaxed in his embrace for a moment, then drew back and met his eyes. “So you don’t want to date Theresa.”

He laughed, and looked genuinely surprised that she would even ask. “No. I don’t.” He unzipped his pants and stepped out of them, tossing them aside.

“Good.”

They went to one of the beds and climbed in together, nestling close. Nate reached up and turned out the light.

“It’s freezing in here,” Erin said. Theresa’s family always had the air-conditioning turned way down low. “I’m opening the window. I bet it’s ten degrees warmer out there than in here.” She slid the window open and made sure the curtains didn’t block it.

“You know the best way to warm up, right?” Nate asked as she came back to him.

“What?”

He reached a hand under her shirt. “Shared”—he pulled it off—“body”—he sat up and pulled off his own shirt—“heat.” He lay on top of her and kissed her.

And he was right, she warmed up almost immediately.

“You’d never cheat on me, would you?” she asked.

He drew back. “Why would you even ask me that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just making conversation.”

“It’s a stupid question.” But he didn’t ask her the same.

They slept, completely entwined, until the morning.

Chapter 8

Present

It had been one of those days filled with detail work—nothing very major, nothing very interesting, but all stuff that needed to be done in order for other things to get done, so by the time I was finished for the day my mind was positively numb.

Things for the Brettman wedding were falling into place, as well as an anniversary party that was coming in August and a private high school reunion that one of the class members was sponsoring, rather elaborately, for everyone else. A nerd-done-well, was my guess.

I had also effectively taken care of most of the current details for Roxanne’s party, although any and all of her requests were apt to change at the drop of a hat, so virtually everything I did for that had an imaginary asterisk next to it.

But the good thing about a day filled with detail work is that when it’s done, it’s done, and I was able to leave work half an hour earlier than usual. The traffic wasn’t quite as bad and the idea of quiet time at home beckoned like a siren’s song. By the time I climbed the stairs to my condo, I wanted nothing more than to sit in front of the TV and watch
The Real Housewives of Absolutely Anywhere
and not use my brain at all.

So when I opened the door and saw Amy and Cam sitting on the sofa with their faces covered in dark green mud masks, I was taken aback at the unexpectedness of it. I had expected them to be at Rick’s place, not mine, and even if I had expected to see them, it probably wouldn’t have been like this.

I suppose that showed on my face because they both collapsed into fits of giggles.

“Ow! My face!” Amy shrieked, putting her hand to the cracked drying mud on her cheek.

“Mine too!” Cam said, but she couldn’t stop laughing and cracking the mask.

“Wait till she sees!” Amy said.

“I know!”

“Wait till she sees what?” I asked, glancing nervously around, looking for some unholy mess that would turn the night into a living nightmare.

“Rick!” Cam said.

At the same time, Amy said, “Dad!”

“Where is he?” I asked.

He must have heard them shout his name, because before they could answer me, the bedroom door opened, and he said, “I’m coming, I’m coming. How long do I have to leave this on?”

I looked up just in time to see him see me, and both our eyes went wide.

For him it was more painful, though, given the fact that his face was also covered in a dry mud mask and contorting it into shock had to have hurt.

“Erin.” He gave a stiff nod, though I could see the mud cracking at the corners of his mouth as it turned into a smile. “Good to see you.”

“Well, well,” I said. “Nice look. It works for you.”

“Thanks. It’s just a little something I’m experimenting with.”

“Very hot.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Cam and Amy shrieked with laughter, then both of them recoiled at the pull of the tight masks.

Rick glanced in their direction. “Is it time to rinse this mess off or is my humiliation still incomplete?”

“Oh, I can answer that one,” I said, going to the foyer table to look for my camera. “Your humiliation is not complete until we have documented this digitally.”

“No way,” he said, and started back for the bedroom. “I don’t care if I’m not beautiful yet, you are
not
putting this on Facebook.”

“Wait! Wait! Dad, just a minute!” Amy scrambled off the sofa and ran over to block his way.

Cam was right behind her, grabbing his shirt and trying to stop him. “Rick, you
have
to let us take your picture! You look so funny! Please?”

“Yeah, Dad, come on. Please?”

He stopped and looked back at me for a minute before shifting his gaze to them and raising his arms in a broad shrug. “You have thirty seconds. After that, I’m rinsing, whether you’ve found the camera or not.”

“In the drawer!” Cam shrieked, and she and Amy ran toward the table.

“It
will
be on Facebook, you know,” I said to him.

“Oh, I have no doubt.” He didn’t sound very worried about that. I was glad. “Good thing I’m not on Facebook myself.”

“Doesn’t matter. They’ll still tag you.”