“So.” Toby leans forward and presses one elbow into each of our headrests. He smells like he just deboarded a pirate ship. “What have you two been up to this evening?”
“Just the usual,” Marissa replies. “Fought a mafia boss. Robbed a bank. Wrestled a few dragons.” She sneaks a sidelong glance and gives me a conspiratorial grin, like we are sharing an inside joke. I grin back at her, not hating the sense of intimacy one bit.
Toby snorts out a laugh. “You’re funny. I didn’t know you were funny!”
Shelby climbs onto Toby’s lap, slamming the door behind her, and I shift the car into drive. The faster I can get these two home, the better.
“Of course she’s funny,” Shelby says. “Haven’t you watched her movies? Her comedic timing is impeccable. Our girl is a multihyphenate.”
“A multihyphenate,” Toby repeats slowly. Then he beams at Shelby. “My lady is so smart. I love it when she uses big words.”
Shelby leans forward, her cheek pressed against my brother’s. They’ve quite literally morphed into a two-headed monster. “Speaking of the industry, I have a question for you, Marissa.”
Oh god. This is not happening.
“Shelby, don’t,” I warn.
My sister-in-law ignores me, predictably. “Don’t you think the three of us would be perfect for a home-improvement show? We’re the ideal complementary characters. I’m the personality, obviously. Toby is the brawn. And Jesse is the pretty face we put on the posters.”
Now would be an ideal time for aliens to descend and launcha hostile takeover. And with any luck, take me back to their home planet.
Marissa laughs softly. “I completely agree.”
I shake my head, not taking the compliment and trying to communicate, silently, that I am not a part of this idea.
“Jesse,” Shelby whines, “let’s go out for a nightcap. You and Marissa need to have another drink with us.”
“The only thing you two need is a gallon of Pedialyte.”
“Aww, you’re no fun.” She pouts, then goes quiet for one blissful moment. “How about a Sheetz Late Nite Bite instead?”
“Oh, that sounds amazing,” Toby says. “I could really go for some Hotzarella sticks right now.”
“Hell yeah!” Shelby pumps a fist into the air. “Let’s get curly fries too! On second thought, we should probably just get the app sampler and cover our bases. Marissa, are you in?”
I sneak a glance at Marissa to gauge her reaction to the two Muppets in my back seat. No doubt she’s currently regretting her choice to join me in this side quest. But to my surprise, she’s grinning at them in the rearview mirror.
“I’ll never say no to curly fries.”
By the time I pull into Shelby and Toby’s driveway thirty minutes later, my car smells like the inside of a deep fryer, and Marissa has seen every photo of my niece taken in the past three years. I reach under my seat and grab the two bottles of Gatorade I picked up at the gas station.
“Drink these and don’t forget to take Advil before you go to sleep. Now be gone, before you destroy the sanctity of this vehicle any further.”
The two of them are giggling as they stumble out of the back seat. Arms wrapped around each other, they make their way up the drive. Ifeel a twinge of envy. My brother can be a blockhead, but he’s a good guy, and Shelby is his perfect match. The yin to his yang. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want a love like theirs? To find a partner to stumble through life with, who appreciates us for exactly who we are?
I wait to see them safely inside before thrusting the car into reverse.
“Well, that was entertaining,” Marissa says, sounding like she means it.
I look in her direction and allow myself to thoroughly drink her in. Her inner light is flickering back on, as if my family’s alcohol-laced breath fanned her flame.
With effort, I force my eyes away. It’s hard enough to concentrate on driving when she’s sitting this close to me. She’s always had a presence that’s impossible to ignore. And tonight, she was the twelve-year-old girl I knew again, radiating that joyful energy I always found so magnetic. But it was more than that. Not only was she happy to help rescue my family, but she blended in seamlessly, like she’s known them forever. The dynamic between the four of us felt completely natural, familiar even. It’s kind of unsettling.
“I promise they aren’t usually like this. But they rarely get a night out to themselves, so I can’t really blame them for letting loose when they do. Just hope they’re not too hungover.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine after the care you gave them. That was some impressive big brothering.”
“What can I say? My parents gave me a book about being the Best Big Brother the day they brought that doofus home. The message stuck.”
