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He doesn’t laugh with me. “That’s not what I meant. I liked that about you. I never could make sense of any of the books we had to read. Until you explained it all to me. Remember our study dates preparing for the English final?”
“Of course, I remember,” I say.
They mostly took place at my house, in my bedroom, or in the yard. He was the only boy I ever brought home in high school, and my parents couldn’t believe that we weren’t dating. Right now, I kind of can’t believe it either. But back then, we were just friends, and both of us liked it that way.
“So, romance books, huh?” he says, his eyes glinting with that same light they held when he first noticed me. The undressing kind.
Until now, I must’ve read and edited at least a thousand scenes that mention guys undressing girls with their eyes. And I thought I knew what that meant in real life. But I didn’t. Not until today. Not until Brennon looked at me that way.
“The hot kind?” he adds, and my cheeks heat up again.
“Ummm . . . yes, usually.” I can’t believe I’m stammering and blushing like some innocent virgin or something.
He laughs. A mirthful, melodic sound. We’ve reached the backyard of the house, where about fifty people are milling about, laughing, talking, and drinking.
“Hold that thought,” he says. “I’ll just go ask my mom where she wants all this, and then I’ll be right back. What’s your drink? Red wine like your hair?”
“Better make it a Jack and Coke,” I say, which earns me another approving and thoughtful look from him. Like he’s finally starting to understand that I’m not the nerd, I was in high school anymore.
“That’s my girl,” he says, making me blush even harder. Which he doesn’t seem to notice, thankfully. He’s already moving toward the back of the house as he adds, “Now, don’t move.”
And I absolutely do not intend to. It’s been so long since I felt comfortable around a guy. Especially a hot bad boy like Brennon. Kevin, the psycho stalker, ruined it all for me until right now.
CHAPTERTHREE
Sarge
Damn, I don’t even know if we can call this a party. It’s like a full-blown rager. I expected there might be fifty, maybe one hundred people who’d show up today. Nope, there are at least three hundred people here. Now I know why my mom was stressing so bad about the caterer not being here on time like they were supposed to be. She didn’t want all these people here at her house to get hungry and be mad.
Add in the fact Fannie left to go pick up Luna, and my mom was annoyed. She said Luna could have driven here herself but cut the girl some slack since her mom passed away not too long ago. I didn’t even put it together that Mom was talking about the same Luna I had gone to school with since I was a young boy. I think she came into my class when we were in first or second grade.
It’s really nice to see her after all these years. She would tutor me in English when we were in high school because I almost got kicked off the football team. I remember it like it was yesterday. The first semester I barely scraped by with a C, and then by the second quarter, I had a D. I was told if I didn’t bring my grade up, the coach had no other choice but to suspend me due to my academics not being up to par. Luna saved my ass.
Now she’s here, and it feels like the last fifteen years have gone by in the blink of an eye. God, Luna went from being an ugly duckling of sorts to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
“Mom,” I call out, hoping she’s somewhere nearby. I’ve got about ten lawn chairs thrown around my back, ready to be taken out of their plastic covers and set up.
“Over here, Brennon!” she calls back. I notice she’s speaking to one of the neighbors right now, so I walk on over to her and wait until there’s a break in their conversation before I interject.
“Where did you want these set up?” I ask, looking at my mother for the answer.
“Mmm, I’m not sure. Just pick a spot, and if people want them, they can move them,” she answers.
“That’s a great idea. You know how people get at events like this. They’re always wanting to move things around and go off and do their own thing,” our neighbor, Manika, adds.
“You’re right about that. Speaking about moving, did I hear correctly that Jaylen is moving away?” Mom asks Manika, and I take this as my opportunity to step away.
There’s a somewhat flat piece of land a little ways off, which is rare when you live in the mountains and hillsides like this. I let the chairs slide down one arm and then do the same to the rest. Five minutes probably go by, and every single one of the chairs is set up, plus there are the covers for the chairs hanging off the back. At least this way, they won’t get blown away in the wind and lost.
I told Luna I’d be back with her drink, so I headed inside the house and went to my father’s bar. He has a fully stocked fridge and wine fridge in here. I grab a bottle of Jack Daniels from off the top of the shelf, pull two cans of Coke out from the fridge and begin making a drink for both Luna and myself. I haven’t had a Jack and Coke in years, so what better time to have one than right now?
I make my way out of the house, and there are loads of people coming up to me, stopping me along the way. All are people I haven’t seen in years, and while I don’t want to be rude, I really want to get back and see Luna.
I’m able to excuse myself from most people, but when Ms. Gertrude comes up in her walker, I know I can’t walk away from her. She’s got to be in her mid-nineties by now, and I’m surprised she’s even still alive, if I’m being honest. When I was a little boy, I remember this woman being older than dirt, and she’s still here now. She’s a damn nice woman. My parents didn’t have any family out here when they moved to Julian, so Ms. Gertrude would watch me and my sister so my parents could go out on a date night once every couple of weeks.
“Brennon, my goodness, you got big. I remember when you were a little boy. What are you now, fourteen?” My heart drops right into my stomach at her question. Ms. Gertrude might be standing in front of me in the flesh, but she’s not all the way here.
Luna pops up out of nowhere and smiles fondly at Ms. Gertrude. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you doing?”
