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“Oh, yes,” Grandma chimed in, looking up from her conversation with Nicole. “Remember that class bully in fourth grade?”
“I don’t think we need to tell—” Adam began.
“This kid was shoving the other kids to the ground on the way to and from school,” Nicole interrupted, leaning closer so she could tell me the story. “Adam got the idea to tie fishing line between trees along the path one morning. Most of the kids knew to step over it, but Gabe kept falling on his face all the way to school. After that, his mom drove him.”
“Aw.” After perusing Grandma’s photo albums, I had no problem picturing ten-year-old Adam perhaps watching from a distance with binoculars as his plan succeeded.
“Oh, Adam and his little schemes,” Beverly sighed. “One time he used my grandmother’s heirloom silver to test out his new metal detector, but he couldn’t find all the pieces he scattered in the yard. He drew up an archaeological map with a grid and dug holes, very methodical.”
I started to chuckle until I noticed that Nicole had looked away, face drawn, Grandma’s hand stirring her coffee had become very unsteady, and Adam’s expression was curiously blank.
Beverly, oblivious to the reactions of her listeners, continued. “And then Ron sprained his ankle in one of the holes!”
Adam straightened the napkin in his lap, Grandma gave a small, sad smile, and Nicole’s jaw set rigidly. I didn’t have to understand the specifics to realize there was more to the story than Beverly had shared.
“I’m ready for dancing,” Frank declared, clearly also not tuned into the conversation. “Jenna, you look like a woman who likes to move her body.” He waggled his eyebrows as suggestively as a baddie in a cartoon.
I stared speechless at Frank for a moment, too grossed out to respond.
Adam stood up. “It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.” I hurried to join him.
“Sleep well,” Grandma urged.
I stooped and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, relieved I had a fake boyfriend to get me away from the dining room.
Adam didn’t say much on the way to our suite, and when we arrived, he wished me good night and shut the door to his room.
It was only six thirty—too early to sleep—but I didn’t want to go out and risk running into Beverly or Frank again, so I cracked open a mystery novel.
I found it hard to concentrate on the words. My mind kept circling back to the dinner, to Adam, and to his family. It was clear that he was uncomfortable, even embarrassed, by them. And honestly, who could blame him? They were intense, to put it mildly.
But there was no denying the love Adam had for his grandma. He’d put himself in this awkward position just to make her happy. The more I thought about it, the more I found myself admiring him for it. He’d been nothing but considerate toward me, stepping in to defend me from Frank when necessary.
At Beaufort, Adam was almost super-human, a walking encyclopedia who never made a mistake. Seeing him out of his element, grappling with his family’s quirks, made him seem more human. And though I hated to admit it even to myself, I found myself liking this side of him.
As a friend, I reminded myself firmly. I liked Adam as a friend.
I turned back to my book and forced myself to pay attention to the words.
The next morning, I tried to be as quiet as I could as I got ready in the bathroom. By the time I was finished, I still hadn’t seen any sign of Adam. I pressed my ear to his door, but all I could hear was the hum of the ship.
“Adam?” I called softly. There was no response. Not wanting to bother him, I closed the cabin door softly behind myself and left for breakfast.
Nicole and Grandma were coming out of their suite at the same time. “Where’s Adam?” Grandma asked.
I had no idea, but it might raise their suspicions to admit I hadn’t seen him since the day before. I waved a hand back the way we came. “Oh, he’s still asleep.”
“Ugh, Adam will sleep until noon if you let him.” Nicole shook her head and looked at me expectantly. “How do you deal with it?”
“I actually haven’t noticed that he sleeps more than anyone else.” I laughed nervously and tried to turn the conversation into safer territory. “How did you sleep?”
“Just beautifully,” Grandma assured me. “With the rocking of the ship, it was just like being in a cradle.”
I looked around. “Are we waiting for Beverly and Frank?”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “They’ll probably sleep even longer than Adam.”
