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I came home to find mom grouting tile in the downstairs bathroom. I dropped my stuff in the hallway and went to help her. I was tired and hungry, but manual labor was the only way to get Adam out of my head. Mom turned on some music and ordered food. We laughed and talked in a way we hadn’t done in a long time. And it worked. For a while. I didn’t think about you know who until the task was completed.
Then I started thinking about his face when he pleaded for me to move past my anger.
“Can’t we move past it?”
Well, that just wouldn’t do. So after grouting the bathroom, I offered to start painting the walls. Mom insisted I eat the Chinese takeout, but afterward, I went right back to it. I continued to work long after Mom went to bed. And after I finished with the bathroom, I moved on to painting the trim in the living room. I finally stopped around one in the morning when I could barely stand upright. My muscles groaned in protest as I climbed the stairs to my room.
Standing underneath hot spray in the shower, I hoped I’d be too tired to think about…
Adam.
And there he was again. Like a bad case of herpes, he wouldn’t go away. His face. His eyes burned a hole in my brain. His words…
“I miss you, Meg. I’ve missed you for the past ten years. Haven’t you missed me?”
I pounded my fist against the wet tile wishing I could drown him out. Wishing I could drown him. But his words kept swimming round and round in my head. An unrelenting tide of familiar guilt, longing, and hurt feelings washed over me.
But then another memory took over. One I wished I could forget.
We walked into the dance, and I felt like I was on cloud nine.
The four of us had eaten at Red Lobster. Kyle and Adam insisted on wearing the bibs, and I had laughed my head off. Skylar was even amused, though she was too cool to act like she was. Adam had paid for my meal and had even held the door for me. He was treating me like a date, not like his best friend. Maybe Whitney was right. Maybe he did like me.
“We’ve got to get pictures!” I exclaimed, taking Adam’s hand as we entered the decorated gym. Kyle and Skylar were squabbling about something or other; I wasn’t really paying attention. All I could focus on was the fact that Adam was still holding my hand. He hadn’t pulled away. Carefully, oh so slowly, I laced my fingers with his. I felt bold and in charge.
This was our night.
Then I realized Adam was distracted. He wasn’t even listening to me. I followed his line of sight. Was he staring at Chelsea Sloane?
No, that couldn’t be right.
Chelsea looked gorgeous, as always, in her form-fitting red dress and ridiculously high heels that showed off her legs. How could she walk in those things?
I gave Adam’s hand a tug, and he finally looked at me, but his eyes were distant.
“Pictures?” I asked with a strained smile.
Adam let go of my hand. “I don’t think so, Meg. Pictures are lame, doncha think?”
I watched in dejected wretchedness as he walked across the room toward her.
I turned off the shower and got out, refusing to let my mind finish the memory.
I couldn’t go there.
Not if I wanted to sleep.
**
“You’re at it already? Weren’t you burning the midnight oil?” Mom came out into the backyard where I was blasting the patio with a pressure washer. She handed me a cup of coffee, which I accepted gratefully.
“One of the main reasons I’m here is to help get the house ready to go on the market. With me doing the mural all week, I have to fit things in on the weekend,” I said, putting the nozzle down and sitting at the glass-topped table my parents bought years ago.
Mom was still in her robe, given that it was only eight in the morning. She sat down and watched me with her all-seeing Mom eyes. “I don’t want you running yourself into the ground. Things around here will get done. No need to do it all in one weekend.”
“I like to keep busy.” I sipped my hot beverage. It was a little cooler today, which was a welcome relief after the weeks of out-of-control heat.
“How’s the mural coming along? I drove past it after work earlier in the week, but not much was done yet.” Mom was still peering at me closely. I knew she was looking for something. Cracks in the armor most likely.
“I’ve made good progress. It’s hard work, but I’m enjoying it.”
“And how is it being at Adam’s office all day?” Ah, so this was it. She was digging for information about Adam.
