“I guess this comes more naturally.” Brody cast his line.
“I guess so. Maddy a mom. Seems crazy.”
“Right now I’m going to focus on the fact that she’s getting married. That’s crazy enough.”
“Have they set a date yet? She told me her parents took all the news well.”
“They did. Her parents are cooler than she’d let you believe, and they like Colin. Maddy’s trying to convince Colin to do something really small though. He’s convinced she’s only pushing for that because she’s pregnant, but I think it’s actually what she wants.”
“Are you going to talk to him?”
“I’m going to let Carly take care of that. Colin usually listens to her.”
Brody laughed. “Yeah, let your girlfriend do the hard job.”
I shrugged. “She doesn’t seem to mind. I think she likes being part of everything.”
“What’s the deal with her family? I never wanted to ask, but I’m guessing you know.”
“It’s all sorts of messed up. All I’m going to say is that if I ever see her brother-in-law he’s going to get hurt.”
“That bad, huh?”
“That bad.” I pulled off my t-shirt. The sun was roasting.
“You’re going to get sunburn.”
“You sound like Carly.”
“Yeah, but unlike Carly I’m not going to help you with the aloe.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what Carly would say too.”
***
Three hours was a really long drive to go to a show, but I knew how much Carly loved the group. We’d decided to get a hotel in Virginia Beach for the night, and I was looking forward to it. As much as I loved having Brody as a roommate, I was looking forward to some more privacy for a change.
“What’s your view on listening to a band on your way to go see them, yay or nay?” Carly sat happily in the passenger seat. She was dressed in my favorite dress. It was navy blue and shorter than she usually wore. I mentioned how good she looked in it, and she seemed to be wearing it a lot more. I enjoyed knowing I had that kind of influence more than I’d have admitted out loud.
“I’ve never considered that important question before. There’s always the risk of getting tired of the music before you get there, but could you even get tired of listening to Dan Croll?”
“Never.” She turned on her Bluetooth and the music blared through the radio. I smiled to myself. Sometimes Carly was so easy to please.
I’d been expecting a large venue, but the show was in a really intimate place off the beaten path. My interest in watching the show rose exponentially. I always preferred when you got to be up close to the performers. There was something so much more satisfying about it. Being that close made it worth the price and effort of seeing them live.
“I’m so excited!” Carly stepped up on her tippy toes trying to see over the people in front of us as we waited in line.
“There’s nothing to see yet, babe.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you trying so hard?” I teased. I loved how excited she was, it made the drive seem like nothing.
We turned over our tickets and walked in, ordering some drinks before making our way closer to the stage. Carly watched the bartender like a hawk while he mixed them.
The opening act was surprisingly good, and I found a comfortable spot with Carly leaning against me. Standing room only wasn’t bad when it involved Carly in close proximity.
She got so into the music. She sang along to the songs as her body moved against mine.
Carly suddenly froze. “Let’s go.”
“What? He’s not even done with the first set. What’s wrong?”
“Please. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure?” I looked at her nervously. Something had spooked her, but I had no idea what.
She took my hand and pulled me toward the door. We got stuck in a crowd by the bathrooms, but made it out to the lobby. The music was faint outside the main doors.
“Running away from me, Carly?” A voice called.
She squeezed my hand, and I turned around. I came face to face with a guy in his mid-to late twenties. “Who the fuck are you?”
He ignored me and focused on Carly. “Just like when we were kids, you always spied on me and ran away.”
Carly turned. “I wasn’t spying on you. I’m obviously here with someone. And if I find out you’re here with someone God help you, asshole.”
Whoa. Carly didn’t curse much. Whoever the hell this punk was he’d rubbed her the wrong way.
“Oh yeah? Are you going to go crying to Kim again? Look at what good that did last time. Just made a mess of things for all of us.”
Kim? A light bulb went off. This was her brother-in-law. “Don’t even talk to her, you jackass.”
“I see you found yourself a new friend. How long’s he going to last? You were never good at keeping boys around, were you? Even in high school you always scared them off.”
“What the hell would you know? You were in college by the time I was in high school.”
“That didn’t stop you from chasing after me back then.”
“Shut up, Jasper. I was a kid. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” He laughed dryly. “The show’s barely started.”
“And you successfully managed to ruin it for her. Don’t say another word.”
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”
“Her boyfriend. Now get lost.”
“Boyfriend? Well let me do you a favor, cut your losses. She’s just a little tease. She’s not worth your time.”
“What did you just say?”
“She’s a tease. Always has been, always will be. She fucks everything up, and even her family knows it.”
“Oh yeah? Is that why you were hitting on her? Coming on to your wife’s little sister, real classy.”
“I was only offering Carly what she’d wanted for years.”
I looked at Carly. I was so tempted to punch the asshole, but I was also realizing there was so much more to the story. Either way, none of it was Carly’s fault. I knew that.
“Let’s go.” I took her hand. “Let’s catch the rest of the show.” I wasn’t going to let the idiot ruin our night.
“Not yet.” She squeezed my hand. “There’s something I need to say.”
“Is there?” He sneered. “Is this where you finally confess what we both already know. If it weren’t for Colin none of us would be in this mess.”