Page 41 of Dear Adam
“All girls make weird faces when they put on mascara. It’s a thing,” I say, trying my best to finish without opening my mouth again. I accidentally smear it all over the side of my cheek and glance at him out of the corner of my eye, knowing he saw it all. “Can you just maybe look the other way for like two more seconds?”
He chuckles and turns his back. “One Mississippi, two Mississipp—”
“Done!” I yell triumphantly and shove the wand back into the tube. I rifle around in my makeup bag until I find my trusty tube of ChapStick and swipe some on. When I look up, Levi’s gaze is latched onto my mouth. He gives a nervous little cough, then offers his arm. I take it, and flip off the light on my way out. Pretzel is already prancing by the door, no doubt eager to greet Hank, who must be waiting in the Teenie Mobile.
Sure enough, when we walk outside, Hank’s sitting in the passenger seat, his nose pressed against the glass, eagerly awaiting Pretzel. After Levi shoves him into the small backseat and Pretzel hops in, we’re on our way to his parents’ house.
“Did Glenda make it in?” I ask.
“She made it this morning. She’s been here for less than twelve hours and has already managed to hide articles about the benefits of power walking all around the house like little Easter eggs. I found one in my sock drawer right before I left, actually.”
I let out a low whistle. “Yikes.”
“Mom has found her long lost best friend. Dad, not so much. She’s dying to meet you, by the way.”
We pull up to his parents’ a few minutes later. Cars are already parked three deep on both sides of the yard. Someone has strung Edison lights across the driveway and the wrap-around porch. Christmas lights wrap each palm tree, and if this is what the front yard looks like, I can’t wait to see the back, where the party is. I step out of the car and slip on Pretzel’s leash. The music is already blaring and the sounds of “Take It Easy” by The Eagles floats on the breeze.
“There you are!” I hear when we make our way to the backyard. Before I’m able to connect a voice with a face, two short, plump arms wrap around me and squeeze. The top of her head rests right below my chin, and I try my best to not let the fact that whoever this is has their face smashed in my chest bother me. Finally, they release their arms and step back, but only a few inches. The unmistakable scent of Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon lingers.
“You must be Aly.” A short, older woman, wearing cat’s eye glasses and a Hawaiian print, button up shirt, pants practically up to her throat beams up at me. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Glenda?” I try. Seconds later, another woman of the same stature and almost similar outfit joins us and gives Glenda a little hip bump like any cool, best friend would do.
“Hey Tina!” I say, and offer my left arm in a more appropriate side hug. She returns it and points to Glenda.
“I see you’ve met Glenda,” she says, and winks. “It’s good to see you. I’ve been meaning to make my way down to your flower store, but the mister has me so busy with keeping his books, it’s hard to find any time to escape!”
“No worries at all,” I assure her. “Thanks for having me over this evening. This is lovely.” I mean that, too. As beautiful as the front yard is, the backyard is even better. More lights have been strung around, and there’s even a dance floor near the water’s edge. A warm breeze blows off the water, and everything looks and feels magical enough that Walt Disney himself could have created it.
“Help yourself to anything you want,” Tina says with a squeeze of my shoulder.
Glenda gives an exaggerated wink to Levi and then whisper-yells, “You’re right! Sheispretty.”
“Glenda!” Levi exclaims. ”I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t?” I tease, bumping his shoulder with mine.
“I didn’t say that,” he huffs and runs a hand through his hair. “I mean…I do think you’re pretty. I would just never talk to Glenda about it.” She and Tina are poorly suppressing laughs, and he shoots her a pointed look.
“Aren’t you glad I’m here?” Glenda asks Levi. Before he has a chance to answer, she’s up on her tiptoes, leaving a big, fat kiss on his cheek. Then she and Tina walk away, arm in arm and giggling over shared whispers.
Chapter nineteen
Levi
“Gross,”Imutter,thenswipe furiously at my cheek with my palm. I turn to Aly and grimace. “So that’s Glenda. Don’t ask me how she got hired.”
“I love her,” Aly says with a frown, rubbing at the spot on my cheek I must’ve missed with her thumb. “I suspect you do, too. Also, remind me to ask her what brand of lipstick that is because it’s not budging.”
“Knowing her, it’s probably expired AVON from the flea market. And I don’tloveGlenda. I tolerate her.” My tough guy facade is only centimeter thick, though, and I think Aly sees right through. Idohave a soft spot for Glenda, and after seeing her and my mom together, I think the reason I hired her all those years ago is because she reminded me of her and eased the sting of homesickness a little.
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat?” I ask Aly, hoping to turn the conversation away from my meddling assistant.
“Sure.” We head toward the tables loaded with sides, then stop by the grill, which is manned by my dad. He’s wearing an apron that says “Smokin’ Hot,” and Aly giggles when she notices it.
“You like this?” Dad says, turning left and right before striking a pose with a hand on his hip. Aly’s giggles turn to full blown laughter, and my dad finally says, “What can I get you?”
“A hot dog, please.” He loads up her plate then turns toward me. Without asking, he slides a burger onto my plate, knowing I think hot dogs are the most disgusting food on the planet.
