Page 60 of Take Me
I’m changing my clothes when the side door swings open and my two oldest brothers stride through.Kaleb and Jake look edgy and grim, two guys on a mission to confront the family clown.
Since I’m the clown here, I freeze.“What is it?”Uneasiness churns in my gut as I glance between them.“Is it Mom?What happened?”
Please say she hasn’t relapsed.
“Mom’s fine,” Jake grumbles.“Kaleb just came from the vet.”
Oh, God.“Something’s wrong with Ribsy?”
“No.”Kaleb crosses his arms.“She was just getting her shots.”
Back in the bar, Ramon cues up the song that kicks off every Big One’s karaoke night.“Sing a Song” by The Carpenters pumps through the sound system as Erika bounds through the door.
“Crap, he’s already cueing us up!”She snatches the beard from my hands before noticing my brothers.“Oh, shit.What’s wrong?”
Jake frowns.“You’re performing?”
“It’s our Kenny and Dolly number.”I don’t love the look they exchange.“Can you tell me whatever’s going on while I finish putting on my boobs?”
Kaleb frowns as I wriggle myself into the bustier, then slip on my pink satin jacket.“I’m not sure now’s the right time,” he says.
“Shit,” Jake mutters, watching Erika put on her beard.“We’ve kinda gotta talk to you both.”
I look at Erika as I pull on my wig.“Kaleb just came from the vet and now they’re acting all weird.”
Erika blanches behind her thick facial hair mask.“Ribsy isn’t sick, right?”
Kaleb frowns.“No, but?—”
“And Orfy and Scrumpy are both okay?”
My brothers are nodding but still looking twitchy.“It can wait,” Jake mutters, and Kaleb agrees.“Break a leg.”
“Thanks.”I pivot so Erika can stick on my fake eyelashes.She’s managed to put on her costume, so all that’s left now is me grabbing my skirt.“A little privacy, please, gentlemen?”
Jake rolls his eyes.“Like everyone here hasn’t seen it.”
Good point.
Erika blushes as I peel off my jeans and kick them aside by a beer keg.Guess it’s a good thing we’ve already crossed the seeing-each-other-in-underwear hurdle.
“Jesus, dude.”Jake looks disgusted.“Haven’t we talked about wearing underpants?”
Whoops.Forgot about that.
“I missed laundry day for the wedding.”Guess I’m going commando under a skirt tonight.Good thing my stage isn’t high off the ground.
“For fuck’s sake.”Jake stomps out the door, and I glance at Kaleb.
“What’s his deal?”
“Beats me.”
My big brother returns ten seconds later with a red pair of boxers.“Here.”
“Please say they’re clean.”Not that I’m in a position to be picky.I pull them on as Erika pretends to study the side of a fermentation tank.“At some point we need to talk about why you keep underpants in your truck.”
Jake mutters something about needing a change of clothes when he’s at sea for long stretches.As I pull on my skirt, Kaleb looks at Erika.“Swear to God, he would have gone to school naked if one of us wasn’t looking out for him.”
