Page 59 of The Summer of ’98

I sat down beside Ellie and kissed her shoulder. She leaned into me, and Cass watched us with that same stupid look on her face. The three of us sat in silence and I dared her to make some comment that alluded to the fact that she and Ellie were obviously talking about our night. Girls did that. No big deal, but she couldn’t hide it for shit.

“Good night last night?” she finally said. I knew it, she couldn’t help herself. Ellie stiffened beside me and I looked at her just in time to see the warning glare that she was aiming at Cass.

“Good walk?” I retorted.

“It was awesome,” she said, her tone heavily laced with sarcasm.

“You could have taken a cab.”

“You had the money.”

“Oh,” I pretended to be surprised. “That’s right. My bad.”

She ignored me and stood up, heading toward the breakfast that was getting cold. Ellie joined her after I suggested that she should eat because we’d be on the road soon. The mood was vastly improved by the time we were all in the car. It felt more positive than it had in a while and I was glad that Noah and I had had the chance to clear the air. Even though we’d gotten thrown out of the concert early, it was still the best night that I’d had in a long time.

Ellie

“How was the concert?” Eleanor asked at dinner that night. We were seated in the dining room, rather than the kitchen table. It was larger and more spacious, which accommodated Cass, who was there as well. She sat on the other side of the table beside Noah, who had been in a better mood than I’d seen him since I’d first arrived ten days ago.

“It was good,” Leroy answered as he scooped a forkful of potato salad into his mouth. “Just a concert. The girls had the most fun, I think.”

“The girls all swoon over Steven Tyler, don’t they?” Eleanor giggled like a schoolgirl as she sipped her wine. Jacob raised his brow but chuckled from his end of the table. To be honest, my love for Steven Tyler had nothing to do with his appearance and everything to do with his voice and music.

“He’s not bad for an older dude,” Cass said.

Eleanor stared at Cass, likely thinking about the fact that she was older than the ‘older dude.’ If she was offended, she didn’t say anything; instead, she fixed Leroy with a knowing smile. “So what were the sleeping arrangements like last night?”

Cass and I shared an alarmed look.

“Super comfortable,” Leroy said, not missing a beat. “How was your night?”

“It was fine, thank you,” she seemed mildly amused at her son’s attempt to deflect the conversation. “I noticed that there was only one room on the receipt. I could have sworn you said that you were booking two.”

“They had a two-beds-for-the-price-of-one deal,” Noah jumped in. “Sweet, right?”

It was safe to say that Eleanor did not believe him.

“Oh,” Leroy nodded, pointing his fork at his mom. “You meant arrangements as in where we slept. My bad. They only had one room left but luckily they had two queen beds. Noah and I shared, and it reminded me why I hated camping with him. He kicks like he’s having a fit.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes at him. “Really? You shared with Noah? And Cass and Ellie shared?”

“Of course, Mom.”

Then it was my turn to receive her interrogating stare. “Is that tr—”

Her sentence was interrupted when Cass’s glass of juice was knocked over and OJ quickly spread toward the edge of the table. “My bad,” Cass flailed and tried to catch the liquid with her hands. Eleanor shot up out of her seat and ran to collect a towel while the four of us shared a collective sigh of relief.

Jacob was oblivious. “This lamb is so tender.”

Eleanor didn’t bring up the conversation again and I wasn’t sure if that was because she believed us or if she didn’t want to find out that we’d lied. Either way, it made me feel incredibly guilty.

Leroy went to have a shower after dinner, Cass and Noah had gone for a walk to get snacks from the convenience store, and Jacob had gone to bed. It was just me in the living room, watching an episode of Full House while I waited for Leroy. That was until Eleanor came wandering in with her PJs on, her hair in rollers, and her makeup gone. She gave me a warm smile and sat down in her armchair.

“Have you been sleeping well in that spare room?”

I nodded. “The bed is comfortable. I really appreciate you letting me stay here for the rest of the summer.”

“Not a problem at all, sweetheart. Our door is always open to friends of the boys.”

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