Reese and I look at each other and shrug.
“Sure, no problem. We’ll wait.”
Mike disappears for a moment, but when he comes back, there’s a grimace on his face.
“I’m so sorry. I’m out of beer in the garage too. I guess we cleaned out my stash during the poker game. I can run out to grab some more, if you guys don’t mind waiting. It won’t take long. I’ll need to go downtown, but there shouldn’t be any traffic this late at night. The joys of living outside of city limits, right?”
Raising my eyebrow, I look at Reese, but he shakes his head while getting up.
“No worries, Mike. Don’t stress because there’s no need to put yourself out. We’ll be back in a week for more poker, so sit down and relax.”
But Mike is already getting his coat and keys.
“No, no,” he says. “I’d be a bad host. I’ll just be gone for fifteen minutes, and even better, the beer will be ice cold when I’m back. Hang tight. We never get a chance to talk anymore, what with Old Joe and Paolo staring at us. I’ll be back in a sec.”
With that, he’s gone, the door closing firmly behind him. Reese and I look at each other.
“Okay, that was weird,” says Reese.
“You’re telling me,” I remark. “What is up with him?”
Reese looks grim.
“Drinking problem?”
I shake my head.
“I’m not sure, but now we’re here in an empty house … with Amelia upstairs.”
My friend’s face grows pensive, although he doesn’t move.
“Yeah … so, Amelia, huh?”
Refusing to take the bait, I turn to stare at him,
“Yeah?”
He shrugs.
“You know exactly what I mean. She’s not the little girl we both remember.”
I agree with a somewhat grim look on my face.
“Yeah, but I can still picture her as a little girl: wild curls and a button nose, getting into one scrape after another as she tried to keep up with Michael. She was a cute one, that’s for sure. You remember how often she would put her hand on her hips as she lectured us on what we were doing wrong? Boy, was she sassy then.”
My friend shakes his head.
“She’s still sassy, buddy. Yes, we’ve watched her grow up, but she’s far from that little girl now.”
“Amen.”
Rolling his shoulders, Reese remarks in a casual tone.
“Speaking of Amelia…what do you think was wrong with her tonight? We both know that something happened. There’s no way she was just crying because of how much she loves Mike. She looked as if her heart had been punched out of her chest.”
At that moment, we hear a gut-wrenching sob come from upstairs. My friend and I turn and look at each other. Oh shit. What’s happening? The sobs continue, and they’re absolutely heartbreaking. What should we do? Respect her privacy, or go and see if we can make a difference?
Finally, I can’t stand to hear her in pain anymore, and I head towards the stairs to figure out what’s wrong. Looking at my friend, I ask, “Coming?”
5
Reese
As we approach Amelia’s room, her sobs become even louder. Her cries are pitiful, and they make my chest feel tight with their pain. What do we do? Ryan looks at me, his entire body on alert. We don’t want to admit it, but both of us are attracted to this gorgeous woman. Yes, she’s our friend Mike’s daughter, but she’s all grown up now. Those luscious curves have taken center stage, and neither Ryan nor I have been able to ignore them.
But right now, Amelia’s emotional state is more important. Taking a second to try and figure out what to say, I knock on Amelia’s door. Her sobs stop abruptly, and then I hear a small voice hiccup as it asks, “Who’s there?”
“Hey sweetheart, it’s Ryan and Reese. We just wanted to check on you because we could hear you crying from downstairs.”
There’s a silence and then Amelia whispers.
“Really? Did my dad hear it too?”
I clear my throat.
“No, he ran out to grab some things from the store. We’re the only ones in the house. Amelia, we just want to make sure you’re okay. Do you want to talk about whatever’s going on? I promise that we’re great listeners and we swear not to tell anyone, not even your dad.”
When she doesn’t answer, I add, “No judgment. I swear.”
While waiting for her to decide, I think more about this beautiful girl. She means a lot to me, and it’s not just because she’s my best friend’s daughter. I genuinely want to make sure that she’s okay because she’s sensitive and kind, and I want to protect her from whatever’s causing her pain right now.
Finally, there’s a soft shuffling sound, and Amelia opens the door. Her face is tear-streaked but utterly beautiful.
“No judgment, right?” Watching us nod our heads in agreement, she sniffles a bit and holds the door open wider. “Come in, Reese and Ryan. My bedroom’s a mess, I know, but make yourselves comfortable.”