For The Least Of These (12 page)

Rick asked me a few more questions but even I was bored with the subject by now. Finally, Alicia spoke up, “I just can’t tell you how exciting this is. But you know what? I think we should change the subject. If we keep this up, Rick is going to get a big head.” I could almost see the light bulb appear over her head when she added, “Adam, how would you like to take a walk down the beach?”

Adam seemed surprised. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” he asked.

“With me, silly,” Alicia laughed.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was really thinking about heading back to the hotel. I’m exhausted.” Adam stood up and brushed the sand off his jeans. “You can come with me if you want. Rick and Brandy seem to be having a love fest that doesn’t include us.”

“Great idea, Adam,” Alicia said. She stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

I should have been excited that Adam and Alicia were leaving me alone with Rick, but I wasn’t. “Maybe we should all head home. It must be well past two a.m. by now.”

Adam held up his arm and I noticed for the first time that he was wearing a watch. I saw the watch light up with a little blue glow and Adam said, “Actually, it’s not even one yet.” Was it really possible that we’d only been on the beach about an hour?

“Then why don’t you stay a little longer? We can all take a walk down the beach.” I wondered if I sounded as desperate as I felt.

“Thanks for the offer, but tomorrow’s going to be busy. I’m sure I’ll see you at the concert.”

I was out of ideas, so I didn’t try to stop them. “Just be careful,” I said.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” Rick called over his shoulder as Adam and Alicia disappeared into the darkness. Rick’s words didn’t sit well with me. Would Alicia seduce Adam? I tried not to think about it.

“So, are you jealous? “Rick said unexpectedly. Why would he think that?

“Of Adam and Alicia? Hardly. Why would I care if Adam and Alicia hook up?” Why indeed
– but I did.

“No, I meant are you jealous of Alicia and me. We went to the liquor store without you and then we went skinny-dipping together. I thought you might be jealous.”

“No, I trust Alicia. And besides, she’s not attracted to you. She has always wondered why I like you so much. She likes guys like Skylar.”

“Beefcakes, huh? I should have known. So why is she coming on to Adam? He’s less of a beefcake than I am.”

“I think she just wanted to give me some time with you.” I wished that was all it was. I was still unsure why I wished it.

“Sure. Whatever you say.” I could see that Rick didn’t believe that explanation at all. He thought I was naïve and stupid. I hoped that I wasn’t.

Still trying to get Adam and Alicia out of my mind, I quickly drank several more mouthfuls of the wine. I didn’t really care for the taste, but the buzz I was getting felt pretty good. I started feeling excited about being this close to Rick. Or maybe the wine was just arousing me and Rick was the only man around. I still hadn’t forgotten Adam, so I took a few more swallows and finished off the bottle. I was in a surreal world and I felt like I was floating. Rick pulled me down beside him off of the log. He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I felt that dreamlike quality coming over me – the one I had experienced so many times in the last twenty-four hours. I was so afraid I was going to wake up in my own house back in Pensacola and discover that this whole adventure had been only a dream. I looked up into his face and when I saw his beautiful smile, I knew it was all real. I marveled at how handsome he was. His grip on my waist tightened, and he looked into my eyes and smiled again. I felt like a giddy teenager as I remembered how devoted I had been to Rick all these years. The wine had finally helped me move Adam to the back of my mind.

Rick tossed a few SweeTarts in his mouth. He offered me some, but I still wasn’t drunk enough to take them. Then he said, “Brandy, I’d really like to get to know you better. You know all about me, tell me about you.”

In my drunken stupor, I let myself tell Rick all about my parents and how I had come to be called Brandy. He liked that story a lot, and he knew the song well. Then I told him about my ho-hum job and my house near the bay. I even told him how Alicia and I had followed his tour bus to Biloxi. Rick thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. He smiled that half-smile that I loved so much, and I found that I couldn’t say another word. I was getting lost in a dreamy fog of moonlight, Rick’s charm, and inebriation.

I waited for Rick to speak, but he remained quiet. After a few minutes, Rick brought his lips close to my ear and began singing softly. My heart melted when I recognized the words: “Brandy, you’re a fine girl…What a good wife you would be…” At that moment, there would be no turning back. He had all of me now.

Rick pushed me down into the sand, and I felt a rush in my head. I managed to ignore the feeling, and Rick leaned down over me. I soon felt Rick’s warm lips pressing against mine. This was the moment I had always dreamed of. Rick and I together. We would be lovers, and I would be his forever. As he slowly moved his tongue to separate my lips, I noticed a strange twang in my mouth. Too late I realized that it was the tart and tangy taste of his SweeTarts mixed with the flavor of the wine I had consumed. I lost all control.

I somehow managed to miss Rick’s mouth as the contents of my stomach spilled all over everything else. I pulled myself up on my hands and knees and managed to contain the rest of my vomit to a spot in the sand away from where we had been lying. I was lucky that only a small amount of puke had landed on my clothes. I rubbed some sand over it and felt that it was as good as new. I heard Rick cursing, and when I finally regained my composure, I found out why. My puke was all over him
– from head to toe.

Still extremely drunk, I said, “Maybe we should go for another swim.”

I couldn’t really focus on Rick’s expression, but his words were clear enough, “It’s time to go.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to clean yourself up?” I asked.

“Go, I said. Go to the car.”

I started walking towards the parking lot when I realized that I didn’t have my shoes. I vaguely remembered leaving them in Adam’s car. It seemed like I’d left something in my sneakers. Something I didn’t want to lose on the beach. That’s right
– it was my car keys. It slowly began to dawn on me that Rick and I were stranded at the beach.

Rick came storming up from behind and pushed passed me. He was carrying something in his hand, and I noticed that he didn’t have a shirt on any longer. He found a trashcan in the parking lot and tossed whatever he was carrying into it. Then he waited for me to catch up.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a much calmer tone than he’d been using a few moments earlier. I decided that his shirt was now in the bottom of the trashcan.

“I don’t have any keys,” I said.

“Keys? What are you talking about?”

“Car keys. I left them in Adam’s car.”

Rick started losing his composure again. “You MUST be kidding?” Before I could think of an answer, I heard a car pull into the lot. A few seconds later, a door slammed. I couldn’t see much farther than my nose, but I heard Rick say, “Am I glad to see you, buddy.”

I heard another voice. It was Adam. “I found Brandy’s car keys in her shoes, so I came back…What the heck happened to you?”

“Brandy can’t hold her liquor, so she gave it to me. I had to throw my shirt away. Give her the keys and then you and I can head back to the hotel.”

“I’m not leaving her like this. She can hardly stand up, much less drive.”

“She can sleep it off in the car. Come on, Adam.”

“No, Rick. I’m not leaving her.”

“Fine. Then drive her in her car. I’m taking the rental.” With that, Rick disappeared.

I felt someone take hold of my arm. I looked up into Adam’s face. “Brandy, are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t feel so good,” I said. “I need to go home.”

“Come on. I’ll take you.”

“What about Rick?” but even as I asked, I heard the car starting up. The tires squealed as he sped out of the parking lot.

“He’ll manage. Now let me help you to your car.”

I tried to walk, but I was too tipsy. I stumbled and almost fell. Adam caught hold of me. He slipped his arm around me and helped me walk over to Sam. Then he opened the passenger’s door and helped me sit down. After shutting the door, he walked around to the other side and slid in behind the steering wheel.

“I should have never left you alone with him,” he said. “I knew something like this would happen.”

“I think I’m going to be sick again,” I said. I barely got the car door open before I was retching again. When I’d finished, Adam offered me a handkerchief to clean my face. He started the car and we were soon on the highway.

“How much did you drink, anyway?” he asked.

“I lost track,” I said. “Most of the wine that was left. I probably drank close to half a bottle. I would have been okay if he hadn’t had those SweeTarts on his breath. Yuck! If I think about that taste again, you’ll have to pull over so I can barf.”

“Then don’t think about it. I want to get you
to your room so you can sober up and rest.”

“You are always taking care of me, Adam.”

“Someone has to,” he said.

“Where is Alicia?”

“She said she was going to your room. Once I found your shoes and keys, I knew I had to come back for you. She took your shoes and your clothes from the hospital. She said she’d see us later.”

“I’m glad you came back. I’m way too drive to drunk,” I said.

I was still very drunk, but I couldn’t miss his next remark, “I know that you and Alicia followed us over here from Pensacola.”

I don’t know why I hadn’t wanted Adam to find out that we had followed the buses
– especially since I had told Rick about it. Now that he knew, I didn’t want to have to explain myself. If I had been sober, I think I would have jumped out of the car at that moment. Instead, I pretended to be passed out. Adam tried to “wake” me, but when I wanted, I could be a pretty good actress, so he soon gave up and drove us on to the hotel.

When we pulled into a parking space, I began stretching as though I were waking up. Adam switched the car off and looked over at me.

“So, now you’re awake?”

I pretended to still be groggy. I didn’t want to talk about the buses.

“Brandy, I know you’re awake. Why don’t you want to talk to me?”

I opened my eyes and looked into Adam’s face. Being drunk just made me more determined to take his mind off those buses. Without even thinking, I raised my face to his and kissed him on the lips. To my surprise, he kissed me back. He put his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. The gear shift lever was poking me in the stomach, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to interrupt what was happening for pain or comfort. There was only one thought on my mind: How could he kiss me like this after seeing me vomit?

The kiss lasted a good three minutes or more. Adam had obviously forgotten the buses, so my strategy had succeeded. I knew I could move out of his grasp, but I didn’t want to move. Instead, I laid my head on his chest while he stroked my hair. I knew he was watching me, and then he said, “We’d better head upstairs.”

He helped me out of the car and kept his arm around me as we walked. I wasn’t sure if he was holding me up or just holding me. When we got on the elevator, he leaned over and started kissing me again. Unfortunately, the elevator moved fast and our ride soon ended
– as did the kiss. He took hold of my hand this time and led me to the door of my room.

I didn’t have my key to the room, so Adam knocked. Alicia’s voice came through the door, “Who is it?”

“It’s Adam and Brandy,” Adam replied.

“Oh, um…I was wondering…” she said without opening the door, “…could you guys give me a little while? I’ve got something to take care of.”

I stared hopelessly at the floor. All of my thoughts were swirling around in my head, and I couldn’t connect them enough to demand that Alicia open the door.

Adam said, “I’ll take her to my room. I’ll call you after a while.”

“Thanks, Adam. I’ll make it up to you…somehow.”

As Adam led me down the hall I wondered what Alicia was up to. What was she doing that she needed to hide from me? The only thing I could come up with was Skylar, but I knew Alicia would never go back with him. Before my big drinking binge, I had even started wondering if Alicia really liked Skylar in the first place. Normally, when she liked a guy, she didn’t get upset when he started pushing her towards the bed. No, this definitely had to be something else.

We took the elevator up to Adam’s suite. I was still feeling intoxicated and woozy, but I did notice that he was staying in room 1002. He unlocked the door, and I stumbled inside – landing on the couch. His room looked almost identical to mine. He shut the door and walked into the kitchenette.

“Would you like something?” he asked.

“How about a Margarita?” I replied earnestly.

“No…I think you’ve had enough alcohol for one night. How about some coffee?”

“I never touch the stuff,” I said with a giggle. “Have you got any ice cream?”