Baggage

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I can’t wait for you to meet my brother-in-law on Saturday. He’s gay, too!

I felt queasy just thinking about those words spoken by my next door neighbor, Sabrina Keener. The Keeners were having a cookout in their backyard the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and I had been invited to attend. I almost declined and said I had other plans, but I didn’t because I didn’t have other plans and the Keeners were nice people. Sabrina, her husband Gary, and their daughters Leah and Holly had been nothing but friendly and decent to me ever since I moved to Evanston last year.

I inherited the three-bedroom, two-bath Victorian next to the Keeners from my aunt Corrine, my father’s oldest sister. Corrine and her husband George never had any children of their own, but they treated me like a son. After George died following a terrible stroke, Corrine fell ill herself, and the family was forced to put her into a nursing home to live out her final years. Her house, a lovely little Victorian in Evanston, was rented while she was in the nursing home. The tenants, an older married couple, took great care of the place. But after Corrine’s death, the renters chose to move to Florida when their lease ended. My boyfriend Clay and I decided to move into the house ourselves. Prior to the move, Clay and I owned a condo in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. We were having problems, and I naively thought a change of scenery would help our troubled relationship. So we put our condo on the market, made some renovations to the Evanston house, and moved in a few months later.

Unfortunately, our relationship didn’t survive the move. Clay said he felt “restless” living in the suburbs and wanted to return to the city. He also informed me that he’d met someone else. So, five months after we moved to Evanston, Clay and I broke up. He found an apartment in the city, hired movers to haul his things out of the house, and left me high and dry.

Seeing a moving truck pull up in front of the house only five months after we’d moved in was sad and humiliating. In addition to the pain I felt over Clay’s cheating and his hasty departure, I got another kick to the gut when he asked for a lump sum of cash to compensate him for the money he’d put into the renovations we’d made to the house. Yes, it was only fair that I paid him for the money he’d contributed, especially since the house was in my name and he wouldn’t get a dime if I sold it, but I was angry that he demanded cash only a few weeks after cheating and walking out on me. I paid him just to get him off my back and out of my life for good.

News quickly spread through the neighborhood about Clay’s quick exit, and I was embarrassed to even walk down my own street because I felt my neighbors were gossiping about me. But Gary and Sabrina never made me feel like an outcast. They spoke to me when they saw me and continued to be the great neighbors that they were when I first moved onto the block.

The Memorial weekend cookout wasn’t the first time I’d been invited to Sabrina and Gary’s house for an event. Clay and I had gone to one of their cookouts over Labor Day weekend last year and had a great time. So why was I avoiding my neighbors this time around? Because of Sabrina’s insistence that I meet Gary’s gay younger brother Eric. Until Sabrina told me, I didn’t even know Gary had a younger brother. I’d only seen and met his identical twin, Greg. Apparently, Eric, the baby of the family, had been living in San Diego and only recently returned to the Chicago area.

According to Sabrina, Eric had a bad breakup with a guy he’d been living with for a few years and decided to return to Chicago to put some distance between him and his former partner. Eric worked as a front desk manager for a hotel chain and was able to get a transfer from San Diego to Chicago. While I was sure Sabrina’s brother-in-law was a nice guy, I was still uneasy about being set up with him. But I put my reservations aside and went next door with the following lowered expectations: Eric and I would meet, we’d talk over a beer and a burger, and we’d go our separate ways.

Even though I’d never seen Eric, I spotted him the moment I entered Gary and Sabrina’s crowded backyard. He was standing with his twin brothers and an older man, and they were all laughing. Eric was tall, like Gary and Greg, but leaner and definitely buffer than his older siblings. He and his brothers were all dressed alike in T-shirts, cargo shorts, and running shoes, but Eric’s shirt was a V-neck rather than the crew neck style Gary and Greg wore. Eric’s shirt was also more form-fitting and showed off his chest and biceps. He didn’t have the body of a gym rat, but it was clear he worked out.

Eric’s hair was also lighter than his brothers’. Gary and Greg had dark brown hair while Eric’s was dark blond. Although Eric resembled his brothers and no one who saw them together would fail to realize they were related, his facial features seemed softer than those of the twins. His lips were a little fuller, the cleft in his chin was a little more pronounced, and his nose didn’t look like it had been broken (as Gary’s and Greg’s did). He was much more handsome than I thought he would be.

“Patrick, you made it!” Sabrina said, interrupting my thoughts. I hadn’t even noticed her approach because I was too busy watching Eric.

Sabrina was an attractive woman in her late thirties, with shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and eyes, a round face, and a body that looked like it had birthed two children. She had a few extra pounds around her hips and belly, but she didn’t seem to be ashamed of her figure. I found it refreshing that she wasn’t like so many of the suburban wives I saw around the North Shore: rail-thin health nuts who took spinning classes religiously, scrutinized food labels, and grinded their own almond butter at Whole Foods.

“Yes, I made it. Thanks again for the invitation, Sabrina,” I said before handing her the red velvet cake I’d brought. I don’t personally care for red velvet cake, but Sabrina had mentioned it was a favorite of hers, so I picked up a nice one from a local bakery for her.

She thanked me for the cake before immediately changing the subject. “I can’t wait for you to meet Eric,” she said. “I just know you two will hit it off. I told him you were coming.”

“I believe I spotted him talking with Gary and Greg,” I said, turning back to the Keener brothers. Eric had disappeared from the group. Gary and Greg were still there with the unnamed man, but Eric was gone. In the brief time that I’d turned away to speak with Sabrina and give her the cake, Eric had slipped out of sight. “He was just there.”

“He probably went to pee or something,” Sabrina said. “I don’t think I’ve seen him without a beer in his hand since he got here.”

Great, I thought. So he’s an alcoholic, too?

Sabrina seemed to read my mind because she immediately said, “Not that Eric’s an alcoholic or anything, but those Keener men do enjoy a cold one, you know?”

Since I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, I didn’t, not verbally anyway. I just smiled and nodded. At that moment, Sabrina and Gary’s oldest daughter Leah approached her mother and asked if her friend Kirsten could spend the night.

“Where are your manners, Leah?” Sabrina asked. “Can’t you see I’m talking with Dr. Holt? I think you owe him an apology.”

The eleven-year-old frowned and turned to me. “I’m sorry, Dr. Holt.”

I was about to assure the girl her interruption was not a problem when Sabrina shoved the cake box into her daughter’s hands and told her to take it to the kitchen and slice it for the guests.

“But what about Kirsten?” Leah asked.

“Ask me later. I can’t deal with that right now. Where’s Eric?”

Leah rolled her eyes. “He’s in the kitchen. He took a cupcake out of my hand and stuffed it in his mouth. He’s so immature.”

So in addition to drinking too much, he also steals cupcakes from children. Wonderful, I thought.

“Go in the house and tell your uncle I’d like to see him please.”

Leah smiled then. “Is he in trouble?”

“No, he’s not in trouble, but you will be if you don’t do what I asked you to.”

The girl let out an exasperated sigh before heading into the house through the sliding back patio doors.

Sabrina asked if I wanted anything, and I told her a beer would be nice. She pulled a can from one of the three huge coolers filled with ice and drinks and handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I said, opening it. I’d just taken a swallow when I heard someone behind me speak.

“I heard I was summoned.”

Turning, I found myself face-to-face with the infamous Eric Keener. He was even better looking up close. His eyes were brown, like his brothers’, and he had very good skin.

“Yes, you were summoned,” Sabrina told him. “Eric, this is our neighbor, Patrick Holt—Doctor Patrick Holt. Patrick, this is my brother-in-law Eric.”

Eric and I shook hands, and he smiled at me. God, even his teeth were great.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Patrick,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”

“Uh oh,” he said with a low laugh.

“Don’t worry, Eric. I didn’t tell Patrick anything too awful about you,” Sabrina teased.

“Well, that’s a relief,” he said.

While Sabrina prattled on about how she’d been looking forward to introducing us, I felt Eric’s gaze on me. He wasn’t just watching me; he was leering at me right in front of his sister-in-law! He even licked his lips like he wanted to eat me for dinner.

Maybe he did.

Thankfully, Sabrina appeared to be oblivious to it all. When Leah called to her mother from the sliding back patio door and Sabrina excused herself to “deal with” her daughter, I actually breathed a sigh of relief. Having to try and listen to her while ignoring Eric as he undressed me with his eyes was mentally exhausting. Before Sabrina left, she told me to help myself to all of the food and drinks available and suggested that Eric and I “get acquainted.”

“I’ll come back to check on you two later,” she said before giving a little wave and disappearing into the house.

“I’m glad you came,” Eric said with a smile. “I was a little afraid Sabrina might scare you off.”

“I don’t scare that easily.”

“That’s good to know.”

Eric was about to say something when he was interrupted by an approaching Gary.

“Patrick!” Gary said, clapping me on the shoulder. “I didn’t know you were here until I spotted you a minute ago. I didn’t even see you come in.”

“I haven’t been here very long,” I told him.

“I see you and Eric have met.”

“Sabrina introduced us,” Eric said.

Gary narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Did she?”

“Yes, and I was just about to take Patrick to get something to eat.”

I swear I saw a look of concern flash across Gary’s face, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. He smiled and told Eric to be a good host.

“Patrick’s a nice guy and a great neighbor, so don’t turn him against us,” Gary told his brother.

Eric rolled his eyes before taking me by the arm and leading me over to a ping pong-sized table covered with food.

“Please tell me you’re hungry because I’m about to pass out from a lack of food,” Eric said as he handed me a paper plate.

“Is that why you ate your niece’s cupcake?”

He smiled. “She told you about that, huh?”

“Yes. She seemed a little upset about it.”

“Tattletale. She’d had two already. Trust me, she didn’t need a third. I did her a favor by taking it off her hands.”

Once Eric and I had filled our plates and found a shady place to sit and eat, he told me, “I’ve been waiting to meet you, Dr. Holt. Sabrina spoke so highly of you that I was beginning to doubt you were a real person. She practically elevated you to superhero status.”

“Too bad I left my tights and cape at home.”

Eric smiled. “You’re cute and funny. I like that.”

I felt my face flush. Being complimented on my looks by anyone was flattering, but being complimented by someone a decade younger than I was gave me a real ego boost. Even before my fortieth birthday last year, I’d noticed my face and body were changing with age. My light brown hair was receding at the temples, tiny wrinkles were accumulating around my eyes, and keeping in shape was a daily battle. I biked and worked out, but my body ached afterward. My days of having pain-free workouts were over. Looking at Eric seated across from me, I knew he didn’t have to deal with these kinds of struggles…yet. Ah, to have the body and face of a thirty-year-old again.

“Sabrina told me so much about you that I feel like I know you already,” Eric said. “I know where you grew up, where you went to school, where you work, when you moved next door. So tell me something about yourself that she wouldn’t know.”

I scrambled to think of something about myself that I wouldn’t have shared with Sabrina and that I was comfortable sharing with Eric.

“I used to be fat when I was a kid,” I said. I don’t know why I admitted that to Eric, but the words were out of my mouth and I couldn’t draw them back in.

He gave me a quizzical look. “Really?”

I nodded. “Kids at school called me names like Fat Pat, Fatty Patty, or, my personal favorite, Holt the Hulk.”

Eric put his hand over his mouth to try and suppress a laugh.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “Feel free to laugh at my pain.”

And he did. He threw his head back and practically howled.

“I’m sorry,” he said afterward. “That was terrible of me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was, but I forgive you because it’s funny.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t funny when those kids were tormenting you.”

“No, it wasn’t, but that was a long time ago. I can laugh about it now.”

“How did you lose the weight?”

“It was a combination of things. Puberty, sports, diet. By my sophomore year of high school, I’d shed most of the pounds, but Fatty Patty is still lurking inside of me. I could blow up at any time.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it. I’ve told you something about myself, so now it’s your turn, Eric. Sabrina didn’t give me a lot of information about you other than the basics: name, age, and occupation. Tell me something she wouldn’t have.”

“I didn’t get a driver’s license until I was twenty-three years old. I’m sure that’s hard to believe given the family business, but it’s true.”

The Keeners ran a number of automobile dealerships around the Chicago area. Gary and Greg both managed dealerships in the northern suburbs. Their father, before he retired and moved to Arizona, managed a huge dealership in the city for many years with his brother.

“Why did you wait so late?” I asked Eric.

“I was in a car accident when I was a teenager. It freaked me out, so I never finished the training to get my license.”

“Were you driving when the accident happened?”

He nodded. “I drove off the road and flipped my cousin’s car into a ditch. Everything that could have gone wrong did that day. I was going too fast, the roads were icy, it was foggy out. My cousin, the one whose car I flipped, was in the passenger seat. He was supposed to be helping me learn how to drive.”

“Were you or your cousin hurt?”

“I broke my wrist and my cousin had to have some stitches, but nothing serious. I swore off driving after that, and it took a long time for me to get behind the wheel again. I just bummed rides from other people, rode my bike, walked, or took public transit for a while. But I finally had to bite the bullet in California and get a license. I had an erratic schedule with work and school, and I needed my own car. Taking driver’s ed as an adult is incredibly humiliating, but I did it and finally got my license at the tender age of twenty-three.”

“Better late than never. Are you still nervous about driving?”

“No. That traumatic event has been replaced by a series of others in my life now.”

I waited to hear more about Eric’s other traumatic events, but he didn’t offer any additional information. Instead, he changed the subject entirely.

“Sabrina told me you’re an ophthalmologist,” he said.

“I am.”

“You like looking into people’s eyes?”

“I like helping people who have problems with their eyes.”

Eric peered at me. “I’ve never met an eye doctor who didn’t wear glasses.”

“Lots of eye doctors don’t wear glasses.”

“Including you?”

“No. I’m wearing contacts. My glasses are at home.”

Eric laughed. “I knew it. I think it’s great that you’re a doctor. The human body is a beautiful thing.”

Wow. It had been a long time since a man had flirted so hard with me, and I wasn’t sure how to react. Did I flirt or back off? Luckily, I didn’t have to do either because Gary interrupted our conversation.

“How’s everything going?” he asked. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me, Eric, or us both.

“Everything’s fine, Gary,” Eric said.

I could tell from the terseness in Eric’s voice and the dour expression on his face that he was annoyed with Gary for crashing our little party. If Gary noticed Eric’s displeasure, he ignored it because he launched right into a story about chasing a skunk out of one of his garbage cans last night. Then, before long, he was joined by Greg and the older man I’d seen them talking to when I arrived who was introduced as their uncle Jake.

Jake humored the group by telling us the story of how he got rid of a bat that had flown into his house. His method of removal involved a laundry basket, a pillowcase, and a can of hair spray. Although everyone seemed thoroughly amused by Jake’s tale, I could tell Eric was slightly pissed over his family’s interruption.

At one point while Jake was knee deep into his harrowing tale of man versus bat, Eric squeezed my shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry” in my ear.

I gave him a closed mouth smile that I hoped would reassure him everything was fine.

Eric and I never got the chance to continue our talk that afternoon. We were constantly bombarded by other family members and guests, and then a piñata was brought out for the kids. Gary designated Eric as the official piñata hanger, claiming he was young and nimble enough for the job. He reluctantly agreed to do his brother’s “dirty work.” I watched with admiration and a little envy as he quickly climbed the huge elm tree in the yard and secured the colorful papier mâché donkey to one of its low-hanging branches. When the job was done, I was waiting for Eric at the bottom of the tree.

“Nice work,” I told him as he jumped to the ground.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “I have a whole host of hidden talents.”

“I’m sure you do.”

At that point, we were interrupted again, this time by the sound of screaming children as one of them took a blindfolded whack at the piñata. The hit wasn’t hard enough to get the candy out of the burro, but it was severe enough to get the kids riled up. By the time the next youngster was up to bat, the kids were in a frenzy. I took that as my cue to head home.

“Eric, it was nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand to him.

He shook it reluctantly. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. I had a great time, though.”

“I’m glad you did.” He c****d his head. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”

“Well, you know where I live.”

He smiled. “I do.”

At that point, one of the kids cracked the piñata, and the candy started to flow. I made my way through the crowd to say my goodbyes to Sabrina and Gary and thank them for inviting me to their cookout. They tried to get me to stay a little longer, but I begged off, claiming I had work to do at home.

Although I did enjoy my time at Gary and Sabrina’s, going back to my own quiet, empty house was a huge relief. I kicked off my shoes and socks, changed from my khakis and polo shirt into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and relaxed.

Around seven that evening, just after I’d started the dishwasher, I heard someone knocking at my side door. People rarely ever knocked at my side door, so I approached it with some hesitation. A peek through the window blinds revealed Eric standing at my door with a six-pack in his hands.

“Hi,” he said when I opened the door. “There was a lot of beer left over at Gary’s, and I was wondering if you wanted to have a few with me.”

He smiled, and so did I. God, he was good looking. Turning him away would’ve been a sin, so I did what any rational gay man would’ve done. I welcomed him into my home.

“Your house is beautiful,” he said, looking around the kitchen and adjoining enclosed sun porch.

I laughed. “You haven’t even seen the whole house!”

“Then show me.”

“Come on,” I said, taking the six-pack from him and putting it in the refrigerator. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Even though Eric had already seen my kitchen, I told him how I gutted the entire room, replacing the cabinets and flooring and adding granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. New windows and shudders were added to the enclosed sun porch that overlooked the back deck.

I showed Eric the formal dining room and the living room, both painted in eggshell white and filled with modern oak furniture that Clay and I argued over because he wanted to take some of it with him when he moved out. Then we went upstairs to see the three bedrooms and two baths. I used one of the bedrooms as an office, leaving the other non-master as a guest room. When we got to the master, I gave him a quick tour of the room and its en suite bath. Just being with him in the vicinity of my bed made me a little crazy and more than a little horny, so I hustled him back downstairs. Once we were settled on the sun porch with cold beers in hand, Eric thanked me for the tour and told me my house was lovely.

“Thank you. The renovations were a little more expensive than I thought they’d be.” Especially after paying Clay back after he moved out.

“Yeah, but they’re totally worth it. Your house is so much nicer than Gary’s.”

Gary’s house was one of the larger Victorians on the block, with five bedrooms and three baths. It dwarfed my home. Although I hadn’t seen the entire house, I thought Gary and Sabrina’s home was great. The kitchen was large and bright, the dining room walls had their original wainscoting, and the third floor windows were covered in beautiful stained glass.

“Oh, come on. Gary’s house is huge and very nice.”

“Yeah, but it could be nicer if my cheap-assed brother would put some serious money into it. Sabrina keeps bugging him to upgrade the bathrooms, but he won’t because he’s too cheap. I realize renovations cost a lot of money, but it’s not like Gary and Sabrina can’t afford them. You live here alone, and you’ve managed to renovate.”

Before I had the chance to tell Eric that I was only able to renovate so extensively because I’d inherited my house and didn’t have a mortgage to pay, he looked at me and said he owed me an apology.

“For what?”

“For my sister-in-law. I’m sorry she put you on the spot with me. She figures, you’re gay, I’m gay, instant relationship, you know? She pulled the same stunt with two black people she knows.”

“What happened with them?”

Eric smiled sheepishly. “They got married.”

I nearly spit my beer out laughing. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yep. Charles and Shelly. I’m surprised Sabrina didn’t tell you how they’re happily married all because of her matchmaking.”

“Well, no wonder she’s so anxious to make a connection with the two of us. She’s trying to keep her spotless record intact.”

Eric sat back against the sofa and spread his legs. “Maybe she will.”

He certainly wasn’t subtle. I almost expected him to put his hand down his cargo shorts and rub one out right in front of me. Was my attraction to him that evident? Or was he just used to men throwing themselves at him? As turned on as I was by him, I wanted him to work a little harder to get into my pants or get me into his.

“I didn’t even know Gary and Greg had a little brother until recently,” I said.

Eric’s entire demeanor changed at the mention of his brothers. He grunted and sat up. “Why am I not surprised? My brothers…” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.

Sensing I’d introduced a touchy subject, I changed the conversation entirely and asked Eric how he was adjusting to Chicago after living in San Diego for so long. He relaxed a bit then, settling back against the sofa cushions again.

“I’m doing okay,” he said. “Of course, I miss the weather in San Diego. I’m sure when winter comes, I’ll be missing it even more, but I’m glad to be back in Chicago. I always knew I’d come back here. It’s my home.”

We talked a while longer about our jobs and vacation destinations we’d visited or wanted to visit, and the six-pack soon became a duo. Eric also became more than a little buzzed, and Sabrina’s earlier words came back to haunt me.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him without a beer in his hand since he got here.”

Aside from her observation, I’d watched Eric knock down a few beers at Gary’s myself, so his inebriation didn’t exactly surprise me.

At one point during our conversation, he looked at me and said, “You have lovely blue eyes.”

“Thank you.”

“My last boyfriend had blue eyes. I must have a thing for men with blue eyes.” He chuckled. “That’s funny, isn’t it?”

“Hilarious,” I said with a smile, rising from my chair. “I need to hit the john. I’ll be right back, okay?”

He nodded and opened one of the remaining two beers. I certainly hoped he was planning to spend the night at Gary’s house because he was in no condition to drive. Maybe he’d come over with the six-pack in anticipation of spending the night with me.

By the time I peed, washed my hands, and returned to the sun porch, Eric was stretched out across the sofa, sleeping. He slept with his mouth open, too. I looked at him, wondering if he’d eventually close his mouth or if he slept through the night like that. What if something crawled inside of him like a spider? As fascinated as I was with Eric’s sleeping habits, I had bigger things to worry about, like what to do with him.

I wasn’t sure whether to wake him up or just leave him on the sofa to sleep off the alcohol he’d consumed. I considered going next door to Gary’s and telling him to come and get his brother. I wasn’t even sure if Gary knew Eric was at my house. Had Eric told his brother he was coming here? And, if he had, was there an assumption that he’d be here all night? Is that why no one had come looking for him? We’d been together for more than an hour. Didn’t anyone realize Eric was missing? Did anyone give a s**t?

After nearly ten minutes of internal debate, I finally decided I needed to go next door and at least let Gary and/or Sabrina know where Eric was. When I opened my front door to head outside, I was greeted by Gary and Greg coming up the walkway.

“Patrick,” Gary said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but is Eric with you?”

“Yes,” I told him. “He’s here.”

Greg shook his head and snickered before turning to his twin. “I told you he was over here.”

“We don’t mean to interrupt anything,” Gary told me while Greg stood beside him, smirking. “We just wanted to make sure he was okay.”

They thought Eric and I had been f*****g around. I could see it in their faces. Jesus. I meet a guy and we talk and have a few beers so, naturally, we end up enjoying a little sexy time? Right.

“Eric’s asleep on the back porch,” I told the twins. “Come in.”

They hesitated before coming into the house. I led them back to the sun porch where Eric was still fast asleep…with his mouth open.

“Christ, look at him,” Greg said. He turned to me then. “He came over here and passed out on you?”

“Well, we talked for a while before he passed out.”

“Pat, I’m sorry,” Gary said. “Our brother and alcohol don’t really mix. We’ll get him out of here and out of your hair.”

And, with that, Gary and Greg hauled Eric off the sofa and to his feet. He mumbled something and opened his eyes. Seeing his brothers on either side of him made him angry. He tried to push them away, but they had a steady grip on each of his arms.

“Cool it, Eric,” Gary warned him. “I think you’ve embarrassed yourself enough for one evening.”

“He’ll sleep this off at Gary’s,” Greg told me as he and Gary practically dragged their baby brother to the front door. “We’re really sorry about this, man.”

“It’s no problem, really,” I assured him.

We all exited the house, and I stood on the porch, watching Gary and Greg lead Eric down my walkway. Eric assured his brothers he was fine to walk unassisted, and they released him. The second he was out of their control, he turned and bolted back towards my house. He leaped onto the porch and backed me against the front door before pressing his lips hard against my own. Then, almost as quickly as it happened, it was over.

Gary and Greg were on him, pulling him off of me and apologizing profusely for their brother’s behavior. I nodded but said nothing as the twins led Eric away and into Gary’s house next door. Once I was behind my own closed front door, I laughed. Eric had a lot of balls for doing what he’d done, and I admired him for it. Still, I worried about him being in trouble with Gary and Greg. They’d surely give him hell for behaving so impulsively.

Things quieted down considerably at the Keeners’ after the final guests left. I kept thinking (hoping, really) Eric would show up again, but he didn’t. I suspected one or both of his brothers had him on lockdown for the evening, and maybe that was for the best.