He's looking at me that way again, like he sees me as more than a friend. Why does he keep doing that? He knows I don't think of him that way. And he feels the same way about me. Unless that's changed.
Pulling my hands from his, I turn and grab my purse from the hook on the wall. "Lunch first?"
"Yeah. Where do you want to go?"
"You should pick. You're the one who's been gone for months."
"Let's go to Pete's. I've been craving pizza and I could use a beer."
"A beer? At lunch?" I ask, sounding surprised.
I'm just kidding him, although it is surprising he'd have a drink, especially at lunch. He's not much of a drinker. At parties, he was always the designated driver.
"I kinda need a drink," he says, walking to the door that goes to the salon.
"Why do you need a drink?"
"Go ahead." He ignores my question and motions me to go past him through the door.
I'm still curious why he needs a drink, but I let it go and continue into the salon. My eyes go to all the hair on the floor and I get the urge to grab a broom and sweep it up. I feel guilty leaving when we're this busy. I've always been like that. When I see something that needs to be done, I do it, even if it's not my job.
"Aren't they darling together?" Doris says as she takes the perm rods from Mrs. Clauson's hair. Doris is a stylist who's worked here forever, and Mrs. Clauson is one of our regulars. She was also my ninth grade Spanish teacher, and Nate's. We were in the same class.
Mrs. Clauson smiles as Nate and I walk by. "I always knew they'd end up together. They were inseparable in high school."
I glance at Nate, who's smiling, almost like he agrees with Mrs. Clauson that he and I are a couple. What is going on with him?
"Have fun you two!" Renee says as we leave. She's at the front desk, refilling the nail polish display we have by the register.
When we get outside, I head to my truck. "I'll meet you there. I just have to go home and change quick."
"I'll follow you. Then we can just go in one car."
"Okay." I stop at my beat-up truck, which I got when one of my mom's boyfriends went to prison and no longer needed it. It's rusty and reeks of cigarettes but runs surprisingly well. I've had it over a year and it's never broken down, knock on wood.
Nate stands beside me as I unlock my door.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Opening your door," he says with a smile as he yanks open the rusty door. It makes a loud squeaking noise, and he says, "Remind me to fix that."
"The door? It's fine. I'm used to it." I look at him, confused why he's opening the door for me. He's never done that before. Why now?
"I'll see you there," he says as I get in the truck.
"Yeah. Oh, um, my mom's off work today so..."
He nods. "Got it."
There's no need to explain. He understands. It's one of the many things I love about Nate. He's been friends with me long enough to know not to be surprised by anything my mom does. She's a semi-functioning alcoholic who goes from one guy to another, sometimes so fast I don't even have a chance to get their name. Nate and I have walked in on her having sex in the living room more than once, so now, if I know she's home, I always knock before coming in.
We arrive at the trailer just after noon. Mom didn't have a guy here last night, but it's possible she called up Dave, her current boyfriend, and had him stop over for a morning quickie. Dave works nights at the gas station so his mornings are free.
"I don't see his car," I say.
"Is this someone new?"
"No. Same guy as last week." I put my ear to the door. "I don't hear anything. Just the TV. We should be okay."
I open the door and walk in the trailer with Nate just behind me. I drop my purse on the kitchen table and feel Nate grabbing my arm.
"Don't turn around," I hear him quietly say.
"Why?" I look back and see Dave standing in the front of the TV, completely naked, laughing at whatever show he's watching as he eats a bowl of cereal. The TV's so loud he must not have heard us come in.
"Gross!" I whisper to Nate, shielding my eyes from Dave's naked ass.
Nate snickers. "I assume that's Dave?"
"Yeah. What do we do?"
"I'll take care of it." Nate lets me go. "Hey, man," I hear him say. When I glance back, I see him walking toward naked Dave.
Dave turns around and I quickly cover my eyes. Dave's a decent looking guy, probably around thirty, and he keeps in shape, but I really don't want to see his man parts.
"Dude," I hear Dave say in his usual carefree tone. "Are you the kid?"
"Uh, no," Nate says with a laugh. "I'm a friend of Riley's."
"Riley," Dave repeats like he's not sure who that is.
Nate helps him out. "Charlene's daughter."
"Yeah, that's right," he says, but it's mumbled, like he's talking with a mouthful of cereal. "Hey! That you, Riley?" I hear him say.
He noticed me. Damn. I was hoping he wouldn't, but it's a small trailer and the kitchen is attached to the living room so unless I was invisible I can't hide.
"Hey, Dave." I give him a wave, keeping my back to him and praying he doesn't come over here.
"Your mom said you're working today," he says, still crunching on cereal.
"She got off early," Nate says. "Hey, um, would you mind putting some clothes on? Or maybe just go in the bedroom so Riley can get to her room and change?"
Before he can answer, I hear my mom's voice. "Nate, what are you doing here?"
"I'm with Riley," he says.
"Oh for goodness sakes," she says, sounding exasperated as she hurries through the room. She stops in front of me, her hands on her hips. "What is wrong with you, girl? Why are you hiding over here?"
I look at her from the side of my eye. She's wearing a short red robe and black high heels. Her long, bleached-blond hair hangs down to her waist in loose waves and all her makeup is on. She's really pretty, which explains why she gets so many guys. And she's still young—only 37. She had me when she was 15.
"Mom, your boyfriend is naked. I really don't want to see that."
"Aren't you sweet?" She laughs and I get a whiff of the alcohol on her breath. "Riley, honey, you're an adult woman now. You can look at all the naked men you want, even your mama's boyfriend. There's no shame in that."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather not, so if you two could just go in the bedroom...."
"Dave, go cover yourself up!" my mom yells at him. She turns back to me. "What are you doing home so early? You sick?"
"No. Renee gave me the afternoon off so I could hang out with Nate. He's home from college and came to the salon to surprise me."
"Does that mean you're done now?" she asks Nate, walking over to him.
"Graduated last week," he says with a smile.
I'm so proud of him. I really wanted to go to his graduation but couldn't get the time off work. He went to college in California so just driving there and back would've taken a couple days.