The yellow SUV swung into view, Fall Out Boy 157

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blasting on the stereo. Through the windshield, Maddy could see Brian’s tousled dark head and familiar Oakleys. He pulled up next to the Sinclaires’ red pickup and killed the motor. Her first instinct was to leap up and call to him, but something kept her sitting quietly, hidden in the shadowy corner of the porch. For a long moment, he just sat in the driver’s seat, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, not moving. Then, just when Maddy was wondering why he wasn’t getting out of the car, his door swung open. She could see that he was wearing his favorite crisp white cotton button-down, artfully opened to reveal a Calvin Klein tank undershirt. His jeans were dark-washed and perfectly frayed. He stood by the car door, bouncing his keys in his hand. He looked like he was listening to the quiet also. She silenced the porch swing and sat still. Brian did a double take as he took in Bob’s falling-apart truck. Maddy bit back a smile. The truck was a little startling; its bumper looked like it might come off at any moment. He stared at the house for a long moment, his face incredulous. Then he crunched toward the porch.

“Hey!” Maddy finally stood up. Brian jumped.

“Whoa, hey! Hi, babe. You startled me.”

“Sorry.” She ran down the steps to hug him. Despite all the weirdness on the phone, she was ridiculously glad to see him. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

“Yeah, me too,” he said, enfolding her in his arms. 158

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Maddy wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his chest, waiting for that spark she always felt whenever he was around. But Brian was a little sweaty and sticky from being in the car. He slapped his neck. They both looked at his hand as he drew it away. Smashed in the palm was a monster mosquito in a splatter of blood. Not the most romantic beginning to a date, but it didn’t matter. Brian gave her another squeeze and then looked at her appraisingly. Something in his gaze made Maddy wonder if she should have blowdried her hair and put on something other than jeans and a white tank top. He dropped his arms. “Got anything cold to drink?” he asked. “It’s boiling out.”

“Oh, yeah! I’m sorry, let’s go around back. Then I can give you the tour.”

“Great.” He started following her, still staring at the house. “How do you all fit in this place?”

“Oh, it’s not bad! It’s actually bigger than it looks outside. I have my own room.” She realized how that sounded. “Not that I wouldn’t have my own room, I mean. I was just saying. . . .” She trailed off. She realized she didn’t have the slightest idea what she was saying. Brian was staring at her, his mouth slightly open.

“Anyway, the house is really cute inside,” she continued nervously, unable to stem the flow of words. “And I have a porch.” She pointed up to her balcony. “It’s really great,” she finished lamely. He was still staring. 159

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“Good to know,” he said finally. “Do you have an outhouse, too?”

“No, we actually have indoor plumbing, if you can believe that, and electricity, too. It’s a really high-tech place,” Maddy replied lightly.

“Wow. Now I am impressed.”

Maddy smiled at Brian and took his arm but she felt more uncomfortable than she was letting on. It wasn’t that he was teasing her about the vineyard—she had made fun of it plenty herself. It was something in the way he was acting. He seemed kind of ill at ease for some reason—not at all his usual imperturbable smooth self. The sight of the backyard restored her equilibrium a little. The porch, with its overgrown trellises on either end, ivy hanging off the roof, and comfy rattan furniture, looked so cool and inviting. The grapevines lined the yard on three sides, dropping little grape clusters over the lawn like gifts. She turned to Brian expectantly. He was digging his phone out of his pocket. “This is the back,” she declared.

He looked up. “Chad texted me. What did you say?”

Maddy struggled to control her annoyance. He’d only been here five minutes and he was already checking his messages? Plus, he wasn’t even paying attention to the place. “I said, this is the backyard. See? Those are the grapevines there.” She pointed.

“Oh, yeah. Cool,” Brian managed.

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Maddy gave up. “There’s some mint iced tea in the kitchen,” she said, opening the screen door. She sort of wished he would just stay on the porch, but he followed her in. He glanced around casually, taking in the simple kitchen with its bright yellow walls and wood floor, before leaning an elbow on the counter. Maddy bustled around getting out jelly glasses and the big frosty glass pitcher of tea. She loaded it all onto a tray and backed slowly out the screen door.

Brian flung himself onto one of the old rattan chairs and hooked a footstool over with a leg. Maddy handed him a glass and sat down on the top porch step, facing sideways, her back against the railing. Normally, she would have sat in his lap, but it was just too hot. Brian drained his tea glass in three swallows and set it down with a deep sigh. Maddy put hers down too. She was remembering the junior prom just a few months ago. When he had seen her, posed at the top of the swirling marble staircase in the foyer of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, clad in a shimmering red Versace gown, his mouth had dropped open. He couldn’t stop staring at her. They all drank smuggled-in vodka tonics and danced until Morgan twisted her ankle in the middle of the dance floor and they had to carry her into the limo. All night, Maddy had felt Brian’s gaze on her, and he constantly touched her hair or her neck. She’d felt like a princess. Now Maddy glanced at her boyfriend, who was 161

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fishing something out of his glass with his little finger. She didn’t know why the prom memory had sprung up. Maybe it was because she felt so different from that girl in the red gown. It was like Brian had been plucked from her old city life and plopped down here on the porch, in her new Napa life. He still looked the same, but, looking down at her rolled-up jeans and earth-stained bare feet, she realized that she didn’t.

Brian shifted a little in his chair. “So,” he said. Maddy looked up eagerly at the sound of his voice. “As I was driving around looking for this place, totally lost, hoping I wouldn’t run into the Toothless Hillbilly and do-do dee-do-dee-do-dee”—he mimicked the banjo tune from Deliverance—“I swear I drove past this store with the sign ‘Live Bait and Video Rental.’ Is that some kind of joke up here or something?”

“No, it’s for real,” Maddy explained. “Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Yeah, I was cracking up.”

Maddy gave a little laugh but it sounded forced, even to her own ears.

Brian leaned back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. “Where are your parents?” He grinned devilishly. She grinned back. “They’re out. They had to go to town to get some parts for the tractor. Fred’s repairing some staking down in the right field, and David is . . . 162

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actually, I don’t know what he’s doing.”

A zing of tension floated through the air. Brian sat up in his chair slightly. “Oh, yeah, David. I forgot about that guy.” His voice was casual. “Where’s he from?

Here?”

“Um, yeah. Well, for part of the year. The rest of the time he goes to Westside Public. I think he lives with his aunt and uncle in the city during the school year.” Maddy focused on gathering their glasses on the tray. Her heart was beating fast, but she didn’t know why. Nothing about David was a secret—he was just David. Brian was the important guy in her life, and he was right here in front of her. She took heart at this thought and looked up at her boyfriend with a genuine smile.

“Oh, yeah, Westside?” Brain snorted. “What’s his dad do? Is he a garbage man or something?”