I felt bad for staring at her without her realizing it, so I cleared my throat and let her know I was there.
“Nice night, huh?”
It was lame, but it was the only thing I could think of to say. Hadley jumped, startled by my voice, but when she saw it was me, she smiled.
“Yeah, it is. A little chillier than I expected, but it's a nice change from San Diego,” she said. “I've missed it.”
I remembered a time when Hadley used to sunbathe out on the back porch in her teeny little bikini. Jared had always made a big deal out of checking her out, while Gabe was usually over there with her. Chris was usually here with me, sneaking quick glances and envying Gabe for being with her. All of us had a crush on her – how could we not? None of my brothers knew that I would also sneak glimpses of our gorgeous next-door-neighbor from time-to-time. I always played it off and never showed any outward interest. What was the use? She was Gabe’s and was way out of my league anyway.
“What brings you outside in your PJ's?” I asked, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward.
She smiled, and that was enough to make me forget about how stiff and odd I was feeling. “I couldn't sleep. What about you, Evan?”
“My brothers and I were having a drink, but they just left,” I said. “I'm staying in the guest house for a bit, helping my dad around the house.”
She nodded, but her smile wavered a bit. She walked over to the fence and leaned against it, standing on her tip-toes to look over the top of it and into our backyard.
“Not much has changed, huh?” she asked.
“Not really,” I laughed.
It was only then, belatedly, that I realized she was talking about my parent's house, not about my brothers and I. I felt the heat flare in my cheeks and cleared my throat, hoping she hadn't taken it in the wrong way.
“Dad hasn't been doing so well, health-wise,” I said. “He no longer remodels whenever inspiration strikes, so it's pretty much stayed the same over the last few years.”
“There's some comfort in the familiar,” she said. “Sometimes, I really miss the way things used to be.”
Her blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Yeah. Me too,?
? I said.
We used to have a lot of fun together as a group. I was never with Hadley like Gabe or Chris were, we'd always been just friends. “Hey, would you like to come over?” I asked.
“Now?” she giggled.
“Sure, why not?” I said. “Looks like you can't sleep, and neither can I. Why not have a drink and catch up.”
“I'd like that,” Hadley said softly.
Back in the good old days, Hadley would have just jumped the fence. She'd done it many times before, when she'd sneak over without her parents knowing. Tonight though, she walked back into the house and around. When I let her into our backyard, she was wearing a sweatshirt with sleeves that were too long and had let her hair down again, and it fell just above her shoulders, leaving it slightly messy.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked her.
“Hmmm, maybe just a beer. For old time's sake,” she said with a wink.
“Coming right up,” I said.
I grabbed us both a beer. Like she said, for old time's sake. Unlike years past, this time, we were both of legal drinking age. I popped the cap on the bottle before handing it to her, and she looked at it with a grin.
“So your dad has discovered IPA's, huh?”
“Nah, he doesn't drink beer. He's a Scotch or Whiskey man.” I said, taking a drink from the bottle. “I picked these out.”
“Good choice, Evan. I always knew you were a hipster in disguise,” she teased, tipping back the bottle and taking a swig. “You've always had the best taste out of all your brothers.”
“Heh, I have a feeling they'd disagree with you.”
“And they'd be wrong,” she said.