“I don’t know what to think about Rob right now,” Betty groused.
“Do you love him?”
“Desperately!”
“Do you love his family?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what does this really change? They’re not trying to push their lifestyle on you, they just want you to know you’re welcome to join, but only if you want to! Isn’t there anything about your family that other people might think is kind of weird?”
“There’s a reason why I stayed out here after college,” Betty admitted.
Janice had heard enough stories about Betty’s caustic, difficult mother. She had no need to ask for more.
At long last, Betty smiled. “And you think Nude Day sounds like fun?”
“I do.”
Betty sighed. “It does sound like it could be a lot of fun, doesn’t it?”
“Who asked you, bro?” But he did step aside and let Nick in. “You want one? I won’t tell Mom and Dad.”
“I’m twenty-three, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll always be my kid brother, though,” Rob said, flopping down on the ancient couch their parents had given him. “So what do you want?”
“I want to know about Janice!” Nick sat down on the floor facing Rob, spurning the beer offer.
“What do you want to know? Nice gal, but it looked to me like you’ve already figured that out.”
“Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Aw, Nick, no! That’d just be too weird, she’s Betty’s best friend.”
“What’s wrong with me dating your wife’s best friend?”
“Right now I don’t think she’s ever gonna be my wife after all,” Rob said. “Storming off on us like that when I was only trying to spare her feelings!”
“None of my business, but – ”
“That’s right, it’s not,” Rob said. “Yeah, I know I should’ve told her about Nude Day before now, but look, I know Betty’s not that kind of gal. I’m pretty sure she’s a virgin, for God’s sake.”
Nick almost spilled the beans about what Janice had told him, but he was too annoyed with his brother’s attitude. Instead he asked, “Isn’t intimacy the kind of thing engaged couples talk about?”
“She’s an old fashioned gal, and I don’t want her thinking it’s all about sex for me. ‘Cause it isn’t, bro, all right?”
“Of course.”
“But now I’m thinking maybe she’s a little too old fashioned.”
“Then why don’t you talk to her about it?”
“Didn’t I tell you it was none of your business?”
“Actually I was the one who said that.” Nick couldn’t help laughing a bit. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about Betty. It’s Janice I want to know about.”
“And you’re too damn shy to ask her yourself, aren’t you?”
“Again with that?” Nick scrambled to his feet and clenched his fists in frustration. “It’s not a contagious disease, is it? And aren’t you the one who wouldn’t tell your bride-to-be about Nude Day?”