Though her head felt as though it were spinning, Gabby nodded almost imperceptibly as she felt things click into place: the fact that Travis usually seemed only half-dressed, his utter lack of discomfort at conversing with his chest bared, an explanation for why he worked out so much.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Stephanie’s laughter.
“I was kidding!” she hooted. “Do you honestly think I’d go skinny-dipping with my brother around? Ewww! That’s gross!”
Gabby felt a red-hot flush work its way up from her neck to her face. “I knew you were kidding.”
Stephanie eyed Gabby over her beer. “You did think I was serious! Oh, that’s a hoot! But I’m sorry. My brother warned me to take it easy on you. For whatever reason, he thinks my humor takes some getting used to.”
Gee, I wonder why. “Really?” Gabby said instead.
“Yeah, but if you ask me, we’re two peas in a pod. Where do you think I learned it?” Stephanie leaned back in her seat as she adjusted her sunglasses. “Travis tells me you’re a physician assistant?”
“Yeah. I work at the children’s clinic.”
“How is it?”
“I enjoy it,” she said, thinking it best not to mention her pervert boss or the occasionally overbearing parent. “How about you?”
“I’m a student,” she said. She took a sip of beer. “I’m thinking of making it my career.”
For the first time, Gabby laughed and felt herself begin to relax. “Do you know who else is coming?”
“Oh, probably the same old crew. Travis has these three friends he’s known forever, and I’m sure they’ll be here along with their wives and kids. Travis doesn’t bring the parasail boat out too much anymore, which is why he keeps it docked at the marina. Usually he uses the ski boat, because wakeboarding or skiing is a lot easier. Just get in the boat, lower the lift, and go. You can wakeboard or ski or skurf almost anywhere. But parasailing is great. Why do you think I’m here? I should be studying, and I actually ditched some lab work I was supposed to do this weekend. Have you ever been parasailing?”
“No.”
“You’ll love it. And Travis knows what he’s doing. That’s how he earned extra spending money while he was in college. Or, at least, that’s what he claims. Actually, I’m fairly certain that everything he earned was used to buy the boat; they’re manufactured by CWS exclusively for parasailing, and they’re very expensive. And even though Joe, Matt, and Laird are his friends, they still insisted on getting paid when they took the tourists out during their student days. I’m pretty sure Travis never earned a nickel of profit.”
“So he’s quite the shrewd businessman, huh?”
Stephanie laughed. “Oh yeah. My brother. A budding Donald Trump, right? Actually, he doesn’t much care about money and never has. I mean, sure, he earns a living and pays his own way, but anything left over goes to new boats or Jet Skis or trips here and there. It seems like he’s been everywhere. Europe, Central and South America, Australia, Africa, Bali, China, Nepal…”
“Really?’
“You sound surprised.”
“I guess I am.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s because…”
“Because he seems like such a goof-off? Like everything’s a party?”
“No!”
“You sure about that?”
“Well…” Gabby trailed off, and Stephanie laughed again.
“He’s a goof-off, and a worldly young man… but underneath, he’s really just a small-town boy like the rest of them. Otherwise he wouldn’t be living here, right?”
“Right,” Gabby said, not sure whether an answer was even needed.
“Anyway, you’ll love it. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“No. I mean, I’m not thrilled with them, but I’m sure I’ll manage.”
“It’s no big deal. Just remember you have a parachute.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
In the distance, a car door slammed, and Stephanie sat up straighter.
“Here come the Clampetts,” Stephanie remarked. “Or, if you prefer, the Brady Bunch. Brace yourself. Our relaxing morning is about to end.”
Gabby turned and spotted a rowdy group rounding the side of the house. Chatter and shouts rang out as the children ran in front of the adults, moving in that wobbly way that made them seem as if they were constantly on the verge of falling.
Stephanie leaned closer. “It’s easy to distinguish them, believe it or not. Megan and Joe are the ones with blond hair. Laird and Allison are the tall ones. And Matt and Liz are… less thin than the others.”
The corners of Gabby’s mouth curled up slightly. “Less thin?”
“I didn’t want to call them plump. But I was just trying to make it easy for you. In theory, I’d hate being introduced to a bunch of people and forgetting their names a minute later.”
“In theory?”
“I don’t forget names. It’s kind of strange, but I never do.”
“What makes you think I’d forget their names?”
Stephanie shrugged. “You’re not me.”
Gabby laughed again, liking her more by the minute. “How about the kids?”
“Tina, Josie, and Ben. Ben’s easy to figure out. Just remember that Josie has the pigtails.”
“What if she’s not in pigtails the next time I see her?”
Stephanie grinned. “Why? Do you think you’ll be coming over regularly? What about your boyfriend?”
Gabby shook her head. “No, you misunderstood what I meant-”
“I was teasing! My, you’re touchy.”
“I’m not sure I can keep them straight.”
“All right. Try these memory association tricks. For Tina, think of Tina Louise from Gilligan’s Island. Ginger? The movie star? She has red hair, too.”
Gabby nodded.
“Okay, for Josie, think of Josie and the Pussycats. And for Ben-who’s kind of big and square for his age, think of Big Ben, the giant clock in England.”
“Okaaay…”
“I’m serious. This’ll really help. Now, for Joe and Megan-the blonds, imagine blond GI Joe fighting a megalodon-you know, one of those giant prehistoric sharks. Really picture it, okay?”
Gabby nodded again.
“For Laird and Allison, imagine a supertall allosaurus stuck in his lair. And finally, for Matt and Liz…” Stephanie paused. “Oh, I know… imagine Elizabeth Taylor lying on a porch mat, eating fried pork rinds. Are you really picturing it?”
It took Gabby a minute-and Stephanie had to repeat the descriptions more than once-but when she was ready, she quizzed Gabby on the names. Amazingly, the names stuck, and Gabby couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Neat, huh?”
“Very,” Gabby admitted.
“It’s one of the areas I study at UNC.”
“Do you do this with everyone you meet?”
“Not specifically. Or rather, not consciously. For me, it comes almost naturally. But now you’ll really impress them.”
“Do I need to impress them?”
“No. But it’s fun to impress people anyway.” Stephanie shrugged. “Think about what I just did for you. But I’ve got one more question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s my name?”
“I know your name.”
“What is it, then?”
“It’s…” Gabby’s mouth opened soundlessly while her mind froze.
“Stephanie. Just Stephanie.”
“What? No memory tricks?”
“No. That one, you’ll have to remember.” She rose from her seat. “Come on, now that you know their names, let me go ahead and introduce you to them. And pretend you don’t already know who they are, so that way you can impress them, too.”
Introductions were made to Megan, Allison, and Liz while they watched the kids chasing one another; Joe, Laird, and Matt, meanwhile, had strolled down to the dock, loaded up with towels and coolers to greet Travis.
Stephanie hugged each of them, and the conversation turned to her progress at school. Amazingly, the memory tricks continued to work. Gabby wondered whether she should try it with some patients before she remembered she could read their names on the charts beforehand.