I had no appetite, sickened as I was by myself. But the wine was going down nice and easy. I was starting to feel relaxed, and liked listening to the muted voices. Angie's little squeak, Craig's off key cracking voice, and Ashley's sultry murmur. I poured myself more wine. Watched as nearly in slow motion Angie spilled a full glass of wine all over Ashley, and she put her hands up and leaned forward, and Craig's eyes widened and then narrowed at his sister.

"Angie!"

She stared at Ashley and her clothes spattered with crimson like some murder victim, and I slowly looked from one to the other, watched Craig clumsily pat at her with the linen napkins, watched Angie's eyes swim with tears.

"It's okay," Ashley said, and smiled at Angela. But it wasn't okay with Craig and he continued to glare at her, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout, and she finally stood up and ran for the stairs.

"Craig," Ashely said, looking at him with mild disappointment.

"What? She's so clumsy…"

"She didn't mean it,"

Craig hung his head. Usually Ang could do no wrong, as far as he was concerned. But not when it came to Ashley, apparently. I swirled the wine in my glass, noticed how the light caught it, and watched the wine run off the table cloth in delicate red lines.

"Why don't you get her something else to wear?" I suggested, and downed the last sip of wine.

"Yeah," Craig said, and jumped up, headed upstairs. Ashley favored me with a crooked smile and followed Craig up the stairs. Alone, with my dripping tablecloth and empty glass of wine.

I assumed she would come down in one of Craig's rock tee shirts and a pair of his jeans, but she came down in one of my white button up shirts and nothing else, her tan smooth legs contrasting maddeningly with the crisp whiteness of the shirt.

"Uh, Craig, don't you have a pair of jeans she could wear? I mean, um, she must be cold," I prayed my face wasn't as red and flushed as it felt.

"Yeah, I know, but no. I sort of forgot to do the laundry the other day,"

I hung my head. I'd been having him do chores because I needed help around this place, but with schoolwork and his band he didn't always get around to it. He threw in a load to clean her clothes, and I heard the whooshing hum of the washing machine start up just as the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said, and my words were slurred. I must have drank more than I thought, or it hit me harder than I'd admit. And I prayed that it would be Caitlin calling to rescue me from this mind torture and the absolute smoothness of Ashley's thighs.

"Hi. Is Craig there?" I couldn't quite place the voice, his friends tended to sound the same on the phone.

"Yeah. Craig!" Craig came from the laundry room and I tossed him the phone. Ashley leaned against the wall, one leg up, foot flat against the wall.

"Hey, Sean," Craig said, and then his expression darkened. Ashley glanced at him, eyes wide and questioning.

"What?" Both Ashley and I watched Craig, watched his eyebrows angle sharply down, the set of his jaw.

"Do you really think…I know but…but Sean…"

He had grabbed his coat before he hung up the phone, shrugged into his cracked black leather jacket.

"Okay, Sean, yeah. I'll be right over,"

I watched him toss the phone onto the couch and go over to Ashley and kiss her, closed mouth, on the lips. She closed her eyes when he kissed her.

"Sean's in trouble. I gotta go. I'll be back in a little bit,"

"Where are you going?" I said, but it was too late. He was already out the door. So it was just me and Ashley, and her legs went on forever below my starched shirt, and I smiled at her and tried not to look.