Page 57 of Wild Abandon

Naomi answers for all of us, “Crystal and I grew up together. Jeremy and I met at Cal State.”

Nate looks from Jeremy and Naomi to Scarlet. It’s obvious it just dawned on him how young they are to have an eight-year-old.

“We were twenty-two when we got married.” She gives Nate a wink.

I remember when she called me and told me she was pregnant. It was not all rainbows and butterflies. Naomi was devastated. Jeremy, on the other hand, was relatively cool about the whole thing. His only concern was that he needed to finish his schooling, so he could support them as a family. In turn, Naomi had to drop out her junior year.

After Scarlet was born, Naomi became a full-time mom while Jeremy went out to get his master’s in engineering. Once his degree was secure, he moved the three of them here to St. Helena.

Naomi was never able to go back to school for graphic design. Sure, she’s been able to get work, and she’s been pursuing her dreams, but wine labels weren’t the end goal. Naomi wanted to live in a big city and work in advertising.

Looking around at the home they have, the life they’ve built, I know she wouldn’t change it for the world. Does she wonder about a different life? Sure. But to change a thing? Never.

Nate seems impressed that Naomi and I have stayed best friends despite the long distance. I never knew not being her friend was ever an option.

“They’re like Laverne and Shirley,” Jeremy says.

Naomi and I immediately disagree with his comparison.

“Laverne and Shirley?” I groan.

“Babe, I’d say you’re dating yourself because you’re decades off with that reference,” Naomi says.

Jeremy rolls his eyes and then appeases us, “Kim and Khloe?”

“Ugh, no!” Naomi balks. “Brenda and Kelly.”

“Yes! Or Romy and Michele!”

We laugh and cheers glasses, and then we recite in unison, “You’re the Rhoda!”

The guys just look at us, trying to decide who these random people we’ve mentioned are.

“See what I mean?” Jeremy eyes Nate, and the two clink beer necks. “One time, we went to a Maroon 5 concert at Jones Beach. It’s an outdoor concert arena off a beach in New York. Super awesome for summer concerts. Not so awesome in the rain.

“These two decide the floor tickets we have aren’t good enough. They want to taste Adam Levine’s sweat. So, what do they do?” Jeremy hypothetically asks Nate.

“Pretend we’re a part of the road crew!” Naomi says.

We high-five.

Jeremy continues, “These two lunatics not only attempt to get backstage, but they actually succeeded!”

“You’re just a sour puss because they wouldn’t let you in,” I tease.

Jeremy rolls his head to Nate. “Yeah, they think they made it back there because they were savvy. They got in for two reasons—each.”

Nate lets out one of those smile-laughs he tries to hide so well and nods his head in agreement. “Understandable.”

“Oh, you think that’s the end of the story? No.” Jeremy points his bottle toward me in accusation. “Crystal, here, decides that she wants to find Adam Levine’s dressing room. But there’s a security guard in the hallway, so she hides. In a trunk. And guess what happened to said trunk?”

Nate shakes his head, not knowing what could have possibly happened to the trunk I hid in, and then his eyes widen with realization. I put my hands over my mouth to stifle my laugh.

“Someone locks the trunk and starts to load it onto the tour trailer!” Jeremy exclaims.

“You’re kidding me! How did you get out?” Nate is staring at me with a look of disbelief and elation.

I get a shiver up my back, remembering how nervous I was that night. “I started kicking and screaming from inside the trunk.”