Music met Mimi, loud and bumping, as soon as she headed up the walk to his mother's house. After double checking the address and making sure she was in the right place, Mimi knocked on the front door.
A tall guy with a gap between his two top teeth swung the door open. His mood sobered abruptly. "Who are you?"
"A friend of Sarah's brother."
"Oh shit." He leaned back into the house and yelled, "Sarah, some lady is here! She says she knows Adam."
The word lady made her bristle. She was only twenty-five, for goodness' sake. That wasn't geriatric.
A pretty girl peered around him, tipsy, gripping the boy's arm. There were other kids deeper in the house. The girl looked her up and down. "A friend of my brother's? She doesn't look the type. She looks like a second-grade teacher."
Pushing her way through the two kids, Mimi stepped into the house. "A party I see."
Flipping her hair back from her face, Sara said, "So what? It was a good day to celebrate."
Mimi could recognize someone putting up a good front. Ignoring the girl, she called out into the house, "Last call."
"No, wait." Sarah shadowed her. "This is my house, and this is my party."
Mimi arched a brow. "Did your brother agreed to this?"
"Well, not exactly."
Mimi pulled out her phone. "Shall I call him?"
Wrapping her hands around Mimi's, Sarah said, "No, don't do that. We were just having a little fun."
As Mimi headed down the hall, she rapped on each door. "The party is over. If anyone is in there, put your pants on."
"No one is in the bedrooms."
Mimi might have grown up in a conservative house, but she wasn't stupid. Pulling on his shirt, a sheepish-looking boy slipped out of the first bedroom with a shy blond hiding behind him. "We weren't doing anything."
The little blond lied, "We were studying."
Mimi answered, "Studying like that can give you swollen feet for nine months."
Flustered, Sarah walked with her, just behind Mimi. Adam's sister reached out to touch her friend's arm. "You don't have to leave. This is my house. I don't know her."
"My name is Mimi."
"What right do you have to come in here and start telling people what to do?"
Mimi squared up on Sarah and used her best big-sister voice to fib a little. "I'm Adam's fiance."
"You are not."
With a shrug, Mimi knocked on the next door. She cleared the house like she was getting possums out of the chicken coop.
Once the house was emptying, Mimi said, "Call him if you have any complaints." With her arms folded across her chest, she tried to look stern. "I don't have to tell him how many people you had over or how much alcohol is on your breath."
Sarah cupped her hand over her mouth. "It was just a few beers. I was celebrating."
"Yup, you were, but that part of the evening is over." Headed into the kitchen to the refrigerator, Mimi added, "You can have one friend stay. No later than midnight, though."
Kids were fleeing her path, leaving through the front door. Cars peeled off. "I'd be happy to call a ride share for anyone who needs one." Slumped at the kitchen bar, a boy raised his hand. "Sarah, do you know his address?"
Sarah shook her head no, apologizing with every step to her leaving friends. As Mimi pulled up a ride share app on her phone, she said, "Hopefully, he will remember his address by the time the car gets here."
Sucking in a breath through her teeth, Sarah hissed, "Do you know what you are doing to my reputation? This is mortifying."
"Well, at least you won't be grounded for the rest of the year. I don't see Adam being happy to come home to this mess."
"My Mom never grounded me."
"Your Mom isn't in charge right now, your brother is."
The gap tooth boy looped an arm around Sarah. "It's going to be okay. This happens when old people come home early." Old! Mimi almost changed her mind about ordering pizza. She pulled a magnet off the fridge and asked Sarah. "Is this place good?"
"Yeah, I like it."
"What kind of pizza do you two like?"
Sarah deferred to her lanky boyfriend, who said, "I like pepperoni."