Page 19 of Somewhere You Belong

And as I do, I realize that killer geese are yet another reason why I need to handle this situation as fast as possible and get as far away from Carrington Cove as quickly as I can.

Chapter five

Dallas

Cruising to my parents’ house on a Sunday afternoon in my ’68 Mustang convertible always puts me at ease. Being able to drive this car between deployments was something I looked forward to when I got the chance to come home, and now that the weather is warmer, it means I get to drive it a little more until the winter months hit.

Classic rock blares through the stereo as I pull into the driveway of the home I grew up in and shift my car in park, turning the key in the ignition and cutting the engine.

“Do you have to blare your music loud enough for the whole town to hear?” My little sister, Hazel, stands on the front porch with her hands on her hips, glaring in my direction.

“It wouldn’t do anyone harm to appreciate music in its finest form.”

She rolls her eyes and then steps toward me as I stand from the car and shut the driver’s side door, intercepting her hug as we meet each other in the middle.

“I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you,” she mumbles in my ear as I lean down, squeezing tightly before we let each other go.

“It’s because it has been a while, Hazelnut. How are you? How’s business?”

“Social media has been both a blessing and a curse.” We walk up the pathway to the front door, sliding inside the house together.

“Staying busy, I take it?”

“So busy I need to hire a new photographer and a social media manager. I can’t keep up with the demand on my own.”

My little sister by nine years owns her own photography business and studio right on the boardwalk in town. She’s been wildly successful since she started over a year ago, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. Tourists have been a huge source of income wanting family photo shoots during their stay in Carrington Cove, and the locals support her as well.

“That’s good. Just find someone you can trust.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Is that my favorite son?” My mother comes around the corner from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

“I don’t know. What day of the week is it and what have Penn and Parker done to piss you off?”

“I haven’t done shit,” Penn says as he walks into the room from the hallway.

“And Parker isn’t here to defend himself yet, so the jury’s still out on that,” Hazel adds.

My mother rolls her eyes much like my sister does all the time—wonder where she gets that from—and then pulls me in for a hug. “Shut up and hug your mother.”

I wrap my arms around my mom, holding her close for as long as she can stand. I worry about her constantly, especially now that Dadisn’t around. During Dad’s final year, I made it my responsibility to make sure thatshewas cared for and aspects of her life were running smoothly. Mowing the grass, fixing anything that broke, running errands while she took Dad to the doctor’s office—I did what I could so she didn’t feel alone.

But I still don’t feel like I did enough. She lost her husband.

There’s nothing I could have done to prevent that.

“How are you?” I whisper in her ear as I feel her squeeze me harder.

“I’m okay.” When we part, I can see the sadness in her eyes that she’s trying to hide behind her smile.

“Sorry I’m late,” Parker announces as he walks through the door with his medical bag in hand, pushing up his glasses along the bridge of his nose. “Mrs. Hansen’s dog had puppies, so I had to make an emergency house call.”

My brother Parker is the town veterinarian, a classic hometown celebrity since almost everyone has a pet of some variety in our town. He’s the sibling that always managed to stay out of trouble and could do no wrong. But it’s not like he hasn’t dealt with shit in his life, too.

We all have.

“Saving Carrington Cove one animal at a time?” Hazel teases as Parker lets out an exasperated sigh.

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