Page 20 of Somewhere You Belong

“You’re not late, Parker. Come here.” My mother moves to my brother as Penn and I make our way into the kitchen.

“Is Brian on duty tonight at the bar?” Penn asks as he sits on a stool at the counter.

I nod as I reach for two beers in the fridge, passing one across the granite counter toward him. “Yeah. Who else would be?”

“I was just asking. No need to get testy.”

“I’m not. I just hate when you ask questions you already know the answer to,” I fire back, not sure where the animosity is coming from.But the truth is, I’ve been on edge all week, ever since that blonde came into my restaurant.

Not even jerking off twice a day has made me feel less irritated.

It’s because you’re picturing those red lips when you do.

“Damn. You sound like you need to get laid,” Penn mutters as he takes a sip from his beer bottle.

“I could say the same about you, Penn.” The glare he gives me could cut glass, but luckily our mom breaks up what’s brewing between us.

“What are you two fighting about already?” mom asks as she steps back in the kitchen, forcing us to part and move around to the other side of the island so we’re out of her way.

Penn and I argue like most brothers do, but of my three siblings, he’s the one I’m closest to. I guess that’s to be expected when you’re only fourteen months apart.

“Not fighting,” Penn replies, still scowling at me from the across the island.

“Well, I don’t want to listen to it tonight. I have all four of my children together, and I want us all to get along.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Hazel interjects, grabbing a Coke from the fridge and popping the top.

“Yes, the princess can never do anything wrong,” Parker chides as he reaches for his own beer from the fridge, sitting on the stool next to Penn.

Hazel is both the only girl and the baby of the family, so we’re used to her getting away with bloody murder and never getting blamed for anything. I’m pretty sure she had the best relationship with both of our parents, too. Lord knows Dad and I had our issues.

My mother laughs. “All of you took turns being the troublemaker. You boys were just out of the house when it was your sister’s turn.”She shakes her head in amusement. “I never knew raising a teenage girl would be harder than raising three teenage boys.”

Penn and I snicker as Hazel drops her jaw. “You act like I was a hellion or something!”

“You sure weren’t innocent, Hazel,” Mom says while eyeing my sister over the stove, tucking her shoulder-length black hair behind her ear. “And if you want your little indiscretions to be kept between us, I suggest you drop it,” she warns.

“Oh, no. I think we need to know what little Miss Hazel was up to while we were all too busy to pay attention.” I smirk before taking another drink. Hazel shoots me a daggered glance.

“Now, now. That’s enough. Boys, set the table, please. And Hazel, get over here and help me finish dinner.”

The three of us settle into the same routine we used to have when we were kids—I’m responsible for place settings and plates, Penn grabs glasses of water for everyone, and Parker grabs the condiments from the fridge.

When my mother and Hazel bring over the casserole dish and bowl of salad, we all settle in and start eating.

It feels right being here all together, even though a huge part of our family is missing. But I don’t want to be the one to point it out. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone needs to. We all feel it.

It’s just easier to let it remain the elephant in the room than bring it up and risk us slipping into dark moods.

Nevertheless, my eyes drift over to the empty chair at the head of the table, faintly hearing all of the criticism that would be directed my way if he were here. I hate that my mind goes there, but it does. Sometimes the bad moments are more prevalent in our minds than a dozen good ones.

Forcing out those stifled thoughts, we eat our dinner while catching up on each other’s lives. And when we finish eating, I grab another beer and step out onto the back deck of the house to catch the sunset. I hear Penn follow closely behind me.

“I need to come over here and trim those branches,” Penn declares as he and I stand along the railing of the deck, staring at the overgrown trees in the yard while Parker and Hazel help my mom clean up inside.

“Yeah. I should probably cut the grass out front too.”

“I know Mom’s capable of handling stuff on her own, but I don’t want her to feel like shehasto, especially with Dad gone. I want her to know we’re here for her, you know?

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