Page 18 of No One But You

“There’s no such thing as over-focused,” Bryson replied, tending to the grill. “If you’re going to do something, you need to make damn sure winning’s a priority.” He pointed his spatula in my direction. “Right man?”

“No other purpose to play.”

“How about for fun?” Kora asked as she placed James on the ground, and he ran off to attempt to kick the soccer ball.

“Winning is fun,” I replied.

“That’s right!” Bryson agreed. I joined him at the grill and grabbed two beers from the cooler. I twisted off the caps and we clinked the bottles together.

“So, Kai, what brought you to Orlinda Valley?” Darlene asked when we were at the picnic table eating.

I shrugged. This was where I struggled around people. How much of my background was too much. Talking about construction—that was a safe topic. Personal stuff, not so much.

I decided to talk about my job. Ticks off the construction box and isn’t too personal. “I was offered a job I found online for a construction company based outside of Nashville, Warren Construction. I moved my RV to a campground and lived at one for a while—it’s cheaper than a hotel or renting—and I spent my free time driving around looking for a place that called out to me. I grew up near a city and always felt cramped, so I knew I wanted land. I drove through Orlinda Valley and loved the openness and the river. There’s just something about it here.” I took a big bite of the burger and caught Kora’s gaze. Her brown eyes held surprise and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint. She sucked in her bottom lip and turned away.

“So, where’s your family from?” Darlene asked.

I put a chip in my mouth and chewed before answering. “I grew up in Georgia, near Atlanta. My mom died years ago, my father and I don’t talk, and my siblings are finally out living their lives.”

I didn’t miss the concerned look that passed between Kora and Darlene. I needed to squelch that. I hate being the receiver of pity. “Really. It’s not a big deal. One thing that attracted me to Orlinda Valley was that everyone genuinely seems to care about each other.”

“Hey, we’re here.” I turned and saw Tonya and Kaye, and a hoard of others. Thank you, God. The conversation will finally get off me.

I was introduced to Jamison, Bryson’s older brother and his three-year-old daughter. I forget her name already, and Charles, Kaye’s husband.

The chatter became loud, the laughter was prolific, and the fun began. After dinner was finished and desserts were shared, we all sat around the yard watching Jamison’s daughter, Darcie—that’s her name—chase James around the yard.

I sat back and observed life from a different perspective. This was what was missing in my family. Camaraderie. Friendship. Everyone here, blood related or not, was so close. This was what family should be. By the end of the night, my ribs hurt from laughing, my arm ached from tossing cornhole bags, and my stomach was full.

“Kai, we haven’t seen you often at the salon, but everything’s looking great.” Kaye said as she drank sweet tea.

“Well, I’ll be there tomorrow. I have Blake, the plumber, coming in to check on my plumbing skills. He should be there early, hopefully no later than seven thirty, and shouldn’t be more than an hour. The water will be off when he’s there, but as long as everything’s good, I’ll have it turned on before you open at nine.”

“Blake’s a great guy,” replied Tonya.

“That’s not what I recall you saying about him last year after he stood you up.” Charles laughed and turned toward me. “Blake’s one of my oldest friends and has had a crush on Tonya since middle school. She finally said yes to a date, then he ended up a no show.”

Kaye broke in. “She was so angry. She ranted for days about never talking to him again.”

Tonya shook her head.

“Mom,” Bryson cut in. “You were rude to him for the longest time. Then you never apologized after you found out he didn’t stand you up.” He turned to Jamison. “Do you remember? We were at the house for Sunday breakfast when she got his call and found out he had been in the hospital with gallstones. He was scared to talk to her.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jamison laughed heartily. “Mom was so angry when she found out who it was, she threw the phone at you and made you talk to him.”

Kaye laughed as she shook her head. “He apologized profusely, and T just totally ignored him. She refused to listen to a word he said.”

“Not true,” Tonya demanded. “I just expected him to call as soon as he could, but he never did.”

“Yeah, because you had it all over town that he was a jerk and you wanted nothing to do with him,” Kaye responded.

Tonya waved her hand through the air. “All that doesn’t matter. He and I cleared the air and are back on speaking terms.” She pointed her well-manicured finger at the boys who were bent over laughing heartily. “You two need to stop before you hear details of my night last Saturday with Joe.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

“Old Joe?” Kaye gasped.

Tonya winked at Kaye as Bryson and Jamison plugged their ears and yelled NO simultaneously.

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