Page 7 of Where You Are

“Oh good, you’re home and you’ve seen dad,” she acknowledges as she sets two paper bags down on the counter with a thud, followed by a sigh of relief. “You can help me bring these groceries in and get to work on cutting fruit and fixing the pasta salad.”

“Hey!” I protest turning to face her as Mike steps over to her and starts unpacking her purchases. “I’ve been home less than twenty-four hours and you’re already putting me to work?”

“Yes. People will be showing up in less than three hours and there’s a lot to make.”

“Why? You said it was just going to be a few people.”

“Yeah, just Jack, Mayzie, and the rest of the band pretty much, and whoever they feel comfortable bringing,” she confirms absentmindedly as she shoves a few containers in the fridge before turning around to take a brand new bag of jalapeno chips away from Mike and slapping his hand. He throws his hands up in exasperation and rolls his eyes.

The rest of the band… Matt.

Jack’s best friend who plays bass in the band. I always really liked him. Back when he and Jack were playing bars with Chris and Josh, I’d try to catch some of their shows. I was busy working two jobs and saving, so I didn’t make it to many. He’d always come up and talk to me after. He was always so kind and polite, asking me questions, and he’d always be so interested in what I had to say. Every time I felt myself getting sweet on him though, I’d head out. I was hell-bent on doing what my mom didn’t get to… because she fell in love. The same thing could easily have happened to me and I couldn’t let it. Childhood promise or not, I was following through.

But man, did my interactions with Matt make that hard. But… now that I’m home and the adventure is behind me, I can pursue any relationship that makes me happy. Not with Matt, I don’t think. Him being in a band with Jack would make that awkward, but it will be nice to just let go of my own reins and actually get to know him finally. Fun too.

“We can’t really have anyone besides the band,” Sarah continues, pulling out cutting boards and knives and bowls, oblivious to my inner swooning. “We tried it once, and people like to show off, bring unexpected friends along with their smart phones… you can imagine,” she finishes, widening her eyes. It’s just so crazy to imagine my brother and his band are so successful and famous. I was moving around South East Asia at the time their songs started playing on the radio, and they were showing up on TV shows and in magazines. Depending on where I was, I could usually only get glimpses. I just couldn’t get my head around it.

“Is it too early for a beer?” Mike deadpans as Sarah takes a package of graham crackers out of his hands and continues to scurry around him.

“It’s noon somewhere,” I shrug at him. “And anyway Sarah, I’ve only had a half hour with dad and I need to change. I’m in sweaty running clothes.”

“Dad can hang out while we prep, and if we hurry, you’ll have enough time to change when we’re done.”

My dad and I share a sigh and awhat are you going to dolook before I give in and get up to go get the rest of the groceries out of her car.

Chapter Four

Melanie

After haulingin enough groceries to feed an army and not just eight people, and basically living an episode of Hell’s Kitchen with Sarah ordering me around while we made deli salads and prepped hamburger patties and steak cuts, and then schlepping my things to the pool house where I’m going to be residing for the foreseeable future, I’m ready to get out of these clothes that are… starting to turn, I’m not gonna lie.

“Okay, I’m going to the pool house to change,” I announce as I put the fruit salad I just slaved over in the fridge.

“I’ll allow it,” Sarah starts before pulling me in a hug. “After I thank you for all your help.” She’s got that crazy look in her eye as her arms squeeze me like a vice. She’s got my arms pinned against my own chest and holy shit; she has not slacked off at the gym. I can’t break out of her hug-hold.

“I know what you’re doing!” I accuse her. “You don’t want to thank me! You’re doing this on purpose because you know how badly I want to chaaange!” The last word comes out strained when she squeezes me tighter.

“Shut up and take your lovin’s!” she responds, looking like she’s making zero effort to squeeze the life out of me like a boa constrictor. I hear laughter and look up to see Mike and my dad laughing their asses off at the scene before them.

“A little help?” I plead with my eyebrows up and I’m met with more laughter in addition to a hard knock at the front door, followed by the sound of it swinging open and my brother calling out.

“Hell-o!” he bellows, before rounding the corner into the kitchen.

“Look!” I proclaim excitedly. “It’s Jack! Let me go! I have to greet him!” Sarah finally relents and I bolt in the direction of Jack and right past him, to pull his gorgeous wife who has followed in behind him into a welcoming hug.

“Oh Melanie, I’m so happy you’re home and I can finally meet you!” Mayzie squeals.

“Me too!” I squeal back as my eyes wander up to Jack.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” he rolls his eyes as he tosses his signature rock star bangs out of his face. “I’m just your flesh and blood. I don’t need a hug or a hello or anything.”

“Always the whiner,” I chide as I let go of Mayzie and put my arms around my not-so-little bro’s waist. I forgot how much he towers over me. I spend the next fifteen minutes hearing about the tour with The Shock Wave, and what their first tour as the head-liner was like last year. It’s surreal to be the sister of the front man in a now famous rock band, even more so that he’s standing in front of me again.

Once we’ve settled in to being a whole family again and the initial excitement has worn off, I turn once again in the direction of the pool house to change when there is yet another knock on the front door. Whoever it is will have to wait this time until I come back out, freshly de-stenched. I’m just pulling the slider door that leads to the patio open when I hear a low and sensually rough voice behind me say, “Run out in front of any good cars lately?”

What?

Part of me thinks I should just continue on my mission to change clothes, but the other part of me is too damn intrigued by this vaguely familiar mystery voice and how it knows about my near-death experience on my morning run. Curiosity wins out and I turn… and sure enough, there stands a dude in a short sleeve button-down and a Tigers cap, juuust like the guy that almost hit me. He takes his sunglasses off his face to reveal eyes that look like the ocean, the way it looks with the morning sun shimmering on it off the coast of Vietnam to be exact. Matt is the dude that almost tagged me with his Jeep.

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