Page 77 of No Place Like Home

The smile I was sporting faded once I opened the door and I saw who was on the other side of it.

Shit.

I should have known things wouldn’t have stayed as they were.

“‘Suuuup.” I nodded at Jake and his brother Clark.

Maybe this was my fault for getting Clark involved in the first place. I’d just thought it would be funny to show up at Jess’s place with the cops. It was the only way I could think of to get her attention.

Now I had Jake here, and after what went down, I shouldn't have been surprised.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

The days were goingby fast. Friday was tomorrow, and I hadn’t come to a decision yet. I had been so preoccupied with that thought and my hickey incident at Juliet’s that when Mrs. Carson called, I agreed to dinner at her house.

That was a horrible idea.

I knew nothing good ever happened when the whole Carson clan got together. It was chaos. I still remembered when they’d had my atheist ass say the Thanksgiving prayer. Which was something else they didn’t judge me for.

And that was how I knew they were good people— a rare kind of people. Because they never forced anything on my sister or me.

After school, I made my way to Carsons’ house, even if I already knew it was a disaster waiting to happen.

“Let’s get this over with,” I sighed as I parked my Jeep.

The house was small, but full of life. Cynthia was a nut for Christmas, and she refused to take off her lights. They were still hanging. At least all the candy cane shit was packed.

I made my way in and didn’t bother to knock because if I did, it would be worse, and I didn’t feel like getting the whole “mi casa” speech.

With Cynthia, it was better just to do as she wanted, because she was just too much to handle and she always ended up getting her way. I mean, she had all boys, who were men. Well, the verdict was still out on Cubbie, but it was safe to say she had to know how to handle them.

As soon as I walked in, I could hear the noise, despite only three kids. Everyone in this house was too loud. It wasn’t always that way. The first time we came over, Juliet was as awkward as I still was. Over time, she got used to their practices and became a part of them. She embraced this family wholeheartedly.

It didn’t take long for Rosie to follow. Cynthia and Pete were the only grandparents she had ever known, even though we still had our biological grandparents.

If my grandmother onhisside barely acknowledged us before, she was nothing to us now. After the incident, they left town. Oh, the fucking shame. I bet it must have been nice just to pick up and start all over again. Their life got stained, and they moved to wash it away. No one would ever know their history or their life story. I often thought about looking for the family my mother left behind, but what would I say?

Shaking my head, I pushed those thoughts aside. I hated when they crept in. The past was better left in the past.

“Jess, honey!” Cynthia shouted as soon as she saw me.

My grin was between a smile and a grimace. I waved at her, but that wasn’t enough for her. She made her way toward me, and I held my breath. Everyone else seemed to get the whole “my personal space is my personal space” thing, except for her. She was a very touchy-feely person, and I still hadn’t gotten used to it.

Warm. She felt warm.

It didn’t matter the time of day or what season; something about Mrs. Carson was warm and inviting.

“Hiii,” I said as I patted her back.

She moved away and smiled at me. “It’s been so long. Unless I call a family meeting, you never come.”

I wasn’t family.

“You saw me a few weeks ago,” I stated.

This was a small town. You couldn't avoid people, no matter how much you might have wanted to.

Cyntia scoffed.

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