Page 1 of Saved By A Small Town Country Boy
Chapter 1
Remedi Noiré
The hairs on my arms came to a standstill as the wind whistled in my ears and blew my hair forward into my face, carrying the sharp scent of rain. Gray clouds covered the sky. Thunder murmured. The sky is about to break, which is normal this time of year.
Tears slipped from my cheeks, dripping off my chin. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be standing here right now—surrounded by tombstones.
For years, I told Whitney that she deserved better. I begged her to leave that man. My home was offered to her out of solitude. She had places to go, yet she still refused to walk away. Whitney allowed love to blind her. A love that’s not even real. She trauma bonded with a man. Was stuck in karmic cycles, staring at him out of rose-colored lenses.
Love didn’t hurt. Love didn’t leave you sitting up crying for days, praying for a way out. It didn’t send you spiraling to God, seeking out a way to cope with the pain. It damn sure didn’t ball up its fists and beat you black and blue. It didn’t gaslight you. Nor did it isolate you from everyone you love.
People confuse love with infatuation, possession, and lust. They be stuck in karmic relationships, swearing it’s a soulmateconnection. I pray that type of love never finds me. God wouldn’t dare give you a man who’ll give you hell on earth.
As I stood there, watching from afar, people surrounded the green tent where her white casket lay. I couldn’t even bring myself to come any closer. People wiped their tears as this woman sang “Take Me to the King” by Tamela Mann. Her voice was so beautiful and carried throughout the entire cemetery.
My hands balled into fists. Heat boiled my veins. The anger consumed me so bad that I’m terrified I’d explode. It wasn’t supposed to end this way.
Whitney’s mom sobbed as her father soothingly rubbed her back. To think that all of this could’ve been easily prevented had she just had a backbone and left that man. She allowed him to manipulate her into thinking that what he was doing to her was love. I hated myself every single day for sticking around and watching him torture her. Several times, I tried to talk her out of staying, but it’d only make her angry with me. Me. The person who actually loves her. The person who truly wanted the best for her. What kind of friend would I be if I sat around and did nothing? Ma always told me that a woman will only leave when she’s ready. I so hoped that was true for Whitney. Now I’m standing here, watching the casket drop on one of my favorite people.
Whitney and I have been best friends since daycare. Ever since Ma dropped me off when I was three years old, we instantly connected over a bag of Doritos. I only went to Focus Kidz for a couple of years, but Ma didn’t separate me from Whitney. Our parents made sure to keep us up with playdates, even though we ended up going to different schools.
Ma ended up coming into some money after suing this restaurant for dropping hot coffee in her lap, and we moved to the opposite side of town. She bought us this two-story home, a brand-new Benz, and put up money to send me off to college.Life was good after that. Whitney, on the other hand, her family didn’t come from anything. They were barely getting by, even with both of her parents working full-time jobs. She spent the night at our house most nights just to get a hot meal. I used to ask my parents for money and give it to Whitney to make sure she was straight. All my old clothes that I no longer wanted, I gave them to her as well. No one at her school knew they were hand-me-downs because we went to two different schools. Whitney had become like a sister to me. She was this sweet and fragile girl, which was why I couldn’t even understand how she ended up with someone like Mike.
Sniffling, I wiped the snot that trickled to my upper lip with the back of my hand. I spun on my heels and trotted back to my white Porsche Macan that was parked on the street and opened the driver’s door. As soon as it opened, I was met by Prada, my two-year-old white Maltese, wagging her tail. Though I’d left the windows down for her, I didn’t want to leave her in the truck for too long.
As soon as I placed my right foot inside the truck, she ran over to the passenger seat and sat down. “Are you ready for this ride?” I asked her and rubbed her head. “It’s about to be a long one.”
Grabbing my shades off the dashboard, I slipped them onto my face and placed the truck in drive. I pulled away from the curb and headed toward the gate. Police trucks with flashing lights zoomed past me. Once it was clear, I pulled out onto the street.
It took me a total of five hours to make it from Atlanta, Georgia, to Magnolia Falls, Alabama. Magnolia Falls is whereI’m supposed to start fresh. I’m not sure how this is going to work out for me because I’m a city girl, and judging by the dusty Magnolia Falls sign I’m sitting in front of right now, this is nothing like the city.
Magnolia Falls came onto my radar because it’s where my aunt Reese lives. She’s the baby out of the family and kinda the black sheep. It’s her, my mom, and my aunt Sasha. Aunt Reese been ran off years ago and moved to Magnolia Falls after just visiting one time during the winter with some friends. She says that it’s beautiful in the winter. Grandma and Ma thought she was insane to be trading in her red bottoms for a pair of cowboy boots, and they told her that she’d come crawling back, which was far from the truth. According to social media, Aunt Reese was living her best life, and some of the men in Magnolia Falls gave sexy a new definition.
I’ve been single for the last four years. I’ve been focusing on my career, but I didn’t mind getting my pussy wet from time to time. A good-looking man is a sight for sore eyes.
My career is my first love. I went away to veterinary school. Let’s face it. I love animals to death and have been that way ever since I can remember. My very first pet was a goldfish that I named Glimmer because it used to shimmer every time the sun would reflect on the round fish tank in my bedroom. Glimmer lasted a couple of years before I came home and it was floating at the top of the tank.
After Glimmer, there was Lulu, my pet parakeet. I’m actually amazed at how long I kept Lulu alive for me to only be seven. I let her out of the cage one day, and she was flying around the house. Ma’s “friend,” Charlie, opened the door and let Lulu out of the house. I never saw her again. I hated Charlie ever since.
Then there was Snowball, my pet rabbit. Of course, it ended up dying, and Ma moved me to a hamster. She thought that would be easier for me to maintain, ’til one day she thoughtit was dead and ended up burying it alive, then she found out that it was a possibility that it was still living and hibernating. I’ve gone through so many pets in my childhood—ones that Ma bought and others that I rescued. Needless to say, once I got to high school, I made up in my mind that I wanted to be a veterinarian.
With the cash that Ma put up for me to go off to college, I did just that. Graduated top of my class from the University of California. Those were the best seven years of my life. Once I got out of school, I moved back home to Atlanta and opened up a practice—Paws & Whiskers Veterinary Care. It’s one of the top-rated animal clinics in Atlanta, and to think that I’m giving all of that up for raggedy ass Magnolia Falls. Tuh.
Pulling back onto the road, I drove away from the sign. It took a few more miles before I started to see buildings. The buildings didn’t look anything like the city. In fact, they were small. Two stories at the most. It looks as if I’ve driven into a Hallmark movie. To the left of me is this diner called Mama June’s Kitchen. It has this southern feel to it. The food just might be good. Hopefully, it’s not too disappointing.
To the right, I saw the post office. A couple of women rushed inside with packages securely tucked away in their arms. At least I knew that if I needed to mail something off, I didn’t have to travel far to do so.
My stomach grumbled as I pulled up to the first stoplight. One thing I did notice is that they didn’t have any fast-food chains. I don’t know how I’m going to survive without Cava or Dunkin.
“Let’s see where Aunt Reese’s house is,” I told Prada as I turned down a street.
The houses on this street were a bit older, but they were maintained extremely well. The further out I went, I found some newly built homes. The yards went on for acres.
“Turn right,” the GPS spoke, bringing me back from daydreaming. It looks like a normal town, but just doesn’t have any skyscrapers, fast food, or shopping malls. I don’t know why I thought I was about to drive into a town where they’re riding horses. Maybe it’s the cowboy boots Aunt Reese always wore that gave me that impression. “You have reached your destination.” I looked up and saw this white house with a wrap-around porch. A small lake rested in the front yard. I know Aunt Reese was doing good for herself, but damn, I didn’t know she was living like this out here.
I pulled down into the driveway and stopped behind a black Bronco. Opening my driver’s door, I grabbed Prada and released her. She took off running across the yard. It’s been a while since we stopped for her to use the bathroom. By the time I looked up, I saw Aunt Reese walking in my direction with a shotgun in her hand. Bringing her left hand up to her brows, she shielded her deep-brown eyes and squinted to see who I was. Aunt Reese was only a couple years older than me. We’d grown up together. People used to be so confused when we got to school and I’d tell them that she was my aunt. We basically started calling each other cousins just to keep everything simple.
Reese was beautiful. A timeless beauty. She’s slender—barely any breasts for anyone to grab on. She has long, chestnut-brown hair that stops just above her ass. All of it is hers. She used to tell people when we were growing up that she was part Cherokee. The sun kissed her tan skin.
