Page 4 of No Place Like Home
“There’s my favorite cousin,” Rowan’s deep voice bellowed from behind me. He strutted past and wrapped Kora in a tight bear hug and twirled her in a circle. As he passed, the smell of sage and cedarwood lingered in the air.
Kai’s face lit up as Kora’s laugh filled the room. Those two were disgustingly sweet together.
“Rowan.” Kai stepped forward and greeted him with his hand out.
Rowan grasped Kai’s hand and patted him on the shoulder with the other. “Kai, it’s so good to meet you in person.” He glanced at Kora. “From the glow radiating off my cousin, you must make her pretty happy.”
“I try.”
Kora brushed her hand through the air. “Enough with that. What the hell are you doing here this early? I about went into a panic when Kai told me you were coming in and were staying here.” She looked at me, then back to Rowan, then to me. “Sorry, Summer. This is a tiny miscommunication.”
I raised my brow. “That’s the understatement of the century.”
“Yeah, I wish I could have one of you stay with us,” Kai said, “but I promised my sister that she could, and our other two bedroomsare filled with shit—Kora’s stuff in one and building materials in the other.”
“It’s all good,” Rowan said, waving his hand in the air as if sweeping away their worries. “I’m sure Summer won’t mind sleeping on the couch, or maybe she could go to my mother’s house. She has plenty of room.”
“I was here first, so you get the couch. And there’s no fucking way any time this century that I’m going to Tonya’s.” Tonya and I were like oil and vinegar. We didn’t mix and irritated each other to the core. Kora and Darlene always said it was because we were two peas in a pod, but I never agreed with that. “She’s your mother. I’m sure she would love to have her baby stay with her. And if not, you’ve got two brothers with extra space,andfive empty acres of your own itching to have someone live on it. I’m sure you can find somewhere to go.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t stay on my property until I have a place to live,” Rowan said as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter. “Jamison and Lilly have weekly sleepovers that I don’t wish to be a part of. Darlene and Bryson—yeah, that’s asking for World War Three—and my mother, well, she’s my mother. I didn’t leave home to come back and stay with her. I was looking forward to staying here at this cute little house, enjoying time to myself.”
“Yeah, wellmyhouse is under construction due to mold,” Summer retorted, “so I’m out of there for the next few weeks. Ifyouwant a bed, you’ll have to go to your mom’s. Just saying.”
“You two can hash out who’s sleeping where later,” Kora said as she put her arm around my shoulders. “Summer, you need to put on something more appropriate. It’s Saturday night and we’re going toJerry’s Pub. Time for dinner and some drinks. I’m sure there will be lots of people ready to see this guy.”
“I told Trevor I’d stop by as soon as I got settled, so I’m game,” Rowan said.
“Fine,” I answered. I stalked to the bedroom but turned at the doorway and pointed toward Rowan. “I’m getting dressed. There’s no lock. Stay out.”Rowan grunted. “Good to know. I’ll have to keep one eye open tonight. You might sneak into my bed and have your way with me while I sleep.”
I huffed out a breath and slammed the door behind me. Then I searched my closet until I found my favorite well-worn blue jeans and threw on a white crop top and my cowboy boots. I added some serum to my now-dry wavy hair, combed my fingers through it, touched some mascara to my lashes, and was ready to go.
When I got to the kitchen, Kora had some shot glasses and my tequila on the counter.
Lemon drop time—our favorite drink. She poured us shots, dumped some sugar on a plate and got the already cut lemons and limes from the refrigerator. The guys each grabbed a lime and salt, but Kora and I dipped our lemon wedges in sugar.
“Here’s to Rowan,” Kora said as she raised her glass. “Welcome home.”
We all tapped our shot glasses together and tipped them up. Damn, it tasted good.
“Well, why don’t we take this to the pub?” Rowan said. “I need to see Trevor.” He threw his arm around my shoulders. “I haven’t partied with y’all in way too long.” I knew he was speaking to both Kora and me, yet his eyes never left mine.
Again, warmth filled my gut.
It’d better just be the tequila.
Chapter 3
Rowan
“Hell yeah, Rowan!” Trevor’s voice rang out above the noise of the small dinner crowd at Jerry’s Pub as he strutted out from behind the bar toward me. We wrapped each other in a guy hug, with loud claps on each other’s backs and a whoop of excitement. It had been five years since I last saw him—my oldest friend, my brother from another mother. Seeing him felt good. I’d needed this more than I realized.
“Come on, let me get you a drink.” He led the way to the bar. I sat on a stool, followed by Kai, Kora, and Summer. “What’s your poison, man?”
“Your best beer that’s not an IPA,” I answered.
“You got it.” He pounded on the bar twice and turned away to fill glasses with beer from the tap. I took in the bar I’d only ever heard about and seen glimpses of in grainy phone photos. The firefighter theme was impossible to miss, from the fire hydrant and beer mug logo to the firefighter paraphernalia hung around the room, tastefully combined with Orlinda Valley High School sport memorabilia and a hell of a lot of orange. Beige walls framed the space,complemented by rich wood fixtures, sturdy booths, and high-top tables scattered throughout. On the other side of the large room were double garage doors and a wall of windows that looked like additional seating and a covered patio. The bar stretched along one entire wall, lined with stools that looked well-worn by regulars. At the far end, the kitchen bustled with activity, sending out mouthwatering aromas that had my stomach growling immediately—a sharp reminder that I hadn’t eaten much all day.
Trevor placed my beer in front of me and went about getting everyone else’s drinks. Kai also got a beer, and the girls ordered that lemon drop thing again. I shook my head and chuckled then picked up my beer and took a long sip. “Y’all did a great job on this place,” I said to Trevor.
