Page 20 of No Place Like Home
“Fine,” he said, that smirk still on his face. “Darlene and Kora are always teasing Summer about you and her, because it’s fun to get a rise out of her, but I don’t know . . .” He took a drink of his beer. “You could have had any drink you wanted, and you chose theSummertime Lager. And, to be honest, you both looked like I interrupted something when I called you at the river. Just observations.”
Did I want to go there? I didn’t even know Kai—not well, anyway. I studied the logo on the bottle some more. Summertime. Brown hair and hazel eyes popped into my mind.Shit.
“Fine, I get it,” Kai conceded. “Discussing you and Summer is off the table. Let’s just talk about you and forget about Summer. How was the Army?”
The tension I had felt building in my chest since Summer drove away eased a bit, and I was thankful that Kai was willing to change the subject. We small-talked about the Army, and I told some stories from when I was deployed. We laughed and had a good time.
“It’s great to have a chance to get to know you in person,” Kai said. “Kora talks about you all the time. Things you did growing up, adventures you had. Trevor’s missed you also.”
“Same here. And, so far, I’m glad I’m home.”
“I can see why. This town’s amazing—I felt welcome right away. And your mother and the ladies . . .” Kai shook his head. “Gotta love them. I don’t get why you didn’t come home more often.”
I chuckled and turned toward him. “No one told you why I left?” I emptied my beer.
“I know from Kora that after high school you chose the military and walked away from a scholarship to play football. I know that you and Bryson had words over it. He thought you were going to waste your life. I also know that you and Bryson always had a rocky relationship, and when he started dating Darlene, who you secretly liked, that made things even worse.” He sat forward. “I also know that Kora and Summer protect you fiercely, even though Darlene’s in the middle of you and Bryson. I also know that your mothermisses you, and Jamison thinks you hung the moon—if you don’t mind an outdated saying.”
“You know a lot,” I said. “Most of it on point. Walking away from a scholarship was hard, but staying here and living beneath the shadow of the McKendry brothers was something I didn’t want to do. And I was more pissed at Bryson for dating my friend than someone I actually liked. I was never really interested in Darlene.” I stared out over the yard. The one who had my heart wasn’t easy to deal with, generally swore off relationships, and had become much more distant our senior year.
“Look, one thing I won’t do is judge someone for their past. Trust me, mine has issues I’d rather ignore.” He gestured to my beer. “Want another?”
I nodded, and he left to get two more bottles.
“This is probably my new favorite,” I said when he handed me another Summertime Lager.
“Yep, a new brand from the local craft brewery. Trevor keeps it stocked at the pub. It’s seasonal, so it’ll be gone soon. You need to grab it before it gets away.”
Was he talking about just the beer? “Excuse me?”
“What?” he asked, his smirk back.
My pulse raced. I bit my tongue and looked at the sky. Clear blue today, just a few stray clouds.
“Hey, guys.” Kora’s voice floated in the air as she walked around the back of the house and joined us on the patio. “It’s my favorite cousin.”
She gave me a tight hug. I chuckled. “Kora, it’s not like you have a lot of choices.”
“Not true,” she said. “Bryson could be my favorite.”
“Not likely,” I answered.
“You’re so rude.” She nudged me in the shoulder with her palm as she turned to hug and kiss Kai.
I’d never felt like a third wheel before—but now . . . Yeah, a little. “Do you need privacy? I can leave.”
Kora got comfortable on Kai’s lap. “Sounds like something Summer would say,” she said as she took a sip of his beer. “Maybe she’s already rubbing off on you.”
“They did spend the afternoon together.” Kai said. “I found them at the river. Well, I called them, making sure it was them, and they showed up looking guilty.”
Kora’s face beamed. “No way.” She turned to me. “Row, are you and Summer finally giving in to the sexual tension that’s always been between you?” She turned to Kai. “They’ve been avoiding the obvious since high school.”
God, here it starts, and I’ve only been home a few days. I took a deep breath.“Kora, stop. You know the deal.”
“What?” she asked, all innocence.
“There’s nothing between me and Summer.”
“Okay, you’re right. But you want there to be.”
