Page 27 of No Place Like Home
I chuckled. “Dipshit, don’t do that. Let’s talk more. Are you going to be able to be a fireman again, or are you done?” Trevor had injured his shoulder pretty seriously in a house fire about a year ago. He’d been lucky that was all he’d injured, as the roof had collapsed while he was still inside.
“I was just cleared, actually. My last surgery did what it was supposed to do, and I have full movement.”
“No shit.” I sat up and leaned on my knees. “That’s awesome. So, when do you get back on the job?”
“Next week. I won’t be going into the line of duty for a while, but once my shoulder gets stronger, I’ll be able to do more.”
“Good. You’ll get back to your crazy schedule and make yourself happy.”
“Okay, enough. I get that you’re concerned about it, but why now?” He narrowed his eyes and stared at me.
Dammit. I sat back. “I haven’t seen you in person in five years. Can’t a guy just be interested in his best friend?” Suddenly, this couch was not comfortable. I crossed my ankle over my right knee and tried to look relaxed. I hoped I looked better than I felt.
“Fuck.” Trevor slid to the front of his chair and leaned on his thighs. “You screwed Summer.”
I chuckled. “Well, not the way you mean, but yeah.”
“What?”
I leaned my elbows on my knees, placed my beer on the table, and scrubbed my hands over my face. I kept my eyes covered as I said, “I kissed her, and, damn, it was amazing.”
“Fuck. Seriously? You finally did it?”
I kept my face covered and nodded.
He laughed. “I’m guessing that with you being here right now and looking like shit, things didn’t go as you hoped. But it couldn’t have been just a kiss. Summer would have been able to handle that.”
I puffed out a breath, dropped my hands, and looked at him. “I told her how I felt about her. How I’ve always felt.”
“Holy Christ almighty.” Trevor smacked his hands on his thighs and jumped up with a whoop and holler. “I can’t believe it. You finally bit the bullet. Took the plunge. Threw caution to the wind.”
I cocked my head. “What the hell is up with you?” Knots pulled tight in my gut as I thought about my situation. “You realize it didn’t go well. I’m here, and not at the house with her. She walked away from me. Told me we couldn’t go there. Slammed her bedroom door in my fucking face.”
Trevor stopped his excited pacing of the small room.
“Yeah,” I said. “I ruined one of the best friendships I’ve ever had, which is exactly what I knew would happen.”
“Dude, that sucks. But she’s Summer. She won’t let herself be happy. She loves misery.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I snapped, my words edged with bitterness. I hated when people talked about her in a negative way.
He held his hands up to hold me back. “Slow your roll, Rowan. I know you’ve always been protective of her. But you haven’t seen her. Kora and Darlene are the only ones who can make her smile and relax—well, so can Kai. The past couple years she’s dated men who are more toxic than drinking water filled with rotten cow shit.”
I popped a brow,
“Seriously. Trust me.” He sat back down. “You wouldn’t want to have rotten cow shit in your drinking water. That would be bad.”
I rolled my eyes, not because I was surprised at what he was telling me, but because his farm metaphors have always been irritating as hell. “Let’s change the subject.” We sat in silence for a bit. I took one final swig of my drink and walked to his refrigerator to grab another one. There was one IPA and one Summertime. I took them back and handed him the Summertime.
“Fuck, no. That IPA’s the shit. That one’s mine. I just have Summertime because it was left over from when Patrick, Kai, and Bryson stopped over last week to help fix the fence.” He chuckled. “It’s perfect for you. Put your mouth on a Summertime that won’t slam the door in your face.” He cackled at his own joke. At least he cracked himself up.
“Dick.” That only made him laugh harder. Nothing like a friend who can laugh at you and make you feel better. “I’m glad you’re still getting enjoyment out of my heartache.”
“Please, you’ve always made it so simple. Saying no to pretty girls has never been a talent of yours, even when your heart was with someone else. Seriously. Give her time—she’ll come around. You’re the only one who can chip away at that frozen exterior of hers.”
We got quiet as we drank our beers, but I couldn’t handle the silence after a while. “So. We are right back where we used to be. Unable to be with the girls we want. How are you doing with Kora getting married?” Even though he and Kora were over a long time ago, he’d had a difficult time letting her go.
Trevor nodded thoughtfully, taking a swig of his beer before answering. “Won’t lie. When Kai first came to town, I didn’t trust him. But, he’s unfortunately almost perfect and treats Kora like a queen. And, just like the rest of the town, I couldn’t help but like him. He and Kora could become the king and queen of Orlinda Valley if they wanted. Even his father has grown on me.”
