Page 10 of Lines We Cross
I shook my head, giving him a warning look he’d completely ignore. Grabbing my coffee, I walked over and held the door to the bakery open for him. He breezed by me, perfectly happy to be spending the day teasing me.
And if I was honest, I was happy to be back too, crazy small-town welcomes and fatherly teasing included.
* * *
I threw the ice pack back in the freezer, dancing around Mom as she got dinner together. My favorite: tacos. Like the good little boy Mrs. Cuthbertson believed me to be, I iced my knee twice a day just like Rae told me to. The pain was already less. Maybe from the stretching, maybe just coincidence.
The doorbell rang and I changed directions, heading to the front door.
“I got it, Ma!”
I flipped the lock and the door wouldn’t budge. I flipped the lock the other way and it swung right open to show Anna Mulholland on our doorstep, her eyes sparkling when she saw my face.
“Max Duke. I heard you were back and I should kick your butt for not coming to see me already!”
She stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. I went willingly, my eyes suspiciously wet as I breathed her in. She smelled like home just as much as my own mother did. You didn’t have a best friend growing up without becoming attached to his family as if they were yours.
That weight in my chest was back, cutting off the words I knew I should be saying. Anna released me but kept her hands on my arms, her eyes soft as she took me in.
“I’ve missed you, young man.”
It was the whisper that got me. The way she said it like it was a simple truth shared between mother and son. The way she should have been saying it to Emerson.
I clenched my jaw and attempted to clear my throat.
“Figured you had enough of your windows being busted out by my baseballs.” I grinned, the edges shaky, but I had to try. Had to attempt to divert this emotional conversation to the humor I was comfortable with.
She studied me a moment longer and then grinned, letting me go. “I should hope your aim has improved with twelve years in the big leagues!”
We both laughed and Mom joined us, giving Anna a hug.
“Want to stay for dinner? We have plenty,” Mom asked her.
“Oh, no, I’m good. Mitch promised me he’d grill up some steaks and I’m holding him to it. Just wanted to come see Max here and make sure he doesn’t stay a stranger.” She was still smiling, but there was a firmness to her gaze you couldn’t miss.
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She pulled me in for another hug. “Emerson may be gone, but we still love you like a son,” she whispered in my ear.
Then she whacked me on the back and took off, waving at Mom over her shoulder. I closed the door to charged silence. I blinked my stinging eyes.
“She’s a good woman. Smart too. You should listen to her.”
I shook my head. “What’s with everyone picking on me today?”
Mom rolled her eyes and marched back in the kitchen, but not before tossing out, “Got twelve years of teasing to make up for.”
I barely got the door shut and sat down in front of the television with Dad when the doorbell rang again. I was in no mood for another face-to-face with Emerson’s mom but Dad didn’t look like he was getting up anytime soon to get the door.
“I got it,” I said sarcastically and then struggled to get off the couch in my leg brace.
I steadied myself and headed to the door, swinging it open and ready for just about anything.
But not this.
There, in all their best friend glory, were my three best friends: Ryder, Heath, and Jase.
A grin spread across my face as I took in their excited faces. It was official: the Nickel Heads were back together again.
