Page 1 of Unraveling Rain
Chapter 1
Rain
“What the fuck am I doing with my life?”
I ask out loud, staring at my reflection in the steamy mirror.
“Rain, dear. Is that you?” I hear my mom’s voice from the hall.
Even though I moved out a couple of years ago, I still shower and do laundryhere.
Some people, like my brother Miles, might say that I didn’t really move out—that I just simply sleep in a van. And in their eyes, that might be true. But living somewhere is about where you spend most of your time, and I don’t spend that much time at my mom’s anymore.
“Yes, Mama. It’s me. I’ll be out in a minute,” I shout from the bathroom.
I’ve been on autopilot for most of my adult life. First, my dad passed away unexpectedly when I was twenty-two. Then my twin sister, Ruin, got in a car accident and suffered from amnesia when we were twenty-four. I’ve been in survival mode for way too long, and at almost twenty-eight, it seems like I don’t know how to live a normal life.
Sigh.
I quickly dry off, while grabbing a fresh pair of jeans, a white tank top with the Rustic Spoon logo printed on the chest, and my Doc Martens. I work at a diner—I’m actually the head chef and manager. But somehow, sayingI work at a dinersounds less formal, like that would mean I have less responsibility.
Once I’ve braided my long red mane, I head out of my childhood bedroom looking for Mama.
“Hey, sweetheart. So good to see you. I thought you had forgotten about me,” Mom greets me as I enter the kitchen.
I place a kiss on her cheek. “Never. I’ve just been busy,” I say, taking a biscuit warming on top of the stove.
“Busy with what? Even Ruin makes time to come see us,” Granny says with a scoff.
I jump—I hadn’t seen her in the kitchen when I came in.
“Oh, Rain. Don’t look so surprised. Yes, it’s Granny—alive and kicking.”
I chuckle and go hug her. She’s been living with us since Grampy passed. She feels more like a bonus mom than a grandma.
“I’ve been busy at the diner. And hiking. Getting some exercise now that the weather is nice again. You know how great it is to be outdoors in the early summer,” I say, reaching for a second biscuit, but Mama bats my hand away.
“Get a plate and eat like a proper lady, Rain Melody MacAllister,” she admonishes, and I hear Granny chuckling behind her.
I shake my head at their antics.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy breakfast. I have my daily date with the birds,” Granny says, making her way outside. She loves feeding animals, big and small.
“Sweetie, you know I don’t like being in your business. I have five amazing sons and daughters, but I’m worried about you,” Mama says as she serves eggs and biscuits with a healthy portion of gravy, then takes a seat at the kitchen table.
I glance at her. Her eyes are darting every which way, like her thoughts are racing. I know she means well. I wish I could tell her I’m fine, that she doesn’t need to worry—but thetruth is, I don’t even know what’s going on with me. Or how to shake the mood I’ve been in for years now.
“I’m okay, Mama. I promise.”
Lame. But it’s the best response I can come up with as I sit down beside her.
When she doesn’t respond or move, I glance over. She’s smiling. That same look she gives any of my siblings when she thinks we’re full of shit.
I release a deep breath, my shoulders sagging, “I promise I’ll find a place, Mama—a proper one.”
Her smile turns megawatt in an instant.
I raise a brow in defiance. “But I’m keeping the van.”
