I set the phone down and closed my eyes, the keys still in my hand, and let myself believe it.
I belonged here. With them.
I was a Farrington.
And no one could take that away.
Chapter 6
LEIGH
The best thing about photography was that it gave me permission to be alone without looking lonely. I could wrap myself in isolation even as I walked through crowds.
I’d spent Tuesday morning wandering downtown Willowbrook with my camera, losing myself in the familiar rhythm of shooting. Finding angles, chasing light, capturing moments that most people walked right past without seeing. It got me some curious looks but overall it was a good way to lose myself to the rhythm of my work and clear all the clutter from my mind. I’d learned of an upcoming farmer’s market that I was interested to try and shoot some early morning setting up shots for.
It was all easier than thinking about Sunday’s meeting. Easier than processing the fact that I had four half-brothers who actually seemed to want me around. Easier than remembering the look on Dex’s face when he’d walked through that door.
Mucheasier than that.
Willowbrook was beautiful in that quintessential small-town way. Historic storefronts with flower boxes, people who nodded hello as they passed, a pace of life that felt almost foreign after Blue Point Bay’s tourist-season chaos. It would just be starting to get busier there now. My cousins would be bracing for the busy season which would mean Wren would be with withdrawing even more than usual. It was hard to think about her and not being present for the summer season. If it hadn’t been for the wedding I would have pushed this trip even further back. Fall had felt like a better idea to me but Wren had actually been the one to insist that I come. I knew she felt like a burden but honestly Wren was the most important person in my life and not being there when she needed me the most was painful in ways I hadn’t expected.
I pulled out my cell, taking a picture of Books and Beans and sending it through to her.
Leigh:Can you believe that bookshops like this actually exist in real life?
I settled on a nearby bench waiting for her reply. I knew it wouldn’t be long. At this time in the morning she’d be sitting at her computer, half way through her tenth cup of coffee already.
Wren:I’m surprised you’re not inside. Aren’t places like that crack for you?
Leigh:It’s not my fault that people look more interesting when they’re doing something they love. How’s the coding coming along?
Wren:The same as always. Now stop holding out on me. What are the brothers like and why haven’t you text me about it yet?
I laughed, imagining the look of exasperation on her face. She was right that usually I would have updated her by now. She also knew me well enough to know that the fact that I hadn’t meant that I was trying to process something.
Leigh:They’re surprisingly normal and actually nice.
Wren:You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Leigh:I guess I was expecting them to hate me. Or at least make it clear that I wasn’t welcome
Wren:And… ?
Leigh:They actually seem to want to know me.
Wren:You know that’s not what I’m asking.
I sighed, looking around the town around me, the people going about their normal lives and tried to figure out how to say what had happened and the feelings I had about it. But no matter how many times I ran it through my mind, I kept coming to the same conclusion. I might have ever so slightly over reacted.
Leigh:I just met a guy, and we hit it off, and then it turned out he’s their best friend so it didn’t go anywhere.
Wren:Did they call dibs or something?
Leigh: You’re terrible.
Wren: Just telling it like it is. You’re allowed to be a person and have relationship. And so is he. They don’t get to call the shots in your life now that they’re in. That’s my job.
She had a point. But this was just something you didn’t do, right? The brother’s best friend. It was never going to end well and I was here to try and form some kind of relationship with them. Not make things awkward by messing around with their best friend. Even if he was okay with the idea, which he most definitely wasn’t.
