Before I could answer her, Sam was gripping my shoulder. “Flynn. I’m sorry, man. You doing okay?”
A world of memories crowded into my head as I looked at Sam Reynolds. When I first knew him, he was a senior in high school, the stereotypical big man on campus: captain of the football team, president of his class and destined for greatness. After I’d started dating Ali, Sam had morphed into the guy who gave me the stink eye every time I was at their house or whenever he caught us holding hands at school. The dude took protective big brother to the extreme.
And after their parents were killed, Sam Reynolds became the most important person in the world to my girlfriend. We’d had a talk about a month after the accident. Sam had just graduated from high school, and he was trying to figure out how to hang on to their family farm. He had a scholarship to UGA, but he was giving it up in order to stay home so that his little sister didn’t have to move in with their grandparents.
“Listen, Evans. I see how you look at my sister. I get it that you two think you’re in love. Whatever. I’m not going to say you are or you aren’t. My parents—” His voice caught. The pain was still fresh. “They liked you. Said you were a good kid. Me, I don’t have time to worry about you. From here on out, my number one priority is Ali. To keep both of us fed and clothed, I need to make this farm work. I can’t be following you guys around, so I need you to man up and make sure my sister is protected and treated like the treasure she is. Be the shoulder she needs when she cries. Don’t let anyone give her shit. Can you handle that?”
I’d swallowed hard and nodded, but it felt like a moment that needed more. “Yes, sir. Sam. I can do that. Ali, she’s . . . I’ll watch out for her. I promise, no one’ll ever hurt her.”
Sam had stared at me. It felt like he was seeing into my soul. “Good. Oh, and Evans.” He laid one heavy hand on my shoulder. “If you turn out to be the one who hurts her, in any way, I’ll tear off your balls and stuff them down your throat until you choke. Got it?”
Now as those same brown eyes fastened onto me, I remembered his words with sudden clarity. In the end, Ihadbeen the one who’d hurt his little sister. At least, it might look that way from a certain point of view. While he didn’t exactly look like he was planning to rip off my balls today, it occurred to me that avoiding Sam Reynolds for the remainder of my stay in Burton might not be a bad idea.
“I’m doing okay.” I finally answered his question. “Thanks for coming by.” I shifted my gaze to his girlfriend. “And you, too. Nice to meet you. Thanks for being here for Maureen.”
“Of course.” Meghan stared at me, her eyes searching mine as though she were looking for something. It made me more than a little uncomfortable.
Before I could figure out how to move them along, Alex reached over Meghan to grab my hand. Sam and Meghan stepped out of the way, and Alex pulled me into a tight hug.
Real crying threatened me for the first time that day. I hadn’t seen Alex in eight years, and I hadn’t spoken to him in just as long. But at one time, this guy had been my closest friend after Ali.
“Been too long, buddy.” His voice was a gruff whisper in my ear. “What the fuck’s up with that?”
I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face. Once upon a time, Alex and I had been the cussing kings of Burton, Georgia. Of course, that was only when neither of our moms were in earshot. Or the nuns who taught our catechism class. After all, we’d been twelve. Together we’d mastered the casual use of the dreaded F word, even if we weren’t entirely sure what it meant.
Only Alex would come to my dad’s funeral and whisper that word in my ear.
“I don’t know, dude. What the fuck’re you still doing in Podunk?” I kept my words low. His mom wasn’t nearby, but mine sure was. And cursing in church wasn’t a line I was willing to let her hear me cross.
“I’m not usually.” Alex stood back, his face growing somber. “I live in Atlanta. But I was back visiting my parents when I heard. So I just stayed.” He blinked rapidly and licked his lips. “I didn’t know if you’d want to see me or not, but I couldn’t let you go through this without at least telling you . . . you know, I’m sorry. Like you haven’t heard it a thousand times today already.”
“Maybe so, but I didn’t hear it from you yet. Thanks, Alex. It means more than you know.” I flicked a glance over his shoulder. It lasted less than a second, but he never missed a trick.
“She’s not coming.” Sympathy and something else—could it be frustration?—filled his eyes. “I think she wanted to, but . . . she didn’t want to make it worse today for you.”
Like anything or anyone could do that.“Probably a good idea. No drama. And it’s been a long time.”
“Are you going to be in town a little while? Maybe you could talk to her. Like you said, it’s been a long time.”
I shook my head. “I’m leaving as soon as I can get out. I have a commitment on the west coast.”
Alex raised one eyebrow, mocking. “Well, excuse us, Mr. Big Shot. We wouldn’t want you to hang around here longer than you had to. It’s not like you’ve been gone for fucking ever . . . or wait a minute, yes, you have.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Iona tapped my arm. “It’s just about time to begin the service. Mr. Hughes is going to ask everyone to sit down.”
Alex punched my arm, near the shoulder. “I’ll see you later, bud.” His eyes met mine again. “I’ll be right here. Hang in there.”
“Flynn. Oh, look at you. You look so dashing.”
I glanced up from the plate of macaroni and cheese, potato salad and coleslaw as a pair of thin arms wrapped around my shoulders. The gray-haired woman leaning over me was nearly as familiar as my own mother.
“Mrs. Nelson.” I moved my plate to a nearby tray and reached up to hug Alex’s mother. “I hoped I’d get to see you.”
She sat down next to me on the same flowered sofa where I’d dozed earlier. Our house was full to bursting with guests, and seats were at a premium. “I’m so sorry about your father. And I’m even more sorry that it took something like this to bring you back to town.”
I winced. Mrs. Nelson never did mince words. And there was nothing like the plain, hard truth from someone I knew and respected to bring me to my knees.
“It’s not like I didn’t see my dad in all this time.” I hunched my shoulders. “He and my mom came to visit me a lot. So did Iona and Maureen. We met whenever I was in the area.” I heard the defensive tone and hated it. The decisions I’d made all these years . . . yeah, some of them were impulsive, some of them weren’t my best ideas. But I hadn’t abandoned my family. Only the town that I’d seen as holding me back.
