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“Nash, baby, come here,” Sherry said with shining eyes, gathering her son up in her arms as best she could for his size.
“Hey, Mama.” He frowned in his brother’s direction. “Did you tell Duke I was comin’?”
Buck and Sherry shared a look.
“I was gonna… I tried, but…”
Nash’s face was grim.
The girl at his side waited patiently, and Nash shifted to lay a hand on her back.
“This is who I was tellin’ you about. Mama, Dad—this is Megan.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.
Sherry gathered her up into a hug instead. “Well, look at that. You gonna finally settle him down?”
She laughed. “I’m tryin’. It’s a big job.”
“Don’t I know it,” Sherry said. “Did you have something to do with him coming home after all this time?”
“Maybe a little,” she said, her cheeks flushed and smiling.
Sherry looked around for Duke, and when she found him, he picked up his feet, trying to master himself all the way over. By the time he reached them, he’d almost succeed.
“Big brother,” Nash said proudly. “Look at us. We got to be full-blown men. When did that happen?”
“Sometime after you left, I suppose. You knew he was coming?” Duke asked his parents.
“He called,” Sherry said. “I was gonna tell you, baby—”
“Can I have a word?” Duke asked Nash, his tone dangerously dark.
“Sure.” Nash was somehow both blithe and nervous, following his brother away from the crowd and back toward his truck.
Sherry took Megan by the arm. “Tell me how you met my boy,” she started, but Buck watched his sons, his face tight with concern. He occupied himself with his cigarette as best he could.
Duke and Nash were arguing, that much was plain to see. Pastor Coleburn kicked up his sermon again, effectively capturing the bulk of the attention. But not mine.
Whatever Duke was saying was through clenched teeth, the tendons in his neck taut and his shoulders square. He’d grown to be a little bit taller than Nash, and he used that height to his advantage. Duke pointed. Nash’s smile fell, his head shaking. He said something biting by his body language, and the two men stood there, poised for a fight for a breathless, protracted moment.
“Meg,” Nash called, splitting a whistle through his lips and motioning for her to come. So she said her goodbyes and trotted to the beat up truck, climbing in beside him. Once they backed out, the back window framed the two of them arguing the whole way out of the parking lot.
Duke’s shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. Bettie nudged me, and we stepped up to the big coolers full of refreshments, thankful for the distraction. Duke made his way back to his parents, saying nothing when he got there. I tried not to watch him as I gathered up as many lemonades as I could carry. I tried to redirect myself once they’d been passed out and we were left sipping our drinks in the shade, listening to the pastor. But even when everyone else had seemed to move on, I was still watching him fade away from the crowd. And then he disappeared.
He slipped into the tree line. Hypnotized by the heat and the pastor’s steady, soothing voice, no one saw me go after him. I heard the snap and rustle of underbrush, caught a glimpse of his blue shirt as we left everyone behind.
“Duke?” I called quietly.
“Don’t follow me,” he answered.
“Duke, wait—”
“Not now. I can’t do this with you right now.” He tromped forward, pushing deeper into the woods.
I gained on him nimbly. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Duke whirled around, his eyes wild. “What do you care? I thought you hated me.”
I blinked at him, frozen by his demeanor and the question. “I do,” I finally answered. “But it’s more complicated than that. Isn’t it?”
His chest heaved through a pause. “I’m not fucking okay. Now leave me alone.”
I grabbed him by the arm when he turned to storm off. “Wait, goddammit.”
Duke jerked out of my grip, furious and fierce. “What? I don’t want to talk to you, but you can’t help putting yourself where you aren’t wanted, and all because you think you’ve got the answers. But the truth is, you know nothing. And don’t pretend like you care. You can’t decide on a whim that you’re going to give a shit.”
“I… I just thought—”
“Quit thinking.” He gave me his back.
“I just thought,” I said again, “that there aren’t many people who know what you’ve been through with Nash.”
Duke paused mid-stride. “No. Not many people do. But that doesn’t mean you’re the person I want to talk to about it.”
I drew a shaky breath and lifted my chin. “All right. I understand—”
Again, he wheeled around to face me. “I mean, I haven’t even seen him since… since… Poppy, he stole my parents’ savings last time he was here, and we haven’t seen him since. He’s lucky I didn’t fucking deck him right there in front of God and everybody.”
