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He held his arms out. “Then I got here right on time, huh? You wanna come in? See Mom and Dad, Mike?”
Just like Sam had known Jimmy her whole life, she knew his family too. She was eager to see them again, but it was the suggestion of seeing Mike that had her heart fluttering in a funny way.
Growing up in this neighborhood full of kids, Samantha had been the lone girl. There were Ben and Brody, Kyle, Louie, and of course, her neighbors, Jimmy, Mikey, and Adam. She had no choice but to ace video games and learn to throw a spiral. She and Jimmy were the same age and connected at the hip for a long time, which meant she spent a lot of time next door.
The eldest Ewing kid, Adam, was seven years older than Sam and Jimmy, so he hadn’t been around them much. He was always watchingStar Warsand reading science fiction books but treated Sam like a little sister, and she appreciated that.
Jimmy, the rascal, with big, puppy-dog eyes, was the neighborhood menace. He had often convinced Sam to join him TPing houses or re-setting Christmas decorations in erotic poses, which usually left them both grounded. Everyone had always assumed they’d end up together, but ever since Sam punched Jimmy in the stomach for wanting to play doctor in the third grade, their relationship was clearly defined. Jimmy had eventually found other girls to play doctor with.
It was the middle brother, quiet and mysterious Mikey, who had caught her eye. He was three years older and, back then, barely glanced her way. She hadn’t seen him since he left for boot camp almost—
“Sam?”
“Hmm?” She flicked her attention to Jimmy, forgetting about the math of when she’d last seen Mikey, almost twelve years ago, and pasted on a smile.
“Do you want to come in?”
“Oh, no. No, that’s okay. You go do your thing. I’ve got to unpack all my stuff.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “My dad’s ordering pizza for dinner, and I should probably shower since I’ve been in the car all day.”
With a crimped brow, Jimmy snorted a laugh. “Okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” She threw him one last wave as she jogged back to her house. “We’ll talk later!”
“Later, weirdo!”
Sam would talk to Jimmy later. They had all summer to catch up.
All summer to get her childhood home packed up and sold.
All summer next to the boy she had been in love with as a kid.
3
Sunshine with a high of seventy-five painted a picture-perfect day. Motown soared through speakers. Little kids ran through sprinklers, burgers sizzled on the grill, neighbors laughed, gossiped, and played games. The yearly Memorial Day block party was always the big kick-off to the summer, but for Mike, it wasn’t so relaxing.
A lot of people wanted to shake his hand, thank him for his service, and then he did that thing that always made people wince by reminding them Memorial Day was to remember those who died while in service, not to celebrate veterans. But enjoy your hot dog!
He swiped his palm down his jeans and took a swig of his now-warm Bud Light before placing the bottle on a nearby picnic table. He plastered a semblance of a smile on his face for the two octogenarians in front of him. Too bad he didn’t remember their names.
“Did I ever tell you about my service in Korea?” the old man asked.
Mike shook his head. “No, sir. I don’t believe you have.”
“I was an ensign in the Navy, and my—”
“Excuse me.”
Mike blew out a relieved breath, grateful for his brother’s interruption.
Jimmy exchanged a few pleasantries with the older couple before saying, “You mind if I borrow my brother for a while?”
“Of course not,” the woman said. “You go have fun.”
“Here.” Jimmy passed a cold beer to Mike. “Thought you could use this,” he said, steering Mike to a round table in the shade of an umbrella, where their older brother was seated, cradling a beer in one hand and his four-month-old daughter in the other.
“Double-fisting?” Jimmy quipped.
“Multitasking.” Adam sipped his beer before turning to Mike. “How you holding up?”
