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Samuel is the oldest Grayson sibling. When our father left with someone half his age, Samuel stepped right up into that fatherly role. I hated it, to be honest. I was a teenager who didn’t want to listen to my older brother. Samuel is blunt, a tad boring, and as anal as they come. He’s completely by the rules and a total black or white guy, with no areas of gray anywhere to be seen. That’s probably why he’s perfect as a mortician at an area funeral home.
My sister, Harper, is two years older than me, and second in line. She’s the wild child, choosing to run off and model after high school before eventually returning home to our small North Carolina town. Of course, she was completely bored working nine-to-five in an office somewhere, which is probably why she made the total leap of faith a few years back and opened her own shop. A lingerie store, to be exact. She sells all kinds of bras and panties to the old biddies of Rockland Falls, and that totally suits her personality.
Last weekend, I helped her boyfriend, Latham, move into her small house. They went to school together and have always gotten along like fire and gasoline. Completely combustible, explosive when mixed. He owns the hardware store next to her panty place. They were actually bidding against each other for the small store nestled between their respective buildings, which Latham ended up winning. In the end, though, they both won when he made a big gesture for her heart and won that too.
That leaves me, third in line of the four Grayson siblings in Rockland Falls, a town built around a small waterfall just off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve always loved our quaint little town, with its town square that hosts multiple celebrations each year and friendly neighbors who’ll always jump in and help if you’re ever in a pinch. It’s where I grew up and where I always saw myself raising a family. That picture might have blurred over the years, but I still see myself growing old here, building my business and working in the dirt, and maybe even, someday, settling down again.
Not that I’m looking, mind you, but I do like the idea of finding someone to spend the rest of my life with, helping me raise my son, and maybe even giving him a few siblings along the way.
Of course, that person’s going to have to be tough as nails to deal with my ex-wife for the next fifty years. Hell, she’s probably not even out there. Who would willingly jump into a relationship with a man whose ex-wife tries to drive him crazy every hour of every day? Who likes to play games where only she knows the rules and isn’t about to share? Who uses people and throws them away at the drop of a hat?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
