Page 26 of No Place Like Home (Orlinda Valley #3)
Rowan
I pulled to the side lot of Orlinda Valley Pharmacy and flew through the door.
The pharmacy was a cozy little corner store that had been around since the start of Orlinda Valley, with what used to be called a soda fountain— but was now a small restaurant—in the rear.
It had seen its share of history, growth, and face-lifts, but the owners still kept it going.
Over the years, they’d increased the food they offered. For breakfast, you could get the basic Southern comfort foods: eggs, sausage, biscuits, and bacon. They also had the best lunches around. Their hot dogs were to die for, served with milkshakes and fries.
When Kai saw me coming, he glanced pointedly at his wrist—even though he did not wear a watch. “Better late than never.”
“Yeah,” added Kora. “What held you up? It’s not like you to be late.”
Kai chuckled. “Or, better yet, who held you up? ”
I glared at them both, refused to acknowledge their comments, and grabbed a menu as Mrs. Johnson, the owner of the pharmacy, approached the table.
“Well, Rowan, honey,” Mrs. Johnson said in her deep Southern drawl. “I heard you were home. How are you?”
I knew I should have come by to say hi to Nancy and Pat Johnson before this, but it had been a busy week and I’d been preoccupied.
I’d dated the Johnsons’ daughter, Melinda, briefly in high school.
She was one of those cheerleaders that went really well with the captain of the football team.
In a small-town like ours, people thought that type of couple was destined to get married right out of high school, but things didn't work out that way for us. She was now happily married to Robby, an old teammate of mine, and they had two children. They’d started dating right after I broke up with her.
It was funny how life turned out sometimes.
“Hi, Mrs. Johnson,” I answered. “I’m doing great and I’m glad to be home. Not sure if I’ll be staying, because I have to head back to Texas soon for a job interview, but for now it’s all about the wedding.”
“I’m glad you made it. This is going to be a whole-town event— everyone's going. Even Melinda and Robby are going to be there. I’m sure they’d love to talk with you.”
I smiled wide and opened the menu I still clasped in my hands. Maybe she would take the hint and back off a little. “Of course, Mrs. Johnson. It would be great catching up with them, and I'm glad you're doing well.” She finally took my order and left us.
“How sweet,” Kora teased. “You get to see your old flame and your teammate. I’m sure they will love to talk with you.” Kora laughed and I shot her a glare .
“Your old flame?” Kai asked. “I’d love to hear about this.”
Why couldn’t Kai drop it?
Kora jumped in with the explanation. “Mrs. Johnson’s daughter, Melinda, was the captain of the cheerleading squad and had it bad for Rowan.”
“From what I hear, everyone had it bad for the stud,” Kai said with a huge grin.
“Fuck you,” I muttered through gritted teeth.
“Anyway, they ended up dating, but he broke up with her, and she started dating Robby Hendrix, who was also on the team.” Kora continued her explanation of my high school love life until Mrs. Johnson finally arrived with the food.
“Here you go,” Mrs. Johnson said. More customers sat down then and needed her attention, so she couldn’t stay and chat with us and prolong my suffering. Thank God.
“I’m honored y’all feel it necessary to make me the topic of conversation,” I said, picking up my fork, “but it’s been a long morning and I’m starving. Can we please eat and get this meeting over with?”
They finally agreed and we ate in silence.
Once Kora was finished eating, she pushed her plate away and got out her notebook and a stack of manila folders. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She passed a folder to each of us, keeping one for herself.
“What do I need this for?” Kai asked holding it up.
Kora held her hand palm-out in front of Kai. “Don’t ask questions. Just listen and follow directions.”
He put one hand up in surrender and opened the file on the table.
“Like I was saying. These are the schedules for this week, what needs to happen when. Rowan, your list has all the things I expect the guys to accomplish, especially their tuxedo fittings. You need to make sure they actually try them on and that they fit well.”
“Wait, you want me to go with each of them?” I asked as I looked at the schedule.
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “They’re all going on Wednesday, so there shouldn’t be any problems. It’s your brothers, and Kai, of course. They’ll all be fine. The only one who might give you any problems is Lance, but you know how to handle him.”
“Seriously? Are we going here again?” Kai asked.
“Sorry, honey, but if you knew him as long as we have, you’d know plans tend to be all about Lance. I mean, come on. He’s thirty-six and still very single.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I cut in. “I can handle him. He’s like another brother.
He won’t be a problem.” I read over the list. “So, it looks like I need to focus on the tuxes and that they try them on before they bring them home. It says here that there’s a bachelor party Thursday night and I’m planning that.
” I glance at Kai. “Shouldn’t I have been told this? ”
“Consider yourself told,” he said with a smile.
I rolled my eyes.
“And Friday night,” Susie said, taking over for Kora, “is the rehearsal at the Warfield ranch, and everyone needs to be there by four. Practice is first, with dinner following at five thirty.”
“Yep,” answered Kora leaning back with her coffee in her hand.
Susie continued. “Rowan, starting Friday, I’ll make sure everything runs smoothly. You just need to be by my side, and make sure to do whatever I tell you during the wedding. But beforehand you’ll be with the guys, making sure they have everything they need.”
I chuckled. “Absolutely, ma’am.” I gave her a military salute .
She nodded. “Good.” Then she turned to Kora. “See, he listens well.”
“Sis, you make him sound like a dog,” Kai said.
“It’s okay. Seems like he’s as loyal as one, and we can see he’s just as cute.
” Her quip made Kora laugh, at least. I couldn’t decide if she was being funny or rude.
But I did know that she was coming out of the quiet shell she had been in when I saw her at the housewarming.
She turned and talked with Kora about other wedding details I couldn’t—and honestly didn’t—want to keep up with.
As they talked, I checked Susie out. Not that I was interested in her—not in the least. Sure, she was sweet, but her looks reminded me of one of the cheerleaders I dated once or twice in high school—and she was nothing compared to Summer.
Summer’s quick-wittedness and sassy attitude were fucking hot, not to mention kept me on my feet and in check.
“How long are you staying, Susie?” I asked when they took a break in their conversation.
“I have school Monday morning, so I leave early Sunday. I should be home by late afternoon. I’ll be back in the summer. Hopefully, by then I’ll have a niece or nephew to love on.”
“No pressure, sis, thanks,” Kai responded.
“Just letting you know what I’m expecting. It’s been nice visiting. I wasn’t sure about seeing dad, but he’s cleaned himself up. Things were a little awkward at first, but I can tell he’s really trying to make amends for all the years we missed having a father. Kai, that’s all your doing.”
“What do you mean?” Kai asked .
“You could have kicked him out and ignored him. You know me or Sebastian probably would have, but that’s never who you were. It’s just like you to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.”
Kai shrugged. “I guess. But everyone here was so welcoming to me, I had no choice but to return the favor. I’ve told him that even though he wasn’t much of a father, we could figure something out. He’s stepped up since, so it’s all been pretty good.”
They talked more about Terry and how well he’d done in the Alcoholics Anonymous group he attended. It was good to learn about Kai’s family, and it made me appreciate how lucky my brothers and I were. We had two parents who loved us and each other.
Kai, Susie, and Summer weren’t that lucky. Kai, though, came out pretty good on the other end, and eventually learned to believe in love.
That gave me hope for Summer.