“And when is that?”
“I don't know, Melody, but it's done.”
She side-eyes me, her lips pursing tight. “There's more to this than you just coming to her rescue. What are you not telling me?” Her eyes jump around my face. “You still have feelings for her, don't you?”
“No.” Slicing a hand through the air, I cut her down. “It's not like that at all. I just don't want her sleeping under a bridge because of you. You turned her away, and I made it right.”
Smirking, she drops back into her seat and puts her feet up on the desk. “Bullshit,” she says with a giggle. “You still like her, I can see it.”
“I do not like her.”
Grinning big, she sings, “Ryder and Jenna sitting in a tree—”
“Stop it,” I say firmly.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes—”
“I said stop it.” Shoving her feet hard off the desk, she spins in the chair. Melody is laughing hard, rubbing her eyes as they tear up. “It's not that funny.”
“It is to me.”
“What are you, eleven?”
“Sometimes.” She spins around in the chair on her own. “But aren't we all a little childish at times?” She stops herself so she's facing me, gripping the edge of the desk.
“Are you coming home tonight?” I ask, changing the subject. I'm not having this conversation with her. I love my sister, but sometimes I can't deal with her.
“No, I'm here until one and back at eight. I'll probably just grab a room and spend the night.”
“All right, but call me tomorrow.”
“Yes, Dad,” she says sarcastically.
Shaking my head, I say goodbye and head back to my truck. My sister is a good kid. Melody's responsible, determined, and smart as hell. I feel bad she had to grow up so quick.
After our mother got ill, my father and I still needed to keep the farm running. We couldn't just drop everything. Melody really stepped up, she became our mother's caregiver, helping her with everything up to the day she died.
She had just turned fifteen when our mother passed away, and six months later she finds our father in the barn. He had a heart attack, something none of us saw coming. My sister thinks he died of a broken heart, but I don't. He worked his ass off for years, the stress of everything finally got to him.
But I hate that she found him. That kills me the most.
It should have been me that found him, not her, but I went into town to run some errands. Errands that weren't really necessary, but I wanted to escape for a bit. It's my fault. Maybe if I had been there, he would still be with us. Maybe if I hadn't been so selfish, Melody wouldn't suffer the pain from that memory.
I'm going to do right by my sister. She's going to get to live the life she wants, not the one that's been forced on her. I want her to go to college. I want her to travel the world and create her space out there somewhere.
I want her to do the things I never got the chance to. But I always want her to be able to come home. To her home. To the home we grew up in. I won't take that from her.
Which is why I'm never selling this farm. This place will always be ours.
Sitting in my truck, I'm not ready to go home. I'm not ready to be in the same house with Jenna. I can feel the desire and lust building inside me. It's clawing up my spine with its sharp talons. I need to get my shit together before I go back.
Pulling out my phone, I text my best friend Mark, and he agrees to meet me for a drink. Mark and I go back a long time. We've been friends since we were nine. Born and raised two farms over, he's the only other person I ever hung out with aside from Jenna.
He's someone I can count on. An incredible mechanic and handyman, Mark's a country boy with talent. He can rebuild a carburetor with his eyes closed. Anything that needs fixing, he can do.
I'm at the bar working on drink number two by the time he shows up.
“Hey asshole, you started without me.” Mark slaps my shoulder and slips onto the stool beside me. “A beer and two shots of your choice for me and my friend,” he says to the bartender. “So, what's going on?”
“Man, you have no idea what happened to me today.”
Mark looks at me, his face falling flat. “You all right? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. It's just someone came to try and make another offer on the farm today.”
“And I'm sure you told them to fuck off, right?” The bartender slips his beer in front of him and he picks it up to take a sip. “Same as always.”
“Of course I did. You need a job still, too. Whose tractors would you work on if I wasn't here?” Mark nods in agreement and laughs. “But that's not the crazy part,” I say. “The crazy part is it was Jenna who showed up.”
He almost spits his beer out of his mouth, forcing himself to swallow it fast. “Are you shitting me? Jenna? The Jenna from when we were kids?”
Shaking my head yes, I add, “And to top it all off, she's staying at the farm while she's here.”
“Wow. I didn't see this coming.”
“Me either.” Hanging my head, I sigh. “I feel like an idiot. I don't understand what the fuck is going on with me. She left when we were kids. We were too young to really know or understand things like love. So why the hell does her being here twist me up so much inside?”
Mark shrugs his shoulders. “I don't know.”
“It still hurts. I can still feel it like it was yesterday. All I can think about is breaking her down to see if she ever felt like I did. It's hard to think I'm the only one who felt this way. She had to feel something too. Right?”
“I don't know, but that's life, Ryder,” Mark says, pushing the shot in front of me and lifting his. “We can't choose how we feel about people. And for you. . .” He pauses, pointing a finger at me. “You never got closure. So, get that closure now while you can. You might only get this chance once, don't let it pass by.”
He might be right. I have all these questions floating through my head, and they deserve an answer. If I waste this opportunity, I might never get another one.
Mark lifts his shot glass high and nods his head for me to pick up mine. Clanking them together, we both swallow the shots. We spend the next couple hours drinking, shooting pool, and just having fun.
I'm in no shape to drive once it's time to leave. Mark offers to take me home and promises to have my truck back to me in the morning. Reluctantly, I agree. I don't like the idea of leaving my truck there, but I can barely stand straight without wobbling on my feet.
The house is dark as he pulls up the driveway and parks out front. “You fine to get inside?”
“I'm good. Thanks. I'll call you in the morning.” Closing the door, I stand and watch him leave.
Stumbling into the house, I'm not as drunk as I was before, but my skin still feels hot and clammy. Feeling around on the wall, I flip the switch in the hall. Pulling my jacket off, I stagger into the kitchen and stop in my tracks.
Rubbing my eyes, I'm not sure if I'm hallucinating or not. I swear Jenna is standing at the sink in a tiny pair of black shorts and a pink tank-top. She looks at me surprised as she shuts the faucet off and puts the glass down in the sink.