“Thanks, Mom.” He yawns, mumbling his appreciation.
Maris wraps up her call. “Well, I staved off the welcoming committee,” she announces before turning around and spotting Kevin. “Oh, hey, kid. I didn’t see you there.”
“Welcoming committee?” he asks.
“Some people who knew Uncle Jed wanted to come by. I’m not ready to be social. For the next few days, I’d like to get acclimated to being here, to the time change, to everything.” I tell my son the truth without explaining it all. Not yet. I’ll have to do that soon enough. I’m doing my best to protect him from anything ugly at the moment while his emotions are all over the place.
“Right.” The one word he bites off says a million of them.
Maris and I exchange concerned looks. I open my mouth, but Kevin’s words come out first. “Mom, when are you going to let me take care of you now that I’m the last man of our family?” He puts his mug down with a snap much the way Dean did his entire life.
“Kevin,” I manage. The wound in my heart I thought was healing the tiniest bit gapes wide open. I’m surprised the blood pouring from it isn’t seeping into Maris’s kitchen floor.
“Got no one else to take care of you now.” His head twists to Maris. “And I want to meet your friends. I need to get a read on them to make certain they’re good people.”
I have to clutch the counter in front of me. I can’t breathe. “Baby, you’re just fifteen,” I murmur. “You have years…”
But Kevin doesn’t agree. “I’m the only man left!” he shouts. “The only one. Dean’s gone; Jed’s gone. It’s just me.” The mug falls from his hands, spilling the remaining coffee on the floor. He jumps back, hissing at the heat touching his bare feet. But his green eyes, so like his father’s, don’t speak of anything but agony. He mutters, “I’ll be right back.”
Kevin stalks off toward the basement.
Maris and I stand there quietly for a few moments before she breaks the silence. “Is this normal since—”
“The anger? The outbursts? Yes,” I admit sadly. “The ‘man of the house’ bit? No, that’s new. I’ll have to give his therapist a heads-up.”
“I know I was surprised you put him in therapy right away, but I’ll be the first one to admit I was wrong. God, Kara. What happened killed more than our brothers, didn’t it?”
I nod. “Yes. That wreck also managed to steal the remaining childhood from my son. And you know what’s terrible?”
“What?”
“Should I be more angry two men I adored are dead or that my son is about to deal with more than he’s ready for as a result of it?” I shake my head. “Anyway, if there’s one thing I learned from all of this it’s that I’m not the only one whose love story ended abruptly. I guess being resentful is better than being dead.”
And on that note, I grab a dish towel to wipe up the spilled coffee before excusing myself to prepare for another day of heartbreak.
Jennings
Six days after we heard the news, Kody and I are landing in Juneau. But even as the wheels make that sexy screech on a perfect landing, the tension that normally releases in my body after a flight doesn’t let go.
It’s because we’re here.
Juneau has been where Jed’s family has owned a bar for generations. So, it’s no surprise it’s here he wants to be laid to rest. About five years ago, Jed left the day-to-day operations to his sister after he went on a vacation to Florida, met his now widowed husband, and decided to open a second place there where they planned on spending the rest of their days. The bitter taste in my mouth that those days were cut short has me lengthening my stride as Kody and I leave the tarmac and cross into the terminal.
Feeling like I’m a first-time visitor instead of someone who spent four summers here, I pause outside the terminal to ask, “Shit, I didn’t think—does our cell coverage work here?”
Kody’s blank expression tells me he has no clue.
I’m about to open my mouth to ask someone when a navy SUV pulls up. The door opens and Brad slides out of the driver’s side. “Let me guess? Trying to figure out if you can make a call? Newbie mistake,” he drawls.
“Got it in one,” I admit sheepishly. I step forward to give him a hug. What would normally be a quick slap-and-go lasts longer and has more punch to my soul. “Wrong reason to be back,” I choke out.
“Agree completely.” We separate and he embraces Kody in much the same fashion.
“How did you get here so fast?” Kody wants to know.
Brad shrugs. “I drove.”
“Smart-ass.” A small grin tips my lips as I shake my head at him.
Brad continues, unperturbed. “I checked into the B&B already. They said neither of you had made it yet, so I called Rainey’s cousin, who works in the tower. I asked if he minded texting me when you contacted them to approach. This one”—he nods at me—“got a green light, so I headed down. Now, throw your bags in the back. I’ll catch you up on all I know along the way.”
We do, Kody jumping in the middle just like he used to if Jed and Nick were on either side of him. “Rainey isn’t with you?” I ask.
Brad shakes his head as he puts the car in gear and heads south. “No, she’s going to keep the kids at home. This way, we have time for just us. She said to remind you both neither of you had better think about leaving this state without coming for dinner.” He pauses. “I’ll apologize in advance for the behavior of my hellions. They’re thawing from winter hibernation.”
We all chuckle. Kody asks, “Have you heard from Nick?”
Brad nods as we reach a stop sign. “He took the ferry from Ketchikan, so he won’t get here until 2:30 or so.”
“Why the hell wouldn’t he just ask me to…” I halt my own words.
Brad takes his eyes from the road as he accelerates. “Because at heart, Nick is a good guy despite being a prick to, oh, the entire world. He went to lay a wreath at the show.”
“I wish I’d thought of that,” I mumble. Kody agrees.
“Well, since Jed’s the one who kept him from ending up being arrested, it’s the only reason he’s even back in this state. He made it his personal mission to give thanks at the scene of the crime.” Brad lets out a hollow laugh.
We all get lost in memories, good and bad, for a few moments before Kody bursts out with, “If it’s that bad, then why did he go through Ketchikan?”
We pull up to a red light. “If I had to make a guess, Kody, I’d say it was to thank Jed a final time for his life.” Brad eases the car through the light. “But if you want to ask the moody bastard…”
Kody flops back against the seat. “No, thanks. I like my jaw exactly the way it is. I know firsthand how he earned his belt. Remember?”
And with that light-hearted comment, we start swapping stories about those long-ago summers, wishing for time to miraculously shift back so we’d be as carefree as we were then. And so Jed would be with us one more time.
Just once.