Chapter 3: MY BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND

The rest of our land was as flat as a floor and had given us kids an amazing amount of safety and freedom to play when we were little. Cookouts and campfires were a regular event at our place, and my parents had a lot of friends, some going back to their childhood.

I vaguely remember my father, Kayden, and Martin fencing our yard area. That was when Mom had decided we needed a defined picnic area to accommodate everyone during our family barbecues. As we grew up, home became the safe place for us to hang out and have parties with our friends.

Kayden muttered about the dust the car wheels kicked up from the driveway as we reached the house and he stopped the car. Buster, our nine-year-old collie, came bounding up when he saw us, and his claws made an excited tick-tac noise as he jumped on the window of the car on my side.

"Aww, Buster. Get the fuck down! You'll scratch the paint," Kayden complained.

He started to say something else, but it barely registered with me as I flung open the door and pushed myself out in the direction of my mom. She'd just opened the screen door on the porch and shrieked out to my dad that I'd arrived.

She bounded down the stairs, and we ran toward each other at full speed. We met right as she reached the last step, and we threw our arms around each other. It felt great to hug her. A lump formed in my throat. I'd missed her a lot. Buster tried to get in on the act, jumping up on us; and when he couldn't get between us, he began licking Kayden.

"It's so good to have my baby back," my mom cooed. "You have no idea what it's been like around here as the only female in the house. None of these men know how to put the seat down on the commode, and I have a basket full of smelly boys' clothes to wash every day."

I glanced at Kayden. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, leaning toward her and kissing her cheek. "One day you'll complain that there's no one to leave the seat up around here, apart from Dad, so enjoy it while you can, Mom."

Our mom's face registered the impact of Kayden's words and her smile instantly fell. Kayden reached out and pulled her into his chest, grinning down at her with affection. "I'm joking, Mom. I'm going to be one of those boys who still lives in the house when I'm fifty. All I'm saying is I may have learned to drop that pesky seat back in place after I've peed is all." Mom's face brightened into a loving smile again as she patted Kayden's chest.

"Now don't you go threatening me, young man. I'm dreading when your father becomes a grumpy ol' man, never mind having the both of you bugging me here when I'm in my twilight years."

Kayden released my mother from his hold and threw his arms around both of us. "Let's get Valerie settled before she remembers what life is really like here. We don't want to expose her to too much before she's unpacked her stuff. I'd hate to have her so ready to leave she'd run to the bus station under her own steam."

I shook my head, chuckling at their banter. I was finally home to stay. The nine weeks I'd stayed at Aunt Joan's place had been quite somber, given what had happened to her husband. Being back here - the one place I felt truly at peace - was amazing.

After we entered the house, Kayden ran upstairs with my luggage and then reappeared in the kitchen doorway as Mom was making coffee. Hanging on both sides of the wooden doorframe, Kayden cleared his throat. "Martin is getting in later tonight. They're driving down this time."

My heart raced with excitement at the unexpected early arrival, and then I realized what Kayden said and thought he may be bringing a girl. "They?"

"Yeah, Martin has a new roommate in his apartment. He moved in at mid-term, and he's bringing him here for Thanksgiving."

"Doesn't he want to go to his parents?"

"He's an orphan or something... I can't remember what he said. Mom?"

Both of us glanced at our mom, who was over by the sink. She turned, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

"His name is Flynn, and stop calling him an orphan. He was in the foster care system. His foster mom died last year, and he moved to St. Cloud's for a clean break from the area. You know what a kind boy Martin is. He called asking if he could bring the boy back to spend Thanksgiving with us. Poor kid was going to be staying alone at college over the break. And, apparently, they have extra time for self-directed study, so it fits in for them to be here for an extra day or two."

Shortly after our brief discussion, Mom asked Kayden to run some errands. Pulling out his car keys, he asked, "Want to come, Val?"

"To be honest, Kayd, I need a shower, and I'm a bit sore from sitting on a bus for hours on end. I'm going to stay here and clean up. I think I'll fill the tub and soak for a while." He nodded and left to do the errands, while I went upstairs and relaxed in the bath.

Twenty minutes later, I got out and wrapped myself in a huge, fluffy bath sheet, then wrapped a robe around that. With a smaller towel, I wrapped my hair turban style and walked over to my lovely, four-poster bed. I slumped onto the mattress and lay staring at the ceiling. I'd been happy to support my auntie in her time of need, but there was nothing like the feeling of lying in the familiarity of my own bedroom.

I must have dozed off and was a little disoriented when I heard Martin's voice. "Are you intending to lie there all night, or can a brother get a hug around here?"

At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when my eyelids fluttered open and I saw Martin, my whole body sprang to attention. I squealed my delight at Martin, standing over me at the side of the bed.

"Martin! I'm so glad to see you. You made it home!" I leaped off the bed and flung my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. I pulled back to study my gorgeous brother, noting his hair had gotten longer. I told him it was a good look on him. In fact, I bet it attracted more girls than even he could have coped with.

"As if I wouldn't? Mom's roast turkey and my favorite girl? I'd be dumb to pass that up. I mean, it's not that far to drive home." Martin smirked wickedly at his use of sarcasm, and I sat down on the bed with my arms behind me.

"You need to get dressed. There's someone I want you to meet. I brought my roommate home with me. He's a nice guy, just had a shitty life, Val. I know I don't need to tell you to be sweet to the guy, but it would make it easier for me if everyone made him feel welcome. I'd like him to have a great family holiday for the first time in his life."

"Jeez, Martin, you'd think we were entertaining the Queen of England," I said, rolling my eyes.

Martin shoved his hands into the front hip pockets on his jeans, and stared at his feet for a second before looking me straight in the eye.

"Nope, he isn't. He's much more important than her. She's got plenty of family, he doesn't. I couldn't leave him in the apartment on his own during the holiday, but now that I've dragged him all the way here, I'm kind of responsible for showing him a good time."

I felt a small pang of guilt for my comment about his friend, and I nodded. Martin smiled widely, grabbed me, and kissed my cheek. "I love you, Beatnik," he said as he left the room. Staring at myself in the long, freestanding mirror, I giggled at the mess my hair was. It was almost waist length and curly, but it had dried under the towel, and I looked like a 70's poster for big hair.

I quickly pulled on some sweatpants and a bra, and then took a checkered work shirt from the wardrobe and popped the snap buttons closed. I finger-combed my hair and put a little gloss on my dry lips. I figured it wouldn't matter what I looked like anyway, because no friend of Martin's would be interested in me, a kid of fifteen. Also, from what Martin had said, it sounded like he had an isolated upbringing and he might be socially awkward, not having anywhere to go for Thanksgiving and all.

Feeling pleased about Martin being home, I hurried downstairs and had just about reached the living room when Mom called me to the kitchen.

"Valerie, is that you? Can you come here and carry a tray for me?"

Pushing the door to the kitchen open, I saw Mom had made sodas and coffees for everyone. A huge coffee cake was on another tray with small cake forks.

I smirked and wondered what Martin's friend Flynn would make of my mom's afternoon coffee. At twenty, I imagined he'd rather have been offered a beer than a cream soda float, or coffee and cake. I picked up the tray and left Mom shooing Buster outside so he wouldn't eat the rest when no one was looking.

While walking from one room to the other, I concentrated on the tray of drinks in my hand. I was standing in front of the coffee table when a soft, veiny male hand reached out and grasped one side of the tray. Another hand caught the other side in front of me. Long legs, belonging to someone slender and tall, were now within my sight. My eyes continued to trail upward, over the faded denim and taut navy-blue t-shirt, as I straightened. I almost fell over when my heart skipped a beat as I stared speechless at the gorgeous face of my brother's college friend, Flynn.