“Which way?” he asked once they were in his car and out of the freezing rain.
“Depends…where are you headed? I don’t want to take you too far out of your way, and I have family in all directions I can crash with for the night.”
“I was headed towards Chaney. A few of us rent a house out there because it’s cheaper than in town.”
“Home it is then,” she said giving him directions as they got closer. They were pulling into the driveway when the radio began to play a severe storm warning.
“A little late for that wouldn’t you say?” Devon stated before a large piece of hail smashed into his windshield. “Holy hell.”
“I think we’ll be safer inside,” Mel told him as she dug out her keys and grabbed her bags.
“I’ll be fine,” he countered until another piece of hail smacked into the hood of his car leaving behind a dent. “On the other hand…”
“Thought so,” she said pushing the door open and making a dash for the covered entrance. She had the door unlocked before he reached her side and she quickly went in to get out of the rain. She pulled off Jordan’s sweatshirt and tossed it into the laundry room before grabbing a couple towels giving one to Devon.
“Thanks.”
“Least I can do considering I very likely could have been stuck in the Jeep all night. Guess Jordan’s going to get his way about getting me a new one,” she stated before going into her bedroom and grabbing some dry clothes. She changed quickly then headed down the hallway to the ‘man cave’ and grabbed some of Tate’s old things. Devon was about the same size he used to be, and they had to be better than sitting around in wet clothes.
“Here, these should fit.”
“Thanks,” he said cautiously.
“Don’t worry, Jordan’s not going to come barging in attempting to take your head off for wearing his clothes. They’re my friend Tate’s old things. He spent as much time here during school as he did at his house and these are some of the leftovers that he can’t fit into any longer.”
“Good to know,” he said before moving into the bathroom.
She grabbed the skillet from the cabinet and opened the fridge; there was some meat in it that needed to be used and there was no point in starving while the storm raged on outside keeping them here. Devon came back out of the bathroom, and she hid a chuckle by opening the pantry door. It was so strange to see someone else wearing Tate’s things.
“I take it that’s Jordan and Tate,” he said nodding towards the wedding picture sitting on the end of the counter between the living room and the kitchen.
“Yup, the other one’s Nicole, Jordan’s sister and mother of my new godson.”
“And no one thought it was strange that you were only seventeen?” he asked putting the picture back down and coming into the kitchen.
“I’m sure they did but it was soon replaced when it became obvious that I wasn’t pregnant and that Jordan and I…I guess we were made for each other.”
“So it’d seem,” he stated watching her as she finished making dinner. “Where is he?”
“Cincinnati, there’s a college up there who wants to use the same sort of program Whitmore is and he went up to lay the groundwork for them. We’re debating about providing the crew to oversee it but it’s a long way from home.” She put a plate down for him and made herself one before settling down on the stool at the other end of the island. “There’s beer, soda, water, and tea in the fridge, help yourself.”
He grabbed a soda and then sat down before tucking into the food.
“Man, is there anything you can’t do?” he asked lifting his fork in a salute to her.
“Fix a car. I’ve been cooking since I was old enough to reach the stovetop. I got sick of TV dinners and canned pastas, so I picked up a cookbook from the library and read through it. Tate was my guinea pig for new recipes and would quickly inform me what was good and what wasn’t.”
“Do you know I’ve never heard you explain something, tell a story or discuss yourself without hearing about Tate or Jordan?”
“I’m not really surprised,” she admitted knowing some people just didn’t get it. “Tate’s my best friend and until Jordan he was the only person who knew my secret. He kept me grounded, out of trouble, and the foster system. Whereas Jordan…he’s been my partner and biggest fan for the last six years. I couldn’t separate myself from them even if I wanted to which I certainly don’t even want to try.”
“But what about you? Isn’t there anything you do that’s just yours? You work with both of them, all three of you have similar degrees and you’re an upcoming architect just like Jordan.”
“You think I can’t do anything without them, is that it?” she asked.
“Seems that way from the outside looking in, even your wedding picture shows it. You’re leaning into Jordan, but your hand’s wrapped in Tate’s still.”
“It may seem strange but then again you probably grew up with two parents who bugged the hell out of you about where you were what you were doing.”
