To me, it’s home.
I stroll past the church until I find myself outside the cemetery’s stone gate. Like usual, I don’t go in. Instead I curl my fingers around the iron bars and stare past the crumbled headstones in the direction where my granny is laid to rest. After years of passing this entrance, I should be prepared for the wave of grief that hits me, but it’s still a surprise when the hole in my heart is ripped open again.
As if my brother senses where I’m at, a text buzzes in from him.
Des
Can you come over tonight?
I lean back on the wall, typing a response.
Depends. What are you cooking and when?
Des
Burgers at 6.
It’s not prime rib, but I’ll take it. Does Maya want me to bring anything besides my sparkling personality? Napkins? Paper plates?
A minute ticks by as I watch the three dots on my phone while he types.
Des
Actually, it’s just you and me. I want to talk to you about something.
I squint at his message and read it again carefully. Why would Maya be absent? Since she moved to town, they’ve been connected at the hip. I’m both disgusted and envious of their lovey-dovey relationship.
My stomach sinks. So there has to be a reason my brother is baiting me to his house. My gut instincts lean toward a lecture or reprimand. Scratching my scalp, I recall all my snarky remarks from the last forty-eight hours in hopes of figuring out what I should be apologizing for.
Like he knows me or something, my brother answers the silent question circulatingin my head.
Des
You are not in trouble, so stop freaking out.
Perhaps he hasn’t gotten the scoop from Maya or Tristen about my day yet...
Des
And be on time for once.
I’ll try my best. See you at 6:30.
Reese . . .
6-ish?
If I’m going to get a lecture, I might as well have a little fun beforehand.
Des
If you’re late, no dessert.
Hey now. That’s a low blow.
Someone needs to keep order in the chaos.
I flinch slightly at that, even though I know it’s a joke and he doesn’t mean I’m literal chaos, but a part of me remembers when I was. Back when my brother used to look at me with disappointment in his eyes. A look I never want to see again.
