15
Martin enjoyed the drive, but nervous energy zipped under his skin as they pulled off the highway. The population sign by the exit said the town was a little bigger than Seacroft, and Seb told him the number didn’t count the eight or so thousand students who attended Watersmith. The downtown was bright and bustling. Everyone was pink-cheeked and cable knit, like Mount Garner before it turned gray and unwelcoming.
Seb drove with the confidence of someone who knew the town, signaling for turns Martin couldn’t see until they were already at the intersection and making his way through quiet residential streets that all looked the same.
The farther they drove, the bigger and older the houses got, and the more Martin’s pulse thrummed behind his eyes.
“The campus is right down there.” Seb pointed down a tree-lined street as they made their way. Martin could have guessed that anyway. It was a Friday in October, and the sidewalks were full of students in Watersmith sweatshirts.
Picture perfect.
A few more blocks and they turned onto another street, where the houses were even older and the properties spaced even farther apart.
“You grew up here?” Martin asked, forcing back his nerves. The neighborhood around the campus at Mount Garner was different. Newer, but not as well maintained. Here, the houses were old brick homes, some of them three stories. One had a garage bigger than the house Martin’s mother rented while he and Brian were growing up.
“Don’t get swept away by the Georgian glamor,” Seb said. “They’re drafty as hell in the winter.”
They pulled into the last house on the street, a bit smaller than the ones they’d passed but still impressive. A Watersmith flag flapped lazily from a pole at the top of the circular driveway.
“Good thing I brought Penny’s suit,” Martin said, gazing out the window.
“We should get you one of your own. I’m going to need you to wear that a lot in the future.” Seb leaned across the console and kissed him hard.
“What was that for?”
“You looked nervous, and I’ve been wanting to do that for the last hundred miles.”
“Delayed gratification makes everything better?” Martin tried to will the color in his cheeks to go down before he had to go inside to meet Seb’s family.
“I’ll remember that.” Seb’s expression said he wasn’t talking about kissing. It did nothing to help the state of Martin’s face, or the way the air was suddenly too warm and his clothes too tight.
The front door to the house opened, and a tall man with sandy blond hair stepped out onto the porch. He waved and said something they couldn’t hear inside the car.
Seb gave a heavy sigh. “Here we go. Say the word and we’ll turn this car around.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I really do.” But he undid his seatbelt and got out of the car.
“I was giving you another thirty minutes and then I was coming to get you,” the man said as they approached. He was taller than Seb, and his hair was darker, but he had the same blue eyes and full mouth. He wore pressed khakis and a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. Compared to Seb’s worn leather jacket and faded jeans, he looked like he could run a bank.
“Ollie, if I weren’t coming, you know I’d already be a hundred miles in the other direction by now,” Seb said. The brothers hesitated for a second before they pulled each other into an awkward hug. Oliver glanced over Seb’s shoulder toward Martin.
“You must be the doctor.” His smile was easier as he held out his hand for Martin to shake.
“Dr. Martin Lindsey, at your service,” Seb said.
Martin couldn’t help the nervous flutter in his chest at Seb’s proud smile, or the teasing look in Oliver’s eyes, but he put on his bravest face. “It’s nice to meet you. Seb’s told me a lot.”
“No he hasn’t,” Oliver said. “But he didn’t tell me much about you either, so at least we’re both starting from the same place.”
Seb opened the rental car’s trunk. “We’re not going to stay long, but we’ll be back for dinner. I just wanted to drop off a gift. It’s kind of fragile, and Kenneth will kill me for driving this far without packing it properly. Then Martin and I are going to go get checked into the hotel. I thought I’d give him the grand tour. Is dinner casual tonight, or do we need to dress up?”
“It’s casual,” Oliver said. “But listen, Seb, there’s a bit of a problem.”
“What kind of problem? Martin, can you take one end of this?” Seb was busy pulling a box about the size of a small TV from the back of the car.
“Aunt Karen called a little while ago. They’re on their way up.”
