“You’ll come see me, right?” I whisper.
She snorts. “Try to keep me away.”
I hug my mom and commit her familiar scent to memory. I don’t know why it feels like I’m leaving forever, because I’m not. I’m not even going that far. An hour is an easy day trip, and if I know my family, there will be plenty of visits. Especially in thebeginning. My dad and his partners—my pseudo uncles—have already promised to be just a phone call away, ready to help. But they also understand my need to do this on my own.
That’s why I love them all so dang much.
“Hello? I’m raiding your kitchen!”
Mom and I both laugh. “Your sister is here,” she says, pulling away and giving me a small smile filled with both happiness and sorrow.
“She’s probably already found those brownies I bought from the diner in Cooper Town.”
“Oh, you know she has,” Mom confirms, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “Let’s go make sure she doesn’t eat them all.”
We walk side by side to the kitchen, where my suspicions are confirmed. My sister already found the brownies and has poured herself a big glass of milk. “Where did you get these?” she asks, her mouth full of chocolatey goodness.
“From the little diner in Cooper Town,” I confirm, handing the container with one remaining brownie to Mom.
My sister narrows her eyes at me. “I suppose that’s a good reason for me to visit often. Brownies.”
I can’t help but giggle. “They actually had several different options. Not anything as elaborate as Aunt Lyndee has, but a small selection of pastries for dessert.”
Em takes a huge bite of her brownie and follows it up with a big gulp of milk. Her gaze remains locked on mine. While I resemble our mom in many ways, she has several of Dad’s features. “So, you’re still going, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m still going.”
She sighs dramatically in a way only teenagers can do. “Does that apartment have two bedrooms?”
I flash her a grin. “It does.”
“Good. Make sure the spare room is always made up. We’ll just call it Emberlyn’s room.”
“Done,” I confirm, even though I don’t have a spare bedroom set to put in it yet.
“I mean it. It’s my room. Don’t let the smelly boys sleep there.”
I fight back a smile and reply, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Our two brothers, Duncan and Waylon, are twenty-four and twenty-one, respectively, and both work at the family’s bar and restaurant, Burgers and Brew. They’re at that age where they have the whole world in front of them, and life is one big ball of fun. I highly doubt they’re going to come to Cooper Town and hang with me at my little hole-in-the-wall bar. Besides, Duncan lives with our cousin, Rorik, at Uncle Jameson’s old house, and between Waylon and any one of the other cousins or friends, there’s always someone crashing on the couch.
Em steps forward, swallowing her snack and leveling me with a look. “I know I’m just your little sister, and I’m technically eighteen and going off to college in a few months, but this feels really big to me. Bigger than when you went to college. This is like…life. Forever.”
Her eyes fill with unshed tears as I pull her into a tight embrace. “It’s not forever, Em. You’re always welcome at my place.”
“I better be. I’m coming to visit all the time. Like every weekend. Promise me it’s okay.”
I don’t think she will, but I don’t argue with her either. Once she gets settled at school, she’s going to have the best time ever. She probably won’t even spare a thought for her older sister, working her ass off in Small Town, USA to make her dreams come true. “That bedroom is always open for you. Promise.”
She sniffles and wipes her nose on the shoulder of my shirt.
I bark out a laugh and jump back. “Oh my God, Em. So gross.”
She giggles and wipes her eyes.
“You used to do that to her when you were little,” Mom says to Em as she pulls her in for a hug. “It was nasty then, and it’s nasty now.”
Em just laughs. “I only did it to rile her up.”
