The soles of my tactical boots tap on the hardwood floors. When I turn on the porchlight, I smile at my mom and my youngest sister, Ivy. Yep, my mom is not in her right mind.
I snatch open the door. “What’re you doing here?”
“I came to see my son on his first day of work.” She brushes past me with her hand in the middle of Ivy’s back, pushing her inside.
“Mom, it’s not the first day of school, and I went to work yesterday.” I shake my head but can’t deny that having her here doesn’t make me happy.
“You went to work yesterday?” Her eyes are round as she stands in the middle of the room.
“Yes.” I chuckle at her expression.
“Told you his first day was yesterday.” Ivy gives our mom an exasperated look. “But no one listens to me.” She waves her hand dismissively toward her.
“Damn it.” My mom crosses her arms. “I missed your first days in college, the police academy, and on the police force in Columbia. And now, I missed your first day here. At least, I made it to your college graduation.” Her blue eyes meet mine with a hint of both chagrin and humor. “A thankful son would’ve let his mom camp out on his sofa for all those occasions. Especially this one. This is our hometown. It’s a big deal.”
Just the thought of college makes my stomach turn. I should’ve never said what I did to Emily about not getting a degree. That’s a low blow I wish I could take back. But it’s too late now. Even if I wanted to apologize, she wouldn’t want to hear it.
“Mom, you’re being ridiculous.” Ivy strides past me.
“Tiny Tot, it’s good to see you.” I reach out to ruffle Ivy’s hair.
“Don’t you dare.” Ivy dodges me with a glare that could kill a 7-foot-tall giant. She flops down on the sofa, smacks her head against the cushion, and closes her eyes.
“I’m a mother. It’s my prerogative to be ridiculous about my kids. So…. We’re going to pretend that this is your first day.” She spins in a circle, taking in the furniture I’ve moved in, and frowns. “You could use a feminine touch.”
“I’ll hire a designer.” It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but I’ve loved the design of the house since I was a kid. It’s a two-story home on a corner lot with a wraparound front porch, a huge backyard, and a two-car garage.
I shift my attention to Ivy, who’s yawning and blinking her enormous green eyes. “How did Mom convince you to come out at this ungodly hour?”
“I needed a ride to school for band.” She drops her head back against the black leather couch, kicks her Crocs off, slings her feet onto the coffee table, and recloses her eyes. “And it was either ride with her and stop here or take the bus and miss practice.”
“Feet on the floor, young lady.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Ivy’s feet drop to the floor as she opens one eye and smirks. “It might’ve been years since you rode the bus, big brother, but I’m sure you remember how boys are. All the farting and boob jokes are too much to take at this time of the day.”
“Ivy Lyn, do not say boob and fart.” My mother glares at her. Ivy is the youngest at fifteen, and my sister, Hannah, who’s closest to me, is twenty.
Ivy’s dark hair is brushed to her shoulders and shines in the light. The thin coating of makeup on her face makes her skin glow. And her clothes…. I frown. My mom is right. Let’s not talk about boobs.
I rake a hand through my hair, leaving my once-perfectly positioned strands tossed in different directions. I’m not prepared for Ivy to start dating.
“So….” My mom positions her hands on her hips. “Are you ready for yourfirstday?”
Ivy rolls her eyes at our mom’s insistence on calling it my first day, but there’s no point in arguing with her. She’s drawn a line in the sand, and it’s easier to go along with her than to fight it.
“Yes, I’m ready. I went out with Chief Carter on Sunday for a ride-along.” Not that anything has changed since I’ve been gone. There’s still only one flashing red light in the center of town, and the only business that’s traded hands is the hardware store.
Well, there’s also a For Sale sign in the window of Jolie’s Café, so that’ll likely change to something else soon. And I, for one, will be ecstatic when that happens. I’d love for the place where Emily chose someone else to be completely renovated. Or better yet, demolished.
Although I do miss their desserts.
“I’m so proud of you.” My mom’s eyes well with unshed tears. “You’ve turned into such a fine young man. A college graduate with a degree in psychology and criminal justice, a police officer, a homeowner,” she sighs, “I’m just so happy you finally decided to move back home, so that all my kids are within ten minutes of me.”
After graduating from college, I stayed in Columbia. My intention was to return to Brookhaven and become a policeofficer, but after the debacle at Jolie’s, I avoided my hometown like a germaphobe with a new virus on the loose.
I eventually joined the police academy to better prepare for a position in the city and never left. Until now.
That weekend, everything changed. It put a rift between Spencer and me, leading to my moving out and strained my relationship with Kaleb. He was pissed that I brought Spencer to their house and had the entire town talking about our fight. And the kiss.
