by Bella Emy
Since I’ve been back to California, I’ve only seen him once, and that was the first day I landed.
“Hey, come on in, big bro,” he answers from his seat on the recliner. He’s got the TV on, but I don’t really think he’s watching it, or at least, he doesn’t seem focused. He appears to be spacing out. After coming off his shift at the firehouse, he’s exhausted. He lifts the bottle up to his lips and takes a sip of his Coors. “Want a beer?”
I make my way inside, inching closer to him. “Sure.” A nice cold beer sounds good after the day I’ve had.
He points to the kitchen, which is in the adjoining room. “In the fridge.”
I stroll toward the kitchen and grab a cold one out of the fridge. As I pop the cap off, I take in the pictures he has on the door. An engagement shot of him and Mariah from this past Christmas in front of the old Elm tree down at the town square hangs on the fridge. They’ve been dating for the past six months, but they’ve known each other since high school. He claims it’s love, but I don’t think Mariah is in it for the long run. I don’t know what it is, but she’s always given me that impression. Maybe she’s changed since I knew her back when we were in high school.
My brother is only a year younger than me, but if she’s anything at all like what I remember—always hanging around different guys, partying every single weekend—then she’s not the girl for him and she’s got my brother fooled. Mason is very loyal and not into games. He barely leaves the house.
Now our youngest brother, Maverick, on the other hand? Well, that’s a whole other story.
I sip on my beer as I walk it back into his living room and then take a seat across from him on his couch. “How was your day, l’il brother?”
He doesn’t avert his gaze from the TV. “Day? Too long.” Finally, he turns his head and faces me. “I just finished pulling a thirty-six-hour shift. Once I finish this drink, I’m hitting the hay.”
“Dang… that’s an insane schedule.” I take another pull from my bottle.
He shrugs. “Yeah, but now I’ve got the next two days off, so it’s nice. Plus, you get used to it after doing it for so long.” He diverts his attention back to the show playing on the screen.
I guess that’s true. When you do anything for a long time, you get used to it. I can’t imagine what he does being any different, besides being a hero and all.
“What about you?” He looks back at me and pulls the last swig of his beer, then places it on the coffee table in front of him.
I’m the one shrugging now. “It’s been a day.”
He chuckles. “Oh, I’ve had plenty of those. Work related or personal?”
I wince slightly. “A little bit of both….” Not a lie… Rick is one of my co-workers who just happens to be my best friend… who just so happens to be getting ready to propose to the girl I used to really like.
He shakes his head. “Oh, boy…”
“Yeah….” Deciding to change the topic right now because I’m going to need to finish this beer before getting into my day and possibly popping open a new one, I ask, “How are Mom and Pops doing?”
He looks at me sideways. “You haven’t gone to see them yet since you’ve been back?”
“You know why I haven’t gone over there yet.”
He shakes his head. “Maybe, but the two of you need to bury that shit and move on.”
If Pops would let me, but yeah, he’s not letting it go. I roll my eyes. “It hasn’t been that long…”
Mason tilts his head to the left. “It’s been long enough. You should stop by. They’re having a hard time.”
Okay, so I’m not a bad or terrible son. It’s not as if I didn’t want to see them. I just haven’t found the time. Yes, I’ve been avoiding it a bit. When I go see them, I know the million questions I’m trying to avoid—like do I think I’ve got my temper under control now—will come around. But I’ll stop by tomorrow. I need to face the music sooner or later.
“A hard time with what?” I finally ask.
“The store.” He leans on the other side of the recliner. “They think they’re going to lose it.”
Oh, no. My parents love that store. They’ve owned it forever, and it’s one of the very few farmers’ markets left in the area.
“Why do they think that?”
He shrugs. “Because with all these bigger stores opening up around them, people tend to go there and grab everything with one stop. It’s putting them out of business. With Mom and Pops selling only fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t make it worth it to a lot of people.”
“But their stuff is so good and fresh.”
He nods. “Yeah, it is. But I guess it’s not enough. I’ve been stopping by when I can just to help out. You should be there, too.”
Fuck. Now I definitely need to make sure I make it a priority to stop by there first thing tomorrow morning. This can’t be easy on them, especially my mom. “I’m going to see them in the morning.”
He nods. “Good. So what else is new?”
I shrug. “Nothing.” I don’t really want to talk about me right now, so I decide to turn the conversation back on him. “How’s Mariah?”
He smiles. “Great. We finally picked a wedding date.”
I smile back and nod. “Oh, yeah? For when?”
“June sixteenth. She said she wants a summer wedding.”
“That’s cool. June is a nice month for weddings.”
He chuckles. “Yeah? So when did you become the wedding expert?” He offers me a smug grin.
I toss the closest thing to me at him: a pillow. “Wipe that shit off your face.”
Mason dodges and I miss. Dammit.
He chuckles again. “Aww, c’mon, bro. I was only joking. But seriously… isn’t it about time you find the one to settle down? What happened with that chick? What was her name? Carla?”
“Cara?”
He snaps his fingers in my direction. “Yeah, that’s the one… weren’t you dating her back in Jersey?”
I shake my head. “Not dating… just hanging out.”
The same smug grin forms on his face, and he straightens. “Oh, you mean sleeping with…”
“Shut up.”
“Hey, I’m not knocking it, man. That’s your thing.”
Not really.
I shrug. “Wouldn’t work anyway, even if it were serious. I’m here now, back home, and she’s out there. I don’t do that long distance bullshit.”
“Depends. It could work.”
I smirk. “Just because you and Mariah kept in touch while she was away at school in college halfway across the country and then reunited again doesn’t count. You guys weren’t dating back then.”
He points at me. “True. But we always talked and video chatted on FaceTime.”
Yeah, but I bet she was screwing other guys on the side.
I finish the last of my beer and then say, “I don’t think relationships are for me. I’m not looking for anything serious. Honestly, I’m not looking for anything at all. Even casual dating doesn’t appeal to me these days.”
“Is that because you still have a thing for Adelyn?”
My nerves tense. “No, plus she’s taken now. By Rick.”
I figured he already knew as much, but the shocked expression on his face is telling me otherwise.
“What?!”
I nod. “Yup. How do you not know? They’ve been dating for the past two years.”
“I probably haven’t seen either of them around in that long. Plus, I don’t really keep up with your friends. This is news to me though.”
“Yeah, it was news to me, too.”
He waits a few seconds and then adds, “So, how are you taking it?”
I shrug. “Rick asked me if I was fine with them dating. What was I supposed to say?”
“The truth.”
I consider his response for a moment. Maybe. But what is the truth? That I’m not okay with it? How can I not be supportive of my best friends?
“I don’t k
now, Mase. I don’t even know how I feel about the whole thing, but how can I not be okay with it all?”
He shrugs. “Easily. She was yours first.”
I bite the inside of my bottom lip. “Not really…”
“Your best friend knew you had a thing for her. He shouldn’t have crossed that line. Ever. But guys will do that, I guess. Seriously though, how do you feel about all of it? Them being together, dating?”
I chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” he asks.
“If it were only that…”
He scrunches his nose. “What do you mean?”
“Them dating is not the worst of it…” I sit back on the seat of the couch.
“Oh?” He perks up. “Is she pregnant or something?”
Funny how my brother and I think alike. Honestly, who would consider him wanting to ask her to be his wife before anything else? I guess no one saw this coming.
I put out my hands in front of me, accepting defeat. “Rick just told me this morning that he’s going to propose to her… plus, he wants me there when he does it.”
His blue eyes widen. “He’s going to propose to her in front of everyone?”
I nod. “Yep. This Friday.”
“Are you going?”
I shrug. “What choice do I have?”
Mason stands up. “Look, Maddox. I know these are your friends, but you’re my brother. And even though you were away for the past few years because of your stupid temper, I know you pretty damn well.”
I smirk.
“I do, Mad. Like it or not.”
He does, I guess.
He walks over and takes a seat next to me on the couch. “I can tell you still care about this girl.”
“I don’t—”
“You do, and it’s okay,” he says, cutting me off. “I honestly always thought you and Adelyn would end up together in the end, but I guess life has a funny way of turning out.”
Sure does.
“Have you seen her yet?”
“Adelyn?” I ask.
“No, our grandmother.” He chuckles. “Yes, Adelyn. That’s who we’re talking about, right?”
I shrug. “Only a little.”
“And how does she seem to you? Does she seem as in love with him as he is with her?”
I shrug again. “I don’t know. I guess.”
He places a hand on my shoulder. “Time will tell, but for now, I think you should talk to Rick. Tell him how you feel.”
I pull away and stand up from the couch. “I get what you’re saying, but I can’t do that. I can’t come into their world now, after being gone for so long and demand to be let in. They found their happily ever after. Everyone has moved on, including me.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Have you, Maddox?”
Sure, I have. I’m just bitter about the whole thing because they seem to be so happy and I’m alone. But it’s my own fault. I can’t expect people not to move on with their lives and find their happiness because I got transferred across the country. If they fell in love while I was away, then that’s that and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Yes, I have. Anyway, I’ve got to go...”
He nods and stands up, then he walks me to the door. “Sure, no problem. I’m going to hit the sack myself, but one last thing, bro.” He grabs the door and I step outside of it, turning to face him.
“What’s up?”
“Just think about my words. Consider what I’ve said and make sure Maddox is getting his happily ever after, too.”
Chapter Nine
“Well, It’s about time!”
I smile as my mother’s face lights up once she sees me walking into the store. “Hey, Mom.”
“Come here and give your mother a hug.”
I walk over to my mother and her arms embrace me. It’s kind of funny to think that when I was a kid, her arms used to wrap all the way around me. Now it’s the other way around; my muscular arms wrap around her small frame.
As we pull apart from one another, I take in her expression; her eyes are full of happy tears. She reaches up and cups my face in her hands. “Look at you… you’ve grown up so much since I’ve last seen you.”
“Aww, Mom, please don’t cry,” I say as she wipes away at the corner of her eye. I know it’s been a few years since I’ve been back home, but still. I guess this is just one of those things I’ll never understand until I have kids.
She giggles as she tilts her head to the left, wiping the other one. “Right, well, you try telling my heart that.” She places a hand on her hip and then spins around, fixing some items on display. “How are things going? Everything good with work?”
Ah, there it is. I know exactly to what she’s referring. She wants to make sure my temper hasn’t already gotten the best of me since getting back home.
I look around. The store is exactly as I remember it, there’s just fewer people shopping. Back then, the place used to always be packed. Now, it doesn’t seem like there are many anymore.
“Work’s good, everything’s great. Where’s Pops?” I ask and follow her around the store.
She points forward and turns her head. “He’s in the back. Come with me.” We walk a few feet before we run into one of her employees and she says, “Nina, keep an eye on things for a bit, dear. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Yes, Mrs. Martinelli,” Nina answers, then notices me.
Her eyes land on me, and the ghost of a smile is visible. She’s got auburn-red hair and sparkling brown eyes, resembling a lot like Julia Roberts during her Pretty Woman days.
“Ah hem.” My mother clears her throat to bring Nina’s attention back to her.
Nina snaps her gaze back to her boss. “I’m right on that.” She rushes off and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me.
Mom turns around and shakes her head while donning a smile. “You never had trouble getting attention from the ladies.”
“Well, I—”
“Just like your father. Come on now. I’m sure he’ll want to see you sooner rather than later.”
I continue following her until we reach the back where the warehouse is.
Mom grabs the handle on the little refrigerator off to the right and swings it open. She bends down and peers inside, then says, “Can I grab you something to drink, honey?”
“Hmm… some beer would be nice. Got any?”
She spins her head around and gives me a disapproving look. “Now, Maddox, you know we don’t stock that here at work. And by the way, it’s still too early to be drinking.”
I smirk and shrug my shoulders at her. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?”
She chuckles and closes the refrigerator door. “Oh, honey. You always were my crazy little boy. How about some coffee?”
I think for a moment and then offer her a smile. “Coffee sounds great.”
She walks over to her old percolator coffee pot and begins making some. It’s funny how this backroom of the store has a fully functional kitchen. Italian families…
I furrow my brows. “You guys still refusing to purchase a Keurig?”
“You know we don’t believe in those bacteria infested machines.”
I let out a laugh. “Bacteria infested? Really, Mom?”
She giggles. “Nothing makes coffee better than the old-fashioned way.”
Mom pulls out a chair from the table nestled off to the right. “Your father, your father… where is he?” She flicks her wrist to look at her watch and nods. “Yep, just as I suspected. He’s probably out back with the truckers grabbing the deliveries.”
“Don’t you have someone who does that? What happened to Lenny?” I plop down into the seat and watch my mother shuffle some paperwork and mail around. One quick glance at it lets me know it’s what Mason was telling me about. Maybe she doesn’t want to tell me just yet that they’re having trouble here at the store, but I’m definitely going to find out.
She lets out a loud, labored sigh. “We had to let Lenny go…”
I furrow my brows, pretending I don’t know why, but now I’m sure this is because they’re struggling. “Oh, really? How come?”
The smell of the coffee brewing wafts into my nostrils; it smells so good.
“Well, um… things, but don’t you worry about it. We’ve got it covered around here.”
Yeah, I’m not convinced.
“But Pops can’t be unloading and sorting the deliveries… that will kill his back. He’s already got back issues.”
She nods and rises from her seat. “Yes, but Maverick’s been around to help.” She walks over to the stove and removes the percolator off of it.
Maverick, my little brother. It’s funny to think of him helping around the store. He wanted nothing to do with it before.
“No kidding, Mav helping out? Where is the little fu—” I catch myself before letting the obscenity roll off my tongue.
But it doesn’t matter. The glare Mom is giving me now tells me it didn’t pass her by.
“Sorry, Ma.”
“Uh-huh. You just watch your tongue, Maddox Martinelli. Here.” She takes another breath and hands me a cup of coffee before sitting down across from me. “Maverick’s good. He’s grown up a lot since you were last here. He’s an EMT now.”
My eyes light up and before taking a sip, I say, “Really? You don’t say? Little Mav, saving people and sh—, I mean, and all.” I really need to not blurt out the first thing that pops into my head.
Again, my mother doesn’t miss a beat. She gives me that look with the smug grin. I guess that’s where I get it from.
“Little Mav,” she repeats. “He’s not so little anymore, Maddox.”
I nod. “I guess not.” I take another sip and let the warm beverage slide down my throat. So good.
As for Maverick, whatever, he’s always going to be a little fucker to me. Maverick’s always been a little irresponsible shit in my eyes. Sure, I love him like I love my brother, Mason, but something about his arrogant ass rubs me the wrong way. It’s as if he expects certain things, like they’re owed to him. But I don’t owe him shit. Just because he’s the youngest of the three of us, he thinks he can act like a fool and get away with it.