The Perfect Homecoming (Pine River)

by London, Julia

  So anyway, Marisol and I were poring over maps, and she was coding alternate routes in different colors when Emma showed up. Emma did this double-hop thing when she saw Marisol, like she wasn’t expecting her at all, and she said, “Oh hey, hi, Marisol,” and Marisol said, “Um,” and kept looking at the maps.

  I explained to Emma that Marisol was helping me get ready for the game, because I didn’t want her to think she was fired or anything, and Emma said oh, and then she wondered if I’d had my gruel, and Marisol said yes in that Latina way that essentially means, don’t even think of stepping on my toes, chica, and Emma just walked into the kitchen. Sometimes she forgets to make a graceful exit. She forgets to say things like “Thanks!” Or, “Excuse me, hope you two have fun.” She just walks off. I don’t take it personally, because I figure she doesn’t know what to say and just goes on. Anyway, she walked into the kitchen and I could hear her banging things around, being loud, and Marisol picked up the yellow highlighter and looked at me and said, “You’re very stupid, Leo.”

  I said, “Stop flirting with me, Marisol. I’m busy right now.”

  And she said, “That skinny blonde is in love with you.”

  Well, tell me something I don’t know already. People, what do you think I do all day with this ginormous brain? I think, I observe, and I am always one step ahead of you. I said, “Look, it’s obvious she’s totally into me, but she’s not in love with me. She’s in love with, like . . . sanctuary.” I couldn’t think of a better word because I’ll be honest, my genius brain was one hundred percent focused on football. Marisol looked like she thought I was trying to speak Spanish or something and she said that didn’t make any sense, but the thing is, it makes all the sense in the world. Emma is in love with the idea that there is a guy out there who doesn’t want her for her body. I mean, I think she wants a guy to be completely into her kick-ass body, but she doesn’t want that to be the first and only thing, you know? But then, she’s kind of strange, and I think she’s afraid if anyone ever looked past her perfect body, they wouldn’t like what they saw.

  Me, I’m totally into her body. That’s what I want, but I can’t do anything about it, so, voila, she’s safe with me.

  Emma knows that, too. That’s why she’s hiding out with me. I don’t know exactly what she’s hiding from, but hello, it’s obvious to everyone she’s hiding. People like Luke think she’s hiding from something or someone. “Maybe she’s on the lam,” he said with a chuckle, but I could tell he’d actually wondered if that was true.

  I’m a lot more astute than any other Kendrick in this house, and I know she’s hiding from herself.

  So, late one day Luke comes in with Cooper, his new best friend, and they’re all excited because it’s supposed to snow late in the week, and Luke’s suggesting that they take a day or two and go skiing. This guy has been here a couple of days now, which I thought was all he’d planned, but now it looks like he’s sticking around for a few more. Of course he’s still here, because it’s the holiday season and the ranch is running itself right now, and Luke has time on his hands and this guy likes to do the stuff that Luke likes to do, and Luke is full of ideas. Plus, Luke can be very convincing. Trust me, back in the day, he talked me into doing things that would have made my mom kill herself if she’d known.

  I can tell Cooper digs it here, too. He doesn’t want to admit it because that would be, like, super uncool to be from Hollywood and really dig Pine River. Anyway, we were sitting around and he and Luke were drinking beer, and Dad was shoving shit into a blender for me, and I asked Cooper how he knows Emma.

  “Only casually. We worked a couple of events together.” But when he said it, he looked like he’d just eaten something lumpy and couldn’t swallow it.

  I said, “Don’t you like her?” Because even though Emma’s a little odd, she’s beautiful, she’s funny in a nonobvious way, she tells it like it is, and she likes dogs. What’s not to like?

  Cooper looked like I’d caught him with his pants down, and believe me, he’s not the kind of guy to get caught like that. He said, “I like her fine. I mean, I don’t know her that well, but I haven’t had any issues with her.”

  I thought that was a weird thing to say, no issues, and so did Luke, because he laughed. “Issues. Like what?”

  Cooper shrugged and took a giant swig from his beer and said, “I’ll be honest, guys—she’s got a rep around Hollywood.”

  Well now, that remark totally made me feel the need to stick up for my woman, and I said, “Sure she does. She’s different. But different isn’t bad, you know? Like that kid playing basketball in New Jersey. You know who I’m talking about, right? The high school senior? He’s like this huge basketball star, no one can block him, and he’s got autism.”

  Cooper looked really startled, and so did Luke, who said, all confused, “What are you saying? Emma has autism?”

  I am often amazed at how obtuse people around me can be. I was like, “No, dude, she doesn’t have autism.” Sometimes you really have to spell these things out. “I’m just saying she’s different. She’s not like the other girls, but she’s still awesome. Like that kid in New Jersey.”

  Cooper said, “Right,” but he said it in a tone that told me he didn’t get it at all. So I said, “I bet you didn’t know that she gave a big wad of cash to the Pine River afterschool program.”

  Luke was frowning like he thought I was making it up, and he was all, “How do you know, genius?” How can he still doubt my powers of observation? I said, “Because Debbie Trimble is on the board and she told me. She was as surprised as you, Luke, and I guess it’s because you guys look at Emma and you don’t think charitable works, right? They didn’t even ask Emma for it. She heard Deb talking about it, and the next time Debbie was over, she handed her a check.”

  Cooper stared at me.

  “She’s like, super generous, and they’re all excited about the improvements they’re going to make in the spring.” Boo-yah. Once again, I am king of information in Pine River.

  Even Luke was impressed, because he said, “My God, what do you not know about Pine River?”

  Well, nothing, but that is way beside the point here.

  “So how come you never mentioned this before?” Luke demanded, all mad because once again, I knew something he didn’t. I told him it was because it seemed kind of personal for Emma. Sort of like the Wilson kids, which, of course, Luke knows about because Jackson’s told everyone. I mean, I know what it’s like to want something so bad when you can only look at it. Like when you can’t go out in the world and get what you want because your arms and legs don’t work, or maybe because your heart is too broken. I explained all this to Luke, but it was Cooper I was watching. He was really quiet, just listening, watching me really closely like he wasn’t quite sure I was all there.

  I decided that night that I really like Cooper. I think he could get it, like, really get it. He just seems sharp, you know? Sometimes a person walks into your house and you get a sense about them, that they are really hearing what you’re saying, and understanding it. Most people walk into this house and they are trying to think of something to say really fast so they don’t have to address the elephant in the room—which would be me—or they are thinking about themselves. You can just tell.

  But Cooper doesn’t seem like that. He’s cool.

  And Luke really likes him. It’s man love or whatever you call it when two dudes find someone just like them out in the world. Luke’s been talking about Cooper and the stuff they’ve been doing, checking out all the places they could stage some sports in the summer like they’re two little kids building a fort.

  I remember when that used to be Luke talking about me and what we’d done together. We’d go way up in those mountains, and we’d build forts and hunt elk and ski and climb rocks—you name it. Mom used to get really mad at us and tell us she was going to sell us to a merchant ship if we didn’
t come home when we were supposed to, but Luke and I weren’t really scared of her. We were really scared of bears.

  Anyway, Luke and Cooper’s excellent adventure makes me kind of sad. Not sad that I can’t go—I got over that a while back. I’m sad that Luke has to replace me. Your brother is supposed to be there in the beginning and all the way to the end. Your brother is supposed to be exploring canyons with you in the winter. What really sucks is that I’m the lucky one in this deal, and Luke got robbed.

  You know what I hate? I hate that I’m letting him down. I hate it worse than almost anything. Except maybe the Patriots. Anyway, I’m glad Luke has found Cooper who, let’s be honest, is pretty good-looking and super smart. In other words, if you can’t have me, he’s a pretty good runner-up.

  I just hope Luke doesn’t forget how totally awesome I was.

  Who am I kidding? That would be impossible.

  TWELVE

  Cooper had liked Luke Kendrick the moment he’d met him. He had an easy way about him, seemed very much at home running interference between his brother and his dad, and took ribbing in stride.

  Their friendship had begun the night Cooper had dinner with the Kendricks. As Cooper had begun to describe the sort of sports they would like to stage here, Luke’s eyes had lit with the possibilities. He’d been showing Cooper around for a couple of days, and it had been a blast.

  Last night, the two of them had a beer at the Rocky Creek Tavern. “I know exactly where to take you,” Cooper had said, pointing a beer bottle at Cooper. “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before. Trace Canyon. No one’s ever back up in there except the Forest Service. There are some great gullies, some great rock faces. I’ll take you up tomorrow if you have time.”

  Of course Cooper had time. He let the calls from Carl roll to voice mail; he didn’t want his fun to be ruined with Carl’s paranoia.

  Like Jackson, Luke seemed to think the warnings about the canyon were more informational than instructional, and took Cooper all over Trace Canyon. They drove up logging roads and scoped out some great ravines for cliff jumping and temporary zip lines. The waterfall Luke had in mind was frozen, but in summer, he explained how it was the perfect place to rappel down to the pool below, then catch some white water another five hundred feet down.

  Luke drove Cooper up the sunny side of Mount Cielo as far as he could, then pointed out where the rock face looked as if it had been sheared off by a giant knife. It was unthinkable to be this high up at this time of year without two skis strapped to one’s feet, but the ongoing drought made it a perfect day for two men to play.

  Luke apparently had the same thought. “Want to scale it?” he asked with a slightly maniacal grin—the sort of grin Cooper used to see on his partners. “I’ve got some gear in the back.”

  “Can we get up there?” Cooper asked, peering at the trail.

  “It’s worth a try,” Luke said. “But we better do it while we can. Dad says a front’s coming through tonight. This will be covered by snow tomorrow.”

  “Let’s do it,” Cooper said without hesitation.

  It was a hard go, especially when they had to crawl over an ice pack, but they made it to the rock face. Cooper went up twenty feet just to test the theory that it would work for some soft studio execs. They both agreed it was doable.

  Everything Cooper saw in Trace Canyon was perfect for what TA had in mind. Everything he saw was perfect for him. This setting—outdoors, mountains, small mountain villages—was where Cooper felt most at home. He was most comfortable with himself in the wild, when he had nothing but his own strength and stamina to rely on. It was a contest to him—how far, how high, how hard could he go? He had not yet found his limit.

  The wind was turning and coming out of the north when they headed down from Trace Canyon. When they reached the point where cell service kicked in, Cooper noticed he had a missed call from his partner Eli.

  Eli was a year older than him, a year or two older than Jack and Michael, and since they’d been boys, Eli had always acted like the elder statesman of their group, the voice of reason among the unruly. Sure it’s a good idea to blow up a beehive? Really think you ought to aim that gun at Jack? To this day, Cooper valued his opinion. He called him.

  “What’s up?” he asked when Eli answered his phone.

  “Carl Freeman called today and he was mad enough to kick his own dog,” Eli drawled.

  “That’s mad,” Cooper agreed.

  “Says he can’t get hold of you. What’s going on?”

  “I’ve been doing a little sightseeing,” Cooper said vaguely. “Emma has it. She just doesn’t want to admit it yet, which I explained to Carl. He needs to be patient. She’s going to give in if for no other reason than to get me off her back.”

  “On her back, huh?” Eli said. “So the rumors about her are true.”

  “Funny,” Cooper said, but Eli’s joke settled wrong in him. He thought about the way she’d looked that night on Elm Street, her eyes shimmering, her smile a little pert. She was everything a guy could want—or at least everything he could want—and her reputation didn’t feel right to him. There was a lot more to the story; he could feel it. But he didn’t say that to Eli.

  “Carl’s a studio head,” Eli said, and yawned. “Patience isn’t his thing. What do you want me to tell him?”

  “Tell him that I’ll have it by the end of the week.”

  “I hope so,” Eli said. “He’s going to come at us with both barrels if you don’t. I’ll call him and talk him off his tiny little divorce ledge. So did you find any good spots for us?”

  “Some great spots,” Cooper said, and filled Eli in on Trace Canyon.

  When he hung up, Luke was looking at him with an inquisitive expression. “I realize I’ve known you for only a couple of days,” he said, “but I have to ask—what’s going on with Emma? Anything we ought to be worried about?”

  “No,” Cooper said. “It’s a misunderstanding.” He explained to Luke that a mutual friend thought Emma had something that belonged to him and left it at that. He’d already said enough about Emma in front of Leo and had managed to get his back up. And besides, something Leo had said about Emma had intrigued Cooper, had made him think that maybe he didn’t really know her like he’d thought. It was the mention of her donation to the afterschool program. That, on the heels of hearing about her interest in the kids at the park, and the job she’d taken with Leo was all so . . . unexpected. Unbelievable, really, given her reputation across LA. These new pieces of information about her didn’t sound like a woman who didn’t care about anyone but herself. They made Emma sound like she did care and maybe, that she longed for something.

  “Madeline thinks she purposely tries to antagonize,” Luke mentioned. “I’m not so sure about that. Sometimes, she pops off and says something off the wall, then looks surprised that she’s offended anyone.” He laughed, as if he found that amusing. “I may be wrong, but I just have a gut feeling about her. And God knows Leo can’t say enough about her,” Luke said, and grinned. “But then again, Leo thinks she’s totally into him.”

  Cooper smiled. “Maybe she is.”

  “Whatever, I have to give the woman props when it comes to my brother,” he added with a shake of his head. “We don’t pay her a dime to come around and sit with Leo, you know? But she comes every day, and it’s a great help to my dad. Not that he’ll admit it,” he said with a lopsided smile, “because Dad likes to think he’s the only one who can take care of Leo. But she really has been a big help. She takes Leo outside and watches movies with him and reads to him. She makes sure everything is clean because Leo’s immunity is not great. She does a lot for him.”

  Cooper silently considered that. It was all so curious, as if two different women were inhabiting that beautiful body.

  “So when are you heading back to LA?” Luke asked.

  “Soon,” Cooper said
. “But not for a few days yet.” He still hadn’t settled on how, exactly, to get the medal out of Emma. Maybe because he’d been enjoying the great outdoors too much to worry about Carl’s problem for a bit.

  “Great! If we get the kind of snow my dad says we’re supposed to get, the best skiing will be up at Wolf Creek. We’re close enough we could drive up early one morning and get a few runs in if you have time.”

  Cooper grinned. “I think that could definitely be arranged.” It used to be this way with the guys of TA. Impromptu, spur-of-the-moment extreme weekends. It had been routine for so long. But now, Cooper couldn’t remember the last time they’d decided at five o’clock on a Friday they were going to drive up the coast and do some windsurfing. He missed that more than he’d realized.

  Yes, Cooper liked Luke a lot.

  They chatted about some of the crazier sports they’d been involved in on the drive back to Pine River. Thick clouds were beginning to roll in, blanketing the valley in a dull gray light. As they neared the turnoff to Homecoming Ranch, Luke said, “Why don’t you come up and join us for dinner? Libby and Sam will be there with Madeline and Emma. Maddie is making lasagna. She isn’t much of a cook, but she makes a mean lasagna.”

  “I’m empty-handed,” Cooper said, lifting his palms faceup. “And I’m dirty. I’ve been scaling rock faces.”

  “We’ve got showers,” Luke said. “A surprising number of them, actually. I’ve got a clean shirt you can borrow. As for the empty hands, I picked up some beer today. It’s in the back of the truck.”

  “I’ve imposed on you enough, Luke.”

  “This has been no imposition, are you kidding?” Luke scoffed. “I haven’t been up in the mountains in a while. Come on, it will be a good time,” Luke said. “And did I mention? Emma will be there, too. Maybe you can get back the thing she has.” He grinned.