Rhett was already halfway down the hall before I realized what he’d said. “Wait! I don’t know where the kitchen is!”
We didn’t stay out very long. Bess wanted to grab drinks and go sit under the pier, but Rhett vetoed that idea – because she was only nineteen and because his parents were throwing him a welcome home dinner that evening.
Rhett seemed to fit in here better than he did in Boston. His impeccable manners were more suited to a quiet small town, but it was more than that. He glowed in the sun like a bronze statue. I’d never seen him quite so relaxed, like the heat was working out all the little kinks and aches in his muscles.
But something was still weighing on him, dampening some of his fire. There were times during the day when he’d seem distracted, and I had a feeling it had something to do with the upcoming family dinner.
I had an even stronger feeling that whatever it was, it was the reason I was here.
By the time we managed to wrangle Bess into the car and away from the ice cream stand, it was nearly five o’clock. We made it back to Rhett’s house within minutes, but his mother still gave us a disapproving look when we walked through the door.
“Rhett, you’d miss your own funeral,” she chided. Turning to me, she stretched out a hand. “We met briefly last night, but I haven’t had a proper chance to welcome you. I’m Vivian.”
Rhett’s father, Abe, emerged from the dining room and introduced himself next.
They were a well-suited couple so far as I could see. Bess and Rhett had clearly inherited Vivian’s dazzling smile, though I noted they got their dark gray eyes from their father’s side. Rhett’s father was about an inch shorter than he was, but Vivian was several inches taller than me, putting the couple within only a couple inches of each other.
“Don’t listen to your mother,” Abe joked to Rhett. “You’re right on time.”
Vivian turned and smacked her husband lightly on the arm, laughing. “He’s been home three seconds, and you’re already making exceptions for him.”
“Let’s eat!” Bess exclaimed. “I’m starving, and all this talk is only making it worse.”
Vivian began to chastise her daughter for her manners, but all the same, we swept into the dining room as a group. Vivian had prepared an amazing spread of pulled pork, buns, and coleslaw. The dishes steamed on the table, their delicious aromas wafting to my nose and making my mouth water.
“There’s something I want to say before we eat,” Rhett said, looking a little pale.
He fiddled with the fork in front of him. I tightened the grip on the napkin I’d been unfolding to cover my lap, his anxiety shifting over to me.
“What’s that, sweetie?” Vivian was distracted by the distribution of buns.
Rhett cleared his throat. “I’m gay.”
3
Drew
There wasn’t much to pack. It wasn’t like a show this small involved any props or special effects. People came to watch because they wanted to see me win big or fail hard, and all I needed for that was my bike and balls of steel. Check and check.
I tried not to think about how many of the spectators were hoping for blood. I tried not to think about anything when I rode.
The screen door creaked open and slammed closed, and I turned to see my sister stepping down the front steps. “Need any help?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’ve got it.”
I’d stopped to see my parents to say goodbye to my mom before I left. She’d made peace with what I did a long time ago, but she liked me to say goodbye before each show, just in case.
“Where are you heading out to again?” Delaney chuckled. “You’re always so busy in the summer. Never know what you’re up to.”
I could see the anxiety in her eyes though she would never admit it. Making sure I wiped the grease off my hands fully first, I reached out for Delaney. She pranced under my arm and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing as tight as she could.
“Relax, little sister.” I ruffled some of her hair. “I’m only going over to Holmwood. I don’t leave for the other part of the tour quite yet.”
“Good.” She backed up and ran her fingers through her inky curls. I remembered when her hair was an unruly, frazzled mess all day every day as a child. Now, at twenty, she wouldn’t leave the house unless her hair and makeup was perfect.
“You’ve still got Derek to hang out with,” I reminded her, bending over to finish strapping up my bag.
“He’s a huge grump,” she argued. “And so goddamn serious.”
“Okay, well, I’m sure Dallas can make some time for you. You can just pretend he’s the good twin.”
Delaney’s lips quirked into a small smile. “You don’t have to arrange entertainment for me in your absence. I’m a big girl.”
Not to me. She’d just been a tiny little potato when Mom had handed her over to me at the hospital to hold. I was a ten-year-old kid who hadn’t wanted a little sister. Even though I’d been pretty jaded, as far as ten-year-olds went, she’d warmed my heart from the get-go.
And it seemed that her and my mom were the only women who ever would.
“Just don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone,” I said, swinging a leg over the seat of my bike.
“Says the guy who’s about to go perform death-defying stunts.”
I grinned and slid on my helmet. “I’m trained to do that stuff. There’s a difference.”
“It doesn’t count if you train yourself!” she argued.
I revved up my motor and pretended I hadn’t heard her last sentence. Since this wasn’t a new move for me, Delaney stuck out her tongue and waved me off.
She made what had turned into a career for me sound so...redneck. I knew that my family all supported me, but I sometimes wondered if they were just waiting for me to grow out of it. They didn’t understand. Even Dallas, who I’d shared a damn womb with, always failed to hide his distaste.
As I tore out of town, none of that mattered. I was free as a fucking bird and about to take flight.
Holmwood was only a slightly bigger town than my own home of Grantsboro. And it still didn’t even compare in size to the next closest town, Wilmington. But almost any small town could be counted on to have a big fuckin’ fair every summer, just because the folks who lived there had shit all else to do.
I’d always liked fairs. When I was a kid, I was all about the biggest and scariest rides they would let me on. The first year that I was tall enough to ride the Zipper was one that went down in history for me.
The older I got, the less I cared about riding rides and the more I wanted to manufacture my own thrills. What could I do that would make my heart pound and my hair stand on end? And better yet – how could I do it for a living?
It’d seemed like the natural choice to go from being a mechanic in my dad’s shop to riding souped-up motorcycles off ramps. My dad didn’t agree, but hey, parents never did.
This fair season, I wanted to go further than I had before. I was ready to take some chances because in life, and especially in stunts, you had to make risks to get rewards.
I set my stuff up at the fairground and checked into my hotel. After that, I decided to go for a little ride.
Barely anybody paid me any mind as I rumbled down Holmwood’s main street. I recognized the same shops and restaurants that had been here this time last year, but nothing new. I didn’t know all the people there by sight, but I would have wagered that the little blonde I saw strolling down the sidewalk was new. She was wearing one of those sundresses that looked demure while also bringing to mind positively sinful mental images. Her long legs jutted out from under the skirt, and I could just picture bending her over my bike and hiking it around her shapely hips.
She didn’t notice me, but she was pretty preoccupied with the guy she was with. I didn’t even notice him until I’d already driven past and was checking her out in the mirror. Fuck. They seemed pretty friendly too.
But would I have gone to talk to her if she hadn?
??t been with some dude? Probably not.
I tried not to be too disappointed. It didn’t matter how hot the chick was, work came first. And the hotter ones were usually more trouble anyway. That girl, whoever she was, was probably a hell of a lot of trouble.
All the same, I wondered if I’d get to see her tomorrow at the fair. It didn’t matter that I told myself to forget her perfect ass or those sinful red lips.
Like I’d ever be able to forget them.
4
Jinx
As far as announcements went, Rhett’s was a doozy. Such a doozy, in fact, that it had sent me running to the travel agent to try to book a flight home.
“I just feel like I’m getting in the way here,” I explained to Rhett for what felt like the millionth time. “You and your family are...dealing with some things. As a family.”
“And you’re my family too. That’s why I wanted you here.”
As touching as I found this sentiment to be, it didn’t make me feel any less uncomfortable.
“Rhett...” I sighed and grabbed the big guy’s hand. “I just don’t want to get in the way.”
He smiled at me and squeezed. “So you keep saying. What do you think you’ll be getting in the way of, exactly? It’s not like my family’s about to have some sort of big gay coming-out party for me that they wouldn’t want you there for. And, last time I checked, I invited you here for a reason.”
I mulled it over, but we were already outside Holmwood’s one travel agency.
“Let me just see what they’ve got, okay?”
He let go of my hand and waved me in. “Go on then. I just need to run across the street to grab some razors.” He pointed to the family-run drugstore, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Despite being a city girl through and through, I enjoyed the little quirks that small towns usually had. The businesses that were just as prominent in the community as their owners, the waves of gossip, the excitement that built up before even the smallest of events. Take the fair, for example. Rhett’s sister hadn’t stopped talking about it all through breakfast.
Then again, she might have just been talking to fill the silence. Rhett’s parents were still letting his news sink in. I didn’t think they were disapproving, necessarily, but they were old-fashioned, small town people. His dad taught P.E. His mom stayed at home with the kids. Having their son come home gay – though he’d obviously always been gay – was a shock.
And the longer it took for the news to percolate, the more uncomfortable I grew.
The woman inside the little shop greeted me with a smile as I came in. “Well, hello there. You don’t look familiar.”
I smiled back and took the seat across from her. “I’m not. I’m just in town visiting a friend, but something has come up, and I need to book a last-minute flight back home.”
She nodded along. “And where’s back home, sweetie?”
“Boston.”
The agent’s eyebrows rose, and she began typing into her computer. “Boston...Boston...” She frowned, which drew her eyebrows back down. “I don’t have anything going out to Boston that isn’t booked solid for about a week. Do you want me to check other options? I can give the Greyhound a call.”
The thought of twelve hours on a bus with strangers sent a shiver of disgust up my spine.
She must have caught my look. “I can check nearby airports,” she suggested. “You might have to drive or bus out a couple hours, but generally the routes from the larger airports don’t fill up quite so quickly.”
I sighed and shook my head. “That’s okay. I appreciate you looking for me.”
I couldn’t have Rhett go out of his way to get me on a plane back to Boston, nor did I particularly feel like figuring out connecting busses and all that jazz while in the baking North Carolina heat.
Rhett wanted me to stay, and it looked like I was staying. For the time being, anyway. I’d check out flights on my laptop later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.
I excused myself from the office and headed back out into the sun. Rhett was just jogging over from his trip across the street, and he smiled when he saw me.
“That was quick.”
I shrugged. “No flights. Looks like I’m grounded.”
He hooked an arm through mine and dragged me along beside him, practically radiating glee. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
I hadn’t realized it meant so much to him that I was still here. I’d figured the hard part was over.
“Hey, Rhett.” I tugged on his arm to slow him down. “Is there something else you’re planning to reveal to your parents?” I avoided his eyes. “I dunno, like that you’re engaged to some guy back in Boston or something?”
I felt horrible asking, but I needed to know what I was getting into. I understood why Rhett had chosen to reveal his secret in the way he did, but I was pretty done with surprises.
Rhett’s eyes filled with amusement. “That would be scandalous, wouldn’t it?” He waggled his brows. “Someone famous maybe? I could be a billionaire’s secret boyfriend.”
I sent him a flat stare.
“Oh, relax, Jinx.”
He reached out and tapped the end of my nose. The happier Rhett was, the touchier he was. Apparently, my announcement that I wasn’t going home had made him ecstatic.
“I know you’re a city girl, and I know that small-town coming-out drama is hardly your forte, but I think having you here will help ease my family through the transition, you know? It’s good for them to have a reminder that there’s a whole wide world that exists outside of Holmwood. And what could be more illustrative of that fact than a Yankee journalist who doesn’t even know how to barbecue? When my parents see you, they see the outside. When they see me next to you, they see that I’m still their good Southern boy and that the only thing that’s changed is them knowing my sexuality.”
I blinked and looked over at him. “You really thought this out, huh?”
He grinned. “You have no idea. I’ve been going over coming-out ideas for years. At one point, I thought about doing it through the medium...” he pranced forward into a low lunge, “…of dance.”
I laughed. “Well, it would have been a poignant way of doing it. That’s for sure.”
“And remember what I said about you needing to get out and soak up some of the world?”
“Honestly, at this point, I kinda assumed that was all bullshit you said to get me here.”
Rhett let out a bark of laughter. “You make me sound so devious. I don’t deserve such accolades.” He began leading us forward again. His parents only lived about fifteen minutes outside of the downtown area, though I figured almost everyone in Holmwood did.
“I’ve seen how freaked out you’ve been,” Rhett said. “And I know you. I know you won’t stop freaking out until you get a little distance.”
My lips tugged up at the edges. “You know, it’s a shame you’re gay,” I joked.
He laughed. “Is it?”
“I think if you weren’t, I’d marry you.” I tipped my head back, letting the sun spill over my cheeks. I smiled as the warmth dipped under my skin, touching the deepest parts of my soul. Maybe Rhett was right. I needed this.
“You still could marry me,” Rhett offered. “We could have a lovely, sexless marriage where the only disagreements we would have would be about which Hemsworth brother is better looking.”
I shot a glance his way. “Chris, hands down.”
He shook his head. “Liam or bust.”
“Looks like we’re already halfway there.”
Rhett, a very excited Bess, and I headed out to the fair the next day. It was supposedly the highlight of the Holmwood social calendar, and as an outsider, I was outright forbidden to miss it. I didn’t have anything else particularly pressing to do – besides gazing into the endless and terrifying abyss of my future – so I happily accepted the invitation.
Not knowing what to wear to the fair, I’d paired a pair of jean shorts with some black tennis shoes and a ch
eckered shirt. Apparently, that was the uniform for the event.
“You look just like one of us,” Bess said. “I bet nobody here will peg you as a city-slicker.”
“We don’t actually talk like that,” Rhett interrupted. He shot his sister a sour glance.
I just laughed. I was enjoying the whole North Carolina vibe, even if it did involve lots of plaid and limited cell service. In fact, the cheery sunshine and rolling hills were doing wonders for my mood. It felt like I’d stumbled into a hidden pocket of the world. And did I mention there were a lot of hills?
“What should we do first?” Bess asked. She was also wearing jean shorts, though hers were paired with a lacy white tank top that I had no idea how anybody could keep clean for a full day at the fair.
I took a long look around. The midway was in full swing, and most of the rides had full lines of eager thrill seekers. I almost always avoided the games corridor – I never won a damn thing – so I barely gave that a glance. What really caught my eye was the growing crowd of people at the far end of the field.
“Is that a race track?” I asked.
Bess’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, they do motorcycle racing and awesome stunts. It’s super cool!”
Rhett squinted against the sun. “Looks like they’re starting a show soon. Wanna go check it out?”
I nodded, and the three of us headed over to join the milling onlookers. We took a spot farther around the bend of the track, giving us a closer vantage point where there were fewer people.
“I saw the show last year,” Bess said. “Some of the guys are pretty hot.”
“You should have mentioned that first,” Rhett joked.
“Yeah, way to bury the lead there, kid.” I gave Bess a little nudge, and she beamed over at me.