The Summer I Fell (The Six Series) Read online

  “We’re playing the music fest in Montgomery in a couple of weeks. Think you can make that?”

  “We’ll be there.” I could only hope Paige had the night off.

  “Good. I’ll have my manager get the tickets to you.”

  “Listen to you.” I laughed. “I’ll get with my manager,” I said, mimicking him.

  The sound of multiple voices hollering burst through the speaker on the phone. I yanked it away from my ear and winced. Jared’s voice hollered over the noise so I could hear him. “The guys are back, and I can’t hear a damn thing…” They shouted lewd comments at him and the next thing I heard was something sliding over the phone. His muffled voice bickered back at them. Something slammed, and silence filled the connection. I heard Jared groan before he spoke, “Sorry about that. They’re really loud, which is why I waited so late to call you.”

  “I don’t blame you. How can you even think straight with all that noise?”

  “It’s been an adjustment, that’s for sure.” He sounded a little off, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.

  “Is everything okay, Jared?”

  He blew out a deep breath, and I could imagine him tipping his head back to look at the sky. “Yeah, I’m fine. Life on the road’s been awesome. I’ve met some pretty epic people. People I never thought I’d meet. I’m doing what I love, so really, how can I complain?”

  I would have believed him up until he let the sarcastic laugh I knew all too well slip out of him.

  “Why do I feel like you’re just saying that so I’ll leave you alone?”

  “Why do you always have to pick things apart?” He turned my wary tone back on me.

  “Because I know you, Jared. And I know you’re not telling me everything. But I also know not to push you. When you’re ready to talk, you’ll call me. Regardless of what damn time it is.”

  He laughed at me, and my worries slipped a little. Jared would be okay. Besides, he was like a damn cat—always landing on his feet. If the path he was on didn’t go the way he wanted it to, he’d change it. It was just that simple.

  “I’m gonna let you go before they follow me out here and start their shit again. I’ll call you soon?”

  “Why do you make it sound like it’s up to me if you call?” I asked.

  “Face it, Riley. Nothing about me is normal. Especially my days and nights these days.”

  “You’re the most un-normal guy I know, Jared. Call me whenever you can.”

  “Night, Riles.”

  “Night, Jared.”

  When the call ended, I stared at the phone as if it had the answers to all the questions swirling around in my head. Jared was not happy. I could tell just by the tone of his voice. But he also wasn’t talking about it, and I couldn’t figure out what could bother him so much that he repressed his hotheaded nature and held back on saying anything. He’d crack, eventually.

  I put my phone on the nightstand and pulled the covers up to my chin.

  SOMETIME AFTER FOUR, I’D FALLEN into a fitful sleep. My dreams wreaked havoc on me, as they jumped all over the place. Josh, Aiden, Mark, Eli, Jared, and Ace all made appearances in blips that made no sense. It was as if my subconscious tried to gather them all up from where they were and put them in one place. My head. None of it made any sense. A room full of cots with no back wall, only the jungle, and somewhere in all of that, a rock concert that Mark took pictures of and Josh wrote a midterm paper on. Nonsense. Total and complete nonsense.

  When my alarm clock went off, I slammed my hand down on top of it, silencing its aggravating noise. I needed a nap to recover from my fitful night of sleep. Unfortunately, Dr. Anderson’s cell phone went off, killing any chance at going back to bed.

  I rubbed at my eyes as I took a call from Old Man Willis. He needed my help with a few things. I grumbled as I dressed for the day, wondering what he needed. Trying to get an answer out of Old Man Willis was like pulling teeth on a bird. I’d hung up with him, promising I’d stop in as soon as I finished at the office. Shelby’s owner was scheduled to pick her up, leaving me with one less critter to take care of. Rodney was showing signs of improvement. All he needed was Dr. Anderson’s approval to head home. With any luck, that would only be a few more days.

  The cell phone on my hip rang, and I answered.

  “Hey, Riley. How’s everything going?” Dr. Anderson’s happy voice met my ears.

  “Hey, Dr. Anderson. Everything’s great here. How’s your mom?”

  “A little better, not much though. My sister will be here tomorrow, so that I can get back to work. I just wanted to let you know that I’d be home in a couple of days.”

  “Sounds good,” I said as I pulled my truck in and parked it at the office.

  Before we hung up, he asked about Rodney, Shelby, and the baby raccoon. I chewed my fingernails as I told him about Sammy and her kittens. He assured me that he’d take care of fixing them once the kittens were old enough and thanked me for not turning Seth away.

  With Dr. Anderson returning, it would get back to being a little busier at the vet clinic. My days would blend themselves one into another until it was time for Jared’s concert and Ace’s graduation.

  Since it was Saturday, Seth would be spending most of his day with me. I liked Seth; he was a good kid and a hard worker. He met me at the door of the clinic, and we walked in together.

  “Mornin’ Riley,” he said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

  “Good morning, Seth. So you’re hangin’ out with me today?”

  “Yep, Momma says I’ve got all my chores done, and I don’t have to be home ’till dinner.”

  “Good. You can ride over to Old Man Willis’ place and help me.”

  He dipped his head. “I’m gonna go get Shelby ready for when she gets picked up.”

  “Thanks, Seth.”

  I walked over to Becky’s desk and found Shelby’s file. Everything was in order; I just needed her owner’s signature and payment. My heart stuttered and then tried to stop when I realized who would be picking Shelby up. Samantha Sloan. Shit.

  The bell over the door jingled. I braced myself and turned, ready for Samantha’s claws to come out, but it wasn’t her.

  “Mrs. Sloan?”

  Samantha’s mom, Marcy, had come in to pick Shelby up.

  “Hello, Riley. How are you?” She leaned in to look at me, as if trying to find some sort of scar or marking from the fight her daughter and I had been in.

  “I’m fine, ma’am.” I turned and grabbed Shelby’s folder, pulling the bill out for her to sign. “If you’ll just look this over and then sign it, I’ll go make sure Shelby’s ready to go.”

  The large purse she carried hit the counter with a thud, and she picked up the bill to look at it. I saw her eyes widen and chose that moment to slip into the other room. “Hey Seth? Is Shelby ready?”

  Seth came out of the back with Shelby on her leash. Her tongue hung out, and her tail wagged furiously. Without the cone on, Shelby was a happy dog. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  When I returned to the counter, Mrs. Sloan had semi-recovered from seeing the bill. In her hand, she held a credit card. When I walked over, she winked at me. “Samantha thought that by sending me here to pick up her dog that I’d pay the bill.”

  I took the card from her hand and forced myself to keep a straight face. She’d handed me Samantha’s credit card.

  “Her dog, her responsibility. Parents really try, Riley, to make their children into the best adults they can. Sometimes, they get lucky and sometimes, they fail.” She almost sounded disappointed. I kept my mouth shut. Saying anything back would backfire on me, of that I was sure.

  I ran the card and waited for the receipt to print. Marcy Sloan was a genuinely nice person, with a friendly smile and a heart of gold. It made me wonder how such a nice person could have such a troll of a daughter and an asshole for a husband.

  I tore the receipt from the credit card machine and slid it along the counter. Before I could pu
ll my hand away, Marcy put her hand on mine. “I’m sorry she’s been such a pain in the ass for you. Truly.” Her hand squeezed mine and when she let go, I handed her a pen. With a flourish, she signed Samantha’s name, winked at me, and then turned to Seth to take Shelby’s leash. “Thank you, young man.”

  “You’re welcome, ma’am. Bye, Shelby.” Seth reached down and scratched her ears. She took the opportunity to lick his face. “I’ll miss you too, girl.”

  Marcy turned to me with a smile. “Maybe it’s just having someone special in our lives that makes us better people.” She darted a look from me to Seth and then back to me before she said goodbye and left.

  I palmed my keys. “Is everyone all set in the back?”

  “Yep, I took Rodney out and fed the raccoon. Sammy’s kittens’ eyes are opening!”

  “Oh yeah? Guess that means we’re gonna have to find a bigger area for Momma and her babies soon.”

  Seth followed me out to the truck as we discussed the best place to move the family of seven. When we got to Old Man Willis’ place, we’d settled on cleaning out a small storage closet for Sammy and her kittens.

  OLD MAN WILLIS MET US in his front yard when we pulled up. He took one look at Seth, and I could almost see the gears turning in his mind. “Well, who do we have here?”

  Seth walked over, shook Old Man Willis’ hand, and introduced himself.

  Old Man Willis tilted his hat back, scratched his chin, and looked across the yard at his barn. The old man was up to something, I could feel it.

  “Well, young man, seems to me you were meant to come here with Riley.”

  Seth’s eyes squinted as he looked up at Old Man Willis. “I was?”

  Old Man Willis’ hands landed on his hips, as he looked me up and down. “Riley here, she’s gonna be headed off to school soon and well, she’s getting’ a little ‘long in the tooth’.”

  Rolling my eyes, I snorted and looked at Seth. “He’s callin’ me old…”

  Old Man Willis’ brought one hand off his hip and waved it out in front of him. He wore a smug look on his face, as he shot me a grin. “Now hold on there. What I mean is, I’m gettin’ up there in age and, with you movin’ on and all, I sure could use some help around this place. Seth here looks like a strong enough boy to help me do what needs to be done.”

  Old Man Willis’ wife had died years ago, leaving him on his own. He never remarried and he’d never had any kids. What he did have was a huge piece of property to maintain, plus his livestock, and no family to help. Growing up, he’d gathered a few of us and put us to work with the same offer he extended to Seth. “Now mind ya, we gotta talk to your parents, but how would you like to come out here and give me a hand? I’d pay ya fair wages and all if you’re interested, and your parents say it’s all right.”

  Seth beamed at me.

  “Well, come on, we ain’t got all day to stand around,” Old Man Willis said as he walked away from us and headed towards the barn.

  Seth jogged ahead of me to stay in step with Old Man Willis. I could hear them chatting back and forth, as Seth questioned him about his farm. They disappeared inside the building when my phone rang.

  I pulled the phone from my hip and went to answer it, realizing it wasn’t Dr. Anderson’s phone. It was mine.

  Paige’s name lit up my screen, confusing me. It was odd, her calling me at this time of day.

  “Hey, Paige. What’s up?”

  “What time will you be home?” I could hear the strain in her voice.

  “Are you okay?”

  She snorted. “No, but I don’t want to get into it right now. Call me when you’re home, and I’ll come over.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you as soon as I’m headed that way.”

  When I hung up, I shoved the phone in my pocket and walked inside the shaded interior of the barn. Old Man Willis leaned on the rails of a stall he’d used for storage. Inside it, Seth sorted through the junk, piling it up in a wheelbarrow so it could be hauled out.

  “Finally getting rid of some junk, Willis?” I asked, walking into the stall to help Seth.

  “Junk? That there is all good stuff. I just need this here space for that hardheaded calf that got tangled up a while back. Dang fool thing won’t stay outta the fences.”

  “So you’re gonna put him in here to teach him a lesson?” I looked over at Seth and winked.

  He chuckled as he tipped his hat back. “Somethin’ like that.”

  Seth and I loaded the wheelbarrow until it couldn’t hold anymore. Old Man Willis pointed out where he wanted it dumped. I looked around the stall, taking note that most of the garbage had been cleared out, but there were still a few heavier pieces that needed moved. I waited for Seth to come back, so he could help me.

  The heat of the day made the interior of the barn feel like a sauna, or maybe it was all the moving around I’d done. Beads of sweat slipped down over my face and ran into my eyes, making them sting. I wiped my face off on the sleeve of my shirt and leaned against the rails as I waited for Seth to come back.

  “How’s all them young fellars of yours doin’?” Old Man Willis asked.

  “They’re doing good. I don’t get to talk to them too often though.” I couldn’t escape missing them. Even when I found myself stall deep in a pile of junk.

  “How’s Jake? Still at boot camp?”

  My heart squeezed inside my chest. If it weren’t for him being at boot camp, he’d be here with me, helping me move all of Old Man Willis’ accumulated junk.

  “Yeah, he’ll be graduating in a couple of weeks,” I answered just as Seth came back in with the empty wheelbarrow.

  I waved Seth over and together, we lifted up an old plow that at one time was used to plow the fields with a horse. Talk about horsepower. A laugh slipped out, ending on a squeal as a rat shot out from the back of the stall and ran between my feet.

  “I was afraid of that,” Old Man Willis said as he looked across the barn to where the rat had made its escape. “Guess I’m gonna need me some mousers soon.” He wiped his face with a handkerchief on a sigh.

  “I think I know just where you can get some of those. You’ll just have to wait a few weeks for them to get big enough,” I said, giving Seth a smirk.

  “Yeah, they’ll be the best mousers you’ve ever had!” Seth chimed in.

  Old Man Willis squinted his eyes as he looked at Seth. “Huh, the best you say?”

  “Best in ’Bama,” Seth answered with a grin that all but swallowed his face.

  “Well, than that settles that, I’d say.”

  Seth nodded along as we carried the old plow out and set it in front of the barn. I looked up in time to catch Old Man Willis’ smile. He winked at me with a shrug.

  I mouthed the word ‘softie’ at him, and he wagged his finger at me. For an old man who looked as mean as a rattlesnake and as tough as leather, he was one of the most gentle-hearted people around these parts. Seth would love working for him.

  Two tires, one plow, and several crates later, the stall was clean and ready for use. Old Man Willis had snuck off to the house, but I knew he’d be back before we left.

  I rubbed my filthy hands down the front of my jeans. “I need a shower and about a gallon of water.”

  I looked over at the sink to the back of the barn. At one point, it worked, but something had happened to the waterline coming into the sink, putting it out of commission.

  Seth hiked his shirt up and wiped his face. There wasn’t a spot on that kid that was clean. “Ready to head out?”

  Seth closed the stall and rolled the wheelbarrow back over to where he’d gotten it from, and we left the barn. The breeze had picked up, and the clouds darkened above us.

  When I got to the truck, Old Man Willis came out of his house, carrying two bottles of water. When he got to us, he handed over the waters and went to slip me some money like he’d always done. I shook my head no at him and tilted it in Seth’s direction. Old Man Willis never missed a beat. He reached out to shake Seth�
��s hand. “For your hard work today.”

  The look on Seth’s face was almost comical when he realized what the old man had done. “Sir, I can’t accept this.”

  Old Man Willis pegged him with a hardened stare. “And why not?”

  Seth’s eyes were cast downward, looking anywhere but up at the man standing in front of him. His shoulder hitched with a shrug, but he didn’t answer.

  “Well, the way I see it, is if you put in a hard day’s work, you deserve a hard day’s pay.” Old Man Willis put his hand on Seth’s shoulder and leaned down so he would look at him. “You earned it. Now put it in your pocket and save it.”

  Old Man Willis stepped back from Seth and turned his attention on me. “Talk with his momma, would ya? I could use a good worker ’round here.”

  “Will do,” I said, opening the passenger side door for Seth. “Let’s get you home before your mom wonders where you’re at.”

  Seth walked past Old Man Willis and stopped. He lifted his head and turned with his hand outstretched. “Thank you, sir.”

  Old Man Willis laughed. “Don’t thank me just yet, son. There’s plenty more work here to do. Hard work. By the end of summer, you’ll look like you’ve been to one of them yuppie gyms.”

  That brought a chuckle out of Seth.

  I slid behind the steering wheel, started the truck, and kicked on the AC. When Seth’s door slammed closed, I put the truck in gear and with a wave, we left Old Man Willis’ place.

  Seth was quiet on the ride to his house, and I left him to his thoughts. Things had changed a lot for him since that fateful day he brought Sammy into the office. He’d grown. Day by day, he gained a little more confidence, a little more self-worth. The opportunity that Old Man Willis extended to him was the same sort of offer he’d made to Ace and me when we were younger. It was how I bought the truck I drove.

  Seth piped up enough to give me directions to his house. When I pulled up in the yard, a woman stepped out onto the porch. Her hair was pulled up out of her face. From where I sat, I could tell she was tired. Her face split into a grin when she saw Seth.