Kellan grimaced at the mention of weed the same way Alyssa did. “Give me a break, Kellan. I’m not using anything else. Just a little pot here and there.”
“I just don’t want you to slip up, that’s all.”
“I haven’t in years. I’m good.” I cleared my throat. “By the way, thanks for helping me with last month’s rent. And the month before that…” My words faded off into a whisper. “And the month before that…” Even though I had a degree, finding a real job had been quite the struggle.
“Anytime,” he smiled, knowing I was changing the subject, but he allowed it. “But let’s make sure we never mention that to Erika, all right?”
Jacob laughed. “That must be weird, Kellan.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Having your balls gripped that tight by a woman.”
I snickered. “I’m surprised that he still has any balls.”
“Fuck you guys. So Erika is a bit of a…” Kellan scrunched up his nose, looking for the right word.
“Control freak?” Jacob offered.
“Pushy?” I said.
“Dramatic?”
“Extremely dramatic?!”
“Mothering?”
“Belittling?” I joked.
“Stable,” Kellan said, drinking his water. “Erika is stable. She’s everything that keeps me grounded. She’s a handful, yeah, but I would choose her hand to hold any day because she’s strong. She’s my anchor.”
Jacob and I went silent, a bit stunned.
“Wow,” Jacob breathed out a heavy sigh. “That’s just…” His eyes watered up. “That’s just so fucking cheesy.”
I laughed. “The ultimate cheese.”
“It’s like gouda and brie had a baby and Kellan popped out.” Jacob smirked.
“Screw off. I wouldn’t expect two single dumbasses to understand anything about relationships,” Kellan said. “So you like the place?”
“Like it? It’s amazing. I bet the food tastes just as good as it looks here. If I lived here, I’d be in this place every day.”
A wicked grin found its way to Kellan’s face, and it wasn’t long before Jacob’s face had the same look of pleasure. “It’s funny you should mention that, because Jacob and I were talking… If you were to stay in town, you’d have a built in job. He’s looking for a chef,” Kellan offered.
“It pays well. I mean, the head boss man is a total dick, but it’s a good job,” Jacob added.
I laughed, because it was a ridiculous idea. I stopped laughing when I saw how serious they both were. “No offense, Kellan. But seeing how there’s no wedding happening any time soon, I’m on the first train back to Iowa.”
“Yeah? Can you afford a train ticket back?” Kellan asked me.
I cocked an eyebrow. “What? You said you would cover the ticket.”
“Not true. I told you I’d get your ticket out here. I didn’t say anything about sending you back.”
“Fuck off,” I huffed once. I turned to face my brother, confusion in my stare. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” I glanced at Jacob. “He’s freaking serious, isn’t he?”
“I’m just saying, brother. This is your home. And you’re always welcomed home.”
“You’re holding me hostage,” I replied, bewildered.
“We’re offering you a job,” he replied. “Listen, if you really want a one-way ticket back to Iowa, I’ll buy it in the morning. But the offer is always there for you.” Kellan was really pushing the idea of me staying, and for the life of me I couldn’t understand why. True Falls wasn’t a place I considered home anymore. It was just the past demons of my life.
“I’ll take the one-way ticket. No offense, Kellan. I love you, I do. But this town? I can’t stay here and stay sane. I just can’t.”
He nodded in understanding. “I get it. Just thought I’d offer.”
I thanked him.
“So, you ran into Alyssa earlier? What’s your plan of attack if that happens again?” Kellan asked.
“I’m going to ignore her, and push her away. She and I can’t go backwards. I can’t go down that road anymore, and she is definitely better off without me. But,” I said, changing the subject, “It’s good to see that you got clean, Jacob.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t that long after you left town, actually. One day I woke up and just couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t go to rehab, but I did the church thing for a while, which helped. I haven’t been to church in years now, but it did affect me enough that I became an ordained minister.”
I chuckled. “No way.”
He smirked, pointing his thumbs at his chest. “If you’re ever looking to get married, keep this handsome dude in mind.” Out of nowhere, Jacob leaned forward with the most solemn expression I’d ever seen him have before. “Logan, on a serious note, I do have to ask you something really important…”
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t avoid the questions that a lot of people probably had for me. The same kinds of questions Sadie shot my way at the motel. How was rehab? Have you slipped up? Do you still think about using? “Yeah, Jacob?”
“How the everlasting-fuck do you keep your hair so perfect? It’s shinier than anything I’ve ever seen. And that volume! Shit. I have a damn receding hairline, and had to buzz cut it just to look semi-decent.”
“Oh my God,” Kellan moaned, rolling his eyes. “Don’t get him started on his hair.”
“I told you, Kel, that envy is a sin.” I snickered. “Once a month, deep condition with egg yolks and avocados.”
“For real?”
“For real. But when you wash it out after forty-five minutes, don’t use hot water. Otherwise you’ll have scrambled eggs in your hair that you’ll be picking the pieces out for a week. Plus, the splash of cold water is good for your hair follicles, helping it grow in healthier and stronger. I can make you a list of all of the products I use if you want.”
“No shit? You’ll do that?”
“Sure, no biggie.”
“I can’t believe this conversation is seriously happening right now,” Kellan sighed, rolling his eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck in the back of his head. He might’ve had a better life than I did growing up, but the joke was on him nowadays—because at least my hair was fucking amazing while his was ceasing to exist.