Page 7 of Forever Home

“Damn, girl,” I say, giving her a hug before slapping her ass. “I bet you can still fit in your cheer uniform. I miss you, but hate you at the same time.”

She laughs, pulling back from me. “At least you’re shaped like a woman and not a schoolgirl!”

I don’t get the time to voice much else before Mrs. Dorman appears in front of us and we all take our seats. “I know everyone would like to get reacquainted, but you all arrived at different times and some of you were late.”

Our eyes all dart towards Dante, Knox’s older brother, who strolls in wearing a five-thousand dollar pimp suit and a doesn’t seem to give a shit attitude over her calling him out as he takes a seat with a who-gives-a fuck kind of gaze.

We didn’t hang out much with him when we were younger. Probably because he thought we were too young for him. Which only makes his appearance that more strange.

What in the world is he even doing here? I don’t remember Knox mentioning his name when we spoke on the phone.

As my attention shifts back to Mrs. Dorman, I catch a look of surprise from Sam out of the corner of my eye. I glance at her, brows furrowing slightly as I look towards the kitchen to see what she’s looking at.

And that’s when it hits me.Asher.

She must not have noticed him when she got here, though he was in the kitchen. And judging by the flustered look on her face, she isn’t prepared either. Almost as much as I was seeing Jaxson again.

Though watching him take a seat near Knox and Jaxson, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if they never broke up.

Mrs. Dorman clears her throat, pulling me from my observations. My eyes turn back to her just in time to see her turn on the television, my mind being blown away once more as Mrs. Kendall fills the screen and tears burn at the backs of my eyes.

“You young hellions were some of the only few to really use and love my treehouse,” she says, her voice amplified by the speakers. “The kids these days don’t play outside and use their imaginations anymore. They grow up with those phones and computers stuck to their faces all the time.”

She looks away for a second then back into the camera. “I’m leaving it, along with my home, to the ones who truly loved it the most. All of you.”

Shock fills me, my lips parting as a slight gasp escapes me at her words. The gesture is more than I can have ever expected and glancing around the room, I can see everyone else is just as surprised as I am.

I mean, yes, we spent the majority of our childhood and teen years here at her home. But that was so long ago, and since graduation, we all moved on with our lives and only some of us actually stayed put to continue here in Willowcreek.

So, to leave it to us all… Mrs. Kendall definitely had something in mind when she made that decision.

Chapter Four: Madison

As soon as the video cuts off, Sam speaks up.

“The grounds are a great space for events,” she suggests, her voice filled with optimism. “If we fix up the house, make it a bit more modern, this could be a quaint place for parties, weddings, and even birthdays.”

“No,” Asher interjects. “In this small town? Not a chance. The best bet would be to sell it. Dante, you can put it on the market, right?”

There’s a dark glint in Dante’s eyes the moment that Asher suggests selling the property, and my heart sinks. Mrs. Kendall hasn’t even been dead that long… let alone buried, and she left everything she had to us. And the first thing they want to do is sell it?

Over my dead body.

“Woah there, big dog,” I call out, deciding to put my foot down. “What about other options, Mr. Celebrity? Just because you want to run back to whatever tail you’re chasing now, doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have any other ideas. We can turn it into a bed and breakfast, and my mom could supply the pastries and stuff from her bakery.”

Asher flips me off, and I ignore him.

“That’s not such a bad idea,” Knox agrees. “Dad and I can do the new furniture at the carpentry shop and—”

“You can’t be serious,” Asher says, at the same time as Dante says, “You don’t have the time or resources for that kind of project, Knox.”

“But I do,” Jaxson cuts in. My heart does that tiny flutter again it did when my eyes first landed on him. I didn’t expect him to agree with Knox and I, but hearing him do so makes me wonder why he would want something to do with all this.

I would have put money on him siding with Knox and Dante.

“Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re a big-time chef in Italy or whatnot, and that you own how many restaurants. But don’t let sentiment blind you. This is not a viable business spot,” Dante tells him, making my blood boil.

“He’s a chef in New York now, you penguin,” I snap, referring to the white and black attire Dante’s wearing. Though with the dark stern gaze he lays on me, I can’t help but bite my lip and sit back down quietly.

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