Page 10 of Finding Ash
Kit: Would be more exciting if I’d heard it from you and not the great Foggy rumor mill.
Me: It just kind of happened. We said we liked each other and then the word boyfriend was used and then we kissed and then Remy said he wanted to take me to dinner so here we are.
Kit: I’m so happy for you, Ash. I’ll expect a full recap when you get home.
Me: Is this the little brother helicoptering the bigger brother?
Kit: Pfft, this is your nosy little brother waiting for all the deets so be ready to spill the tea when you get home. Have fun and tell Remy hi!
“Kit says hi.”
“Is that why you’re grinning at your phone? Shoot, should I have asked him and Nate for permission to date you first? Sorry, not sure how this whole thing works.”
I slid my hand over his atop the table. “Remy, we are both twenty-four. I don’t think we need anyone’s permission to do anything. Everything is good, in fact, it’s better than good—it’s great.”
Andrew sent the waitress over with our drinks and to take our orders. Neither of us had even bothered to look at the menu, so we decided to test the pot roast special she mentioned. Nothing I’d had here thus far was bad, so I was excited to try something new.
So many wonderful new somethings for me.
Dinner was great and the best part, aside from spending time with Remy, was when Andrew brought us a sundae to share.
Remy walked me home and kissed me goodnight beneath the stars. I watched as he went to his trailer, waved before he stepped inside and shut the door, and I sighed.
“Boo!”
“Ahhh!” I screamed. “Kit, that was not funny.”
“It was to me,” he giggled. “Now, time to spill the deets.”
Chapter Five
Remy
“Mom, I barely just walked in the door.” I fully expected her call, given I’d ignored her rapid-fire texts during our dinner date. “Yes, that’s Ash.”
“He’s so cute,” I could practically picture her swooning. “I can’t wait to meet him. Will Kara and I be able to stay with you when we’re there?”
“I think we can make it work. You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch, and we can turn the tablearea into a bed for Kara, or she can make a nest on the floor.” One of our favorite Saturday night things to do was make a huge blanket nest in the living room and munch on popcorn while watching movies. Given our age difference, Kara was much younger and always the first to sleep, but she loved to do it.
“Kara will love that.”
“Love what, mom?” I heard her voice in the background.
Mom must’ve had me on speakerphone. “Making a blanket nest with your brother when we visit.”
“Yay!” Kara cheered. “When do we get to go? I miss Remy.”
“I miss you too, sis.” Happy as I was in Foggy, I couldn’t escape the melancholy feeling I got whenever I talked to them. “I’m guessing sometime after school is out for summer. Right, mom?”
“Exactly. As long as I can use your Wi-Fi, I can work while I’m there and not worry about using vacation time.” Mom preferred to cash her banked time in at the end of the year and use it toward Christmas, which I was totally on board with. One less thing for her to stress about, and another reason why I continued to help with the bills back home.
“There’s plenty of room for you to work in here or even over at Pints. They have Wi-Fi too and great food. I can’t wait to show you guys around town. Kara is gonna love the bookstore my boss’s man owns. They even have a library section where you can borrow books from. Oh, and the new ice cream shop opens soon.”
“Ice cream!” My sugar-loving sister cheered. Kara was gonna have a blast here.
“It’s nice, quiet, and safe in Foggy. Like a cozy town nestled between the mountains and a lake. Nate said it gets busy in the summer because of the lake though. I hardly drive at all since everything is in walking distance.” Maybe a trip to the store here and there but not much past that.
“I can’t wait. I love all the pictures you’ve sent, and the butterfly today brought it full circle. As much as I miss you, baby boy, you’re right where you should be.” Mom was a big believer in signs. Guess we shared that same belief.
