Page 75 of Small Town Firsts
“I still have to live in it. Don’t get any ideas. And it’s not mine. I’m only renting right now.”
He only grunted. “Think we need some music.”
“That I can handle.” I stood up and snagged a bottle of cider myself. I went back inside. One thing I’d made sure to unpack was my record player and albums. I flipped around the Marshall speaker Kain had sent me for a birthday present one year.
I’d made sure to put it on a shelf near the window for just such a moment. I spent as much time on the deck as I did in my living room. I flicked through my crate of albums that I knew Kain would enjoy. My taste was eclectic, and I had everything from Harry Styles to Miles Davis in my stash.
But my buddy was all about the dirty guitar laced classic rock. When Led Zeppelin’s obscure remastered cuts blasted into the trees, I heard a whoop from my friend. I returned to the deck after making a pit stop for some wood.
The shade of the pines brought out the bugs even with sunset a ways off. I got the fire pit crackling and we shot the shit about Shane and baby number two on the way.
“Shane and Kendall having kids. Who knew?”
“I did.” Kain dangled his bottle from the tip of his fingers. “I knew it the minute he landed in New York that he’d be all about family.”
“I mean, he was never against it, just seemed focused on work.”
“We all are until we’re not.” He looked out at the darkening woods. “You find out what’s important.”
“What’s going on with you?”
Kain glanced at me, his gaze steady and his eyes lost some of their sparkle. “I just needed to get away.”
“Bullshit.”
“What? I pick up and take off all the time.” He drained his bottle and pushed out of the chair to pick up the debris from our dinner.
Now I really knew something was up.
I followed him into the house. Kain went over to my tiny sink and rinsed the dishes, tucking them into the dishwasher. “Your place needs a lot of updating. We can repurpose some things, but man, it’s all pretty much shit.”
I leaned against the sliding door. “You didn’t come here to redo my house, man.”
“What if I want to?”
I barked out a laugh. “Right.”
“Seriously. I need a project.”
“I can almost guarantee you have five corporate jobs and eleven houses on your slate.”
“My people have that handled. Hell, Malia practically kicked me out of the San Fran office.”
Malia was Kain’s right hand woman. She pretty much ran his operation because Kain couldn’t be trusted to keep a schedule. He got too into a project and it became everything. I wasn’t sure I was ready to have that single minded focus attached to anything that included me.
Kain was overwhelming for a weekend, let alone for a full scale remodel on my place.
“I don’t even own this place.”
He dug his phone out of his pants and typed off a text.
“What are you doing?” I straightened.
“Having Malia buy this place.”
“Dude, no way. I don’t even know if I’m sticking in New York.” Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. I was already past stuck even if my brain needed to get caught up with my idiot heart.
“Already rolling.” He tucked his phone back into his shorts as he headed into the living room, swapping the vinyl for the sad brass of Coltrane and Davis.
