Dakota
Being in the Felder house would always be my favorite place to be. Having a dad that owned a bank branch and a mama that chose meth over me a long time ago, the place that I always felt most at home was this house.
My dad has always been a great man, but he spent most of my teen years married to his work, determined to make our name known for something other than the sins and scandals my mama left behind. Lena’s mama is the only true maternal figure I have ever had, and I am smart enough to know she is the main reason I became a firefighter and not a felon. My daddy taught me to work hard to succeed and, especially, to prove people wrong, but it was Mr. Brett, Lena’s daddy, that actually forced me to develop a work ethic.
Most teenage boys spent their summers chasing tail they’d never actually get or riding the town strip with their friends, but not us. Mr. Brett had me, Jace, and Lena’s brother, Cruise spending our summer breaks right here, helping him out with the farm every day. We were compensated, of course, with a paycheck that seemed huge to us back then, a permanent spot at Mama C’s supper table, and more dips in their backyard pool than a man could count. I didn’t realize it back then but what I gained from those years of manual labor was a work ethic that would carry me the rest of my life, while also giving me the desire to always help out someone if I had the opportunity to do it.
Mama C gestured towards the living room. “Y’all go sit a spell. I’ll bring y’all a bowl of soup.”
After removing our shoes in the entryway, we obeyed her command, both of us electing the reclining sectional as our landing zone.
“If you need to get home to Athens, Mama will understand,” Lena spoke up.
I shook my head. “Athens is having the time of her life out at Papa Jake’s house. She’s probably snoozing in his recliner or licking the windows to try to get a taste of the snow. Besides, I want some vegetable soup.”
She smiled and looked out the window. “It’s perfect weather for the soup. I can’t believe Creek’s Edge actually got a measurable amount of snow. The mountains are one thing, but I think it’s snowed, maybe, five times here our whole life.”
“Chief said that the last time we got this much snow was in the seventies,” I informed her.
“He’s right!” Mama C chimed in from the doorway. “In 1973, we got a bunch. Around a foot or so.” She passed each of us a bowl of soup, a napkin, and a spoon. “Y’all go ahead and take this. I’ll be right back.”
Inhaling appreciatively, I grinned at Lena. “You need to figure out how to turn this exact smell into a candle.” She looked up, her pretty face covered in confusion. “The smell of vegetable soup?”
“Not exactly the soup, but just the smell of this house, especially this time of the year.”
The Felder house in December always smelled of delicious food, pine needles, cinnamon, apples, and just…clean.
“I wouldn’t even know how to replicate it,” she confessed.
Mama returned with a plate of cornbread and two glasses of sweet tea. “Replicate what?”
“The smell of your house,” Lena explained. “Dak told me I needed to make it into a candle.”
Mama laughed. “Actually, all the smells in here, except the soup and whatever smells that seep from the laundry room, are from those wax melts you gave me to test out, Lee Lee.”
She does wax melts, too?
“I didn’t know you did wax melts, too.”
Lena slurped her soup. “I don’t. Not yet, anyway. It was something I was trying out because Jace was lecturing me about how candles are unsafe.”
What?
“How candles are unsafe?”
She snagged a piece of cornbread from the plate Mama had sat between us. “He said candles are a fire hazard so no one would buy them.”
Her mama’s mouth dropped open in horror but all I could do was shake my damn head. “He shouldn’t have told you that mess. By all intents and purposes, everything is a fire hazard.”
“He’s right,” her mama offered. “Donna and Fletcher Collins’ barn burned down from a bird’s nest that was up inside the light globe.”
Lena looked up, her expression calling bullshit on the Collins. “I have never heard of such.”
“They hadn’t, either!” Mama exclaimed. Lena and I exchanged glances. We both knew it was likely their grandson, the secret pot smoker, who burnt down the barn rather than the pigeons, but neither of us were about to tell her that.
I blew on another spoonful of soup. “This is delicious, Mama.” She beamed. “I’m glad you’re enjoyin’ it!”
The sound of the front door shutting startled us.
I didn’t even hear it open.
Mr. Brett walked in the room, his eyes lighting up the instant he saw his daughter. Ignoring his wife’s “no shoes throughout the house” rule, he and his dirty boots traipsed into the living room.
After sitting her bowl of soup on the side table, Lena rose to greet him. “Hey, Daddy.”
He folded her into his arms, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he squeezed her.
“I’m so glad you are home, Lee Lee,” he spoke warmly, “I was worried about you.”
She squeezed tighter. “I’m okay.”
Above her head, his eyes teared up. His wife noticed it, too, interjecting quickly to make sure Lena didn’t. “Alright, Brett. Let the child eat. I’ll go fix you a bowl.”
Knowing it was in his best interest to listen to his wife, he released Lena.
“You’re the best, Charlie Girl,” he praised his wife as he reached out to shake my hand.
“How ya doin’, Mr. B?”
“Hardheaded but above ground,” he joked. “How are you doin’, bud?”
“Takin’ it day by day.”
Nodding, he sat down in his recliner. “That’s all you can do.”
Mama returned with his bowl of soup. “If you want this soup, you’re gonna have to get them wet, nasty boots off my carpet.”
Standing up immediately, he headed straight for the front door to abandon his boots. From the other side of the sectional, Lena watched her parents quietly, clearly thinking the same thing that I was thinking.
We weren’t askin’ too much. We were askin’ the wrong people.
Jolene
“Turn your phone back on so I can reach you,” demanded. “Ignore or delete anything that upsets you, but please keep it on so I can check on you.”
We had just finished our soup and the last half of a Hallmark Christmas movie when he announced he needed to get going. Now, we were standing next to his truck, making sure I had gotten all of my things out.
“I’ll cut it on,” I promised. “It probably needs charging.”
Reaching into his truck, he grabbed the orange charger he unnecessarily bought while we were in the mountains. “Here. Go plug it in.”
Quit bossing me around, my guy.
As badly as I wanted to remind him that I am a grown ass woman, I knew his constant state of overbearingness was coming from a good place.
“Yes, daddy,” I joked. His eyes clouded over.
It was a joke.
He suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“What’s the matter?”
He propped his elbow up on the bed of his truck. “I don’t know how to say goodbye to you now.”
You what, now?
“You open your mouth, and if you try to speak really, really hard, words come out.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Well, you know Cassie and I have been together since high school…,” he trailed off.
I narrowed my eyes. “Okay?”
Where is he going with this?
“That means she’s the only person that I’ve ever slept with and I always kissed her goodbye… now that you and I have slept together, I don’t know if I should kiss you goodbye, too, because anything less might be insulting or if I should just high five you or something.” He looked genuinely stressed.
I laughed, hoping it would lighten the mood, but he just looked more worked up.
“Do not kiss me. We slept together under extenuating circumstances, not because we are in a relationship.” He looked relieved. “Hugs are still okay, though, right?”
Rolling my eyes, I threw my arms around his neck. “Hugs are still okay, moron.”
He relaxed as he held me, the moment lasting longer than it should. After kissing me on the top of my head, he released me. “Go plug your phone in and wash your nasty ass. I’ll drop your stuff off tonight.”
“I’m going. Don’t do anything stupid when you go to his house.”
He scoffed.
“I’m serious, . Promise me.” I held out my pinky.
He shot me a death glare but he pinky promised anyway.
Relieved, I walked towards the front porch. “Call me if you need me,” I called out over my shoulder.
Leaning against the front porch column, I watched him pull out the driveway, suddenly feeling lonelier than I had ever felt in my life.