Chapter 8
ROSCOE
I’d been through the gamut of emotions in the past day and a half, and to be honest, it was a hell I didn’t ever want to experience again. The last time I spoke to Serana, everything was just fine, but then she went off the radar and wouldn’t answer my texts or calls all of a sudden.
At first, I thought she was just busy. Then, I wondered if she was okay. Finally, I got angry because I knew that if something had happened to her, one of her friends would have called me to let me know - which meant that she was avoiding me on purpose.
The anger dissipated quickly, turning to self-recrimination as I analyzed every conversation we’d had in the last week and dissected her reactions to each of them in the hopes of figuring out why she’d ghosted me.
Finally, friend zone be damned, I decided to go full-on crazy stalker and show up at her house, even though it was against the rules.
I fully intended to have this discussion on the porch since the residents at The Flower Patch weren’t allowed to have guests in their home without prior approval.
Luckily, I didn’t have to risk Zoey’s ire when she answered the phone and I found that she was in the greenhouse.
In the short walk from her porch to where she was working, I hit all the bases again, from relief to anger, but those all dissipated the second I got close and couldn’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms.
When I’d come to the realization that someone would have called me if something had happened to her, my worry went to relapse - something I wasn’t proud of, but knew was perfectly normal when an addict was involved.
No, I didn’t actually think Serana was going to relapse, but stranger things had happened before to people who were just as strong and focused as her, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
But when I saw her standing there and knew she was okay, the relief that washed over me was indescribable. I was so head over heels for Serana Gonzales that it wasn’t even funny. I’d do anything in my power to be near her - in any capacity, even if it broke my heart.
When she told me she felt the same way, even though she didn’t want to, I felt a little spark of hope deep inside that I knew would hold me over until she was finally able to freely admit how she felt.
Patience usually wasn’t a virtue of mine, but I was damn good at tenacity and rarely gave up once I set my mind to something.
It appeared that Serana was trying to develop her own brand of restraint, although it was unfortunate for me that her skill-building was blocking the one thing I wanted more than anything else in the world.
I guess while she worked on sticking to her vow, I would have to keep working on my patience. I could do that, though, because she was the light at the end of the tunnel I’d been traveling through until I met her.
Once I convinced her to go to breakfast with me, I helped her clean up what she’d been working on and kept our conversation light.
The drive to the diner was quick. Luckily, the friends and family I ran into on the way to my preferred booth didn’t stop me for too long, and we were soon able to sit down together.
“I love this place,” Serana announced as she looked over the menu.
“So do I. I grew up coming here with Dad every Saturday morning and still meet all the men for coffee every weekend that I can.”
“Martha is your Gamma, right?”
“That’s right. She’s an angel sent down from heaven to wrangle every heathen she comes into contact with.”
Serana started laughing before she said, “I’ve heard her mutter under her breath when someone in your family does or says something stupid, and I’m pretty sure angels don’t use that kind of language.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “With as many crazy people as there are in my family, she deserves sainthood for having enough restraint not to kill at least one of us, if not an even dozen.”
“My abuela was like that. She’d put up with a lot, but once she hit her boiling point, there was no stopping her.
My brother learned that you could use a magnifying glass to etch your name into wood.
When he told her what he wanted to do, she warned us that we better not because someone might get hurt.
Instead of listening, we stole the magnifying glass she used to help thread her embroidery needle and hid out behind the shed to do exactly what she told us not to.
Next thing you know, the fence was on fire, and we were getting our asses handed to us. ”
“That sounds like something we would have done, although I have to admit that I thought the magnifying glass thing was a myth.”
“Nope. It works,” Serana assured me.
Since this was the first time Serana had ever willingly talked about her family, I tried to keep her going. “Ranger and I are Irish twins, so we were always getting into trouble together. Is your brother close to you in age?”
Without looking up from her menu, she said, “Marlena was two years older than me, but Berto is only sixteen months younger.”
“And the others?” I asked, fishing for information now.
“Manny just turned thirty, so that would make Ana twenty-eight.”
“Your parents had five kids in eight years?”
“Crazy, huh?” she asked before she realized what we were talking about. She looked up at me and said, “You know what’s nuts? I haven’t mentioned my siblings in years, and in the last two days, I’ve talked about them twice.”
“Is their existence a government secret or something?”
“No,” she said as she looked out the window.
I could tell from the look on her face that she was done for now, so I was glad when the server sat down in the seat next to Serana and said, “Maybe if I pretend I’m just a customer sitting here with you guys, people will leave me the hell alone.”
“Hello, Rebel.”
“Hi there, Rosco P. Coltrane!”
“Do you even know who that is, Reb?”
“Do you think that one of Clem Forrester’s children would grow up without having watched his favorite childhood television show?” Rebel asked. “Of course I know who that is.”
Serana had been looking at Rebel like she was nuts, which was probably an accurate description considering her lineage, and quietly said, “I don’t know who that is.”
“Shh! If my dad hears that, he’ll drag you to his house and force you to watch his favorite episodes!”
“Is your dad even here?”
“Do you really think that matters? He probably senses a disturbance in the force and will materialize behind you with a shocked expression any second now.”
“If anyone materializes anywhere near me, I’ll have more than a shocked expression,” Serana replied with a giggle. “Who is this omnipotent presence you speak of?”
“Her dad is Clem Forrester. If there’s trouble to be had, an insult that needs to be voiced, or some shit to stir up, he’s usually involved.” When Rebel giggled, I frowned at her and said, “His spawn are almost as bad.”
“If you’re gonna be bad, you should be the very best at it that you can.”
“Spoken like a true Forrester,” I teased.
“Your nose is crooked, and your butt is so flat that you could fit sideways through the gap in a picket fence.”
“My nose is crooked because you can’t drive!”
“My ability to drive has no correlation with the abomination on your face. It’s not my fault you can’t hold on.”
Serana was looking back and forth between us like she was watching a tennis match. She finally jumped to my defense, but how she did it shocked the hell out of me.
“His face is perfect, and you could bounce a quarter off his ass, but your left boob is bigger than your right, and I know because of the cheap bra you’re wearing!
” Serana’s eyes got wide and she slapped her hand over her mouth before she gasped and whispered, “I’m sorry! I don’t know where that came from!”
“Oh, hell yeah. The newbie’s got a mouth on her!” Rebel cheered as she put her fist out. When Serana didn’t bump her knuckles immediately, she frowned and said, “Don’t leave me hanging, sister!”
Serana gave Rebel a fist bump and grinned at me, but I could see a million questions in her eyes.
Instead of waiting until Rebel was gone to explain the dynamic, I shrugged and said, “Most families hide their crazy relatives, but we refer to ours as ‘Clem’s spawn’ and let them run around unsupervised in public. ”
“As if anyone could keep us locked away,” Rebel scoffed. “What do y’all want to eat?”
“My usual,” I answered before I looked at Serana expectantly.
Rebel rolled her eyes before she looked at Serana and said, “He thinks he’s important enough for me to remember something like that, so he’ll eat what I bring him and be happy about it.”
“Er. Uh. I’ll take a waffle?” Serana said uncertainly
“Pecans? Chocolate chips? The Hank and Nichole special?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s only available for regulars, but it’s delicious,” Rebel answered without actually answering the question.
Serana burst out laughing before she said, “I’ll trust you. Bring me that, please.”
“On it!” Rebel said as she stood up and rushed away.
“What’s your usual?” Serana asked.
“I don’t have one. I just say that and eat what they bring me because everything here is good.”
“That’s so . . . that’s just . . . Are all of you insane?”
“Most likely. It runs in the family.”
“How are you related to Rebel?”
“Her dad grew up with Papa. I’ve known her since she was born.”
“And that’s it?” Serana asked. When I shrugged, she said, “I’ve never considered anyone family other than my parents and siblings. I have aunts, uncles, and cousins, of course, but not friends that I . . . You know what? I would consider Moe and Taylor family. They’re like sisters to me.”
“Are you closer to them than your own sisters?” Serana started to shut down, so I said, “Just talk to me, babe. What’s the harm in telling me about them?”
“I don’t talk about my family because I don’t have any contact with them.”
“Why?”