Sunday is colorfully recounting what happened before the guys got upstairs, gesturing wildly. A frustrated Payne is trying to get her to sit down so he can examine the bump on the top of her head left behind by the window frame.
Glancing at Poe, I catch the corners of his mouth twitching.
“What the hell are you grinning at?” My snark only makes his smile more expansive, which makes me more annoyed. “Something funny, dick?”
“We’ve already had this conversation, Star. The only dick in the room is the one in my pants, remember?” He answers smoothly, and I want to laugh and punch him in equal parts. Settling instead for shooting him a dirty look, I move to walk by him, but he reaches out and pulls me into a tight hug, tucking my head under his chin.
“Hey, I can’t help it. Imagining the look on that douchebag Todd’s face when he realized he was getting his ass handed to him by two girls brings me great joy.” He chuckles. “It must have been priceless.” Lowering his head, he buries his face in my hair and speaks softly. “You’re a tough one, Stella Bradleigh, and I’m grateful for that. No more scrapping though, okay? Thank you for proving once again you can take care of yourself, but you’ll give me a heart attack before I hit my twenties if you keep this up.” His voice rumbles warmly where my ear presses against his chest, and his familiar scent wraps around me like a cozy blanket.
I could stand here in the middle of this shithole forever, as long as he was standing with me.
Shocked as shit by my thoughts of doing anything with anybody forever, I awkwardly pull out of his embrace with a short, nervous laugh.
“What you should be thankful for is Sunday. She’s the heroine in this story. Jumped right on his back and rode him like a pissed off bull.” I wink in her direction.
“Damn right, I did! Nasty fucker.” A wince mars her lovely features as her outburst causes the bag of frozen vegetables retrieved from my freezer and now balanced on the top of her head to shift. Payne catches it before it can slide off, holding it in place for her as she leans back against his chest.
“Okay, ladies, is this all of your shit?” Poe asks, gesturing to the three duffel bags and my backpack sitting on the bed.
“Uh, yeah, but I need to do a garbage run, so let me check the fridge. And maybe I should just wash these real fast.” I know I’m stalling as I busy myself in the kitchen, shifting dirty plates and glasses and utensils around on the small counter for no good reason.
“Obvious points for being badass ball-busting chicks,” Payne quips from his position on the couch, “but can we get the hell out of here now, please?” The impatience is thick in his voice, and I know a big part of it comes from seeing the object of his affection hurt, even though he’d never admit it.
Sun comes to join me and tosses her makeshift ice pack into the sink. Grabbing the frying pan that has somehow ended up in my hand again, she waggles her eyebrows at me before turning to face the guys.
“I distinctly remember asking you to stay downstairs, but yet here you are. You two don’t listen very well, do you?” She asks the question with her eyes squinted and lips pursed, tapping the side of the pan against the palm of her free hand for emphasis. It’s ridiculous, her trying to look all big and bad, and I appreciate her attempt at using humor to ease some of the tension still lingering in the room.
Apparently not as sure of her intentions as I am, Payne stands and carefully plucks the potential weapon from her fingers as she approaches him. Unable to hold her serious expression any longer, she giggles and overly pouts her pretty mouth, a teasing glint in her eyes. “What’s the matter, Payne? Not up for a little spanking?” Her eyes go wide, and I can hear the breath she sucks in from all the way across the room as Payne pulls her against him and reaches down to boldly grab a handful of her ass cheek.
“When you’re ready for me to spank this nice round ass of yours, Easton, you just let me know.” He pauses for a beat longer than joking, letting her fully absorb his meaning before backing up with a chuckle and walking the pan back to the kitchen sink.
“If it will make you feel better, Stella, I will arrange to have a cleaning company come in and take care of everything.” Mr. Halliday offers from where he now leans against the door frame waiting for us. Nodding my agreement, I join Sunday, where she still stands by the couch, having not moved an inch since Payne’s offer.
“Sunday, you need to close your mouth now,” I say, tapping the underside of her chin lightly and grinning.
“Did he just–” she whispers.
“Yep,” I confirm.
“Huh.” She tries to brush it off with practiced nonchalance, but I can tell she’s both shocked and at least a little pleased. “Well, let’s plow, shall we?” Linking an arm in mine, she grabs both our purses and sashays us to the front door. Looking over my shoulder, I offer a silent farewell to the cramped space, somehow knowing I’ll never be back.
Sunday gently grasps my chin with her free hand, and laser focuses her eyes on mine. “This is not your home anymore. I don’t think it was ever really anything more than a stopover. We are your home: me, Payne, Poe, Cecily–all of us. Folkestone is your home. It’s time to leave this place behind.” Her sincerity hits me right in the feels. I look at Payne and Poe and see the same thing reflected on their faces.
It scares the shit out of me, but deep inside, I know she’s right; I don’t belong here anymore. So, I suck it up and utter the only words I’m confident I can get out without choking on my anxiety or bawling my face off.
“Thank you.”
My best friend unlinks her arm from mine so she can engulf me in one of her bear hugs.
“It’s like the Jeffersons babe; you’re moving on up,” she says, and the visual makes me laugh.
“Sun, how do you even know who the Jeffersons are? I thought I was the one with the penchant for old tv shows.”
“No, you’re the one with the love of weird music and scary movies. I’m the one who likes cheesy old tv shows and nineties rap.” She pauses to throw me some hilarious made-up gang signs. “At Sandringham, I watched a lot of old seventies and eighties sitcoms. They thought they were less likely to get us worked up, and we’d be more pliable.” Before I can ask her what the hell that means and exactly what a Sandringham is, Poe interrupts.
“Everybody ready?” I can hear the ‘finally’ he kindly left out of his question, and I give him a small, grateful smile.
Sunday leans her head briefly against mine before quickly straightening up and aiming a saucy wink straight at Payne. Slipping on her pink Maui Jims, she grins. “Grab the bags, boys. It’s time to go home.”
Chapter Six
We stop back at the diner on our way out of town. There is no way I can leave, especially for good this time, without saying goodbye to Sally, the woman who has become like an older sister to me. There are big, messy, snotty tears on both our parts and in the end, I think she only lets me leave because I solemnly promise I’ll come back to visit her soon. Both Sunday and I make sure she knows there’s a standing invitation, complete with a plane ticket, to the west coast. I have a sneaking suspicion she and my aunt will get along great.