Finding Home

by Meg Harding

  As if to reinforce how far from home Serenity was, he’d turned on the news when he woke, groggily trying to survive without a cup of coffee. There was nothing quite like seeing a report of a gator strolling along a golf course to let him know he wasn't in New York anymore.

  Phoenix yawned and his jaw cracked. “I can take you out grocery shopping some time today. If you want. Could do a tour of the town to get you acquainted and all set up.”

  “I….” Jaden wasn't staying, and he was getting the impression they thought he was. He needed to clarify. He opened his mouth to do so. “That would be nice.” What the hell? Who gave his mouth permission to say that? It certainly wasn’t him.

  “Sweet.” Phoenix grinned, flashing teeth that looked like they belonged in a dental ad. “We were thinking we’d each get a day with you. To get to know you.”

  Jaden blinked. “You don’t want to talk about the business?” His brain-to-mouth filter had deserted him. His hand actually twitched, like he was about to slap it over his mouth to stop blurting things out.

  Zane leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table and folding his hands together. It was a serious pose to match the expression on his face. “Do you want to talk about the business?”

  “It’s why I’m here,” he admitted, going with honesty. “I thought you’d want to buy out my share.”

  Phoenix slouched against the back of the booth, arms crossed. “What if we didn’t want to buy you out?”

  Jaden opened his mouth, closed it. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “The fitness facility is family run, and Lily-Anne left you a piece of it. She wanted you to be a part of it. We’re not going to buy you out, unless that’s what you want.” Phoenix held up his hand, palm out before Jaden could say that was exactly what he wanted. “But we want to get to know you. We’d like you to give us a chance.”

  Elliot took over. “We’re running on the assumption you’ve got a time frame of how long you can stay. And we know it might be a week, or three days, or whatever, but it would mean a lot if you let us take advantage of however long you are here for. You’ve probably got a life to get back to, and yeah Serenity might not play a part in it, but we are related and that means something to us. So. Please.”

  Jaden looked at their earnest faces, their matching navy eyes. He glanced around the diner, at the people and the car tables and the overwhelming southern vibe. This wasn't New York, and maybe a change of scenery was what he needed. A break from a life that had gotten a little off track as of late.

  It was only a month.

  This would be a vacation. At the end of it, he’d sign over his share of the business and return to New York. To reality. But….

  “She didn’t even know me,” he said. “Why would she want me to have a part of her business?”

  Zane pushed the salt shaker on the table in circles. “She didn’t know you, but you’re still family. She always wanted you to come back eventually. Hoped you would.” The salt shaker tipped over. “This is what she asked us to do.”

  Jaden had his doubts about that, about being able to live up to these unknown expectations, but the situation wasn't changed by them. “All right,” he said, heartstrings not at all moved by the two excited smiles and searching gaze aimed his way.

  Small towns were weird. Jaden had always thought this, based on nothing more than the things he’d read in books or seen on TV. Serenity wasn't backwoods like he’d been picturing, there were shopping plazas and paved roads and Phoenix drove them by a Target, but it wasn’t what he was used to. There was a lot of space. And everything was flat, spread out to cover as much ground as possible.

  Nothing went up.

  Only a handful of people were on the sidewalks—where there actually were sidewalks. Long stretches of road were framed by nothing more than grass and trees, no place for people to ride their bikes or walk set aside. Phoenix had to swing out of his lane to avoid more than one jogger.

  And there were cows. So many cows. Fields full of them, with horses here and there, and when they passed one house, Jaden spotted goats. Little, miniature goats. Like the kind he’d seen at petting zoos. He’d always wondered what people did with them and now he knew. They were pets apparently. The rural alternative to dogs.

  “Where are we going?” he asked eventually. Phoenix was winding his way along a road heavily shadowed by large oaks and hanging moss. It seemed like they were moving farther away from the town hub, where the shops were, and into the country.

  “We’re going to the place that makes living here worth it,” said Phoenix, rather cryptically in Jaden’s opinion.

  Jaden drummed his fingers on the armrest and glanced down at his iPhone in his lap. Now would be a good time for someone to text him. But since it was convenient, no one did. The trees outside his window blurred as they drove by. If he’d thought the road to Serenity was the middle of nowhere, then this road was a one-way ticket to the Everglades. Or possibly through the Everglades. Phoenix slowed to drive over an honest-to-God short wooden bridge spanning a bubbling creek. Jaden had just enough time to spot the yellow and black shell of a turtle sunning itself on a log.

  “This your first time in Florida?” asked Phoenix, drawing Jaden’s attention away from the wild kingdom outside.

  “It’s my first time that I’ll be able to remember,” said Jaden. “I was too young the other times. My mom’s from Serenity. Or, well, she lived here for a little. She’s originally from Los Angeles.” Though she’d never told him anything about Serenity other than, “That’s a time of my life I like to pretend didn’t happen. I’m not a small town girl.” She always followed this up—several minutes later when she’d realized how it sounded—with, “Except for you. You happened and that was good.”

  His mom wasn't adept in the mushy feelings department.

  “Ah, cool.” The trees were thinning, blue sky partially visible ahead. “Zane and I are from Montana. Our mom’s still out there.”

  “So Zane and you…?”

  “Are fully related, yeah. Mom was going through a ‘wild period’ and she met our dad working a horse ranch in Wyoming. Zane and I are only a year apart, and they split a couple months after Zane popped out. She took us back to Montana. She’s Cheyenne, so we lived on the reservation. They took it pretty well all things considered.”

  Jaden didn't know what that meant. “Took what well?”

  “Our lily-white asses,” said Phoenix on a laugh, gesturing at himself. “Mom’s all dark, and Zane and I came out with dark hair, but that was about it. We were a sign of her rebellion. Different from the rest. It took the community some time to accept us.” Phoenix and Zane both had sun-browned skin, and while it wasn’t dark per se, it was certainly not lily-white. That honor went to Jaden. If it wasn’t his face or his forearms, it didn't see the sun.

  “Oh,” he said, not sure what the proper response was here.

  Phoenix grinned. “It’s all good. Our family, they’re real big on knowing where you come from, and we got curious. Mom knew enough to point us toward Serenity, so we came here to, I guess, find ourselves. Something like that.” He shrugged easily, comfortable with revealing his past to a virtual stranger. “Still haven’t met the sperm donor, though. He hasn't shown up since we’ve been here. He called Lily-Anne from time to time, but that was about it. Didn’t show up for the funeral. I’m not sure if he even knew about it.” He said it matter-of-factly. The absence of the man Phoenix came here to find no longer bothering him apparently.

  The car slowed and Jaden looked ahead, mulling all this new information over. Four cranes were moseying their way across the road, taking their sweet time, utterly unconcerned by the car waiting on them. One stopped to peck at something in the road. “Is this normal?” asked Jaden, the New Yorker inside him itching with impatience.

  “Oh yeah.” Phoenix laughed. “If it’s not these guys, it’s a gator or a turtle, a family of deer. The list can go on. Whenever we get tourists who ask about the wi
ldlife, we like to say ‘you name it, we’ve got it.’” The passing lane opened up, clawed feet finally crossing the middle of the road, and Phoenix eased around them. “Makes my job interesting.”

  Jaden thought back to his conversation with Chase. Somewhere in his brain the knowledge of what Phoenix did for a living existed. But the ride was like a watercolor picture in his mind, the only thing clearly standing out in his memory was Chase. The veins in his forearms, the length of his fingers, the way he flicked his tongue over his teeth when he searched for words. Heat rushed low in his belly, and Jaden cleared his throat. This wasn't the time or the place for that. “What do you do?”

  “I own a wildlife sanctuary and a domestic animal shelter-slash-kennel. Basically I pick up strays, and then people pay to come visit my facility and learn about them. It’s a small operation I’ve got going, but there’s a massive sanctuary in Miami doing absolutely wonderful work. If you get the chance, check it out. It’ll melt your heart. I mostly take in overflow, animals in desperate need, that sorta thing. I started out with rescuing dogs.”

  Right. Chase’s words came back to him. “So, like, you rescue raccoons and stuff?”

  “And stuff,” said Phoenix, smiling widely. “Ah, we’re here.”

  Jaden looked out his window, expecting… he didn't know what he expected. It wasn't clear skies and blue rolling waves for as far as the eye could see. They were turning out of the woods and onto a road that stretched along above miles of beach. The ground sloped down, rickety wooden walkways extending over sturdy shrubbery and leading to golden sand.

  Phoenix parked the car off the side of the road closest to the woods. “I recommend leaving your shoes in here,” he said, already slumped to the side in his seat to work at the tie on his. “You’ll never get the sand out of them if you don’t.”

  Jaden had never been to the beach, but he’d seen the shark week specials. Which was probably why he’d never gone to one. But, he supposed, as long as they stayed away from the water, everything would be fine. He followed Phoenix across the road, wincing as the asphalt burned the soles of his bare feet and pebbles dug into the soft skin. Phoenix didn't seem to notice the heat, acting like he wasn't walking over what felt like lava.

  The walkway and the sand closest to it weren’t any less hot.

  Jaden sucked in a pained breath, shifting restlessly. He was not a fan of cavorting around barefoot. He’d always viewed it as unhygienic, and now he could add painful to the list.

  It wasn't till they were mere feet from the water that the sand cooled to something manageable and he was able to sigh with relief. He curled his toes, watching the water from the corner of his eye. The waves were steadily crashing, tumbling in with a constant roar of sound. From here the water was a deep, crisp blue, the foam a pure white except for where seaweed got tangled and thrown into the mix. As the foam reached land it became cloudy with sand and small shells, pristine white disappearing. Ocean met sky in the distance and blended together. Jaden could just about make out dots far off, boats lazing in the water.

  He may have found the endless depths of the ocean terrifying, but he could admit they were a beautiful sight.

  Phoenix stooped to roll his jeans up as far as they'd go, and then he ventured out. The water lapped at his calves, the spray darkening his jeans where it hit. He tilted his face to the sun, his blue hair blowing in the wind, buffeting his face. Jaden got a mental image of Phoenix in a bikini posing for a Victoria’s Secret ad and was stuck between amusement and horror. He leaned toward horror.

  Jaden shoved his hands in his pockets, tentatively sticking a foot out till he could dip his toe in the water. Fuck! He yanked back. It was way too cold for him.

  They walked side by side along the shore, Phoenix in the water and Jaden maintaining a careful distance. The sun beat down on him, burning through his clothes and leaving his skin tacky with sweat. The wind blew fiercely, and it was probably the only thing keeping him from falling over from the heat. The feel of sand between his toes was new, and he wasn't sure about it yet. He was used to always wearing shoes, and he was already thinking ahead to how he was going to have to wash his feet off before he put his shoes on or went inside the house.

  Phoenix bumped him, shoulder-checking him lightly. “Stop thinking and enjoy.”

  There was another first for Jaden. No one had ever told him to stop thinking. In fact, he could clearly recall teachers who demanded he do more thinking and less daydreaming.

  “Still thinking,” said Phoenix, interrupting Jaden’s train of thought. “Take a deep breath and relax. Focus on the sound the waves make coming in.”

  Jaden tried. His mind kept whirling. The last twenty-four hours had been nothing he’d prepared for, and it made for a lot to swallow. He knew Phoenix was probably enjoying the silence, the peace of the beach, but if he didn't start talking his brain would run away from him. Jaden wiped sweat from his brow. “So, is this part of Serenity?” The sun made it hard to see Phoenix’s face, turning it into a blinding blur, requiring Jaden to squint like that would help.

  “This,” said Phoenix, bending to fish a conch shell out of the water, “is the definition of Serenity.”

  Chapter 4

  “All right. Slowly raise your arms over your head and breathe in deep. Let it out slow and gradually roll your spine down till your hands touch the ground or as close as you can get. Hold this pose.” Chase, as the teacher, didn't get to relax as much as he would like to when doing yoga for a class, but he found this rewarding in its own way. This time wasn't about him, but about helping others to find their inner peace. “Now unwind, returning to an upright position. We’re going to bring our right leg out now and bend the left slightly at the knee, arms extended.”

  At the front of the room, he demonstrated each pose while keeping an eye out for anyone struggling. His Monday morning yoga group consisted of mostly seniors, and the exercise was fantastic for them. If they didn’t over do it and try to throw out a hip. His evening classes on Wednesday and Friday were filled with younger women, home from work, and the rare man. As a former athlete, Chase had never understood the gender stigma around things like yoga and Pilates, but every class he’d ever attended or taught had significantly more women than men.

  Personally, he believed men might have longer relationships if they put some effort into being bendy. Then again, Chase was probably trying to twist his partners into positions that a straight couple wouldn’t be aiming for. He shook his head. This wasn't an appropriate line of thought to be wandering down in the middle of a class. Especially not one filled with the town’s biggest gossips. He didn't need a bulletin being put out that he popped a boner in his spandex.

  “Let’s move on to the mat portion of today’s workout.” Counting everyone through the beginning breathing exercises helped clear his mind, and once they finished doing bridges and moved on to more complex positions, he began to walk the room and help them. He rested a hand on Mrs. Declan’s lower back, bracing her, showing her she didn't need to snap it in half to do the pose. He helped Mr. Wingels get his leg into the air and assured him it was okay to bend his knee. He rubbed Mrs. Whitaker’s calf through a charley horse.

  All in all, it was an average session.

  He said goodbye to everyone individually, reminding each person to eat something, drink water, Mr. Jenson please don’t forget your dentures (Chase didn't know how someone could lose their teeth, but Mr. Jenson was always misplacing them).

  He should have known he wouldn’t make it from the room unscathed. Mrs. Declan paused in front of him, her yoga mat peeking over her shoulder. “I’ve heard you’re being awfully friendly with this new fellow.”

  Chase blinked at her. Sometimes he suspected the people of Serenity were suspended between the modern day and the fifties. And Jesus Christ, Jaden had been in town for less than twenty-four hours. “I helped him get where he was going,” he said, neutrally.

  “He went to Lily-Anne’s.” She narrowed her watery blue eyes.
“He’s a Bannister, isn’t he? The first child of Kevin. What was it… Jaden? I knew his mother. Hoity piece of work. Thought she was too good for us.” Personal space not being something she concerned herself with, she tapped Chase on the chest. “You be careful. That boy didn’t get redeeming blood on either side.”

  Speechless, he watched her leave. That was a harsh assessment of a man she’d not met.

  Mrs. Jenkins paused next on her way out, and Chase braced for more unwelcome advice. All she did was pat his arm, though, rolling her eyes. “Ignore her. You know she’s crotchety.”

  The words brought a smile to his lips, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek before she left.

  Once the room was clear, he rolled his mint green mat and slipped his bare feet into surf shop flip-flops. It was a little after ten in the morning, and his smoothie place was being well taken care of by Carly Matheson, his employee/saving grace. It was time for some unwinding of his own.

  He kept the windows down as he drove, letting the wind ruffle his hair and sting his face. In order to hear his music over the rush, he had to turn it up loud. Just the way he liked it. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the beat, and he sang along with all he had. There was something about Adele. When she came on, he couldn't help but belt along.

  The drive to the beach always seemed to take forever, but in reality it was only fifteen, sometimes twenty, minutes. It depended on how many times he had to stop to wait for crossing wild animals. Though, once he did get held up by an escaped horse from the Miller farm. That had been a… special experience. Betsey the mare was a stubborn bit of goods, and she refused to budge. She also nipped him when he got out and tried to touch her. Chase now had a healthy respect for horses.