you doing?” His dad slapped Slade’s arm and squeezed. “Still plenty of time for working out.”
Slade nodded and picked up his duffle. “There isn’t much else to do.”
His mom scowled and turned toward the front door. “I thought you were giving us the cold shoulder because you’d found someone.”
“Hardly.” Slade drew a breath as he walked into his home.
It was so hard to look around and not see his brother. It felt like Lucas should be bounding down the hallway any second.
“It’s good to have you home.” Slade’s mom wandered by him and down the hall to the kitchen, and his dad scooted by him to go up the stairs.
“I have to do my stretches for my knee. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes.”
“How’s it going?” Slade asked.
“Doc says if the PT doesn’t work, I’ll need surgery.”
Slade grimaced. His father had always been invincible.
But so had his brother.
Slade watched his dad march up the stairs and hollered, “I hope it works.”
“You and me both.” His dad waved and left Slade to stare at all the pictures lining the hallway to the kitchen. He could smell something wonderful wafting through the air. His mom thrived on feeding people. This kitchen was where he’d learned to bake.
He thought back to Erika’s surprise when she learned he could wear an apron with the best of them.
“What’s in the oven?” Slade asked as his mom filled up a water glass.
“Pineapple upside-down cake.”
Slade smiled and let out a sigh. “I haven’t had that for years.”
“It’s not every day you come to visit.”
“And I’m sorry about that.” Slade nodded. “I really am. I’m going to do better.”
Slade’s mom walked over to him and pinched his cheek. “It’s not like we’ve flown out to Colorado, either.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to him until she said it.
“We’re all adjusting. We all are navigating this new way of being a family.” She let out a sigh. “But I know we’ll come out stronger on the other end.”
Slade nodded. “I still think his death is merely a bad dream. It’s been a year, and I still think he’s going to resurface.”
Slade’s mom smiled and nodded. “That would be one for the record books.”
He shook his head, and she lovingly touched his cheek again.
“You both shared a really weird sense of humor.”
Slade smiled. “I know. It’s a blessing and a curse. I laugh at funerals and cry at weddings.”
She narrowed her eyes on Slade and wiped her hands on her apron. “Speaking of weddings . . .”
Slade laughed. “No, I haven’t signed up for any, if that’s what you’re asking.”
His mom frowned. “I don’t think Colorado’s great for your dating life.”
“I don’t have a dating life.”
“Exactly what I mean,” she pointed out.
“That’s where my business is, my home, my cars . . .” His voice trailed off.
The only reason he was in Colorado was that his brother loved the state and Lucas’s girlfriend’s family lived there.
Now, Slade was stuck in a place he didn’t want to be, and he had no idea how to get out.
“I don’t know if you remember, but you do own the company. You can move it wherever you want.”
Slade scoffed. “What? Like Idaho?”
His mom grinned and shrugged. “You could.”
The oven timer dinged, and his mom pulled out the cake. She didn’t even need to bother testing it. She could tell that the cake was perfectly golden and moist. Ever since he was a little boy, he’d anxiously wait for her to flip over her cast iron skillet and watch the brown sugar drip down and crystalize over the cake. He and his brother always fought over the drippings.
“You doing okay?” Her voice softened. “You look sad.”
“I just wish I could move on.” His eyes connected with his mom’s, and he spotted the same degree of pain in her gaze.
His dad walked into the kitchen, and his mom smiled.
“All done for the night,” his dad announced.
“Does the knee feel any better?” His mom sounded hopeful.
“No.” His dad frowned, and Slade laughed.
Slade nodded. “At least this family is direct.”
“Slade was telling me about a friend he made in Washington. Sounds like he’ll be visiting her on his way home.”
His father grinned. “That’s kind of out of the way.”
Slade laughed. “Not exactly. I couldn’t find any direct flights, so I figured Seattle was as good a place as any to connect flights.”
Slade’s mom hid a smile, and he knew she could read him right out of the story he was telling himself and his dad.
“Her name