The Perfect Homecoming (Pine River #3)

I explained to Emma that Marisol was helping me get ready for the game, because I didn’t want her to think she was fired or anything, and Emma said oh, and then she wondered if I’d had my gruel, and Marisol said yes in that Latina way that essentially means, don’t even think of stepping on my toes, chica, and Emma just walked into the kitchen. Sometimes she forgets to make a graceful exit. She forgets to say things like “Thanks!” Or, “Excuse me, hope you two have fun.” She just walks off. I don’t take it personally, because I figure she doesn’t know what to say and just goes on. Anyway, she walked into the kitchen and I could hear her banging things around, being loud, and Marisol picked up the yellow highlighter and looked at me and said, “You’re very stupid, Leo.”


I said, “Stop flirting with me, Marisol. I’m busy right now.”

And she said, “That skinny blonde is in love with you.”

Well, tell me something I don’t know already. People, what do you think I do all day with this ginormous brain? I think, I observe, and I am always one step ahead of you. I said, “Look, it’s obvious she’s totally into me, but she’s not in love with me. She’s in love with, like . . . sanctuary.” I couldn’t think of a better word because I’ll be honest, my genius brain was one hundred percent focused on football. Marisol looked like she thought I was trying to speak Spanish or something and she said that didn’t make any sense, but the thing is, it makes all the sense in the world. Emma is in love with the idea that there is a guy out there who doesn’t want her for her body. I mean, I think she wants a guy to be completely into her kick-ass body, but she doesn’t want that to be the first and only thing, you know? But then, she’s kind of strange, and I think she’s afraid if anyone ever looked past her perfect body, they wouldn’t like what they saw.

Me, I’m totally into her body. That’s what I want, but I can’t do anything about it, so, voila, she’s safe with me.

Emma knows that, too. That’s why she’s hiding out with me. I don’t know exactly what she’s hiding from, but hello, it’s obvious to everyone she’s hiding. People like Luke think she’s hiding from something or someone. “Maybe she’s on the lam,” he said with a chuckle, but I could tell he’d actually wondered if that was true.

I’m a lot more astute than any other Kendrick in this house, and I know she’s hiding from herself.

So, late one day Luke comes in with Cooper, his new best friend, and they’re all excited because it’s supposed to snow late in the week, and Luke’s suggesting that they take a day or two and go skiing. This guy has been here a couple of days now, which I thought was all he’d planned, but now it looks like he’s sticking around for a few more. Of course he’s still here, because it’s the holiday season and the ranch is running itself right now, and Luke has time on his hands and this guy likes to do the stuff that Luke likes to do, and Luke is full of ideas. Plus, Luke can be very convincing. Trust me, back in the day, he talked me into doing things that would have made my mom kill herself if she’d known.

I can tell Cooper digs it here, too. He doesn’t want to admit it because that would be, like, super uncool to be from Hollywood and really dig Pine River. Anyway, we were sitting around and he and Luke were drinking beer, and Dad was shoving shit into a blender for me, and I asked Cooper how he knows Emma.

“Only casually. We worked a couple of events together.” But when he said it, he looked like he’d just eaten something lumpy and couldn’t swallow it.

I said, “Don’t you like her?” Because even though Emma’s a little odd, she’s beautiful, she’s funny in a nonobvious way, she tells it like it is, and she likes dogs. What’s not to like?

Cooper looked like I’d caught him with his pants down, and believe me, he’s not the kind of guy to get caught like that. He said, “I like her fine. I mean, I don’t know her that well, but I haven’t had any issues with her.”

I thought that was a weird thing to say, no issues, and so did Luke, because he laughed. “Issues. Like what?”

Cooper shrugged and took a giant swig from his beer and said, “I’ll be honest, guys—she’s got a rep around Hollywood.”

Well now, that remark totally made me feel the need to stick up for my woman, and I said, “Sure she does. She’s different. But different isn’t bad, you know? Like that kid playing basketball in New Jersey. You know who I’m talking about, right? The high school senior? He’s like this huge basketball star, no one can block him, and he’s got autism.”

Cooper looked really startled, and so did Luke, who said, all confused, “What are you saying? Emma has autism?”

I am often amazed at how obtuse people around me can be. I was like, “No, dude, she doesn’t have autism.” Sometimes you really have to spell these things out. “I’m just saying she’s different. She’s not like the other girls, but she’s still awesome. Like that kid in New Jersey.”

Cooper said, “Right,” but he said it in a tone that told me he didn’t get it at all. So I said, “I bet you didn’t know that she gave a big wad of cash to the Pine River afterschool program.”

Luke was frowning like he thought I was making it up, and he was all, “How do you know, genius?” How can he still doubt my powers of observation? I said, “Because Debbie Trimble is on the board and she told me. She was as surprised as you, Luke, and I guess it’s because you guys look at Emma and you don’t think charitable works, right? They didn’t even ask Emma for it. She heard Deb talking about it, and the next time Debbie was over, she handed her a check.”