Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Noah

I didn't know why I had agreed to go to the county fair. Damon took his boys, who'd talked incessantly about it all day long. McCrae somehow talked me into going with him. From the moment I got there, stepping out of McCrae's passenger-side truck door, I was overwhelmed by the noise. Twangy country music blared over the speakers. Not that I hated country music, but the county fair was pretty much known for it.

The smell of funnel cakes and cotton candy permeated the air, making my mouth water. There were all the old rides: the roller coaster, the Tilt-A-Whirl that everyone thought would spin off the rails, and the little tin cans that tilted up and down. I remembered barfing in one of those as a kid, and I couldn't help but smile.

McCrae nudged me and grinned. "You're happy you came, aren't you? I volunteered to be a semi-chaperone at this dance tonight. Not that I can't dance. I can. I'm just there for law and order. But we could get in a few rides and down some churros. You in?"

"Of course I'm in." What the heck. When in Rome, do what the Romans do.

It was interesting being back. I'd gotten to see my brothers' and sister's personalities again. McCrae had always been like a puppy. He still was; he had just grown into a huge, friendly dog. He took working out to a whole other level, and he'd developed some thick muscles. At the gym the other day, holding the bag for him had been a chore. Not that I would ever admit it.

I could still take him down thanks to my special training. It was a small comfort.

McCrae dragged me onto each ride, and I felt like I could be flung off at any moment. Against my better judgment, I found myself smiling and laughing with my brother.

When he dragged me to the rickety roller coaster, I felt like we were taking our lives into our own hands. When I mentioned this to McCrae, he pointed at me and said, "Man, you've turned into a wimp. Can't handle a little roller coaster?"

Of course, this shut me up and got me on two more rides, just to prove I could handle it. Afterward, we both got corn dogs and soda pops. It was one of the better nights I'd had in a long time.

"How come you don't have a little honey?" I asked, feeling brave enough to pry into my brother's social life. Hopefully he wouldn't turn it around on me too much.

McCrae scoffed. "I did. It was kind of serious with her."

"Who?" Mom hadn't mentioned anything about it.

"Rose Jones."

"The girl from high school? Reverend Jones's daughter?"

McCrae nodded. "But she wanted to live her dreams and go to New York City. To make it ."

I chose my words carefully. "Did she?"

"Haven't heard much." McCrae shrugged. "I think she's still trying, but I haven't gotten a text from her in over a year. I tried to call her on her birthday, but it went to voicemail."

"Ouch." I didn't know what else to say.

McCrae stood, sucking the pop dry. "You coming to the dance with me?"

I was about to say no. When he'd guilted me into coming by saying I hadn't spent time with him in forever, I'd told him I wasn't doing the dance. I'd planned to hang out by the lake while he acted as a chaperone. But the music changed to a song I liked, and I perked up when I heard a woman's voice start singing. "I can check it out for a second."