Page 1 of Rain or Shine
Chapter One
Delaney
Cursed.
If someone were to ask me to give one word that describes my life, that would be it. I’m cursed. Everything about my life is. It’s the way it always seems to be.
It started when I was little, after my mom left my dad to raise my two older brothers and me. He worked two jobs until a massive heart attack took him when I was in the eighth grade. Then five years later, while I was a freshman in college, a semi-truck jack-knifed, taking Davis from Dustin and me.
My only blessing was that when we lost Davis I was home on winter break. I was lucky enough to be able to see him one last time. It might not seem as such, but it was a gift to have the memories of the days leading up to the accident. I hated losing Davis. He was the one I talked to the most. Not that I don’t love Dustin, he was always great growing up, but losing Davis was like a wall building in place between the two of us. We didn’t talk as much. Didn’t really spend time together.We lost the glue that held our family together.
Dustin became more involved in his club, where he now goes by what he calls his road name. I honestly don’t understand the MC life. To me, he’s always been Dustin, though when around others, he’s asked me to call him Mammon. I do this for him to keep things good between us, and so we don’t have fights.
I do a lot of things to appease him since I’m not a confrontational person. I never have been. I’m more of a book nerd and homebody than someone who likes going out and partying.
I get my reasons for being a homebody and reading all the time, though others wouldn’t get it or even understand why. If I go out and make friends, there’s a chance that those people I end up caring for could end up leaving me like everyone else has in my life.
The only one I’m okay to keep around, even at a distance, is Dustin. He’s the only one who I’ll let in since I don’t have to let him past my walls.
It’s the reason I agreed to the job offer at Saddle Ridge Elementary as a kindergarten teacher. I could keep my stance with life and still spend time with my brother every once in a while.
The decision to move home hadn’t been an easy one, but there were reasons that pushed me to make the move. Ones I’ve kept to myself and won’t be sharing. It was already hard enough to take the step, however, I don’t regret it. It was time to face all the memories. Including the bad ones. One of the worst was standing in the middle of the road while a friend of Dustin’s told me our brother was gone. Dustin had been off to the side, surrounded by others, his back to a white picket fence, head down, shoulders shaking.
I shake the thought away, not wanting to go deeper. I never liked going down the rabbit hole of that dreaded day, or the days that followed.It’s never something a sibling wants to haveto decide. The yes or no answers to where his body should go. Of knowing he’s an organ donor and parts of him would go to someone else. Though Davis had been gone, they’d been about to save some of his organs, including his eyes, to give to another person.
Only we never got to find out who those people were who received them. At the time, I thought of looking into finding out who the recipients were. I knew you could find out, but I never went through with it. I couldn’t.
The idea of meeting the person who had Davis’s eyes and seeing them in another’s face . . . it would kill.
Sucking in a breath, I shove all thoughts to the side. I needed to get ready.
My brother is dragging me to a wedding. He insists I need to break out of my shell and cut loose before the school year begins. I reluctantly agreed, hoping if I did, he’d lay off and let me live my best introverted life. Plus, I’m kind of curious to see how the bikers do a wedding. Will the VP wear a suit and tie when he ties the knot? Probably not. I hear he's marrying a sweet girl, though. My brother is hellbent on making Della my new best friend.
Slipping into a simple, knee-length crochet dress, I reach for the only pair of boots I own. Typically, I wear flip-flops or no shoes at all. Work is the exception. I have a ton of different flats I like to wear. Though for work, I have a ton of different flats I like to wear. Being that I’m only five-five, I could seriously get away with heels, they just weren’t my thing.
I preferred to have my toes in the grass as much as possible.
Checking the time, I groan. I need to finish getting ready if I want to get there on time. I brush out my blonde hair and put on minimal makeup. Another thing I am pretty basic about. It’s not that I’m conceited about the way I look by any means. I simply don’t like to cake my face up. Moisturizer, a little concealer, mascara, eyeliner, and a red lipstick. That’s all I need.
Once I’m ready, I make it through my little rental. It’s lucky, with it still being summer, I could find a place. Saddle Ridge and its surrounding area are famous for rodeos. However, there’s more to the town itself than just the rodeo. The views alone could attract tourists.
Finding my boho bag, I make sure to grab my keys and phone from by the entryway. I check my bag to make sure I have a book, I never leave without one, and my wallet. I’m paperbacks all the way.
I take a breath and step outside into the sweltering heat thanks to the late summer days. I’ll be glad when it starts to cool off and the leaves begin to turn autumn colors. I long to smell the fall air in the breeze.
Sighing, I hop into my truck, a gift from both Dustin and Davis when I graduated high school. It was so I could get home whenever I needed to. I’ve kept it in top running shape myself, as they taught me, so I didn’t worry about going to a mechanic to do those things. I have everything I need to fix it myself.
The truck starts with a loud rumble of the exhaust system. One thing about my Chevy Z71, you can hear it coming from a mile away. If not more. Something my brothers used to joke about, they’d know I was coming home without me telling ‘em.
I put the truck in reverse, back out onto the street, and throw it in drive. Music blasts from the speakers, Zac Brown’sChicken Fried. This song always makes me smile. I love the song for no other reason than for what I feel when I hear it.
By the time I make it to the clubhouse where my brother told me to meet him, four other songs have played through, includingFancyby Reba.
I spot my brother outside as I park off to the side, where other cars and trucks are. He makes his way over to me, a grin in place, one I know means he’s actually happy, and he’s not just putting on a front.
“You actually made it on time,” he jokes, knowing me well.
“I’ve gotten better about being on time for things.” I always tend to be late to everything I’m invited to. To avoid this, I now set an alarm for when I’m supposed to leave.
