There was no telling how late Mom was going to sleep.
“I should apologize for my brother. Knowing him, I’m sure he wasn’t very nice.”
I sort of felt sorry for her, being that she was related to such a tool. “It’s not your fault.”
Her fingers twisted around her key ring, and her eyes drifted to mine. “He’s really overprotective, so he doesn’t take well to strangers.”
Like a dog? I almost smiled, but her eyes were wide and she looked genuinely scared I wouldn’t forgive her. Having a brother like him must suck. “It’s no big deal. Maybe he was just having a bad day.”
“Maybe.” She smiled, but it seemed forced.
“Seriously, no worries. We’re good,” I said.
“Thanks! I’m totally not a stalker. I swear.” She winked. “But I’d love to hang out this afternoon. Got any plans?”
“Actually, I was thinking of tackling the overgrown flower bed in the front. You wanna help?” Having company might be fun.
“Oh, that sounds great. Let me get these groceries home, and I’ll head straight over,” she said. “I’m really excited to garden! I’ve never done that.”
Before I could ask what sort of childhood didn’t include at least the obligatory tomato plant, she’d dashed off to her car and zoomed out of the parking lot. I pushed off my bumper and headed toward the driver’s side. I opened the car door and was about to climb in when the feeling of being watched crept over me.
My eyes darted around the parking lot, but there was only a man in a black suit and dark sunglasses staring at a missing person’s picture on a community corkboard. All I could think of was
The only thing he needed was that little memory-wiper device and a talking dog. I would’ve laughed, except nothing about the man was funny…Especially since he was now staring right back at me.
…
A little past one that afternoon, Dee knocked on the front door. When I stepped outside, I found her standing near the steps, rolling back on the heels of her wedge sandals. Not what I’d consider “gardening” attire. The sun cast a halo around her dark head and she had an impish grin on her face. In that moment, she reminded me of a fairy princess. Or maybe a cracked-out Tinker Bell, considering how hyper she was.
“Hey.” I stepped out onto the porch, closing the door quietly behind me. “My mom’s sleeping.”
“I hope I didn’t wake your mom,” she mock whispered.
I shook my head. “Nah, she’d sleep through a hurricane. It’s happened, actually.”
Dee grinned as she sat on the swing. She looked timid, hugging her elbows. “As soon as I came home with groceries, Daemon ate half a bag of
“It’s amazing.” She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “He eats so much we usually have to run two to three trips a week to the store.” She looked at me with a sly glint in her eyes. “Of course, I can eat you out of house and home too. I guess I shouldn’t be talking.” My envy was almost painful. I wasn’t blessed with a fast metabolism. My hips and butt could attest to that. I wasn’t overweight, but I really hated it when Mom referred to me as ‘curvy.’ “That’s so not fair. I eat a bag of chips and gain five pounds.”
“We’re lucky.” Her easy grin seemed tighter. “Anyway, you must tell me all about Florida. Never been there.”
I propped myself up on the porch railing. “Think nonstop shopping malls and parking lots. Oh, but the beaches. Yeah, it’s worth it for the beaches.” I loved the heat of the sun on my skin, my toes squishing in the wet sand.
“Wow,” Dee said, her gaze darting next door as if she were waiting for someone. “It’s going to take a lot for you to get used to living here. Adapting can be…hard when you’re out of your element.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem that bad. Of course when I first found out, I was like, you have
Dee laughed. “Yeah, a lot of people don’t. We were shocked when we came here.”
“Oh, so you guys aren’t from here either?”
Her laugh died off as her gaze flicked away from mine. “No, we’re not from here.”
“Did your parents move here for work?” Although I had no idea what sort of jobs were around this place.
“Yeah, they work in the city. We don’t see them a lot.”
I had the distinct impression there was more to it. “That must be hard. But…a lot of freedom, I guess. My mom is rarely here either.”
“I guess you understand then.” A strange, sad look filled her eyes. “We kind of run our own lives.”
“And you’d think our lives would be more exciting than this, right?”
She looked wistful. “Have you ever heard of, be careful what you wish for? I used to think that.” She toed the swing back and forth, neither of us rushing to fill the ensuing silence. I knew exactly what she meant. I can’t remember how many times I’d lain awake at night and hoped Mom would snap out of it and move on — and welcome West Virginia.
Dark clouds seemed to roll in out of nowhere, casting a shadow across the yard. Dee frowned. “Oh no! It looks like we’re going to get one of our famous afternoon rainstorms. They usually last a couple of hours.”
“That’s too bad. I guess we better plan to garden tomorrow instead. Are you available?”
“Sure thing.” Dee shivered in the suddenly chilly air.
“Wonder where this storm came from. It seemed to come out of nowhere, didn’t it?” I asked.
Dee jumped up from the swing, wiping her hands on her pants. “Looks that way. Well, I think your mom is up, and I need to wake Daemon.”
“Sleeping? That’s a little late.”
“He’s weird,” Dee said. “I’ll be back tomorrow, and we can head to the garden shop.”
Laughing, I slid off the rail. “Sounds good.”
“Great!” She skipped down the steps and twirled around. “I’ll tell Daemon you said hi!”
I felt my cheeks turn a fiery red. “Uh, that won’t be necessary.”
“Trust me, it is!” She laughed and then sprinted to the house next door.
Mom was in the kitchen, coffee in hand. As she faced me, steaming brown liquid sloshed over the counter. The innocent look on her face gave it away.
Grabbing a towel, I walked over to the counter. “She lives next door, her name is Dee, and I ran into her while I was at the grocery store.” I swiped the towel over the splotches of coffee. “She has a brother. His name is Daemon. They’re twins.”
“Twins? Interesting.” She smiled. “Is Dee nice, dear?”
I sighed. “Yes, Mom, she’s very nice.”
“I’m so happy. It’s about time you came out of your shell.”
I didn’t realize I was in a shell.
Mom blew softly and then took a sip, eyeing me over the rim. “Did you make plans to hang out with her tomorrow?”
“You would know. You were listening.”
“Of course.” She winked. “I’m your mother. That is what we do.”
“Eavesdropping on conversations?”
“Yes. How else am I supposed to know what is going on?” she asked innocently.
I rolled my eyes and turned to go back into the living room. “Privacy, Mom.”
“Honey,” she called from the kitchen, “there is no such thing as privacy.”
Chapter 3
The day my Internet was hooked up was better than having a hot guy check out my butt and ask for my
