Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Iris
Holding the back screen door open, I holler, “Dee, do you want the leftover bread?” to my sister, who is playing with her creatures in the yard. It’s dark out, but the moon casts just enough light for me to see her.
“No,” she replies, sitting in the grass with a lap full of newborn Poppy babies.
We’ve been in our new house, in our new town, for just over two weeks now, and after the first few days, Dee’s settled down, and we’ve settled into a routine of sorts.
The day after we arrived, Doug built a safe house for the opossums out of wood.
It’s just over six feet tall, with small arched doors on two sides so they can come and go as they please, and ramps for entry.
The roof lifts off with a latch for cleaning, and he also added branches for climbing and two hammocks, which he clearly hand-stitched himself from old clothes.
This has calmed Dee considerably. He and Creature drop by every now and again to check on us, and Mama, a big bald man, visits every night with our dinner.
He might very well be the kindest person I’ve ever met.
The basket he initially left us contained a blue crocheted blanket, a bottle of apple cider, and a fresh loaf of bread with homemade honey butter. It was such a thoughtful welcome gift.
Once he saw we had opossums and met them, he crocheted three stuffies for us at his insistence.
Dee is obsessed with them, and I think she secretly loves Mama.
Not in a romantic way, but she trusts him, and that’s new for her.
I can’t recall a single man she’s ever trusted.
Not even our father. Not that she’s had a lot of exposure to them, given our upbringing.
Cell was right about this place.
Especially Sola.
Any questions I’ve had, she’s answered, but she doesn’t push.
Everyone has given us space to find our footing.
Even Mia’s dog has become a fast friend.
For some reason, he stays out of our backyard and keeps away from the opossums, but he loves to smack his tail against our front door for pets, and I’m more than happy to give him some.
Since Dee has given up her claim to Mama’s French loaf, I slice up the most delicious bread with an actual bread knife, slather it with an insane amount of fresh honey butter, and eat it standing in our peaceful kitchen as I stare into the living room.
The air conditioning keeps me cool, as the cushy kitchen rug keeps my feet happy.
There’s a candle burning on the coffee table—lemongrass scented.
I can’t believe I’m living in a real home with my sister for the first time. I wake up most mornings and pinch myself to make sure it’s real.
And it is…
Just like the fact that I need to leave tonight to drive back to New York to clean out my apartment and see what kind of hell has broken loose now that Harold and Penelope are gone.
I’ve already texted Sola to meet me here.
I can’t give Dee a chance to barricade me in the house, so I can’t go. She will do it… and I need the space to handle my business for just a few days. Not long. Unfortunately, my sister won’t understand.
This is one of those cases where you do and ask for forgiveness later, just like when I took the job to hunt Harold. Dee was furious. She always hated it when I didn’t live in the cabin.
Our relationship is always rocky during the first few weeks after a major change, but it eventually mends. Then again, that was then, when she had the comfort of our homestead to keep her level.
That’s why Sola’s coming.
The gentle knock on the front door gets me moving. Resting the dishes in the sink, I put on my shoes, shoulder my duffel, and meet her on the front porch. Rot and Creature stand in the yard as I set my bag just outside the front door to talk to them.
I have to be quiet.
“Sorry it’s late.”
Sola waves me off like it’s not a problem. “You said you needed to talk.”
“I’m leaving for a few days. Dee is gonna spiral. I need you to be ready to handle that.”
“Did you tell her?”
“No. I can’t. It’ll make it worse. I have some loose ends to deal with. I should be back in about a week. Maybe two.”
“Are you sure you wanna go alone?”
“Yes. I have to. Otherwise, it might look suspicious. When the stuff we did went down, I’d put in for a six-week vacation well before that.”
“So you weren’t a suspect,” Rot fills in the blank.
“Exactly.”
“Smart.”
“Thanks…” I sputter, not used to praise or this weird fluttering in my belly because of it.
Shaking the sensation loose, I clear my throat.
“Anyhow, I am due to return tomorrow. I have to leave now, or I won’t make it in time to park my car, take a taxi to the airport, and call my driver to pick me up. ”
Rot whistles. “Fancy.”
He doesn’t know the half of it, and they never will.
“Yeah. But also, a pain. I hate having to do all this. If Harold had been a nobody, it would’ve been so much easier.
But he wasn’t. I’ve kept my work phone off so they couldn’t track it, and since I’ve been on vacation, it makes sense why I kept it off until I return.
But I expect to walk into a major shitstorm once I ‘land,’” I air-quote.
“We can handle Dee,” Sola vows, taking the mountain of stress for having to leave her off my shoulders. Not all of it. But some. Some is good.
“If it helps, I think she has a soft spot for Mama. He might be the best man for the job.”
Everyone chuckles as if they’re not surprised.
Sola’s smile lights her entire face. “Noted.”
“She hates me, so I’ll keep my distance,” Creature adds, not at all offended by the fact that Dee does, in fact, hate him. She hates all the men, except Mama. Which is to be expected.
“Thanks for everything.” I flash each of them a genuine smile, give Sola a quick hug, grab my bag, rush to my car, and throw my bag into the backseat.
Rot slings his arm around Sola’s shoulder as they watch me back out of the driveway.
I raise a hand in goodbye, and when they return the gesture, warmth settles in my bones.
Then I’m off, leaving my sister in the care of people I’ve grown to trust…
at least a tiny bit. They’ll do right by Dee.
If they don’t, they’ll learn firsthand what happens when you fuck with the Smith sisters.
Refusing to look back, I swallow the guilt down like a hot branding iron and set my GPS to New York City.
It’s time to bring my neglected, near-dead plants home.