Chapter 13 #2
Then again, I’d watched enough true crime documentaries to know that wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility.
I started off across the grass and smiled when I heard the kids freaking out behind me. I almost wanted the lady to come outside just so I could get a look at her. I imagined her having a hook nose and black teeth with fingernails like talons and . . .
“Good grief,” I muttered, wondering if my exhaustion was what was causing me to buy into the children’s imagined neighborhood villain.
I was about two steps away from the porch when the door flew open and a scowling woman yelled, “You’re on private property!”
I heard a collective gasp behind me that nearly sucked me backward, and I took a good look at the woman before I said, “Hi! I’m Darcy.”
“I don’t recognize you. Why are you talking to those children?”
“They were —”
“They shouldn’t talk to strangers, but I bet that’s something their parents forgot to teach them, along with manners and how to follow rules.”
“I’m sure their parents have explained that to them, but I’m not a stranger to them even though I’m new to the neighborhood,” I explained.
I walked over and carefully tiptoed through the flower bed before I bent over and picked up Dot.
“One of the puppies got away, and they asked me to come get her.”
“Why is that dog on my lawn?”
“Because she ran away.”
“There are leash laws in this town to protect us from aggressive animals,” the woman announced. She looked over my shoulder and frowned before she said, “And that girl never keeps her pets on a leash.”
“Those are her service animals.”
“That doesn’t excuse them from following the law! When they get near, they growl like wild animals.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“Because they’re feral just like all of those kids.”
“You know, I was positive that the kids were exaggerating when they told me how horrible you are, but obviously they were right.”
The woman gasped before she announced, “I’m going to call the police and charge you with trespassing and then call the pound to come pick up that animal you’re holding.”
“Are you this bitter and nasty because you’re afraid that if you’re nice to people, they might figure out how tiny you really are?”
“What?”
“Big talk, little brain, shitty attitude. I’ve known people like you my entire life, and they all have one thing in common: when they die, no one will miss them.
” I turned to walk away and called over my shoulder, “Just like no one will miss you if you keep your shit up. Oh, and the kids were right - you are a horrid bitch.” I walked past the For Sale sign at the end of the sidewalk and said, “I hope like hell you’re moving out to the country somewhere because there’s not a neighborhood in the world that deserves your bullshit. ”
I heard the kids running on the sidewalk behind me and laughed when I looked up and saw Brighten standing on the sidewalk in front of her house staring daggers at the woman. Apparently she’d had a run in or two with the woman herself, so I understood why she looked so angry.
The kids were whispering in awe at my bravery, and I even got a high five from Koda, who complimented the fact that I didn’t seem scared at all.
By the time we got to Brighten, a simple conversation and puppy rescue had morphed into a death-defying drama that included land mines, fire-breathing dragons swooping down to incinerate everything in their paths, and zombies crawling out from under the porch.
“Griff, take the puppies to their pen so they can eat and have a nap. I’m sure they’re exhausted after being manhandled by you guys for so long.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Griffin took Dot out of my arms and held her close before he said, “Come on, guys! Let’s go tell Hawk and Crow how brave Darcy was!”
The kids took off, and Brighten smiled before she said, “I think you’re their new hero.”
“What is wrong with that woman? Why does she hate everyone so much?”
“She started it,” Brighten said, glaring at the woman who was still watching us from her porch. She shrugged and explained, “We’ve sort of stoked the fire in the hopes that she’d give up and move away.”
“It looks like you won.”
“She’s asking for $20k more than the appraisal, so I doubt it will ever sell.”
“If she moves away, how is she going to make everyone’s lives miserable?” I asked. I turned around and waved at the neighbor like we were long-lost friends before I said, “I’m sure my evil genius doesn’t measure up to any of your group, but I have some ideas we can try if you’d like to hear them.”
“Darcy, my sweet friend, you’re one of us now. You know that, right?”
“Am I?”
“Welcome to the club, sweetheart. Some of us were born into it, while others fit in so well, we never give them the option to leave.”
“Well, that’s a bit unnerving.”
Brighten laughed before she said, “It should be.”
“Is Crow still sleeping?”
“Like the dead. He asked me to wake him up at six so he could have dinner before relieving whoever is currently at the hospital, but I made an executive decision to give him a few more hours after I realized he had his phone with him, and it was going off non-stop,” Brighten said as she pulled Crow’s phone out of her pocket.
“I took it with me so I could answer it if there’s a call about Rev.
Revna. Good grief. What a name, huh? Like I have any room to talk. ”
“My real name is Delphine, so I understand. Believe me. It did make me curious, though, so I googled it. It’s Danish for Raven.”
“Wow. Of course it is,” Brighten said in exasperation.
“How is she doing?” I asked.
“They’re keeping her sedated to help with the withdrawal symptoms,” Brighten said sadly.
“But Amethyst said that with some love and care and probably a little medical intervention, she should catch up to other kids her age as far as her growth is concerned. They’ll have to do some assessments to see if she’s on schedule with other things, but we’ll help her with any other hurdles that come along. ”
“It broke my heart to see her so agitated last night. I felt so helpless.”
“There wasn’t anything you or Crow could do other than support each other and let her know she had someone nearby who cares for her.”
“Right.”
“Which leads me to the question I’ve been dying to ask since your declaration of love last night.”
“What’s that?”
“You fell in love with Crow when he wasn’t going through all of this. Now that he is, are you going to stick around and help him?”
“I’ve felt that way for weeks now, but I was fighting it tooth and nail for a few reasons. That’s actually what I was discussing with Emerald before my encounter with the neighbor from hell.”
“Good. Your reasons are really none of my business, but I don’t have to tell you how important Crow is to me and a whole lot of other people. He’s a natural caretaker and always has been. I hope you appreciate that and take care of him too.”
“That’s my plan.”
“I hope you stick with it.”
“I’m in love with Crow, Brighten, and that’s not going to go away, even with the appearance of a surprise child and his maddening habit of putting olives on everything.” Brighten shuddered, so I said, “I know, right?”
Brighten screwed up her face comically before she said, “And you’re signing up to kiss that man even knowing that?”
“Might not be my smartest decision,” I joked.
“I think he’d give up olives for you.”
“I would never ask him to give up anything. I’ll learn to adjust.”
“Maybe you can teach him how to wear clothes.”
“Absolutely not. I don’t mind that habit at all.”