CHAPTER EIGHT #2
“You call me if you need my help,” she insisted. “I’ll also send protection to you and that Montgomery fellow. You’ll need it while you’re in the hollow.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh,” she said. “We got off the subject with all this Vampire and Fae drama, who’s the child that’s in your house, by the way?”
I frowned. “There isn’t any. Are you sensing a spirit?”
“No,” she said. “This is a living child. She has braided pigtails and was wearing a pink summer dress. Seems to me that she belongs there. With you.”
“Nope,” I said. “Sorry to disappoint, and before you ask, there is no chance that I am pregnant. I haven’t been with anyone in over a year.”
“Well, I’ve seen her sitting at your table, along with her very attractive father. She was eating a cheeseburger. They’re her favorite food.”
I chuckled. “That’s oddly specific.”
“Don’t sass me young lady.”
“Never,” I said soberly.
“And you mark my words, that girl and her father are going to change your life.”
“Umm hmm,” I said, folding up a jacket to take along.
“You listening to me, girl?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, you keep me updated, you hear?”
“I will. Love you, Granny.”
“I love you too,” she said.
***
By noon the next day we were on our way.
Charles had arranged for a private plane to fly us to Rolla, Missouri, and then we’d rent a car from there and drive in.
I knew the man was well-off, but the ease at which he arranged everything was telling.
Also, I’d never flown in a private jet before—I’d only flown commercially a handful of times—and I discovered that I didn’t like it. At all.
But instead of complaining, I took some Dramamine and buckled myself in. Comfortable in my jeans and a T-shirt, I reclined back and napped for the majority of the flight. I was woken shortly before we landed, and soon enough we were being driven to pick up our rental car.
Charles had been paying attention to what I’d said the night before, as the car we rented turned out to be a four-door truck.
I nodded in approval as I climbed up into the cab and switched out my regular glasses for my prescription sunglasses, and soon we were on our second leg of the journey—the drive into the hollow.
Now I had the advantage as I was familiar with the area. “Your exit is soon,” I told Charles as we drove down the two-lane highway about an hour later. “There’s going to be a stoplight coming up and there’s a gas station. Can we stop so I can grab something to drink?”
Charles glanced over at me. “You’ve been to Hemlock Hollow before?”
I shrugged. “A couple of times.”
“And you’re only mentioning it now?” he asked. “Why did you keep that a secret?”
“I didn’t,” I said. “I literally told you how long of a drive it was and recommended you not drive a fancy car...and to dress casually so we wouldn’t stick out.”
“So you did, and I am wearing jeans,” he pointed out.
“We all appreciate your sacrifice, sugar,” I snarked. Then I pointed out the gas station. “There it is; pull in.”
With a nod, Charles pulled into the station and parked.
“What kind of soft drink do you want?” I asked him, as I grabbed my purse.
“I’d prefer a water.”
“Would you mind if I drove the rest of the way?” I asked next.
His eyebrows rose.
“I get motion sickness pretty easily,” I explained, “and the roads down to the hollow are curvy and hilly.”
“And if you drove, you would be less likely to become car sick.” He nodded in understanding. “Sure, I can ride shotgun.”
He opened the door and stepped out of the driver’s side. I also hopped out and was back a few minutes later with a bag of snacks, a couple of lemon-lime soft drinks and two bottles of water for him.
I climbed up into the cab, claimed the driver’s seat and passed him the bottles and the bag. “We’ll hang a left out of the parking lot,” I told him as I slid the seat forward. “The next junction is about a mile down the road.”
I restarted the truck and backed out of the parking space. Since I was driving, he unscrewed the top off the soda bottle, passed it over to me, and I drank deeply, hoping that it would settle my stomach.
“Do you want to stop at the hotel and drop off our bags, or would you prefer to go straight into town and meet with your friend?” he asked.
“Let’s go straight into town,” I answered. “That way we should make it before Ruby’s shop closes.”
“You seem very comfortable driving a truck,” he commented.
“Learned to drive in a pickup,” I explained. “Although it wasn’t nearly as fancy as this one.”
“Where did you grow up?” he asked casually.
“In the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Was about as dirt poor as you could be. It was a hard life. After family services stepped in, my sister and I went to live with our Granny.” I brought the truck to a stop at the next junction and checked for oncoming traffic before pulling out onto the next route.
“And were you happy living with your grandmother?” he asked.
“We were. Best thing that ever happened to us. We were damn near feral by the time she got custody, and lord almighty, was she strict! Made us go to school—we had never regularly attended before. She made sure we did our homework and we had chores around the house too, but we also got to help her out in the garden. Which we both secretly enjoyed. Most importantly, Lulu and I were never hungry or cold again and never had any reason to doubt that we were loved.” Suddenly embarrassed that I’d shared all of that with him, I shut my mouth before I said anything more.
For a few moments we were both silent as I drove towards the hollow, then Charles surprised me by telling me about his brother.
“I have a younger brother, Theodore—Theo. He and his wife, June live in Vestavia Hills. They’re expecting their second child in a few months.”
“What age is their oldest child?” I asked.
“Piper, she’s four. Chloe was ecstatic when she found out she was staying with her cousin for a few days.”
I nodded. “I bet Chloe will have a blast.”
“She’ll handle being apart from me, better than I will from her,” he admitted with a chuckle.
I spotted the sign for the turn off to Hemlock Hollow. “Here we go,” I said, hitting the turn signal and slowing down for the exit.
Hemlock Hollow was a small rural town. There was a grand total of two stoplights, and it was arranged around a central town square that had a green lawn, several flower beds, and a large white gazebo at its center.
Being the last stop before state parks and the Ozark waterways, it also boasted a thriving tourist trade.
Driving down Hemlock Lane, I passed a drug store and ice cream parlor and then I parked in front of Bittersweet Books.
The red brick building that held the bookstore was two stories tall.
On the second floor a trio of tall narrow windows overlooked the town square, and on the ground level, a fanciful carved wooden door flanked a wide display window.
As we exited the car, I noticed there was a nice flow of foot traffic even at a quarter to five, and I wondered how many people were locals as opposed to tourists.
My next thought had me frowning.
“What is it?” Charles asked quietly as he joined me on my side of the car.
“I was wondering how many of them are Supes,” I tipped my head towards the folks out shopping and walking. “Because in Hemlock Hollow you need to keep your guard up.”
“Meaning?” he asked.
“Meaning, you can literally bump into a Lycan, a Vampire, Witch, some variation of a Supernatural Hybrid, or—gods help us—a Fae, at any time...even in town.”
Psyching myself up I took a moment to switch my sunglasses to my regular glasses. I stuck the truck keys in my purse, and walked forward, reaching for the bookstore’s door handle. To my surprise, Charles stepped protectively in front of me.
“Allow me,” he said, opening the door.