25
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Less than a minute later, a black Jeep Cherokee pulled up beside us. The driver-side window slid down. “Phoebe?” My mother leaned out, her expression confused, then as I watched, it changed to excitement. “Phoebe! I can’t believe you’re here. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” My mother threw the car into park and jumped out.
I embraced her, holding her tight.
It was good to see her. I hadn’t realized how much I missed my parents until right this second. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming, Mom,” I said, pulling back, her face full of streaky tears. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
She blotted the back of her sleeve under her eyes. “Well, you sure achieved your mission!” She held me at arm’s length. “But honey, why are you dressed like this? And why are you back at the old farm?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, directing her back into the car. “How about I tell you about it on the way home?”
Before she slid into the driver seat, she said, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your special friend?” She inclined her head toward Fen.
“Tracy called you, didn’t she?” I chuckled. “I should’ve known no secret was safe in this town.”
“Well, she was excited that you stopped by and didn’t see a car. She figured the entire town would see you before I did. We’ve become quite good friends the last few years, so don’t be too hard on her. It’s still a wonderful surprise that you’re here.”
“Mom,” I said, moving back by way of introduction, “this is my boyfriend, Fen.”
Fen stepped up graciously, leaning forward to shake my mother’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Meadows. I’ve heard much about you.”
“I…that’s nice.” My mother glanced down at her feet, idly shuffling them, before meeting his gaze again. “I’m glad Phoebe brought you home.” It was clear my mother didn’t know what to think of Fen. I couldn’t blame her, since most days I didn’t know what to think of him. He was just…larger-than-life.
“I am, too,” he said. “Wisconsin is beautiful.”
“Have you visited before?”
“No, never,” he said. “I spent my formative years in Australia and then moved to New York. That’s where I met Phoebe.”
“Oh, how nice.”
“Mom, let’s get moving,” I said gently. “We’ll fill you in on the way home.” My mother acquiesced and slammed the door. Fen and I walked around to the other side. He opened it for me as I slid into the front seat, then he got into the back.
My mom began to turn the car around. “Phoebe, it’s such a surprise that you’re here, since we thought you were traveling. I just talked to your friend Sam on the phone a few days ago. She said you were heading to Southeast Asia.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, affecting a lighthearted tone. “I had her call you and tell you that so the surprise would work. If you thought I was in the States, it wouldn’t have been nearly as good.”
My mom turned onto the main drag and headed toward town. “Well, she was very convincing,” she conceded. “Dad and I believed her hook, line, and sinker. She was naming cities and restaurants you were planning to visit. She was very informative.”
“Sam is a very talented actress,” I agreed. And a very good friend for covering for me. I made a mental note to thank her profusely later.
“That doesn’t explain the”—she cleared her throat, trying to be Midwestern nice in front of Fen—“outfits you’re wearing. Are those real swords on your back? And where is your luggage? Did you take the bus in from Madison?”
Now came the hard part.
“We checked into the hotel in Branberry,” I told her carefully. “I’m sorry we didn’t come see you first, but Fen and I are practicing for a play we’re both in, and I wanted to take him out to the farm. It was a perfect place to recite our lines. We were going to come see you straight after we went back to change, I promise.”
It sounded so hokey, she just might buy it.
“But why would you stay at a hotel in Branberry?” My mother was clearly hurt. “You know that your father and I would want you to stay with us. We hardly ever get to see you.”
“I know,” I said, smoothing out my already smooth leather pants. “But I brought my boyfriend…and I didn’t want it to be uncomfortable for anyone.” My parents were good, God-fearing Midgardians.
“Well, that’s…all right,” she said, a trace of unease seeping through. “Fen is welcome in our home.”
“Mom, there’s something else I need to tell you.” I phrased it as carefully as I could.
My mother’s face was full of concern. She knew my tones well. “What is it?” Her expression said she thought I was pregnant.
“Fen and I are living together,” I said, then rushed to add, “I really wanted to tell you and Dad, but I didn’t know how.”
My mother’s mouth opened and shut, her gaze pinned on the road. “I see.”
“Fen and I started dating before Sam and I left, and right when I got back, Fen’s lease was up. So we decided it would be cheaper to live together. You know New York,” I said airily, waving my hand. “It’s so expensive there. It was easier to consolidate.”
“Phoebe, honestly, you make it sound like the decision to live together was nothing more than a business transaction,” she said. “You are old enough to do as you like, but cohabitating is a big commitment. It’s nothing you should enter into lightly and certainly not for monetary reasons.”
“You’re right, and we know it’s a very big deal.” I reached back to hold Fen’s hand. He gave me a comforting squeeze. “Fen and I love each other very much. We didn’t take the decision lightly, I swear.”
“When exactly did you get back to New York from your long trip abroad?” my mother asked. She was putting the pieces together in her head, and if she scrutinized them, they wouldn’t add up.
Fen leaned in from the backseat. “I can assure you, Mrs. Meadows, I love your daughter. We would never have entered into anything without adequate thought.” He shot me a knowing look that sent chills racing up my spine. “And Phoebe only got back a few days ago. She’s talked a lot about you, and I knew you missed her. So we decided to fly in at the last moment to surprise you.”
“Yeah, it was Fen’s idea,” I said, changing the subject as we made our way closer to town. “Where’s Dad? Is he at the store?”
“You know he is,” my mom said, her temperament changing to happy, as it always did when she talked about my dad. “We’re heading there right now. He’s going to be so surprised to see you!”
“Mom.” I hesitated, suddenly worried. “Do you think it’s okay if Fen and I go back to the hotel and change first before we surprise Dad? I don’t want the town to think I’ve gone insane since I’ve been gone.”
“But Branberry is thirty miles away,” my mom protested.
“Yes, but this way we can surprise Dad when he gets home from work. We can be there waiting for him and get to spend some quality time together.”
We were almost into town.
“Well, I guess that would be all right,” she conceded. “Where’s your car?”
“We parked it back on Baker Road,” I said smoothly. “If you let us borrow yours, we can stop and pick it up easily.” Before she had a chance to negate the plan, I added, “This will work perfectly, and you don’t want everybody gossiping about us in our crazy outfits. That would be a big headache. We’ll be back in no time, I promise. We’ll come back to the house and help you get dinner ready. Dad loves surprises. He’s going to get a kick out of this.”
Instead of heading into the heart of town, my mom turned down a quiet lane a mile from the hardware store. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was heading home.
“That will work fine,” she said. “But you have to promise me you will hurry back. And I insist you spend the night with us. Your father is not going to want you to head back to Branberry tonight late. So, check out of that hotel and gather your things.”
I wasn’t getting out of this one. “Okay, that sounds fair.” I leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m happy to be home.”
That was the truth.
“But, you and Fen will have to sleep in separate rooms,” she warned. “I don’t want to give your father a heart attack. One surprise at a time.”
“That’s fine, Mom,” I replied. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
She pulled the car into the driveway of our small arts and crafts home. I’d missed it. Everything looked so homey. Nice and ordinary. Nothing like anywhere I’d been in the last few months.
We all got out. My mother walked in front of the Jeep and handed me the keys. “I’ll make lasagna tonight, your favorite,” she said, smiling brightly, her eyes still shiny.
“Sounds good.” I gave her another quick hug and a peck on the cheek, and then walked around to the driver’s side. Gundren on my back was awkward when I sat, so I eased it off and set it between the seats.
Fen waved at my mother as he slid into the passenger’s side. I backed the car out of the drive, and he rolled down his window. “It was nice to meet you,” he called. “Your home is beautiful. I look forward to meeting Phoebe’s father.”
Even from this distance, I saw a blush creep over my mother’s cheeks. I took a right out onto the street and muttered, “Can you stop making the ladies in this town blush? It’s getting embarrassing.”
Fen gave me a look that sent chills up my spine. “Believe me, the only one I want blushing is you.” He settled his hand on my thigh, and I almost purred. “I have no control over what happens when I speak to someone from Midgard. What you’re seeing is just how they react to someone otherworldly, nothing more.”
“Well, it’s weird.” I headed out onto the main road that would take us to Branberry. “These are older women, and they acted like schoolgirls around you, even when you talked about normal things. Is that always going to happen?”
Fen leaned over, nuzzling my neck. “Why, shieldmaiden, do I detect a hint of jealousy?”
“Of course not,” I stated. “How could I be jealous of Tracy Sullivan and my own mother? I’m just concerned that the entire town is going to start following us around like you’re the Pied Piper. Maybe you should try and be quieter, an only-replying-when-spoken-to kind of thing.”
“Are you trying to gag me, Valkyrie?” He chuckled. “How about I only open my mouth for you? Will that do?” He ran his tongue over my collarbone, and I swallowed.
“If you keep trying to seduce me on the road to Branberry, we’re going to crash,” I teased. “And we can’t forget that we actually have to figure out how we’re going to buy clothing with no money. We have an hour, hour and a half tops, before my mother expects us back.”
“What if we take the portal back to your apartment in New York City?” he suggested casually. “We can change there and make it back within that timeframe, no problem.”
I couldn’t help gaping at him. “Are you serious? Just take a portal back to New York City like it’s no big deal?”
He shrugged. “I don’t understand the problem. A portal will get us to New York City in two minutes. We make it to your apartment in ten, change, have some time to ourselves”—he waggled his eyebrows, which looked incredibly silly—“and get back here in time to help your mother with dinner.” He took in my floored expression and began to laugh. “You have to stop thinking like a Midgardian and start thinking like the Asgardian you are. Why drive when the tree can get you there in the blink of an eye?”
It made sense. “So, are we going to head back to the farm?”
“That would be easier than trying to search for another cillar. We can park the car down the lane a bit and walk through the fields. If Tracy sees us again, we can just make something up.”
“Okay,” I agreed, making the appropriate turn that would take us back to the Sullivans’. “But what if I can’t direct the cillar to take us to New York? After all, I had no idea I was coming here.”
“What were you thinking about when we went through last time?”
“Home,” I said simply.
“That makes sense, then. This was your home for twenty-three years. Once we enter the tree, you will have to focus on your apartment in New York. The cillar should let us out as close as possible.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“It is.” He grinned. “Unless, of course, something goes wrong.”
“What do you think will go wrong?” I asked, worried.
“Relax, Valkyrie, I’m kidding. Everything will be fine.”