Chapter 13 - Moving In

Goldie hoisted another box from the small stack of her and Darby’s belongings and turned to carry it inside. She was in the driveway of the brick duplex Cora and Jameson had offered her, for as long as she needed it, no strings attached, not even green ones. Which was the only reason she’d agreed to do it. She believed she was what they had said she was. She believed she had magic. She believed there were many more surprises in store for her, but for now, she really needed to pretend she was normal for a bit. Just a regular woman, doing regular things, trying to figure life out, that was her.

The duplex was nicer than she’d hoped, on a quiet street that dead-ended at a thick forest. Goldie could imagine taking a solitary walk through the trees early in the morning, when there was still mist collecting close to the ground. The place felt safe, and homey, and as long as there were no bears in the woods, she felt much better here than in that motel. Plus no rent meant she had a bit of money to get by until her first paycheck.

Arms full of box, she headed back inside, passing Bryce. She studied him as he passed and deliberately watched the trees so he could turn his head far away from her. He was a strange one. Sweet, but strange, and she could not figure him out for anything. He was big, big like Flint, but without Flint’s hard edge, Flint’s intense stare.

A cabbie had dropped her and Darby off, dumping their boxes in the driveway, and then Bryce had driven up, Foo Fighters blaring from the stereo of his red Jeep. She’d seen him before, but couldn’t remember where, until she’d seen the bear in the canoe logo on the back of his jeep, like the one Flint had.

“You work at the BBOC! I was there yesterday for a tour. We met, remember?” she’d said.

Bryce had scrunched his nose up in a poor imitation of thinking. “Oh yeah, you were with the school group. Sorry, I see so many people every day it can be hard to remember everyone.” He’d turned to Darby, leaving Goldie scratching her head. It was like he had rehearsed a speech and she didn’t understand why.

She went inside, dropped her box, and watched out the window as Bryce grabbed the last one and brought it in. Darby was there, leaning over the clean kitchen counter, bored.

Of course Bryce had taken one look at Darby’s bombshell body and magenta hair and instantly gone starry-eyed, practically tripping over himself to get closer. Goldie was used to her sister’s charisma, and anyway she didn’t care who Bryce was attracted to, but Darby didn’t always know her power over the so-called stronger sex. When she asked Bryce if he knew of any jobs around town, Goldie prayed he knew Darby didn’t mean blowjobs.

His response would have had Goldie locking her sister up, if he hadn’t sounded so darn innocent. “That depends, what do you know how to do?”

“I’m a hairdresser. I also do makeup, glamour and special effects. But right now I’ll settle for just about anything that pays,” Darby said.

Goldie bit back a giggle as Bryce scratched his stomach through his t-shirt, legitimately deep in thought. Then he said, “They’re down a waitress at my parents’ restaurant. How do you feel about waiting tables?”

Goldie’s antennae went up. “Down a waitress? Why? They have a high turnover? Mean bosses? What?”

Bryce shook his head. “Nah, just this one waitress went off camping in the deep woods a little east of here with her boyfriend a couple weeks back and now they can’t find her. Search & Rescue involved and everything.”

Goldie’s gut clenched. “How scary for her family.”

Darby clapped her hands. “When can I start? I’m bored as shit sitting around this town doing nothing for a week.”

Bryce laughed. “I could take you in tomorrow, let the folks get a look at you.”

Darby grinned wide at him, and Goldie could almost see the dazzle in his eyes. Another one bites the Darby dust.

Darby’s newly-operational phone chimed, and she pulled it out to swipe at the screen, then raise it to her ear. “Lance! We got a new place. Yeah.”

Goldie wheeled on her sister, more angry than she’d been in days, and mimed furiously. You aren’t supposed to tell anyone! But as usual Darby just rolled her eyes and turned her back, still talking. “No, it’s nice. Way better than that jacked-up motel.”

Goldie jabbed at Darby’s shoulder, enunciating her whispered words clearly. “Get. Off. The. Phone.”

Bryce took off, sensing the impending fight.

For a moment Darby looked like she was ready to argue, then Bryce’s voice carried in from outside. “Whoa! For real?”

Her sister narrowed her perfectly drawn cat’s eyes at Goldie and spoke into the phone. “Hey, Lance, I gotta go. We’re pretty busy. Okay, later.”

Before she’d even hit “end” on the phone call Darby was pushing past Goldie, aiming her attention outside with a loud call. “Bryce, what is it?”

But Bryce had moved away from their door and was talking to someone in his driveway. “Bro, you’re the best. How did you do that so fast?” Goldie and Darby stepped through the front door to see Flint walking over, carrying a box stacked high with plastic containers and foil-wrapped packages.

Goldie’s stomach fluttered as Flint looked at his brother and growled, “It’s not for you,” before looking at Goldie and winking. “I wanted to welcome the new neighbors. Figured you would be hungry.”

Darby spoke up. “Wait, you’re his brother? And you cooked for us?”

Goldie almost elbowed her sister in the gut for her rudeness. Okay, so it was a surprise to her too that Bryce and Flint were brothers, but Flint lived up in that big hacienda. And, since when had any man ever cooked for Goldie? She was pretty sure the last one was her father, and that was probably a box of mac-n-cheese. If Flint was going to be leaving soon to go off vampire-hunting, she was going to enjoy every spoonful of food cooked with his hands.

“Thank you,” she said softly, meaning it.

He nodded. Didn’t smile. Looked adorable anyway. “I made too much.”

He and Bryce unpacked all the food it was clear that Flint had definitely made too much. Jambalaya, red beans and rice, turnip greens, maque choux, fresh baguettes, and a bananas foster cheesecake for dessert. “I thought you might be missing a taste of home,” he said with a shrug. “I hope I did it justice.”

Darby was all smirks as Flint stacked the containers in the fridge. “Ballsy of you, cookin’ Creole.” She turned away from him and rummaged in the drawers. “There’s got to be a to-go menu in here somewhere.”

Goldie winced but Flint didn’t respond at all.

Bryce laughed. “You gotta admit, Bro, that was a solid burn.” He aimed a thumbs-up at Darby that had her winking slyly back.

Goldie gaped at her sister and started in on a scold. “Darby!” Then she remembered Darby wasn’t supposed to be her sister, and abruptly changed tacks, smiling at both younger siblings in turn. “I’m hungry. I’ll eat it all myself.”

Darby’s smirk deepened and she nodded in a knowing way. “You have looked hungry lately. About time you put some weight on ya.” Goldie didn’t miss the look Darby threw at Flint as she said it. Goldie tried not to blush. She failed miserably, so she looked at the wall.

Bryce shook his head and grabbed at a container. “A tiny thing like you? It’ll spoil before you get to it all.” He popped it open and dug in. “Let’s eat.”

Goldie’s mind raced. She’d love to share a meal and get to know Bryce, and maybe get Darby to chill out on Flint, but how much did them moving in here have to do with her… uh… “little green problem”? Did Bryce know? Goldie had to assume he did.

Ah, that was why he pretended not to know her! Was he supposed to keep an eye on her and Darby, report their movements? That was the last thing Goldie wanted anyone doing.

She didn’t want to think moving in here was a mistake, but Bryce worried her. But it was so much better than that horrible, scary, seedy motel. This place was clean, fully-stocked, and the furniture was gorgeous. And she and Darby could eat real food they bought with the little bit of money they had left.

It was just that now she also kind of wanted to check the place for recording devices.

She put on her I’m-tired face. “I’m sorry, guys. I’m so drained after packing up and moving, and we still have to unpack, and I start my new job tomorrow…”

Bryce looked set to argue, but Flint took the hint and pushed his brother toward the front door. “No problem. This one’s always looking for a free meal.”

Goldie followed them, closing and locking the door on Flint’s sad puppy dog eyes.