Dark Realms(19)

“Wow,” I smirked, turning towards my brother. “You can reel your tongue back in now.”

“What do you mean?”

I snorted. “Oh, come on, Nathan.”

He smiled innocently. “There’s nothing wrong with being friendly to strangers, especially when they look like that.”

“I think the feeling was mutual,” replied mom, looking at me. “That smile she gave him was enough to light up the entire town.”

“How can she resist?” he said cockily. “Heck, I’ll bet that I’m the best thing that’s ever walked into this town.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, Lord. Here we go.”

He flexed left arm muscle. “Oh, come on, you know I’m right.”

“I certainly do,” said mom, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“Yeah, and mom’s biased,” I replied. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

He ignored me and started packing more groceries into the back of his trunk. “Let’s get the rest of this stuff loaded quickly,” he said, glancing up towards the sky, which was growing darker. “I’m starving and it’s getting late.”

“Me too,” I replied, handing him another bag of groceries.

When we had everything in the trunk, Mom gave Nathan the directions to the cabin, which was a few miles past town, and this time, he led the way.

“Finally,” I said, putting on my seatbelt as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I just want to get there already.”

“Won’t be long now.”

Darkness came very quickly, and in a small town without many lights along the roads, it was a little creepy.

“It’s a bitch driving when you don’t know exactly where you’re going in the dark,” said mom, frowning. “I think the turnoff is coming up in another few miles or so. I hope Nathan catches it in time and doesn’t overshoot it.”

“Knowing him, he probably will,” I answered with a smirk, “especially, if he’s on the phone with Deanna again.”

“He seemed to forget about her when that redhead made an appearance.”

“Thank God, although, she’s probably worse than Deanna.”

“Let’s hope not.”

I stared at her in shock. “See, you weren’t crazy about her either!”

She turned down the radio. “Are you kidding me?” she groaned, scowling into the rearview mirror.

I turned to see the flashing lights from a police car. “What, were you speeding or something?”

She pulled over to the side of the road. “No, you know me, I never speed.”

It was true, my mother was an annoyingly slow driver and Nathan was always giving her crap about it. Even grandmothers passed her on the roadway.

Mom rolled down the window as the police officer approached her. She immediately handed him her driver’s license and insurance information. “I’m sorry, officer… was I speeding?”

My brother had noticed the cop, too, and pulled over ahead of us, waiting. He’d sent me a text message, wondering what was happening. I’d sent him one back, explaining that I wasn’t really sure, yet.

“No, but you do have a taillight out,” he replied with an easy smile.

My eyes widened as I stared at his mouth. What’s with this town and their unnaturally white teeth?

“Oh, no, really?” she answered, biting her lower lip. “Oh, man, I’m sorry. It must have just went out.”

“Yes. Anne Gerard… you must be new in town?” he asked, studying her license.

She smiled. “We are, in fact,” she pointed towards me, “this is my daughter, Nikki, and that’s my son, Nathan, ahead of us in the Mustang.”

He glanced down at her left hand, which no longer had a wedding ring, and his smile broadened.

“Ladies, I’m Sherriff Caleb Smith. Welcome to Shore Lake,” he answered, giving her back her license.

Was it me or did he actually puff out his chest a little before he leaned back down and handed it back?

“Thank you,” answered my mom with a silly grin on her face. She definitely noticed the puff.

“Since you have such a lovely smile and you’re new in town, I’m just going to give you a warning. Make sure that you take care of it as soon as you can, though. Next time I might not be so easy on you.”

Mom smiled wider than ever. “I will, thank you, officer.”

He tipped his hat. “My friends call me Caleb. Drive safely now.”

“Wow,” said mom after she’d rolled up her window. “Did you see that man’s eyes? They were an amazing shade of violet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with that color of eyes. No wedding ring, either.”