Page 23 of She is the Darke

“That’s messed up.” She eased out of her friend’s embrace. “Rachel, that’s so messed up.”

“I know that! I know. This isn’t on me. This chaos is not on me. It’s just over my head, and I don’t know how to function on the normal day-to-day. Everything else seems so unimportant.”

Demi cupped her friend’s cheeks. “Yeah. Okay.” She nodded. “If it’s any of your brothers, you know what your dad can do? Say thank you. That’s it. You don’t have to take on the weird family dynamics. You stayed here. You stayed near your parents. That doesn’t mean their life is your entire life, Rachel. If any of your brothers are a match, you know what you do?”

“What?” Rachel asked, tears in her eyes.

“You let them step up.”

Rachel nodded. She nodded and nodded, eyes full of emotion.

“What do you let them do?” Demi asked her.

“Step up,” Rachel whispered.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“Step up,” Rachel said louder.

“Good.” Demi forced a smile. “You want to work with me today?”

Chapter Nine

Demi looked over at 1210 Frog Creek Way, a couple houses down, for the twentieth time. Tyler’s work truck was parked in front of it. He had been up on the roof with a ladder all day, working.

Why hadn’t he told her why he was here?

Halloween was her favorite time of year, but this year had been taken over with work. Plus, now she felt overwhelmed with her friend’s heartbreak and worry.

Tyler would have feelings too, but he hadn’t shared anything about what was really happening in their family.

He’d gone head-to-head with his stubborn dad about her yesterday, knowing he was sick, knowing their family was in a chaotic time.

That wasn’t lost on her.

He was wearing a heather gray T-shirt with a charcoal gray jacket, and work pants in black. He was on a ladder, clipping orange lights to a gutter at the address she had sent him. Every time she looked over there, he seemed to know what he was doing. There was no hesitation or confusion.

“What was Tyler’s last job?” she asked Rachel, who was arranging pumpkins they’d collected from her family’s pumpkin patch this morning.

“Ummm, he had a holiday lights company in New York. Not New York City, I mean on the outskirts. He did some corporate jobs in the city sometimes, too. Some big ones. But he preferred the neighborhood jobs.”

“He did holiday lights?” Demi asked, floored. “He hated your dad’s company though. That’s why he left here, right? He didn’t want to take over your dad’s company?”

“Yep. He was the son to go start a business that was a tribute to our dad. He was making good money. He was good.”

“You’re talking like he can’t go right back to that life.”

“He can’t, really. He sold the company when Dad got sick. He couldn’t run it from here, and he doesn’t know how long he will stay. Could be awhile. He’s back here, trying to figure out what to do. Dad wants to give his company to one of his sons, but Brayden, Dev, and Collin aren’t into this stuff. Tyler’s it. Problem is, neither Tyler or my dad want this. Ty wants to be independent, and Dad wants anyone else for the job.”

“Huh. And then Tyler goes right in and starts working with me, using your dad’s company materials.”

Rachel shrugged. “Dad is getting the income from it. Plus, he could use a good dose of call-out. No one has done it in awhile. We’re all just kind of used to his gnarly attitude.”

She looked back over at Tyler, who was up on a humongous ladder, clipping lights to gutters on a towering two-story. He climbed down with the sure-footedness of a goat, and took a call. She watched as he ran his hand through the back of his hair and paced the yard. The urge to Change and fly closer so she could hear his side of the conversation was irritating. He deserved privacy. He had a whole life she knew nothing about, and his relationships with people weren’t her business. Maybe it was Erin on the phone. Or someone else he was interested in. Or his dad, or whoever bought his company, or anyone! This was none of her business, and she was getting behind.Focus.

“Okay, let’s unload the rest of the pumpkins and start arranging those,” Demi said, pointing to the trailer hooked to the back of her truck. She’d picked them out special from the pumpkin patch this morning.

The neighborhood was shaping up! It looked so festive already, and she still had half a dozen houses on her roster to decorate.