Page 4 of She is the Darke

He hung his head and smiled as he recognized the voice behind him. His parents had five kids, and only one of them was a girl.

“Hellion,” he said with a smile in his tone as he looked over his shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” Rachel asked, sinking down on the strawbale beside him.

“I got your text.”

“In the sibling loop? Everyone responded but you. I thought you weren’t coming back.”

He bumped her shoulder, and looked back at Demi. “I got in this morning. Been visiting with old friends.” He lifted a folded piece of paper. “I stopped by that address and put together a quote.”

“Ummm, Dad is not going to take a job with Demi.”

“Yeah, well, that’s his problem. Prejudiced old asshole, is what he is.”

“You shouldn’t talk about him like that,” Rachel said softly.

He looked pointedly at the drink in her hand. “What is that?”

“Hard apple cider. It’s strong. You want one?”

He made aclicksound and shook his head. “Let me get through this, and then I’ll probably be at the nearest bar.”

She draped her arm over his shoulder and pointed to a concession bar. “There’s the closest bar.”

He chuckled and bumped his sister off him. “This place sure looks different from when we were kids.”

“The Darkes made it into a right proper business.”

“Has her mom learned to like you yet?”

“Hell no. She still thinks I’m a bad influence.”

He snorted. “So she’s still smart. Why are you hanging around her pumpkin patch then?”

“You know, someday she’s just going to get used to me and start to like me. I’m wearing on her.”

He laughed. “Yeah, annoying the shit out of people is my love language too. I get it.”

“It’s all going to be okay, you know,” she said suddenly, and the smile fell from his face. He hated that she’d gone serious on him. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Rachel shoved him in the shoulder. “I’m going to go get you a beer. They sell local here, and someone has come up with an atrocious pumpkin-spice flavored beer. You’re trying it.”

It was easy for her to say everything was going to be okay. She’d never left here. She was desensitized to all the big feelings that came from being here. Her experience was different, but for Tyler? Nothing felt like it was okay here.

Best to get this over with. He stood and dusted the seat of his pants, unfolded the quote, and strode for the apple-cannon station.

He was about to get eaten alive.

Part of him dreaded it, and part of him knew he freakin’ deserved it.

Chapter Three

Demi glanced up at some movement headed toward her, and she froze.

There was a tall man striding for her—built like a tank, baseball cap pulled low over sunglass-covered eyes, and a phenomenal beard. She could make out the perfect definition of his pecs behind the thin material of his blue T-shirt. He held a piece of paper in one hand, and walked with the confidence of a man who knew exactly who he was.

She was staring, and he was headed straight for her.