Shadow Heir

He nodded, looking pleased. “We’ve got a spare DVD player that I’ll hook up for you later.” He then proceeded to give me a rundown of their vast channel lineup, reinforcing the fact that even if the Reeds lived out in the country, they still loved their comforts. After a few minutes, Candace interrupted his spiel, calling to us to come downstairs and eat.

The food was exquisite, though it soon became obvious I could never eat enough to satisfy Candace. She was worse than my mom, which was no small feat. Candace continued to dominate the conversation, leaving little room for either me or Charles, but I got the vibe this was perfectly normal and even welcome to them.

“Now,” she was saying as she piled a second helping of green beans onto my plate, “I suppose you’ll need to get set up with a doctor around here. There’s one OB on the road to Mooresville that a friend of mine used to see. That’s who I was going to recommend, since it’s closer. But seeing as you’ve got twins—did you know that she’s having twins, Charlie?—I suppose you’ll probably want to see one of the specialists downtown. We can make some calls tomorrow morning, and Charles can take you to your appointments while I’m working.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to cause you any inconvenience,” I said. “I’m sure I can get my own car and—”

“It’s no inconvenience,” Candace interrupted. “He doesn’t mind, plus he works at home.”

“Still ...” I felt a little flustered at their attention, especially since the mention of “twins” had made Charles’s dreamy expression even dreamier. “That’ll interrupt his workday. Besides, once I know the area better, I can probably just find my own place and—” Their solicitous looks turned to shock.

“Why on earth would you do that, child?” asked Candace. “Don’t you like it here?”

“I—uh, no. It’s wonderful. But I don’t want to impose.... You’ve got your own life here... .” I faltered, suddenly at a loss. I’d known I’d be staying with them initially when Roland had made these arrangements, but he’d also given me the impression that there’d be no issue with me getting my own place eventually—so long as I stayed in regular touch with Candace.

“Well, that’s ridiculous.” Candace seemed relieved that inconveniencing her was my only concern. “You’ll stay with us as long as you need to, until this trouble’s passed.” Roland hadn’t told her my history, of course, but had simply given a story with elements of truth. He’d painted me as a shaman who’d run afoul of some Otherworldly creatures—not uncommon in this profession—and said that pregnancy made it difficult for me to protect myself. She cast a concerned glance at my plate. “God knows you’ll probably starve to death if left on your own.”

That seemed to settle the matter for them, and any further protests I might have made were pushed aside when the front door squeaked open. I nearly leapt out of my chair at a potential invasion, but the Reeds’ casual attitude kept me in check.

“Hello?” a voice called. “Anyone home?”

A guy my age came into the kitchen. Candace hurried up from the table to grab a clean plate and immediately began piling it with food. “Sit down, Evan,” she told him. “Before it gets cold. You can meet our houseguest.”

“I’m Evan,” he said, in case I’d missed that. He flashed me a grin and held out his hand. Before I could take it, he hastily wiped it on his blue jeans and then offered it again. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve been working outside all day. Sweat and dirt everywhere.”

“Why didn’t you say so right away?” exclaimed Candace. “Wash your hands then. We run a civilized house.”

Evan complied meekly and walked over to the counter. “I’m Eugenie,” I told him.

“Evan is Charles’s nephew,” Candace explained, taking her seat again. “Lives a couple miles away.”

Evan returned with clean hands and joined us. “I just came by to return Uncle Chuck’s tools,” he said. “But you can’t just stop by here and leave without eating—especially around dinnertime.”

“So I’m learning,” I said.

This made him smile again, and he dug into his food with enough enthusiasm to please even Candace. She started back in with her domination of the conversation, though Evan was a good match for her and kept trying to draw both me and Charles in as well. Evan wasn’t quite as lanky as his uncle but had the same blond hair and blue eyes. He had a muscular build that confirmed his earlier statement about “working outside all day,” as well as the start of a sunburn, which Candace was quick to scold him about.

“What do you do, Evan?” I asked, when a rare pause in the talking came up. I fully expected anything from farmer to mechanic. I guess I hadn’t entirely let go of my stereotypes.

“High school teacher,” he said, between bites of potatoes. “At least, I am during most of the year. I’ve still got another month or so off.”

Surprising answer. “What do you teach?”

“Physics,” he said. “And shop.” Seeing my astonished look, he added, “It’s a small school. Some of us do double-duty.”

“I guess,” I said. “Those seem like polar opposites.”