manufacture them.
Inside, I met her husband, Charles. He was a tall, lanky man with blond hair that was starting to pick up a little white with age. His blue eyes were kind, and his quiet demeanor was quite the contrast to Candace’s liveliness. Watching them interact, though, I realized quickly that they balanced each other in a very harmonious way. She passed my suitcase off to him while she checked on the pot roast—which, it seemed, had not turned to ash.
He led me to a room on the second floor, with pine walls and angled beams crossing over the ceiling. A double bed with a blue and white quilt sat in one corner, but before I could make too many judgments about country living, I noticed a flat-panel TV mounted on the opposite wall. Roland had been right. Never assume anything.
“That’s our old TV,” said Charles as though apologizing. “We just got a brand-new one for the living room. I hope this isn’t too small... .”
I laughed. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you.”
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
Inside, I met her husband, Charles. He was a tall, lanky man with blond hair that was starting to pick up a little white with age. His blue eyes were kind, and his quiet demeanor was quite the contrast to Candace’s liveliness. Watching them interact, though, I realized quickly that they balanced each other in a very harmonious way. She passed my suitcase off to him while she checked on the pot roast—which, it seemed, had not turned to ash.
He led me to a room on the second floor, with pine walls and angled beams crossing over the ceiling. A double bed with a blue and white quilt sat in one corner, but before I could make too many judgments about country living, I noticed a flat-panel TV mounted on the opposite wall. Roland had been right. Never assume anything.
“That’s our old TV,” said Charles as though apologizing. “We just got a brand-new one for the living room. I hope this isn’t too small... .”
I laughed. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you.”
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
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