Kindred Read Free Page A

going to let it happen again.
    “I think Harry hits that hole on purpose,” I say. “Must be a guy thing.”
    Harry makes a face.
    “Thanks,” Uncle Carl speaks up, “but you don’t have to do that. The barn has been coming down around its frame for years and that pothole keeps people like Harry from driving into the house.” The innocent comment provokes a few chuckles.
    “We’ll do it anyway,” says Nathan, as if the alternative is unacceptable.
    “Also, Harry started work at Finch’s with Adria last Friday,” Aunt Bev says. “I’ve got plenty of extra help at work, so I’ll have more time around here.”
    Mrs. Finch promoted her to sole manager of the store a month ago. Her daughters, Sandy and Marla Finch, objected with the anger of two twelve-year-old snotty girls spoiled beyond comprehension. Mrs. Finch thinks of Beverlee as the daughter she never had, so it’s no surprise she’s in charge of what Sandy and Marla thought rightfully belonged to them. Now that Beverlee is on salary, she can afford to be at the store less. Minimum wage is my pay and that’s just fine considering all of the unfortunate circumstances: Uncle Carl’s disability, oh and Mrs. Finch being on her deathbed and all.
    No one in town expects her to be around another year; except for Aunt Bev who refuses to think badly of a pretty inevitable situation.
    Uncle Carl looks over at Harry. “That’s good news,” he says. “At least Adria won’t be alone at the store anymore.” His expression darkens and so does the atmosphere in the room.
    Though he’s not been at home in months, Uncle Carl has been vocal about my safety and ‘being alone’. I admit it worries me, how strict he might turn out to be now that he’s home. Though, he and Beverlee don’t know a thing about the real dangers. Like most of Hallowell, they have no idea the town is home to a small werewolf population, and that three of them stand in their den at this very moment. They’re oblivious about my involvement and how many times I nearly died because of it. What makes Uncle Carl so worried about my safety in a generally safe town is my sister, Alexandra, and the robbery at Finch’s the night Uncle Carl was in the on-purpose ‘accident’.
    The whole robbery story was Harry’s doing. It was his excuse for the store being left unlocked and the mess we made while making a run for it.
    Harry plops down on the couch, stretching his arms across the back. “Adria wouldn’t know what to do without me,” he says grinning. “She makes me lift all the heavy stuff—Hey Bev, can I file some sort of harassment against her?”
    I snatch up a couch pillow and whap him over the head with it.
    “See!” Harry yells.
    Beverlee shakes her head, laughing quietly.
    It’s nice to see her smile, even if it only breaks her face for a very brief moment. Much like Uncle Carl, since the accident, she’s not been the same.
    When Uncle Carl moves his wheelchair against the ottoman, Beverlee maneuvers around quickly to help him. I think we all stop breathing, watching intently, but trying not to make our stares so obvious as he struggles to move the weight of his body out of the wheelchair. The muscles in his forearms harden as he braces his hands on the armrests and lifts himself out of the seat. Beverlee is behind him every step of the way, her face a concerned mask of angst.
    Everyone looks away, pretending to be interested in anything other than Uncle Carl’s handicap.
    Nathan is saved by his vibrating cell phone. He excuses himself and slips outside onto the porch.
    “Isaac,” I say walking over to him as he stands at the foot of the stairs. He smiles across at me with those bewitching, bright blue eyes that I swear put some kind of voodoo hex on me every time I look into them.
    “Yes?” he says, his mouth slowly pulling into a smile. I feel his fingers slip through mine. He’s never failed to make me blush so deeply that the blood behind my eyes feels boiling hot.
    I