First Degree Burns Page 8

  Dane chuckled as Nicole turned to give her a mock glare. Dane held her hands up in surrender. Before she could get into real trouble, the car pulled into a gravel driveway. Dane couldn’t help looking up and down the drive to see that the nearest house was a decent walk away. Is this, like, the country?

  Dane had been many places in her short life, but all those places involved urban areas where the nearest building was no more than five feet away. She wondered what it was like to live someplace where, looking down the road, she couldn’t even tell if the neighbor had lights on. Once upon a time, she would’ve probably enjoyed that, but now, she felt like it’d bother her. I’m less antisocial than I used to be, but nowhere near as social as I once was.

  Raymond and Nicole got out of the car and Dane followed and gave the house the once-over. It appeared to be an average, two-story home. There were a couple of cars parked in front of the SUV. There was a large garage with the door closed and Dane wondered if they used it the way she had learned Raymond used his garage, as an additional room in the house. They walked across the large, perfectly cut lawn. The soothing scent of fresh grass crept into her as they walked next to a lovely stone walkway that led from the driveway to the door.

  The house was bigger than Nicole’s. Dane could only wonder if it was a product of being in the country, or if Nicole’s uncle was well off like his brother. There were flowers and bushes lining the raised front porch, a bay window to the side of the door, and another window on the extended right side of the house. Thin, white columns held the roof over the porch, and white railing ran between the columns. Another large window looked out onto the red-colored stones of the porch and stairs. All and all, it was a nice house, but felt imposing.

  Nicole took Dane’s hand while Raymond opened the door. Dane forgot there were places on Earth where doors were left open, even though she suspected she lived in such a neighborhood, now. Ten years of her life were spent in places where the doors were locked all the time. Even that didn’t spare people the horrors of the outside world or hide the horrors of what they were doing from the outside world.

  “Hello, hello,” Raymond called as they stepped inside to a small foyer.

  Dane gave the new area a quick study. There were pictures, which she had come to expect. There was also a mirror above a table, which held a little bowl that had keys in it. Down the hall, she could tell there was a kitchen, and she glanced to the side to make out a dining room. She didn’t get to take in much more before finding out there were people home.

  “Raymond? How did you get here so quickly? Did you kill people on the highway?” a female voice said lightly from somewhere in the house.

  He chuckled a bit. “We slaughtered many to get here before five.”

  “I told her you would,” a male voice replied before the owner of the voice came down the stairs that faced the door. He was a tall, broad man with dark, auburn hair. Dane couldn’t help wondering if the Cardells were a family of redheads.

  “Hey, Rich, how’s it going?” Raymond pulled his older brother to him and they embraced, doing a man-hug complete with a back slap. Dane held in her laugh.

  They could’ve been twins, except for the fact that Richard had a short beard and mustache, sort of like he was trying to be rugged. Richard was thicker than Raymond, and his t-shirt showed off muscled biceps. He had green eyes that were a bit brighter than Nicole’s, almost like jade, and they shined as he gazed upon his younger brother. Raymond was the taller of the pair, though.

  “It’s going the same as always, man. What about you? You think you can handle camping after spending your life in a suit?” Richard laughed as he hit Raymond in the chest with the back of his hand.

  “I can handle it as well as you. Where are your nutty kids, so we can get this circus on the road and I can show you up?” Raymond replied.

  Richard scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re living in a fantasy world now, huh? Laura’ll call them to come now that you’re here. We didn’t think you’d be here for another hour. You got here really quickly.”

  Raymond shrugged. “No traffic, what with my killing people on the road and everything.”

  “I should’ve known.” Richard smirked and then turned his attention away from his brother to Nicole. He grabbed her into a bear hug, practically engulfing her. They both laughed as he patted her on the back and then released her. For a moment, he gave her a look like the proud uncle he was.

  “God, it’s been way too long. I feel like the last time I saw you, you were in a cap and gown,” Richard said, giving her one more squeeze.

  “It’s been a while, but not that long. What happened to the long beard?” Nicole asked, reaching out and tugging his short whiskers. He chuckled and continued smiling, making Dane think this was something normal between them.

  “I told him it was me or the hermit beard.” A woman approached the group with a confident stride, from down the hall, smiling as she grabbed Nicole into a hug.

  She was shorter than Nicole and had flowing black hair without a spot of grey, despite her age. While she wasn’t thin, she was in very good shape for a middle-aged woman. There were some lines near her eyes, but makeup covered them, for the most part. She was a lovely looking woman.

  “Hi, Aunt Laura,” Nicole grinned and stepped back from the embrace. She grabbed Dane by the hand. “Uncle Richard, Aunt Laura, I’d like you both to meet my girlfriend, Danny. Danny, my uncle and aunt.”

  Dane might’ve lived much of life in an alcohol and drug induced haze, but she had lived even more of it with people sneering at her. While Richard and Laura didn’t openly frown at her, she could see it in their eyes. The cheer and joy left almost immediately, as she put her hand out and they got a good look at her. She wasn’t sure what it was. She was dressed in her usual manner, but the clothes were relatively new, so it wasn’t like she looked like a hobo. She hated to think it was another “h” word that bothered them. After all, Raymond never gave her the impression he had a problem with her being gay. He had a long list of other problems, of course.

  But, then again, she should know by now that just because one sibling was all right with homosexuals, it didn’t mean all were. After all, Kathleen’s sisters never once batted an eye at Dane for being a lesbian, but it was definitely one of the problems Kathleen had with her. So, it was entirely possible for Raymond to be fine with gay people and his brother could have a problem with them.

  “Uh…hi.” Dane held her hand out, hoping they didn’t leave her hanging. While she didn’t think that Raymond’s family hating her would be the end of her relationship with Nicole, she disliked being a reason why Nicole had issues with her family.

  “Hi…” Richard said, almost as if in a daze. He gave her a handshake, and she tried to make it a strong one, remembering that had left an impression on Raymond.

  Unfortunately, Richard didn’t offer much in the handshake department, clearly trying to avoid touching her. Now, she had to hope this wasn’t a race thing. She got enough of that bullshit from her own family. Of course, it was possible he was disgusted and offended by her obvious homosexuality that he didn’t want to touch her.

  She shook hands with Laura, but it was over as quick as it had been with her husband. Nicole noticed something was off because she grabbed Dane’s hand as soon as it was free and held it tightly.

  “I’ve been seeing Danny for a year now. It’s been really nice,” Nicole said, as if she was warning her uncle and aunt about something. Her eyes were sharp for a moment. “Before that, we were friends and she helped me through a lot.”

  “Danny’s an interesting one,” Raymond said, smiling a bit, like he was trying to let them know Dane was all right.

  “Aren’t they always? Nikki never dates boring,” Richard remarked with a smile of his own, but it seemed kind of like an insult. It didn’t help that the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Dane wondered if she was being judged by the assholes Nicole had undoubtedly brought around them before. N
icole had a track record. So, maybe with some time, she could prove she was nothing like the people Nicole usually dated…like she didn’t have a full-time job or a place of her own. Groaning, she mentally shook that train of thought away.

  “I’m pretty boring. I stay home most of the time,” Dane said. Truthfully, she felt that all of her interesting days were behind her.

  “When you hear her play her guitar, you’ll see she’s far from boring.” Nicole puffed up a little.

  “You play the guitar?” The news seemed to shock Laura. Again, it was something Dane could only wonder about.

  Dane shrugged. “Yeah. I brought it for the trip. I mean, that’s what they do on TV, right?”

  Nicole laughed, but everyone else looked at her as if they weren’t sure it was a joke or not. Richard and Laura even looked a bit disgusted with the remark, frowning a little. Dane guessed she had work ahead of her. But, she hoped the guitar would be a good icebreaker, as usual. If not, she had trivia on her side and a few embarrassing stories that rated PG-13 and wouldn’t leave people thinking that she was a lowlife degenerate.

  “I need to go finish packing my last bag.” Richard used the excuse to go back to whatever he was doing upstairs.

  “I was about to start making some travel snacks,” Laura said.

  “Oh, we can help, Aunt Laura.” Nicole volunteered herself and Dane, pointing to them with her free hand. Dane managed to keep in a groan.

  Laura didn’t respond as she walked toward the kitchen. Nicole seemed to know it was all right to follow. She tugged Dane’s hand slightly, as if pulling her to come along.

  “You do realize these guys don’t like me already,” Dane whispered to her lover.

  “Give them a few minutes. They’re used to me bringing some fairly rotten people on trips. Once they see you’re not like anyone else I’ve ever dated, they’ll warm up to you. It’ll be fine, just like it was with my mom’s family,” Nicole tried to assure her.

  Dane wasn’t inclined to believe that and wished Nicole would take off her rose-colored glasses for a moment. Of course, Nicole wouldn’t be Nicole without her rose-colored glasses and way too much faith in the human race, especially those related to her. So, Dane decided to go along with it since she had to anyway. It wasn’t like she could go back home or anything. She followed Nicole into the kitchen to see what she could help with. She hoped Nicole wouldn’t be hurt if things didn’t go the way that she wanted.

  “All the real food and everything is packed already. I wanted to have some stuff for you guys to snack on while you’re driving there,” Laura said, as she pulled out a loaf of bread.

  Nicole shook her head. “Aunt Laura, you don’t need to make sandwiches. It’s not even two hours away. You’re going through way too much trouble for us.”

  “If I don’t have the sandwiches, Junior and Spider are going to moan the whole ride about how hungry they are. Richard might do the same since he last ate a couple of hours ago and your father will probably do it, too,” Laura replied.

  “Are you coming, too?” Dane asked.

  There was a beat of silence before Laura seemed to consider Dane worthy of an answer. “No, I’m not coming. I have a little ritual I follow for these trips, even if everyone is an adult.” While she wasn’t exactly rude, her tone seemed short.

  Dane nodded and decided to keep quiet. She moved around the kitchen more than helped with anything. Every now and then, Laura would glare at her, as if she were in the way. Nicole gave her a sad smile, which she shook off. As much as she would like for Nicole’s extended family to like her, she wasn’t going to bend over backwards for them. She saved that for Kathleen, knowing she would have to deal with Kathleen for life if things went how they should with Nicole. These people she might never see again, or see once a year. She could deal with them.

  What hurt was the way Nicole looked. She obviously wanted Laura to like Dane and with every glare Laura tossed her way, Nicole’s eyes got sadder. If they didn’t leave soon, Nicole might actually break down and cry.

  The sound of the front door opening caused Nicole and Laura to turn for a moment, possibly saving them all from a scene. Dane hoped whoever entered would save her from any more of this awkward kitchen dance. She looked to Nicole to see if they’d go out and see who arrived or if they’d go back to helping with the sandwiches. Nicole stepped out into the hallway, so Dane did the same.

  “Junior! Spider!” Nicole practically cheered as two large men closed the door behind them.

  “Hey, Nikki!” both men replied with giant grins.

  Nicole rushed over to the pair and hugged them. They both took a moment to lift her off her feet. They all laughed over it as if it was the funniest thing they could ever do together.

  “It’s been too long,” Nicole said with an almost tearful smile.

  “Way too long. Being an adult with a job is awful! Keeps me away from my favorite cousin,” one of the men commented. He had dark brown hair that was cut short and brushed back. He had a mustache and a beard, but it looked more like he didn’t bother to shave that morning. He was over six feet and dressed in a plain, black t-shirt and cargo shorts.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Oh, Junior, Spider, let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Danny.” Nicole put her hand out for her lover. When Dane stepped next to her, she put her hand around Dane’s waist.

  The guys, to their credit, were much subtler than their parents. There was a facial tick on the one with the beard, but the other one actually smiled. He was another redhead, but it was lighter than Nicole’s. His face was clean, but still rugged. He was taller than the other gentleman, but leaner. He was dressed casually with a short-sleeve, button-down shirt left open to show a white tank top with dark jean shorts. He offered his hand.

  “Nice to meet you. Uncle Raymond told me a little about you. I’m Spider,” he introduced himself politely and shook her hand.

  “Danny,” she replied, noting how rough his hand was. She also noted he had almost a full sleeve of various spider tattoos on his left arm, complete with a Spiderman symbol, a spider web, and a black widow. His right arm also had tattoos, but more like a half sleeve that his short-sleeve shirt mostly covered. She could also see some ink peeking out under his tank top. “Nice ink.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, thanks. I’m a bit obsessed, or so my father and uncle want me to believe.”

  “Daddy told you about Danny?” Nicole sounded a touch surprised.

  “Just in passing. I spoke to him about some business stuff, and he was catching me up with you. So, I know you’re back in school now, and I know you got a new girlfriend,” Spider replied with a proud smile.

  “I hope he said good things,” Dane said. Spider gave a slight grimace, so she assumed it wasn’t all sunshine and praises from Raymond. She wanted a few good words, not a speech as if she’d won the Nobel Peace Prize.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Junior,” the other one said, jumping in to possibly save his younger brother from embarrassing four people at once. He shook hands with Dane as well.

  “Are you sure pleasure’s the right word?” Dane smiled to let him know she was joking, but, not really.

  Junior only shrugged, but from the way he squeezed her hand in the handshake, she safely assumed pleasure wasn’t the word that he really wanted to say. He released her hand faster than his younger brother, but not as quickly as his parents had. Dane mentally conceded it was probably going to be a very long trip.

  Suddenly, a young woman pushed her way from behind the two men. They barely grunted as she elbowed them in their tapered sides, wanting to get past them. Nicole practically squealed and enveloped the young woman in a hug, picking her up off her feet. They both giggled as they hugged tightly. They stepped back, getting a good look at each other. Dane guessed the young woman was Lillian.

  Lillian was another redhead. Her hair almost matched Nicole’s perfectly. It flowed over her shoulders with a slight curl to it, not as much as Nicole’s but close to it. She ha
d cerulean blue eyes, as if a crayon had colored them in. She was smaller than Nicole by a couple of inches, and thinner. All and all, she was cute.

  “It’s been way too long, Lil,” Nicole sighed, smiling all the way through.

  “It has, but we’ve both been busy with work,” Lillian answered with a smile of her own.

  “I still wish that wasn’t the case. I always miss you so much,” Nicole said.

  “What? You never miss us?” Spider grinned, earning a light smack from Nicole.

  “I always miss you guys, but I miss my little sister in a special way,” she replied, and her male cousins seemed to accept that without a problem. Lillian beamed as Nicole turned her full attention back to the younger redhead. “How are things working out for you? I bet Daddy could’ve given you a much better deal working for his firm.”

  Lillian shrugged. “I’m sure he would’ve, but I like living around here. I like being close to family, especially my brothers.”

  That drew another smile out of Nicole, and she nodded with understanding. Junior chuckled. “Now, if only Nikki felt the same.” He hit her with the back of his hand on her bicep.

  “I do, which is why I’m still close to home. I can’t be physically close to everyone at once,” Nicole replied.

  “But, you should visit more often,” Spider insisted.

  “So should you. Speaking of visiting…” Nicole turned her attention to Junior. “When are you going to come back to fix my den door that you so gracefully pulled out of the wall, Mister Muscles?”

  “Uh…” Junior glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. “I had hoped you forgot about that.”

  Chuckling, she gave him a smile. “It’s hard to forget when the door still isn’t there.” Once more, she turned her attention back to Lillian, taking her cousin by the hand. She pulled Lillian over. “I want you to meet my girlfriend, Danny. Danny, meet my little sister, Lil.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Dane put her hand out.