Malakai and I were far from on talking terms, but we were at least civil about it. He didn't complain about the dogs and I didn't let them bark like crazy. Around lunchtime my phone rang. My father had kindly told me my cousin Chase, who was raised like my younger brother by my parents, was coming to stay with me. I honestly wasn't surprised.
I had told my parents when I first moved in that I would take Chase off their hands, but they insisted on letting him finish school with them. He was a problem for them, he always had been.
His mother had overdosed, and my mother took him in. His mother had been her sister, after all. I had little worry about Chase causing problems here. He has never caused problems for me, not even when he had stayed the summer with me when I married. Chase knew he would get to come here if he acted out of line, and that was more than likely why he had behaved terribly. He was also an adult now; they didn't have to let him back in, they could kick him out. Though my father would never do that, he didn't have the heart. My mother, if you made her mad enough, she was horrible. But it took a lot to get her to the point of no return. They had filled me in on his little game, which I found pretty damn comical.
I had moved out before my mother had the chance to kick me out for the same deal. I knew my dad found it pretty damn comical, too, but he couldn't say that in front of my mother. She would lose it on him. There was no doubt about that one.
They only lived about four hours from me, But it was long enough to deter them from making a split-second choice to come to visit me. I loved my dad and mom, but I was glad to have my own space and my own privacy. Having Chase around would be nice. I hadn't seen him in a little while.
I figured they would have him here around dinner time and I would have to feed them, as well as Chase. I hoped they wouldn't stay overnight. My father would complain about the bugs, while my mother would complain I lived too far away and might get eaten by a wild animal.
The dogs were all passed out on the couch, not a care in the world. I was happy they were getting some rest before Chase got here. They were going to maul him, he would love though. He was a dog person through and through. My only concern with Chase was the werewolves who now seemed to be here more and more. The last thing Chase needed was to be attacked by the sheriff or Malakai.
I honestly thought about warning him, but I didn't. I had to go get groceries and some stuff for Chase before they brought him here. Making sure I had everything I needed, like my grocery bags, my wallet, keys and phone. I grabbed a few of the paintings I had done, mostly wolves now.
"Enjoy your nap, guys. Watch the house. I'll be back shortly."
I locked the back sliding glass door and headed to my grandfather's truck. He had bought it two years before his death and it had been given to me along with the property. I had a car too, but I felt a lot safer driving the truck around. Less of a chance to hit some of the wildlife and cause tons of damage.
Heading into the garage, I opened the door and walked to the truck, looking at all four tires before hitting the unlock button on the key and opening the back driver's door.
Sliding the paintings in the back seat, once I unlocked the truck. I closed the back driver door and opened the driver door. I set my phone, wallet and bags on the seat. Starting the truck, it purred to life with no problems. Double-checking all over the gages and everything, I backed down the driveway.
My dogs knew the sound of the truck, so they didn't bother barking when it had started up, which made me pretty happy. I didn't want to disturb Malakai, More so because my parents would no doubt be way too loud and would upset him. The drive was pleasant into town; It had been a few days since I had gone in. I would need to check my mail at the post office too because I hadn't done that in a little while. The list of things I had to do was not too long, but was time-consuming.
I decided to stop at the shop first and drop my paintings off. Grabbing my paintings and heading inside, No one was in the shop, but this wasn't the first time. I grabbed a sticky note off the pad and a pen marking my name on the sticky note and as writing price, them whatever on the note. I stuck it to the top of one of the canvases and set them out of the way, but where they would be noticed by the owner. Taking a quick look at the store before heading out, there was a ton of wolf-related shit, just like normal.
The post office and the grocery store were close enough that I could leave the truck parked right where it was. The grocery store was my first stop before getting my mail. I grabbed the bags out of the truck and walked down to the store.
The store was pretty busy, but that was normal for the weekend. A few of the workers that knew me smiled and waved. I grabbed a cart and my brain was on autopilot. I only ever bought the same shit. Milk, cream, meat of all kinds, loaves of bread and more, but it was all the same stuff. It was rare that I bought something new, but with Chase being here, I knew the groceries would change because he was lactose intolerant and hated veggies unless they were in pain-inducing cheese sauce.
Heading to the checkout with a few new things in my cart, I checked out and paid. Heading back to the truck to drop off the groceries before going to get the mail. I figure there would be a ton of mail there normally was. Stepping inside the post office, I walked to my post office box and unlocked it.
Yeah. It was really full.
There were so many letters and there was even a package. I grabbed all the mail and closed the door, making sure it was locked before leaving the post office. When I got in the truck again, I threw the mail on the seat. I could deal with all the mail when I got home. I wasn't expecting anything important. At most, it might be a bank statement, letters from friends and colleagues I used to work with and the package might be from my ex-husband who occasionally sent me things he picked up well he was working. Most times it was small little art supplies. To say I wasn't even just the slightest bit excited about the package was a lie. I liked the art supplies, just didn't always see eye to eye with the one who sent them to me.
On the ride back, it started to rain a little. The scent of fresh rain coming through the four open truck windows and making me smile. I always loved the smell of rain. Sometimes, just sometimes, I missed the smell of rain on the pavement. On days like that, It was nice to just hang out in the town a little longer to be able to catch that smell without bing city pollution.
When I pulled back into the driveway, I saw Malakai's wolf slink through the bushes back to his place. I wondered if he was out with the sheriff and the other wolf. It would be nice if he allowed himself to have some other wolf friends. Hell, human friends would be nice, if the man had friends at all. He had hugged me before and his words stuck in my mind, weighed down like a few tons of cinder blocks.
I still liked to see his wolf, hell any wolf. They were beautiful and striking creatures. I knew how dangerous they were, but that didn't matter. My dogs didn't bark as I brought the mail in after unlocking the back sliding door. Setting the mail down on the counter, the dogs danced around my feet.
"Hold on you guys, let me go get the groceries."
Heading back out to the truck, I took all the bags in my hands and still shut the truck door, locking it. There was no way I was going to take my bags in a few at a time. I had carried them down the road, so this was nothing.
I set all the bags on the floor and got to put them away quickly. That way, my mother couldn't judge me. It wasn't like the only thing in my house was beer and chips. It was more like wine, which was my grandfather's collection, and croutons, which were my addiction.
I barely had time to sit down after getting everything put away. I heard the car pull into the drive and Chase was the first one in the house. He looked tired and unimpressed with whatever had gone on with our parents. He had a suitcase and a bag in his hand.
"Your room is whatever one you want upstairs that isn't filled with my painting crap or my bedroom."
"Thanks, Jett. You saved me."
He toed his shoes off and run up the stairs, the dogs right behind him, hot on his tail. My mother and father came in next. My father smiled when he saw me, his eyes lighting up. My mother didn't smile. She looked almost like Chase, worn out and tired.
"Hey, Nice you see you guys, it has been a while."
"Hey Jett, Looking good out there. Grandpa would be proud of how well you're keeping up with the place."
My dad hugged me tightly.
"Yeah, Yeah. I enjoy being out here. Some nights I miss the city, but not as much as I would miss being out here."
My mother said nothing. She just folded her arms across her chest.
"Hey, mom. How was the car——"
"That little brat is lucky we didn't send him packing with none of his shit. Bringing drugs into my home and then having the nerve to show up all hours of the night."
"Mom, breathe. I told you when I moved out here to let me take him."
"He's going to walk all over you." My mother snapped.
"I doubt that."
My father had gone quiet as he did most times. He wanted to say something to my mother but didn't because it wasn't worth her fighting. I understood his want to keep the peace. That was all I wanted to do where she was involved, too. I had a clue what drugs she might have been talking about, but I couldn't verify that without looking at the drugs, but I was positive if it was the same ones he had got when my ex and I took him to the hospital for a massive meltdown the summer he stayed with us, they were just anti-anxiety meds.
My mother didn't believe in the need to treat some things with medications. My mother thought anxiety was normal and would pass with proper socialising. I loved her, but she was crazy sometimes.