An Erie Collection by V. L. Locey

Author:V. L. Locey [Locey, V. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2018-10-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

I woke up at my desk to the smell of lemon bars. It took me several seconds to come to the realization that I wasn’t dreaming. I shoved my glasses back up my nose, wiped the drool from my chin, and looked down at my desk. There, on a glass platter that I recognized well, were six lemon bars, all neatly covered with cling wrap.

“Surprise!” my mother shouted, then drew me into her rather substantial bosom for a huge hug.

I fumbled to find my feet and embraced my mother, then smiled dully at my father, standing behind us. He looked fit. His brown eyes moved around the office. He had worked for OTR as well before he had retired about fifty years ago. Dad and I looked a good deal alike. Same shaped eyes and nose, same bold white stripe in our hair that we covered with dye.

“I knew you’d be starved for some homemade baked goods,” Mom said as she kissed me on both cheeks. “By the Elders, you look like something a human dragged in.”

“Mom, I’m fine, really.” I smiled sheepishly as she fiddled with my hair and glasses.

“You look exhausted. Are you getting enough sleep at night? I bet he’s not eating properly. Does he look peaked to you, Everly?”

“He looks fine to me, Fidelia.”

I nodded at my father in thanks as I disentangled myself from my mother. My coworkers were either snickering, if they were male, or looking googly-eyed, if they were female.

“What are you two doing here?” I gently led my parents into my tiny cubicle. Mom took my wobbly office chair and dad stood in the corner, checking out the website I was working on. Yes, more names had been added to the database before I dozed off. Every week at least one member of our mystical community died or disappeared. Things were growing direr by the day.

“We came into town to do some shopping and thought we’d drop by. You hardly ever call,” Mom chastised me gently.

I looked down at the tips of my dress shoes. She was right. I did need to call home more often.

“You look pale to me, Templeton. Are you getting out and enjoying the spring weather?”

“As much as possible,” I replied. Mom nodded. She was still a stately woman. Firm but loving eyes set in a round face. Her chin always remained up even if we were rather low on the breed listings. She had always been there for me. During those dark days of my childhood when I had been bullied relentlessly, my parents had always stood by me. Perhaps it was time to come clean to them about my sexual preferences. It was growing harder and harder to be with Mikel and lie to my folks. Perhaps, if they knew, they would be accepting, and I could share the best thing about my life with them. “I’ve been spending a good deal of time out at Lupei Manor. Mikel Lupei has hired me to chronicle his lineage records.

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