Page 15 of Holiday Surprise

“Are you one of the Colliers? Peyton’s sister?” she asked curiously.

I shook my head. I could have left it there, but something in me pressed forward and I blurted out. “No, I’m a Parker actually.”

The woman brightened. “I’m a Parker too.”

My breath caught and I fought back tears I hadn’t expected. “Are you related to Sid Parker?” I asked. “He was my uncle, you know, before he abdicated.”

Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my word! We’re cousins,” she said, throwing her arms around me in an awkward and unexpected hug. “Sid’s my daddy.”

Nothing could have shocked me more. Sid had been my dad’s brother. They were as close as any two men could be, close enough that my dad had named me after the man. Sid had tried to convince my dad to join him and follow Jedidiah. It had caused a great riff between them. In the end Sid had left, and my family had stayed behind. It had been so hard on my father who still battled depression over it and just one of the lingering grudges I held against the Larken Pack. They had torn my family apart, and now I find I have a cousin around my age that I never even knew existed.

“I need to go,” I said, turning to bolt.

“Please don’t. I’ve never met anyone I’m related to aside from my parents,” she said sadly. “I’m Vernetta, but everyone just calls me Nettie. This is my son, Tom. Tom, this is your cousin.”

Tears ran down my cheek. “He named you after my father, Vern,” I told her.

She nodded. “I know.”

“I’m Sydney,” I said. “Sydney Parker.”

She smiled. “I had hoped that was you. My daddy had told me so many stories of you as a young child.”

“He did?” I asked. I couldn’t even describe the emotions welling up inside of me. “Is he still alive?” I finally asked.

She smiled. “Yeah, he and my momma both are. There’s only one other elder that originally followed Jed that’s still with us, though barely. He’s an insufferable man and travels a lot. The rest have done passed, most by suicide. None worse than Luke’s parents. He had a whole mess of siblings. I can’t even remember how many, eight, nine? Anyway, he went out to a party one night as a teenager and came home to find them all dead in the house. His momma left a note behind telling him he was the strongest of them all, and they knew he would have tried to stop them, but that it was best that way.”

I didn’t want to hear stories about Luke. I didn’t want to feel anything for him, but as Nettie spoke, my heart broke for the boy he had once been.

“If it was that bad here, how did you father stand it?” I wondered aloud.

Nettie smiled. “This ain’t nothing. Home is those you love. Pack is those you love. As long as you got those you love, you can withstand anything. He always reminds me of that, and he’s right. I did ask him once why he never went back to Collier, and he told me, that was in the past. He’d made his bed and now he had to lie in it, plus stubborn pride wouldn’t allow him to face his brother and admit he’d been wrong. I still pray that someday they’ll reconnect. Maybe you could help with that. Daddy and old man Smith were the only two Luke excused from the run last night because they were the two that had once chosen to leave the place, so he promised daddy he would never force him to return.”

“Luke, sounds like a good man,” I observed.

Nettie perked up again, standing a little taller as she proudly spoke. “Luke Larken is the best thing that has ever happened to us. He’s given us hope for a better future, and he’s seeing it through. We’ve had a lot of issues with our children attending the human school, and starting next month, Tom will get to attend the Collier school with other kids like him. We’re a small pack, so there’s not a ton of kids to begin with, and it’s hard to explain to someone who grew up in a large shifter community just how difficult that burden can be out in the real world.”

I nodded. “I think I understand.” I had been against them coming, and now I felt ashamed for that. “I’m glad Thomas took the stand he did to make this happen.”

Little Tom’s curiosity finally got the best of him and he came out from behind his momma and started to ask me questions.

“Do you know Lily?” he asked. “She’s nice.”

“Yes, she is. She’s my best friend,” I told him.

“She is? I made a best friend last night. His name is Tate and I’m going to go to school with him soon.”

Nettie smiled. “All we’ve heard today is Tate this, and Tate that.”

“It’ll make his transition easier having a friend there,” I reassured her.

He found a ball and passed it to me. As Nettie and I talked, I threw the ball for Tom to chase and pass the time. I had no idea how long we had been standing there when she asked me to dinner.

“I don’t know, Nettie. I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Please, Sydney. You have no idea how much this would mean to my dad.”

“But you have no idea how much that it may hurt mine. I need to talk to him first and tell him Uncle Sid’s doing okay. Depending on his reaction, then maybe.”

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