Page 2 of Finding Chaos

Not perfect but better.

I grunted my approval and grabbed a rag, trying to wipe off the remaining red paint from my palms and fingers.

Yanking open the door, a cool blast of air hit my face as I stepped inside.

The inn was a bit more worn than it had been the first day I’d stepped inside. I’d been just a young punk back then and times had been simpler. The scent of apple pie carried out of the kitchen, stirring memories and making my stomach growl. I headed in that direction. “Mrs. Weller, I’m a mess. I’m just going to run home and clean…”

I shoved open the kitchen door to find my sister, Clara, sipping coffee, while Mrs. Weller was at the stove.

“You must have slipped in through the back door,” I said.

Clara’s only answer was a smile.

I knew that smile. It was her ‘I’m up to no good smile.’

“What are you doing here?”

“Maybe I came by just to say hello. I don’t always have to have an agenda, you know.” Her flippant answer contradicted the mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You always have an agenda.” My eye twitched in response, making her smile grow.

“No need to run home,” Clara said, pointing to the bag on the table. “I brought some of your things. You can shower here.”

I cocked my head toward my know-it-all sister. She was gifted too, but unlike my gift, the one that helped me locate missing souls, she knew things. All kinds of future things. “Why did you bring my bag? What aren’t you telling me?”

She raised a single brow as though the answer should be obvious. “I did you a favor and brought your clothes.”

My eyes searched hers as I tried to read between those lines to discover what she wasn’t willing to say. “That’s all? You went into my house and through my things? A lesser person wouldn’t be alive right now.”

Clara grinned over the rim of her coffee cup. “You lost at poker because of me. This is me helping out. It was the least I could do.”

“You’re the ace?” I asked, raising my brow.

She shrugged. “You needed to lose and paint the sign, so I just moved things along. Time isn’t on your side if you want to avoid catching a cold, or worse.”

“Right.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You already know what I’m going to do.”

She lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“Why are you here?” I asked again.

“Destiny,” she answered.

Perfect. Exactly what I didn’t need. My destiny was filling my stomach and heading home to relax and watch the last quarter of the football game while drinking a beer in my favorite recliner.

“Yeah, no thanks. I’m going to clean up since you brought my clothes, then eat, and then go home. So, whatever you’ve got planned, just forget it.”

Clara chuckled. “I don’t have anything planned.” She held up her fingers as though she’d been a scout. “I swear it. This is just me, helping you out.”

Mrs. Weller glanced over her shoulder with a strained smile as if she was unused to family drama. “Walker, please go get cleaned up. Even if you’d rather eat in peace, I can make you a lunch to go. It’s the least I can do.”

My gaze veered from Mrs. Weller’s to my sister’s and back again. I was outnumbered. Fighting them both would be useless.

“Which room?” I asked.

“Up the stairs, first door on the right. Take your time, no rush, and no surprises.” Mrs. Weller glanced at Clara. “Isn’t that right?”

Clara held up her hands. “Of course. No surprises from me.”

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