Page 56 of Shiver

She turned to Riley, but he faded in and out of focus. Laughter rang in her mind—evil, tinny.

“Are you all right?”

The light pressure of his touch on her hand brought her back to the moment, back to him.

She nodded.

The screen door opened and her mother stepped onto the porch, her dark hair pulled severely back from her face, her dull gray dress accented by a frilly white apron. Devra sucked in a breath.

Her mother emitted a soft cry, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Then she was running toward them. “Devy,” she called. “Papa, Devy’s home.”

Devra couldn’t move. She sat frozen, then the spell broke. Energy surged through her as she fumbled to open the door. She all but fell out of the SUV and into her mother’s arms. “Mama,” she cried.

Her mother squeezed her tight, rocking her back and forth. “Here, let me have a look at you,” she said, drawing back. She smiled and patted down Devra’s hair. “Oh, this hair! It’s still as wild and troublesome as I remember.”

Devra smiled and hugged her mother again. “I’ve missed you, Mama.”

“Not as much as I’ve missed you, my sweet, sweet child.”

Devra breathed deep her mother’s familiar scent and her heart filled with sorrow for all the lost days.

A movement on the porch caught her attention. “Papa,” she whispered. The last fifteen years had taken their toll on him. He was thicker around the middle and didn’t stand quite as straight or as tall as she remembered. The heavy lines on his face decimated the light-hearted, happy man who used to play her handsome prince, rescuing her from the evil queen who lived in the forest.

Tears burned the back of her eyes.

“Come see your papa. He’s missed you.” Her mama’s words caught and suddenly Devra regretted staying away so long. With their arms clasped around each other’s waists, they walked toward the house.

“Hello, Papa,” she greeted with a genuine smile and open heart. He stared at her for a long moment, his steely blue eyes assessing her. She stood strong before him while he made up his mind if he would accept her back into his home. He pulled open the screen door and held it ajar.

“Welcome home,” he grunted and behind the hard lines on his face, she could see the sadness buried deep in his eyes. She stepped into the circle of his arms and held on tight. “I missed you, Papa.” She turned at the sound of the car door closing and smiled as Riley joined them on the porch with Felix’s cat carrier.

“Mama, Papa, this is my good friend, Riley MacIntyre, and my cat Felix. Riley, these are my parents, William and Lydia Miller.”

Riley held out his hand, first shaking her father’s, then her mother’s. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Lydia said, smiling. “Please come in and get yourselves something to eat and drink. And, Devra, let that poor kitty out of his cage.” She shut the door behind them. “Where have you come from anyway? Was it far?” She led them through the small family room and into the kitchen.

“Louisiana,” William grunted.

Devra looked up surprised. “How did you know that?”

“License plates.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

“Louisiana. My, that’s a long way,” her mother announced as she took a jug of lemonade out of the refrigerator. “We were just sitting down to lunch. How about some chicken soup?”

“With spinach and meatballs?” Devra asked.

“Of course! Here let me get you a bowl.”

Devra caught Riley’s eye and smiled as her mother placed large steaming bowls of soup and freshly grated Parmesan cheese in front of them.

“Now, eat up. Both of you.”

Devra put the spoon to her lips and savored the hearty broth. It had been so long since she’d had her mother’s cooking, or anything remotely resembling it. She looked around the kitchen, soaking in the yellow tiles, the ceramic kitten cookie jar, the small milk glass vase on the table. All these things and so much more were exactly as they had been before. As if the earth had sucked her in and sent her cascading down a time warp into her past when she’d been ten years old and hadn’t a care in the world.

Except Riley was sitting next to her, watching her with speculative eyes.

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