WBY - Push (part two)
The house was small but Jamie could tell right off that Lisa was one of those people who cared about her house. Even in the dead of winter, the garden was gorgeous. Where other people may just have dead plants, Lisa had a real winter garden, flowers and foliage planted in such a way that their death actually accentuated the beauty of her home. There were unusual shapes and stalks sparkling in the frost. Bits of evergreen. There were splashes of color that indicated some kind of berry. Pretty and red but no doubt poisonous, Jamie thought bitterly. But he said nothing, just jumped out of the truck, slamming the door with more force than was strictly necessary. He could see that the back of the house was up against the water, a smaller tributary that either led into or back from that marsh they had been in recently. If Jamie’s map skills were good, and they were, from there it was probably not long to the Chesapeake Bay.
He trudged up the path behind his father, head lowered and scowling despite the fact that the late winter sun had just managed to get high enough in the sky so that the frigid morning air had warmed. Still despite the weak rays of sun, the clouds hovered heavy and thick, with the promise of more snow.
Jamie stood behind his father a half step and waited for him to knock on the door, instead, it was opened and he got his first glimpse of Lisa.
She was beautiful. Longish dark hair with silvery streaks that instead of making her look old made her look stunning. The silver framed her face, setting off high cheekbones and a lovely smile. She wore a pair of jeans with a cream colored sweater and even to Jamie’s extremely prejudiced eyes, could see that she was long and lithe. It didn’t surprise him. Yoga instructor or something - plus Dean Winchester had never needed to scrape the barrel when it came to pretty women. Still, he had been hoping she had gotten plump with age or better yet had turned into a frail, withered old bat. It would be so much easier to hate a hag. She smiled and gestured them into the house.
“Come in guys, it’s freezing out there.”
“Sure as shi-“ Jamie never finished his sentence as his father’s elbow hit him forcefully in the ribs. The quick whoosh of exhaled air that followed made sure there was no continuation of the sentence.
Lisa caught his father’s hand warmly and even though Jamie could see the uncertainty in both of their eyes, she leaned into give him a lingering kiss on the cheek. And then his father pulled her in a bit tighter. Not quite a hug, but not the handshake he would offer to a male friend.
God, it was sickening.
“So this is Jamie?” Her voice was gentle and warm. “He looks so much like you.”
“Yeah, he’s a chip off the old block.” Jamie knew he was too, except for dark russet hair he favored his father quite a bit.
“Let me get your coats.” Lisa bustled off with their coats to another room as Jamie made to step into the living room.
“Dude…”Dad hissed. “Boots.”
Jamie looked at his boots puddling water in the foyer and flapped his hands frustratingly by his side.
“What of it? It’s not my fault my feet are wet. We’ve been sluggin’ through the swamp for three hours.”
“Take them off.”
Dad was already unlacing his boots and carefully putting them by the front door.
Jamie huffed but followed suit. Damn this was gonna be a long day.
A moment later Lisa was back. “Do you boys wanna come into the kitchen? I have fresh coffee on and even made some hot coco for you, Jamie.”
“Great. Hot coco. Does it have the mini marshmallows in it? “ It seemed that sarcasm was lost on Lisa because she turned brightly to Jamie.
“Actually, it does.” And then she laughed a bit as she showed them into the kitchen.
“Black, if I remember correctly.” Lisa handed a steaming mug of coffee to his father and then turned to Jamie with another mug, chocolaty and yes with little marshmallows floating in it. All three sat at the cozy kitchen table.
“So, did you find anything?” Lisa’s bright smile vanished and her brows furrowed in worry.
“No, not a thing. If it’s a Jack, it’s moved off to better hunting grounds.”
“Or warmer weather,” Jamie interjected his voice laced with unbridled anger.
“Sorry about the muck.” Lisa spoke quietly. “The eastern shore of Maryland is not usually too bad but this winter has been harder than usual. Between this crazy weather and the missing kids…. I was worried.”
His father reached out and gently held Lisa’s hand. It was brief, just barely a touch but Lisa smiled again. “You were smart to call, if anything ever happened to you, well, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
Jamie almost choked on the hot chocolate. What the fuck? How was his father responsible for a woman he had not seen in years? Damn, he must have had it bad.
Time to nip this little reunion in the bud.
Part three
http://wildblueyonder6.livejournal.com/42163.html