Page 7 of Shrouded in the Dark

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Jager. It’s great to meet you.” I stepped forward to shake their hands.

Her mother’s handshake was limp and her hand was cool. Her father’s handshake was two rough shakes and I swear, he was trying to break my fingers, but I didn’t rub my hand after I stepped back. Her cousins came forward to say hello.

“We’ve heard many things about you from Felicity. Thank you for helping her throughout the year.” Mr. Jager nodded at me solemnly. “It’s a shame we weren’t able to meet you before on other breaks.” He said this while looking over at Felicity. “But we’re in a bit of a hurry. We’re going to get going.”

He and Mrs. Jager left without another word. Felicity’s cousins stepped up. The last one, the biggest of the three, looked over at me. He walked over to us.

“Hey, Fel. It’s good to see you.”

He was tall, my head only came up to the middle of his wide chest. He gave off a scary leader vibe, but I couldn’t help appreciate his forearm muscles when he looked at me.

“You only have four boxes? Why don’t we carry those down when we’re done with Felicity’s boxes?” He had a strong face, square nose, and full lips. He was easy on the eyes. Speaking of eyes, his were the same dark brown as the rest of the family. That was starting to get a little weird since there was no variety in the eye colors at all.

“That’s really nice of you. I’d appreciate any help!”

He nodded at me as he turned back to the other two. “Let’s hurry up, boys, before Aunt Nina gets annoyed.” They all grabbed two boxes each before going out the door.

Felicity looked at me. “That was the first time Wyn has ever said hi to one of my friends.” She looked impressed before her face sobered. “Becca, my family,” she looked at the door, tilting her head as if trying to hear something. “Don’t talk to them except for me. My family, they aren’t good people to be around.” She looked at me for the first time with such intensity that I’d not seen from her before. “Even if Wyn is cute, he’s not safe.”

I was about to reply when she jerked her head, placing her finger over her lips. “I’ll definitely miss you, too!”

I was confused for a second but understood when her cousins came back. They grabbed the rest of the boxes, save two of hers and mine. As soon as they were gone, I looked at Felicity.

“Do I need to be concerned for your safety, Felicity?” I kept my voice as soft as possible.

“No, it’s just my family isn’t like other families. It’s just better to be safe than sorry.” She placed her hand on my shoulder. “You’re the first best friend I’ve ever had and I’d rather keep you away from that brand of crazy.”

I touched her hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to talk to me more about this when you’re at the cabin.” My tone let her know I was serious.

She just nodded before grabbing her large bag that held more clothes. I grabbed my suitcase as her cousins came back in for the last of it.

“We’ll take this down and put it where we’re parked. Is that alright?” Wyn looked over at me. “You have someone coming to help you? Or a car we can take it too?”

“No, thanks, though. Where you’re parked is fine. My Lyft should be here in about ten minutes. I’m sure I can get it in the car with their help.”

Wyn lifted an eyebrow. “Where do you live?”

Felicity shot me a look that I ignored. “My parents live in Littleton. They’re paying for the ride, so all I am spending is tip money.” I only lied a little. Littleton was near Englewood.

Wyn just nodded. “Alright. We’ll get these downstairs.” He bent to pick up three of my four boxes. He glanced at Felicity. “Five minutes.”

With that, they all left with the remaining boxes. I hugged Felicity tight for a few moments before pulling back.

“I don’t have the best signal at the cabin, but I’ll make sure to check in with you at night or whenever I go into town for anything.”

Felicity nodded at me. “That’ll work. I won’t have my phone with me except for night anyway.”

What was she going to be doing? What was her family doing? Were they drug dealers? I felt my face pale as I thought about it. I stopped Felicity as she began to walk out the door.

“Felicity, it’s not drugs, is it?” My whisper sounded loud in my own ear.

She looked at me before bursting out in laughter. She laughed so hard that she doubled over clutching her stomach, and her bag hit the floor.

I tapped my foot at her, crossing my arms over my chest after letting my own suitcase down.

“It’s a valid question,” I snapped at her in annoyance. “With the way you’re suddenly acting.”

“No,” she straightened as she breathed in, “it’s not drugs.” She picked up her bag. “Come on.”