“Yeah, that’s leaving, but what about coming back? If you leave, I’ll have no way of knowing if or when you made it back. Just wait one week, son, please? I’ll send Duke some money if it will keep you home. How’s that?”
Caleb scoffed. “What money, Ma? I love you, but you’re just going to have to let me go.” He pulled the phone away from his ear for a minute. “Hey, Ma, my boss is calling. I gotta go.”
“You coming for dinner?”
“Don’t I always? See you tonight, Ma.”
Caleb disconnected the call and shook his head.
“Your mom?” Everly Grant had worked at the diner across the street from the auto repair shop for as long as Caleb could remember. Despite Everly’s breathtaking beauty, they were nothing more than friends. Supposedly, she’d dated the same guy from out of town for about as long as she’s worked at the diner, and though no one ever saw him, they never questioned either; she was just too sweet. She went to refill Caleb’s coffee mug, but he covered the top with his hand.
“No, thanks,” he said.
Everly’s eyebrows shot up into her forehead. “Caleb Asher is refusing a second cup. Are you sure you aren’t some alien in Caleb clothing?” she teased.
Caleb grunted. “Ma does that to me. Every single year. Over and over.”
“What’s her problem?” She set the coffeepot back on the burner and joined him.
“She doesn’t want me to leave Rickdale. Like ever.”
Everly laughed. It was a soft sound, a petite laugh that suited her appearance. Rumors swirled that she had practiced it in front of the mirror until it came out just right, but knowing Everly the way he did, he refused to believe it. She was as natural as a sunflower. Her laugh came too easy to be practiced. Whoever started the rumor was probably just a miserable son-of-a-bitch with nothing better to do.
“Why? I mean, Rickdale isn’t so bad, but I’ve seen what lies beyond the bridge. For someone who’s entire existence is this town, I can see the appeal. So, why is she stopping you?”
Caleb’s face wrinkled with disgust. “Some stupid urban legend. I’m sure you’ve heard it.”
“Rickdale has an urban legend?”
Caleb covered his face with his hand and exhaled. “I can’t believe you don’t know. Mae White died by suicide sixty years ago, came back thirty years ago and took all the young men with her.”
Everly shook her head. “Nope, that’s a new one for me. Took all the young men away? That’s something. Do I need to lock Brayden up?” She laughed again.
“If you asked Ma, she’d say yes. Ask any old timer, and they’ll tell you the same thing. Mae White is to Rickdale what Bloody Mary is to the rest of the world. Nothing happens. But get this.” He leaned in closer and checked his surroundings. “Ma says the thirtieth anniversary of Mae’s suicide is coming up, and it falls on a full moon.” Caleb’s eyes rolled, and he laughed. “You’d think she expected Mae White to turn into a werewolf or something.”
“That’s quite a story,” Everly said, waving to the new customers just entering the store. “You’ll have to tell me more about it. There’s got to be a reason behind your mom’s paranoia.”
“There is. Supposedly, Mae White took my dad when she appeared the last time. Now, she’s afraid she’ll lose me, too.” He rolled his eyes again and stuck a cigarette between his lips. “My theory? Dad was a coward and took off while he had an excuse. Has it bothered me growing up? Hell, yeah. Ma works hard, for what? A tiny shack on the edge of Ricker’s Creek that gets flooded anytime the wind blows south?” He scoffed. “There’s got to be more than what’s here. Why didn’t she ever pack up the car and get out? She used to be a pageant queen. Look at her now.”
Jennifer Asher, the town pageant queen four years in a row, was one of three nurses that called Rickdale home. Twelve-hour shifts five days a week had taken a toll on her body, and her once svelte figure had new curves and more stuffing every year since she’d given birth. Deep brown circles and bloodshot eyes made her once sapphire-blue eyes watery. Her vibrant honey blonde hair had streaks of white and gray she was too tired to dye. She was still beautiful, just faded. Caleb hated the father he never knew because of it.
“Your mom is stunning.”
“Hm. You should have seen her before. She should have made it out of Rickdale. My father should have taken her with him.”
“You ever asked her why she stayed?”
“All the time. But she never answers. She just says Rickdale is home.” He shrugged his shoulders and tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. “Keep the change. Thanks for the chat.”
“Anytime, Caleb. Anytime.”
Caleb went back to the body shop and finished the paint job he’d taken a break from. He knew he’d only hear more of the argument when he went to dinner, but if he didn’t show, it would be even worse. If he wanted to leave, he’d have to get in his mom’s good graces first. And that was usually accomplished over dinner.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE night, a young man appeared out of the thick fog and walked just beyond the bridge, holding his thumb out, looking for a ride. As the moon broke from the clouds, his eyes glowed with a strange light, and he disappeared as the fog enveloped him.
Chapter Two
“You’re still planning to go to Texas, aren’t you?” Jennifer asked as Caleb wiped the last of his food from his face.
“No choice, Ma. Duke has to be back for work, or he’ll lose his job,” the fib slid easier from Caleb’s lips than he expected.
“Humph. He should have considered that before he left. No one has ever made the trip in one day.”
“He wasn’t planning a one-day trip when he left, Ma.”
“Irrelevant. It doesn’t sound like he planned his trip well. I really don’t want you to go, Caleb. Not this week. We have a full moon coming.” Her eyes shifted about the room, as if she saw monsters hovering in the shadows. Maybe she did.
Caleb closed his eyes. Why was his mother so hard to reason with? It was a simple drive down, pick up Duke, drive back. Why did she have to worry so much?
“Look, Ma, I love you, but I’m going.” He walked over to the calendar hanging on his mother’s wall and pointed at the date, over a week away. “That’s the full moon, right? I’ll be back long before then. Stop stressing.”
“Yes, but...”
Caleb had heard enough. He wasn’t going to let her finish. Anything that followed “but” was never good news. He kissed his mom on the cheek, put his plate in the sink, and left.
Jennifer’s face filled her hands, and she sobbed quietly. She hated that argument. She had it with his father thirty years ago, and he didn’t listen to her either. And she would be damned if Mae White got them both. She picked up her cellphone, not content to let the conversation drop.
Caleb answered his cellphone hesitantly. He knew his mother wouldn’t back down, but he hadn’t expected her to call him that fast.
“Ma? Everything okay?”
Jennifer sighed. “Caleb, the fog is rolling in.”