“Okay, sweetie. But you’ll—”
He nodded, knowing what she’d been about to say.Tell me if you do.Every time. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” she said softly. Then he heard her blow out a long breath before she turned back to the crowd and looped her arm through his. “Oh, look, Sue’s already here!” She pointed with her free hand toward the hot chocolate and donut station, where a woman in a bright-green parka stood, cradling a white paper cup in her gloved hands. His mom continued, “Oh, and there’s Wayne and Rachel. Elsie, too. And I bet we’ll find Uncle Jon and Aunt Tanya over by the food tables. Maybe Janice. She’s really been happy to have you helping out at the bookstore, you know.” His mom started moving them forward again, though she took slow, deliberate steps. He managed to force himself to follow.
The crowd wasn’t too thick, even as they approached the center of the courtyard. But Rye’s heart was still racing, fast and uneven, and he struggled to keep his eyes focused ahead of him.
Every person who stepped in their direction—particularly if that person was an older man—sent a jolt of something very uncomfortable through his chest.
Hewouldn’t actually be here. Would he?
A string of very unwelcome curse words ran through Rye’s head, and he involuntarily brought his hand up and across his chest, gripping and squeezing tight on his opposite upper arm.
Hecouldbe here. He could be any one of these people. Hiding in plain sight. Waiting for the right moment, when Rye was alone. Waiting to take him again. To take him and shove him into his car, drive him out to his secluded house just miles from the town center off that narrow, isolated dirt road. Then grab him by the hair and drag him inside the house and push him down into the cold basement, where—
“You’re sure this is okay, sweetie?”
Rye nodded.
And they continued walking until they reached the hot chocolate table. Sue had left by the time they got there, but his mom chatted with the two women at the table briefly while they prepped cups of hot chocolate for both Rye and his mom. Rye hung back a step, not wanting to be pulled into the conversation. The questions he just knew they were dying to ask would be nothing but uncomfortable for him, and he wouldn’t be able to answer. It was the same every time.
He still couldn’t really talk to anyone, anyway. Anyone except his mom.
Well, his mom and Jake, who had been such a good friend to him.
Jake was supposed to be here tonight, in fact. He’d told Rye as much yesterday, when they’d gone on another of those wonderful and yet terribly cold walks on the beach after having lunch together, as they’d taken to doing every few days. Rye had started “working” at The Nook, a brand-new bookstore in town that was just a few shops down from Beach and Beyond, the gift shop where Jake had bought Rye that book about birds back before Thanksgiving. Rye’s mom was friends with Janice, the bookstore’s owner, and since Rye was still pretty much terrified to be left alone—even more terrified than he was to sit in the back of a super-quiet bookstore and read most of the day, occasionally helping to return books to the shelves or stock new books when they came in—he’d taken to “working” at the bookstore on most days when his mom was also at work. Then, every few days, he’d meet with Jake for lunch and a walk on the beach, since the bookstore was only steps away from the boardwalk.
It felt like something almost normal. Almost normal for an adult man, that was. Meeting up with a friend for lunch. And it was now usually his favorite time of the day. Jake was kind and smart and just so easy for him to be around.He had this way of making Rye feel respected and valued and safe. And a little less strange, a little less like... a child.
Or something.
Rye wasn’t really sure what it was. All he knew was that Jake was a good man and a good friend, and he felt so incredibly lucky to know him.
And he hoped Jake was here, because then, maybe he’d be able to get through the night.
Rye glanced around, looking for the familiar, tall figure of his friend. It didn’t take him long—Jake easily stood out from the rest of the crowd, both because of his height and build and because he was still using his cane. And as soon as Rye saw him, it was as though Jake knew—he paused in the middle of whatever he’d been saying to a much shorter woman bundled up in a light-blue coat and fluffy pink ear warmers and then lifted his eyes and turned just enough to find Rye. Jake’s face broke into a huge grin, and he raised a hand in a small wave.
The woman turned too, and even from the distance across the small courtyard, Rye thought she looked familiar. It only took him a couple of seconds to realize why, and then his eyes widened. Krista! It was Jake’s sister, Krista. And... Phil was here, too! The young boy stood perfectly still and stableon his handsnot a foot away from Jake!
Rye laughed out loud and quickly clapped his hand over his mouth. Jake’s eyes narrowed, although his expression was amused, and Jake then glanced at Phil and grinned again before leaning over toward the boy to say something.
The boy kicked down from his hands and straightened up as he looked over in Rye’s direction. When their eyes met, Phil’s face lit up with the biggest, widest grin Rye thought he’d maybe ever seen. With an enthusiastic wave, the boy grabbed Jake’s hand and started dragging his uncle across the courtyard, Krista following. And even over the music, Rye heard Phil yell his name as the boy waved again.
Rye smiled—he couldn’t help it—and he pulled a hand out of his pocket to wave back. The trio continued on their way across the courtyard as Rye’s mom stepped away from the table and handed Rye his hot chocolate, warning him to remember it was hot.
“Th-thanks,” Rye stuttered, even though his words still didn’t want to work.
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Ms. Hammond there was saying how nice it was to see you at Janice’s bookstore the other day, and—”
“Rye! Rye! I can’t believe it!”
Phil’s voice wasmuchlouder now that he was so close, although Rye was surprised to find the volume—and the boy’s obvious enthusiasm—didn’t botherhim at all. No, if anything, he was intrigued by it. He lifted his free hand and waved again, even though Phil was now just a few feet away.
“H-hi, Phil,” Rye said, and Phil’s eyes grew much larger as he tugged his hand out of Jake’s and nearly skipped the rest of the way over. He stopped right in front of Rye, still grinning, his brown eyes sparkling in the light from the courtyard’s decorations.
“It’s so good to finally meet you! In person, I mean,” Phil said, and then he glanced over his shoulder at his mom, who stood next to Jake.
Gosh, she was short. Or maybe it was just because Jake was so tall. Rye forced a smile as his eyes met hers, and then he looked back to Phil.
