When I reach the door, I turn back to Finn. “Happy birthday, Finn,” I say.
He smiles and closes his eyes.“Have fun, Jo.”
Twenty-Five
I’m informed by my momthat Cecily will be driving me to Nora’s party, and there will be no arguing about it. My protests about not needing a chauffeur or chaperone go unnoticed. Summer is winding down, and tensions are ballooning. Mom doesn’t let Jasper out of her sight, and she’s become a firm believer in the buddy system if my sister or I even consider leaving the house. There is no walking to the grocery store or fast-food joint alone. Mom would be content to lock us inside until September.
Nora and Cecily know each other better than I thought, and my mom, Paige, and Holden all think it’ll be “good for us to get out for a night.” I’m not the only member of the antisocial club on the block, apparently.
Rather than fight it further, I save the ammo for a bigger argument, whatever it may be. It isn’t too far to Nora’s house, and even Cecily and I can survive the awkward drive to get there.
I meet Cecily in her driveway across the street, climbing intothe passenger seat of her car. It’s nicer than my old car, with its updated features and Bluetooth speaker. She asks if I want to connect my music, but at my refusal, she turns on some indie artist vaguely I recognize.
She’s more dressed up than I’ve seen her. Her hair falls in ringlets, and her lips are glossy. No amount of foundation can hide how pale she is or how sunken her cheeks are, but she cleans up nice.
“You and Nora are close,” I say, not quite a question.
Cecily nods. She doesn’t glance away from the road, and I’m grateful. I’m on a blade’s edge, fingers curled around the bottom of my seat.
“We went to the same summer camp a few times when we were kids.”
I sit up straighter. “So you know her brother.” Heat slinks up my neck, and I clear my throat. “Knew him, I mean.”
“Finn,” she says, like I don’t know. And I suppose I probably shouldn’t be overly familiar with the disappeared brother of my co-worker. “Yeah. I was closer with Nora, but the two of them were attached at the hip, so…”
I’d resigned to surface-level conversation for this ride, but the mention of Finn cracks the lid on my fascination. Any confirmation that he’s not truly just a figment of my imagination.
“What was he like?” It’s an odd question to ask, but it slips out before I can stop it. “Nora doesn’t really talk about him,” I add, like that makes it any better.
“Like I said, I didn’t know him well. I guess their dad was…not that great, got on them both, him more than Nora, but you’d never know. Always a smile on his face and trying to make everybody laugh.”
Unease makes my chest constrict. “What do you think happened to him?” I ask.
Cecily’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. “I don’t know.” She looks my way. “But I guess if I did, if anybody did, they’d have found him, right?”
“I guess,” I say. Silence lapses over the car again. I’ve ruined the easy peace by bringing up a dead boy, but in Cecily’s and my defense, neither of us are great conversationalists. The rest of the drive passes with us staring out the window, pretending to listen to the music coming out of the stereo. I keep a vise grip on the sides of my seat to curb my racing heart.
There are a handful of cars parked in the driveway when we arrive. Nora said her mom and stepdad are at some spa for the night, so the extra cars can only be attendees. Cecily parks against the curb, staring past me at the front of the house.
“I can feel the enthusiasm,” I say.
Cecily huffs a laugh. “I don’t go out much. But Nora’s an old friend.”
“And our parents like to play social matchmakers,” I say.
“And that.” Cecily shuts off the engine.
“How are we getting home? If I know Nora, there’s definitely alcohol in there.”
“Oh, I don’t drink. Messes with my treatment. So when you’re ready to go, just come find me.”
“You sure? I don’t want you to have to leave early.”
“Leaving early is one of my favorite activities,” Cecily says.
“A woman after my own heart.”
She smiles and climbs out of the car. I follow.
