“The diner,” Elsie said, studying him. Will was nervous about something. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
He paused and scratched the back of his neck. “No, but it’s okay. It was a cheap watch.”
Wow, he was a terrible liar. That was unexpected. And he definitely had not been wearing a watch earlier, but she didn’t say that and neither did Charlie or Jane.
What possible reason could he have had to return alone? Did he go back for that surly teenager? Will didn’t look like he’d been in a fight. She studied his face and then glanced down at his knuckles, but he looked the same as before, except he was staring straight ahead with the strangest expression.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
He met her eyes. “I’m not sure. I’m worried about someone. Well, to be honest, I’m worried about several people.”
“Do these people have names?”
He cracked a small smile. “Yes.”
But he didn’t follow up with any names. Elsie sat back and folded her arms. Why was she trying to unravel the mystery of him anyway?
At the restaurant, they all shared a booth and Charlie regaled them with several funny stories of him and Will at prep school. They’d met in the fifth grade, with Caroline a grade younger. Charlie described himself as the class clown and Will as a serious rule-follower. No surprises there.
“My parents are so disappointed in me,” Charlie said, playing with a sugar packet. “All that money they spent on my education, and I’m basically a construction worker with a fancy degree. But I like what I do. Making new friends in new places.”
Jane’s smile grew a little tight, and Elsie wondered how Charlie could be so clueless. She glanced at Will, who also looked uncomfortable. Whatever had been bothering him must still be on his mind.
“What do your parents think about what you do, Will?” she asked.
Will and Charlie exchanged looks before Will answered. “My parents are gone. My mom died of cancer when I was eighteen, and my dad died in a plane crash four years ago.”
Elsie felt terrible, though there’d been no way of knowing. “I’m sorry. That must be so hard.”
The waiter came with their food, and Elsie stared at her burger, no longer as hungry to eat it. No wonder Will had been so protective of his sister. It didn’t excuse it, but it did explain why he was the way he was.
“Eat.” Will nudged her arm. “It was a reasonable follow-up question, Elsie. And yes, my father was also disappointed by my career choice. He wanted me to go to law school and eventually become a politician. I chose business school instead.”
“I could see you as a politician,” Elsie said, picturing Will sitting in Congress, wielding power and influence.
“Then you don’t know me as well as you think.” Will picked up his fork and took a bite of pot roast. “Huh, this isn’t bad.”
***
Elsie went home after dinner, while Jane stayed late to watch a movie. Will didn’t want to interrupt the two cuddling on the couch, but the other worry he’d had ever since seeing Jeff with Lydia was how Elsie might feel about it.
Was he secretly dating them both? The images that filled his mind drove him out of his room and over to the couch.
Charlie looked up at him and paused the TV. “I thought you hated this movie. You coming to watch with us?”
Will shook his head. “Can I ask you something, Jane?”
“Of course.” She sat up straighter and looked at him with wide innocent eyes.
“Is Elsie dating Jeff?”
She and Charlie both grinned, not realizing how serious the question was to him. If Jeff was cheating on Elsie with her little sister, she’d be heartbroken.
Jane twirled a lock of her blonde hair. “They’re just friends. She said she realized the chemistry wasn’t there early on.”
One less worry, but it only made him feel marginally better. Elsie had the sense, even if it was only subconsciously, not to get involved with Jeff, but her little sister clearly did not.
He should lay it all out, letting them know what Jeff’s influence did to people, but that involved revealing Gianna’s fall into alcohol addiction and the fights she’d had with Dad before he died. She was a different person now, and it was something he couldn’t bring himself to share, not even fully with Charlie and Caroline. They knew Jeff had caused the car accident, but they didn’t know Gianna had been just as drunk that night.
