The only sign that he’s listening is the fact that he’s white-knuckling the comforter.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I need something. Cormac needs to disappear for a few days. I don’t care where, just get him out of the city.”
Cormac’s attention snaps back to me.
“What should I say?” I mouth.
“Say you’ll do it,” he mouths back.
I nod.
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Lorcan scoffs. “That is your problem to solve, not mine.”
“But…”
“But nothing. Just get it done.”
“I’ll… uh… I’ll figure something out.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.”
The call ends just as quickly as it began, and I lower the phone slowly, my hand shaking.
Cormac watches me, his expression unreadable.
“What do you think he’s planning?”
“I have some ideas.” His tone is clipped.
“Like wh?—”
A soft knock sounds from the door.
It’s so faint I almost wonder if I’ve imagined it.
But when I open the door, I find Scout standing there, clutching the edge of his sleeves, his eyes darting behind me to where his father sits on the bed, like he’s not sure whether he’s allowed to be here.
Cormac is already on his feet. “Scout? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says quickly, glancing at me.
“Did you want to come in?” I ask tentatively.
He hesitates, his eyes flicking to his dad once again. Then they come back to me and lower to the floor. “Do you not like me anymore?”
He might as well have stabbed a knife into my chest.
“What? Scout,no, of course I like you!”
His eyes stay glued to the floor, his voice small. “But you don’t hang out with me anymore. We used to play with dinosaurs and make pancakes, and now everyone is acting weird.”
“I didn’t want to be in the way,” I tell him honestly. “I thought you would want to have some alone time with your dad. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
Cormac appears behind me.
