Big sigh.
And a question. Why does danger make love so much more intense?
Twenty
I hit the computers after Trey and Sawyer are gone so I can do my tree research, and my best guess is that the bush-tree in Sawyer’s vision is a redbud. I pay to print a few pages of examples and take off. I make it home before five and get to the restaurant early to help set up for dinner.
“How was your tree research?” Dad booms when I glide through the kitchen. He looks good today. Clean shaven, a smile on his face. At school a few hours ago I thought he might have killed himself, but staring at him now, it’s hard to imagine he’s ever depressed.
“Good. Successfully identified a redbud tree. But teachers are hitting hard with assignments. I’m going to have to spend more time at school and at the library, where I can use decent computers.” I cringe, hoping he doesn’t see that as a slam, because it’s just a fact. Our computer sucks. And I need to establish that I’m going to be gone more. But bringing up chess club again is a bad idea.
He lets it go. Even makes a joke about typewriters. Today he is my favorite kind of dad. I realize just how seldom this dad comes out these days, and I wonder what triggers it. When I catch a glimpse of Rowan, I know my dad’s up days are numbered. As soon as he realizes what she’s doing, it’s going to be shitty again.
Part of me wants to tell them what she’s up to. But I can’t. I owe her. I owe her big, and she is well aware of that. In fact, she probably planned it that way. I shake my head and watch Rowan with new respect. She arrives on time every day. She kisses Mom and Dad on the cheek when she sees them, and greets Tony the cook like he’s family. She tells them just enough about her day that they never say, “You never tell us anything,” to her. She treats everyone with respect and she’s the one who gets the most customer love on the restaurant comment cards.
And it’s all a big screen. A ruse. Well, that’s not really fair to say, because she truly is a thoughtful, respectful, punctual person. But she also knows how to use her strengths to her advantage, and when she goes to New York, Mom and Dad are going to be absolutely gobsmacked—they’ll never see it coming. Because if anything, Mom and Dad are looking at me to be the one to disappoint them again.
She’s a freaking genius. With Dad working at 100 percent tonight, Mom sends all three of us upstairs early. I grab Trey and drag him into his room, which is mildly messy. He has posters of famous people on his walls and weird gadget-like stuff between the books in his bookshelves.
I close the door. “Well?”
“Nothing. We got to three of the schools on your list before dark, and I thought of another one on the way home, but none of them looked right.”
I flop down on his unmade bed. “Crap.”
“He’s picking me up at dark thirty and we’re going to try to get out to Lake View and Lincoln Park and back before school starts.”
“Ugh, that’s going to be horrible at that hour.”
He shrugs and sits next to me. “We don’t have a choice. He thinks we’re running out of time.”
We both lie back on the bed and stare at his ceiling. “Anything new?”
“Still no. I asked him some questions that he thought he could find answers to in the vision.” He sighs.
“Thanks for doing that.”
“No, it’s cool. He’s a great guy.”
I smile and look over at his face. “You sure you’re not in love with him?”
That gets a laugh. “I’m in love with something, I guess, but not Sawyer, though I still think he’s a total hottie. I guess I’m in love with this cute little relationship thing you guys have.” His lingering smile is wistful. “And, like, you know, Rowan and . . . what’s his name?”
“Charlie.”
“Yeah, Charlie. I heard more about him the other day when I drove Rowan home. Seems like they’ve got something good too.”
My throat catches a little. “You’ll have it too. You will. I mean, maybe just not in high school. Maybe college. For sure college—things will be better.”
He folds his hands behind his head. “I hope so, Jules. I really do.”
There’s a soft knock at his door.
“Come in,” he hollers.
Rowan peeks her head in. “Hi. I heard my name and came running.” She comes in and closes the door. She wrinkles up her nose and sniffs tentatively as she surveys Trey’s mild clutter, and then she approaches the bed.
I sit up and shove Trey over so Rowan can sit too. “The only way you could have heard your name is if you were standing with your ear pressed against the door.”
“It was a short run,” she says agreeably.
My eyes grow wide and meet Trey’s alarmed look. What else did she hear?
She sits down and lies back on the bed next to me. “So, guys,” she says. “Isn’t it about time you fill me in on this whole vision thing?”
Twenty-One
“Um,” Trey says.
“Um,” I say, and then add in a weak voice, “What?” I
lie back down again.
She sighs. “Oh, please. Just come out with it already.”
She looks at her cell phone clock. “I’m leaving in a few
days.”
“Maybe we should talk about that,” Trey says. “Nice try.” She sits up and scoots back so that she can
lean against the wall between Trey’s posters of Johnny