“Okay.”
“The man who came over today and the other one…Those men are social workers, and that boy is their ward. They are court-appointed guardians.”
“I just thought they were his dads,” Lindsay said, suddenly less comfortable with the lies. “I never thought to ask about it.”
“Well, they aren’t. His parents died a long time ago, and the kid’s had a rough go of it, but that doesn’t excuse what he’s done. Or what he might do.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Lindsay agreed. Of course, she knew he hadn’t done anything.
“Good,” her dad said, rising from the bed. “I’m glad you see it that way. I mean I know you didn’t want to be here. We kind of dragged you away from your life, and I figure you’re still upset about that.”
“I’m not upset.”
“You were. And you had a right to be. I was being selfish. I knew you didn’t want to spend time with us. You’re growing up and have friends and plans, and next year you’ll have more friends and more plans. The year after that, you’ll be a senior and then you’ll go to college. I figured this was the last time we’d be spending any real time together, and I wanted that.”
Lindsay said nothing.
“I know I’m going to miss spending time with you,” her dad continued. “Hell, I already do. You’re my favorite person in the world.”
Before Lindsay could say anything else, her dad left the room and closed the door.
She hadn’t been this close to tears in a very long time.
12
When morning came, the sky was overcast with a summer storm. Lindsay snuggled into the comforter and looked at the window, resisting the urge to run to it and look out. Instead she climbed out of bed and went downstairs. As always, her parents met her in the kitchen. They seemed happy and relaxed, the issue of the boy next door resolved in their minds.
“No beach today,” her dad announced. “It’s supposed to rain.”
“That blows,” Lindsay said. But she didn’t really mind. Actually, she’d been thinking of doing something else all night. “Maybe we could hit the outlet mall? It didn’t look too far from town.”
Both her parents perked up at the suggestion: her mom because it meant shopping, one of the few passions they shared; her dad because it meant the whole family would be spending time together the way he wanted. Lindsay didn’t have to say another word about it.
In her room, she took her laptop off the window seat. She couldn’t help but look outside, but she never got the chance to peer into Mark’s window. The man that called himself Mr. Richter, the man Mark called Doug, stood on the sand below. His head cocked upward to stare at Lindsay’s window.
She had a busy day ahead.
By the time her dad pulled the SUV into the massive parking lot of the Rocky Shores Mall, the rain was coming down hard. Though the storm didn’t even compare to the one that marked their first day of vacation, the downpour was substantial. Apparently the mall was a favored place for locals during foul weather, because the parking lot was almost full when they arrived.
Finally her dad found a space on the far end of the lot. They only had a single umbrella, so huddled together, they dashed for the covered walkway that ran in and around the outlet stores. Her dad laughed as he trotted along holding the umbrella over their heads. Her mom complained good-naturedly.
At first Lindsay stayed close to her parents. Her dad was having such a good time he bought her three blouses at Banana Republic and insisted she try more on. It was kind of like Christmas, only Lindsay got to pick out all of her own gifts. At the Coach store, her dad bought himself a new wallet and a belt. Her mom even considered a new purse, but ultimately talked herself out of the purchase.
After a couple of hours, Lindsay hoisted her bags and went off on her own. Her dad wanted to explore the Ralph Lauren store, and her mom needed to visit the Mikasa outlet. Lindsay took the opportunity and told her parents she would be at the Gap, looking at shorts. It wasn’t a lie.
She did go to the Gap to buy shorts, but they weren’t for her. She’d hugged Mark, and he was about the same size as her first boyfriend, Todd. As a result, she had a good idea about his waist size. She chose two pairs— oatmeal and khaki. She stopped at a table loaded down with T-shirts and picked out three in a size that would actually fit him, unlike the black shirt he always wore. She made sure she picked bright, interesting colors. Mark was probably tired of black, probably hated the sight of it by now.
She couldn’t believe his guardians had taken all of his clothes. That was third-world cruelty. She’d never heard anything like it before.
She made a quick stop in the Nike store and bought an inexpensive blue gym bag. She finished her shopping in just less than thirty minutes, which still gave her plenty of time before she was to meet her parents in the food court for a late lunch. Walking by the GNC, she noticed a display for protein bars and decided she would buy some of those for Mark.
If he were really running away, he’d need them.
Lindsay returned to the food court and nearly stumbled to a stop in the doorway. Tee and Mel sat at a table halfway across the room. So much had happened in the last few days, Lindsay had all but forgotten the girls, but there they were, flipping their platinum hair and talking a mile a minute over sodas, totally engrossed in each other’s words. That ended soon enough, though. As if a bell sounded over the food court door, both girls turned their heads and saw her.
Tee and Mel lowered their chins and looked at her harshly. Lindsay felt like turning and running, but instead, she stood her ground. She didn’t know what Ev had said about her, trying to cover her ass for scamming on Mark, but it was probably nasty. No doubt Tee and Mel were full-on against her now because Ev told them to be. If they knew Ev’s plan to ditch them, they might not be so loyal.
Lindsay strolled into the court and walked across to the Electra-Juice. She ordered herself a strawberry smoothie and waited while the pimple-faced boy made it for her. She could almost feel the girls at her back, even before one of them spoke.
“Hey,” Mel said.
Lindsay turned slowly, noticed the girls, and then turned back to the counter. Whatever. She had nothing to say to the bonfire club.
“We’re talking to you,” Tee announced, grabbing Lindsay’s arm.
She spun around, shaking off Tee’s grip.
“What is with you?” Tee asked. “We’re all cool to you. We let you in, let you be one of us, and you spit all over it? Who do you think you are?”
“Yeah,” Mel said.
“I didn’t ask to be in,” Lindsay snapped. “You and Ev can bite my ass.”
“Ev was nothing but cool to you.”
“She tried to snare my boyfriend,” Lindsay said. It was close enough to the truth.
“Oh, right,” Mel scoffed. “Like Ev would
“You would so lose,” Tee added. “Whatever. Look, we were just coming over to tell you Ev was sick and all.
