Tomorrow's Sun (45 page)

L
exi kept several bike lengths between her and Adam as they wound through the woods, Emily at the head of the pack, Jake following as close as he could without actually sharing the stupid bike seat with her.

Missouri would have been torture, but at least she wouldn’t have had to watch Miss Who Needs a Prince turning her uncle into a pile of cooked spaghetti. Jake acted like an idiot around her—all “Don’t overdo it. Let’s take a break” and “I’ll rub your back.” Gag. Even from way back here, she could tell what he was saying just by the way his bike helmet tipped to one side and her shoulders shook in a lame giggle. Disgusting. Lexi made a vow to herself to never act like a toddler if she ever fell for a guy.

But she had bigger things to worry about than breaking up Jake and Emily. That plan was nothing compared to the new one.
If Adam doesn’t cave
. Her teeth clamped together and she tightened her hold on the hand grips. The monster was back, overtaking her brain. Grandma said it was hormones. But it wasn’t. It was Ben.

The trial was in two days.

She slowed down as they came to the bridge, listening to the rattling boards as the other three crossed. Lexi stopped in the middle and stared down at the calm green river. She liked it better when it looked like she felt—all rushing and foamy, sweeping things downstream in its hurry to get away.

The trial was in two days. The day before their birthday.
Happy Birthday, kids, you get to spend the next five years with Blimpo
.

Adam was the one who came up with the plan, but for the first time ever, she wasn’t sure she could trust him. They’d been stashing food in their backpacks for a week now and no one had noticed. Last night, Grandma had walked in and caught her sewing a carrier for Pansy out of a pillowcase. She had no choice but to tell her what it was. Grandma thought it was cute. No suspicion at all. The really tricky thing would be tomorrow night—breaking into their own house to get Mom’s emergency money without waking Ben.

That’s where Adam’s smarts came in handy. He’d found a six-pack of beer in Grandma’s basement. The dust and cobwebs meant it was old. Maybe it belonged to their grandpa and was older than they were. Adam’s plan was to leave it by the back door with a “Welcome Home, Ben” sign on it. Adam didn’t know if six beers was enough to make him pass out, but it should make him sleep sound. If they were lucky, the beer might be old enough to make him really sick. And die.

But Ben wouldn’t die—or even sleep—if Adam chickened out. He was starting to say things that scared her like, “Let’s just wait and see what happens. We can always take off on Monday after we know.”

But what if they didn’t get the chance? What if Ben won and they got handed over to him without warning? If Adam would just stick to the plan, things would work out. They’d sneak in late Sunday night, get the money, then get up really early Monday morning, before light. They’d leave a note for Jake and Grandma saying they were fine and they’d call home at six o’clock to find out what happened at the hearing. If Jake won, they’d come home. If Ben won, they’d disappear and hide out somewhere until Jake could find a new place—maybe Missouri, Adam said—where they could all live happily and no one would tell Ben.

That was another reason Emily being around was messing things up. Grandma’s best friends wouldn’t tell on them. Jake could talk to Topher and Tina and Colt, and they could come to visit and they wouldn’t tell anyone. But Emily acted like the kind of person who had to do the right thing all the time, even if it meant wrecking somebody’s life. Besides, if she told on them she’d get Jake all to herself.

Lexi couldn’t worry about Emily right now. But she didn’t have to hang around and watch. She got back on her bike and rode hard until she passed Adam. “I’m heading home,” she said as she pulled up next to Jake. “I’m not feeling so good.”

Emily slowed to a stop, and Jake fell in behind her like a trained puppy. “Do you think you’re coming down with something?” Emily reached out and put the back of her fingers against Lexi’s forehead. The way Mom used to.

Lexi drew back. “No.” She faked a smile and shrugged, trying to look embarrassed. “Just girl junk, you know?”

“Oh yeah.” Emily smiled. “I know.”

No you don’t. You don’t know at all
. Lexi hopped back on her seat and pushed the pedal.
You have no clue. Because you’re the girl junk making me sick
.

“Guess I’ll leave you two alone.”

Adam got on his bike, but not before giving Jake a conspiratorial wink. Emily shook her head. “Did you pay them to leave?”

“You’ll never know.” Jake propped his bike against a tree just off the trail. “Let’s walk a bit. Back to the bridge.”

“I’m fine. My back’s great. You’re being overprotective. I don’t need this many breaks.”

“But I need to hold your hand.” He unlatched his chin strap and wiggled his eyebrows. “And the rest of you.”

Face warming like a teenager, Emily swung her leg over the seat and leaned her bike against his. “You unnerve me sometimes.” She hung her helmet on the handlebars and held out her hand. “Do you know that?”

“How so?”

“When you say something like that and don’t mean it to mean what it sounds like.”

“Say that again. Faster. I dare you.” He steered her onto the path. Sand and fine gravel crunched under their shoes.

“I’m used to guys who…”

“Mean what they sound like they mean?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t think I don’t want to do what it sounds like I say I mean.”

Emily stopped. Her eyes filled with laugh tears. “Thank you.” She gave free rein to the laugh. “It’s nice to be wanted by someone who won’t do what he wants to do.”

Jake dropped her hand and slid his across her back. “It’s nice to be with someone who likes to be wanted by someone who won’t—”

“Stop!”

“Am I unnerving you again? I like that. Not sure I’ve ever unnerved anyone before. And speaking of nerves…” He stopped and turned her to face him. “Do you know what a beautiful distraction you’ve been this week?”

“Distraction?” She hovered for a long, dizzying moment on the current generated by his hands on her back. The grin that backlit his eyes drew her like a weak-willed moth. “That’s all I am to you?”

“Yep, that’s all.” He rested his forehead on hers. “Just something to consume me with dreams of a possible future so I don’t get consumed with thoughts of the possible future.”

Closing her eyes didn’t stabilize the fantasies spinning in her head. She took his hand again and they walked in silence to the bridge. Grasping the rust-orange railing, she followed the tree-lined curve of the river. The water barely made a sound, so different from her first glimpse of it. Like her, it was peaceful. Unlike her, it was calm and steady.

Her present life felt like a photograph of a moving object, blurry and out of focus, yet fascinating. Not all of her brain chemicals had gotten the message that life had done a one-eighty. She still woke every morning feeling physically and emotionally stiff. And then she’d remind herself Sierra and Dawn Anne knew and forgave her, God knew and loved her anyway, Jake knew and couldn’t seem to keep his eyes, or his self-controlled hands, off her. Catching up to her new reality would take time.

A red-tailed hawk swooped low over the water. Farther down the bridge railing, two gray squirrels chased each other. Thoughts of a possible future swooped and scampered along with the wildlife. The whole morning had been a game of Let’s Pretend. Anyone who passed the four of them on the bike trail would have thought they were one small, happy family.
Lord, can it be?
She leaned into the arms circling her from behind. “How do you think the kids are doing?”

“They’re scared. Adam’s like me—he hides it by being the funny guy. Lex is hard to read. Must be that girl junk.”

“It does get in the way. Have the authorities asked them what they want?”

“The kids haven’t told us, and with all the privacy stuff, we can’t ask what they’ve said.”

“You know they want to be with you.”

“But are they too scared to be honest? Mom’s told them it will help if they detail everything Ben’s ever done, but you can see the fear in their eyes. What if Ben still has access to them if I get guardianship? Can you imagine how freaked out they must be?”

Emily turned in his arms and stared into troubled eyes. “Two more days and you’ll know.”

“Yeah.” His lips skated the length of her nose. “You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

“To the hearing? Is that allowed?”

He nodded.

“Of course.”

“Know what?”

“What?”

“I’m glad we decided to live while we’re waiting for life to begin.”

Lifting her lips to meet his, Emily murmured her assent. “Me, too.”

Lexi pulled the plastic wrap off the gigantic bowl of potato salad and carried it out the back door and down the steps. Her feet acted like they were magneted to the ground. This didn’t feel like a fun Sunday picnic.

A car door slammed. Naomi, all tanned from the vacation Lexi should have gone on with her, ran up and hip-bumped her. “You shoulda been with us!”

“Tell me about it.”

Naomi bounced her curls in the direction of the grill where Jake flipped burgers and Emily turned the hot dogs and brats. Like that took two people. “Your plan’s not doing so great, huh? Or did you decide you like her?”

“Never.”

“She seems really nice. And she and Jake kinda look like they belong together. I bet if you gave her a chance—”

“Don’t you get it? Doesn’t anybody get it? It doesn’t matter that she’s nice. She’d wreck everything, mess everything up. And what about our plan? Your mom’s coming, isn’t she? That’s why she was invited to this stupid thing.”

Naomi looked down at the daisies on her toenails. “I got some bad news.” Her nose wrinkled like it did when she smelled peanut butter. The news couldn’t be all that bad—something she didn’t like, but didn’t hate either.

“What?” Any news would get her mind off tomorrow. And tonight.

“Are you ready for this?”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “I won’t know until you tell me.”

“My mom’s got a boyfriend. She’s been e-mailing the guy she went out with in high school and I didn’t know it, but our vacation was at the Dells so my grandma and I could meet him. It would have been so cool if it woulda worked out for you and me to …”

Lexi was good at smiling on the outside. It didn’t take much work at all anymore. Naomi followed her into the house and babbled while she took the cheese out of the fridge and arranged it on a plate. She babbled while she opened three bags and dumped them in bowls. She was still going on and on about the boyfriend and his two gorgeous teenage sons and his big house up north when they sat down to eat.