Page 36 of The Light We Lost

I shrugged. I didn’t know the first thing about art, much less wood carving. “My dad bought one of his carvings as a graduation present. I like it.”

Nolan’s lips twitched, eyes gleaming like he had a secret. He opened his mouth but then stopped as the front door chimed and Dad walked outside. I straightened myself, leaning back in my seat as he said, “Nolan, you really outdid yourself—oh dagnabbit!”

Panicked, I opened the door and rounded the hood of the truck in a rush. “Dad, what’s wrong—” I stopped short, my gaze dropping to the front tire—theflatfront tire.

Nolan let out a low chuckle. “You still haven’t kicked that habit of letting air out of people’s tires, Indy?”

“I didn’t do this.” Heat flashed over my skin. I didn’t need Dad to believe I was up to the same no-good games again. “It was probablyyou—”

“No one did it.” Dad toed the tire with his boot. “It’s been giving me hell the past few weeks. I keep patching it up, but it might be time to call it quits and get a new one.” He ran a hand over his head. “I’m sorry, Indy. I thought I had it ready to go for you.”

“It’s okay.” I was glad it’d happened now and not in the middle of city traffic. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll just call a cab service.”

“Your flight will be gone by the time a cab can even drive down here.”

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep my frustration at bay. I’d forgotten the inconveniences that came with living in the middle of nowhere. There weren’t Ubers here either—I’d checked. Mom was asleep, but I was about to suggest we drive her car just as Nolan said, “Take my truck.” I furrowed my brows. He must’ve seen my shock as he added with a wink, “I’d like to drive you, of course.”

“That’s mighty generous of you,” Dad praised.

Hell no. The moment I sat in his truck, he’d swerve us into a tree. “I’m sure you have better things to do than chauffeur me around.”

“I’ve got nothing but time for you.”

I glowered at him, but before I could tell him exactly where to shove his generosity, Dad said, “You know what you should do, Indy? Why don’t you use your extra ticket and take Nolan to that baseball game?”

I laughed, my stomach filling with dread. “The last thing Nolan wants to do is go to a baseball game with me—”

“Who’s playing?”

I stumbled for a response, solely because I knew by the look in Nolan’s eyes, it didn’t matter who was playing. He was determined to make me suffer. “The New York Hawks and Boston Falcons—it’s the rivalry game.”

“Hell yeah. Let’s go.”

One glance at Dad and the smile on his face had me holding my tongue. I didn’t want Nolan to come, but I didn’t want to disappoint Dad even more. If I wanted him to see I’d changed, I needed to prove it. Show him I could push aside the past—especially since it was obvious Nolan had fooled him into believing he’d done the same.

Maybe he had. Nolan might no longer play, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he still loved baseball. It was engraved in his bones.Relax. He’s not trying to make your life harder. He only wants to watch a baseball game.

But it felt like he was playing a different game when he shook Dad’s hand. “Don’t worry—I’ll bring her home. Even if she’s kicking and screaming.” They shared a laugh, and though Nolan said it as a joke, I felt the promise in his words nonetheless.

Chapter Sixteen

Indy—Now

Iwas 35,000 feet in the air.

If I jumped out of this plane with only the clothes on my back, my odds of survival were drastically low. But I doubted they were any lower than my odds of completing this flight without getting blood on my hands.

Whether it would be my own or that of the passenger beside me was undecided.

Nolan shifted in his seat, his knee bumping mine for the hundredth time. Logically, I knew it couldn’t be that many. But I’d been with him for ten hours—more time than since we’d parted ways at eighteen—and everything was elevated. I’d anticipated the drive to the airport to be the worst of it, but being crammed beside him on a five-hour flight had taken the cake.

His knee nudged mine again and I crossed my legs, angling myself away from him.

Ignoring the pressure of his gaze, I focused on the movie playing a few seats ahead of me. With music drifting through my headphones, and Hayden Panettiere krumping on the screen, I found a sliver of peace.

Nolan must’ve sensed that, as hardly two seconds later, he reached for Genny’s carrier. I tightened my grip on it, refusing to let him lift it off my lap.He’d eyed it curiously our entire trip, and I was surprised he’d waited this long without stealing a peek.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, I pulled out my earbuds. “Stop it,” I murmured. “This is mine—not yours.”

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