Page 109 of Watercolor Skulls

“You okay, hun,” JD asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Jackson climbs up on my lap noticing my distress as well. “You okay, hun?” he mimics JD.

I look him in the eye. “I’m perfect. I’m just thinking about how happy your grandparents are going to be when you give them the gifts you made them.” He smiles, jumping off my lap. “I’m going to go check on my caterpillar,” he tells me, running inside the house.

“Come right back,” I holler after him.

He waves to let me know he heard.

Once he’s inside JD kneels down in front of me. “What’s going on?”

“Jackson just helped me figure out where my dad might have hid those flip drives.”

JD turns his head to look at our projects. When his eyes meet mine, he smiles. “Looks like we’re going on a run.”

I nod numbly. If I’m right and my father hid those flips drives in his precious flower garden… my god, could it really be that easy? I cover my mouth, tears stinging my eyes.

JD hugs me. “I got you, girl. We’ll know soon enough.”

Jackson comes running out with his bug catcher. JD pulls away from me slowly. Jackson yells, “Lily. Lily. Lily,” in his usual excited way.

He shoves the bug hut in my face and inside is a beautiful Monarch butterfly. His wings open and then close as he shows off for us.

“Oh Jackson,” I croak.

“Why are you crying?” Jackson asks, confused by the tears streaming down my face.

I hug him to me. “Sometimes people cry when they are happy and spending the afternoon with you has made me so happy. It is running over.”

“I’m happy too.” His hair falls over his eye. “But I don’t feel like crying.” He’s still confused.

“It’s a girl thing,” JD tells him.

“Oh,” Jackson says seriously. “Now I get it. My mom does that too. Sometimes she just looks at me and cries. She says it’s because I’m the best gift she’s ever gotten.”

“You are pretty special,” I say, wiping my face with the palm of my hands.

Later that night when everyone is there we release the butterfly down by the lake. “He can be friends with the dragonflies,” Jackson says, jumping up and down.

Dan pulls me into his side, hugging me tight. We watch it fly away over the water. Everyone cheers and pats Jackson on the back. He’s so happy. Everyone is happy. Life is good.

Chapter Forty-One

Lily

???

"Why are we doing this again?”

Jesse cocks an eyebrow at me which is scarier than it normally is because she looks like a skeleton. “We don’t want anyone to recognize us,” she says, like I should already know this.

I don’t think this is her first time breaking the law. We are about to break into my father’s estate.

“Hold still,” she says as she draws a line across my face. “This is so exciting. Dirk hasn’t let me out to play in a long, long time.” She licks her lips. “I hope I get to knock someone out.”

Chuckling, I shake my head and she scolds me again.

---