Page 70 of What You Wish For

I thought about it. The relief left me almost tingly. “I’m less mad.”

Just then, down the beach, Helen started jumping, and waving her arms, and calling for Duncan, so we started walking in her direction.

“So,” Duncan said, as we fell into step. “While you’re less mad, I have a kind of odd favor to ask. I’ve been meaning to call you about it.”

“Okay.”

He took a breath. “I know that we do not always see eye to eye on Kempner-related issues.”

I let out a bitter, “Ha!”

“But… it turns out that, these days, you are the one person in this town that I’m closest to.”

“That is very sad,” I said, “given that we’re mortal enemies.”

“And,” he went on, “it turns out, the week before New Year’s, I have to have a quick surgery.”

“Aquicksurgery?”

“It’s outpatient. No big deal. But they’re going to sedate me—hopefully heavily—and so I’m going to need a ride home. I scheduled it for when Helen would be here, but it turns out they have to go back early.”

I nodded. “So… you need a ride home?”

“I said I could just take an Uber, but they want to release me to a known party.”

“Um. I don’t drive.”

“You don’t drive?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

No way was I telling him the real reason. “Just eccentric, I guess.”

“You can use my car.”

“No—I don’t drive at all. Like, ever.”

“Oh.” He looked disappointed.

“But I could call a car service, if that works.”

He nodded. “That would be… really helpful.”

“What’s the surgery for?” I asked then.

He shook his head. “Just… breaking up some old scar tissue. It’s called cryosurgery, actually. They freeze you with liquid nitrogen.”

“Cool,” I said.

He sighed like “cool” was the last word he would’ve used. Then he said, “Not really.”

When we caught up to Helen, she had her arm around the waist of a tall, cool guy wearing a peacoat and aviator glasses—and they had two little girls running in circles around them, now throwing the tennis ball for Chuck Norris.

“Sam,” Duncan said. “This is my best-friend slash brother-in-law, J-Train. J-Train, meet my… employee. Sam Casey.”

J-Train stuck his hand out in my direction. “Great to meet you, Sam.”

---