Page 15 of Thick and Thin

When I got there, I tried to remember if dad preferred a particular brand of ice cream. There were several brands to choose from, so I finally settled on the one whose price landed in the middle. Just as I was opening the door to the case, I felt the hair on my arms stand at attention. At first, I thought it was because of the cold air rushing out.

But that wasn’t it at all. “Anna. I thought that was you!”

I’d recognize that voice anywhere. “Yes, it’s me.” Forcing a smile, I asked, “How have you been, Mr. Sherwood?”

“Alan, remember?”

My smile grew thinner—because I just as well could have reminded him for the hundredth time that I preferred Lise to Anna. I was certain it was because he thought it was a cute little nickname that only he called me.

And I’d forgotten just how intense those mildly creepy vibes I always felt when I was around him were. I hadn’t missed that sensation at all.

“What a stroke of luck to see you here.” Although I wouldn’t say it out loud, I didn’t see any luck in it at all. Most of the instructors on campus either had Fridays off or had longer one-day-a-week lectures that day. This wasn’t the first time I’d run into Mr. Sherwood at the store on a Friday, making me wonder if he lingered here on purpose for this very reason. Not to “run into” me, of course, but any other young women. “You never called me.”

Nor would I. Ever. I tried to remember exactly what I’d texted him as an excuse. “I don’t have a lot of free time—”

“I know. You said that. But there were some developments with the lab that I thought you should know about.”

Even though I knew it was possible that this was just Mr. Sherwood’s way of stealing my attention for as long as possible, there was something about the way he’d said it that made me curious. “What?”

“They never came out and said it, but it’s clear that the damage wasn’t nearly as extensive as they’d made it seem. Or, should I say, as they made you believe.”

“If they never said it, how would you know?”

“All the repairs were done before the beginning of the fall semester.”

What? I could believe my ears. “Done?”

“Yes. I knew you didn’t know that. It was completely finished by the first week. Students have been using the lab like nothing ever happened.”

He continued talking, but I barely heard him. What did all this mean?

More than that, the question I wanted answered was something Mr. Sherwood couldn’t tell me: Did Sinclair know?

When I finally tuned back into his voice, Mr. Sherwood said, “This is a good thing, because you probably won’t have to work as long to pay those bastards off. And I’m glad…because I’ve missed you.”

I was still in shock, so my stupid tongue simply replied, “Same here.” Why had I said that? It would simply encourage his behavior.

But he continued. “How much were the Whittiers going to make you pay?”

“Not an amount, but time. Ten years.”

He was silent for just a few seconds. “Think about it, Anna. The cost of those repairs couldn’t possibly have required you to give up ten years of your life. This is just another way the Whittiers are throwing their weight around.”

I wanted nothing more than to get away from him in order to process what he’d told me—so I simply said, “I’m going to be attending the University of Denver in the spring, and I plan to get a master’s degree too, so I’ll be there a while anyway.”

But would I? Everything now was in doubt.

Mr. Sherwood said, “Ah, but UCCS would be less expensive—and closer to home.”

Why did he think Winchester felt like home to me? Not that Denver did, especially after his news. And he didn’t even know the degrees I would be pursuing.

I spat out, “I don’t know about that.” But my brain was still whirring. Why was he manipulating me? Maybe I’d never recognized it before, but it was clear that he was now—and I needed to get away from him. Standing beside him, I had an overwhelming sensation of being smothered. “I’m sorry. I have to go. My dad had an infusion yesterday—”

“How’s he doing?”

“All right, but I need to get back to check on him. I’d just wanted to grab a few things to make him a special meal.”

“You’re such a good daughter.”

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