Page 19 of Here and Now
I raise one brow. “Had to, huh?” I look to the non-troublemaker in this duo, pretty sure my nephew is going to corrupt this one. “Does your mother know you both came here?”
Kai shakes his head.
Great. Fishing ruined again.
“Let’s walk you both there before she realizes you took off.” I step outside, and we make our way toward their house. The boys chat about what they were doing and how they were on an adventure walk, which led them to me.
If I had Penelope’s number, I’d call and let her know they are safe, but I don’t, and Kai said he doesn’t have it.
“Kai! Ethan!” I hear screaming, but it’s coming from another area than where we’re heading. “Kai! Please, God, Kai! Ethan! Boys!”
There is absolute terror in her voice. “I have the boys here!” I yell back.
“Kai!” She screams again and her voice cracks.
“Penny! I have Kai!” I yell louder, moving toward where she sounded like she was. “Come on,” I say to them and we jog that way.
When I get closer, Penny is on her knees, tears streaming down her face, and I get to her first. I quickly crouch and keepmy voice soft. “They’re safe. They were just being kids who walked off and they came to my house. They’re safe.”
Her gaze lifts, and her red-rimmed eyes break my heart. She shakes her head. “H-he d-doesn’t run of-f.”
I nod. “They were doing an adventure walk,” I try to explain, even though it sounds stupid. “They’re okay.”
Her chest is heaving and then Kai comes close. “I’m sorry, Mommy. We were looking for bugs.”
She looks to him, and tears continue down her face. “You. You c-can’t do th-that to me a-again.”
Kai nods. “I won’t. I’m sorry.”
“It’s o-okay.” She wipes her face, but I can see that she’s still not okay.
“How about we walk back to your house together? It’s hot and we could all use some shade and water.” I stand, extending my hand to Penny. She takes it, rises, and her lips tremble.
Even Ethan, who normally isn’t rattled by much, looks frightened.
The four of us quietly make our way back, the two boys walking a few steps ahead. I slow my pace to match Penny’s.
After a minute passes, I speak. “Are you all right?”
She turns her head, almost as though she forgot I was here. “Not fully.”
“Scared the shit out of you, huh?”
“They were playing out back one second and then they were gone. I don’t know that my heart has restarted yet.”
While I don’t have kids, I know that moment of panic when you think you’re missing a child. “When I was a fourth-grade teacher, we went on a field trip out into the mountains. I taught earth science, so we had the cool trips. Anyway, we were in groups of four, but one of the groups had five. We’d do a one, two, three, four head count every fifteen minutes. It was sort of a sound off. We did this a bunch of times, always getting to five, but to be funny, one of the kids pretended to be another number so they sorted into the wrong group. It was ... the most fucking terrifying twenty minutes of my life, looking for that kid. I was screaming his name, running up anddown the creek. I swear, every horrific scenario anyone could come up with, I’d played out.”
Her long lashes flutter. “Yeah, my imagination wasn’t kind.”
“Ember Falls is pretty safe,” I try to reassure her. “Our last murder was in, like, 1907 or something. The worst crime we had was when Everett shoplifted, to which his mother dragged him to the town meeting and made him recite an apology letter ... where every other parent, mine included, made us come to see what happens to sticky-fingered little kids.”
She smiles for just a moment. “That’s good to know. Although I’m not sure crime sprees typically come with notice.”
“True, but we all look out for one another here. Just so you know, the boys and I were on our way to you. As soon as they showed up at my door, we were heading back.”
Penny’s eyes lift, and the shimmering tears still linger, but she looks as though she can breathe a little easier. “Thank you. And for walking us back. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
