Page 26 of Ten Years Later
He took his time walking to his truck and driving home. He kept his phone close by all night, hoping she’d text, but she never did.
On Monday morning Zane, dressed in their work overalls, let himself into Keaton’s house. “You ready?”
In the same clothes as his brother, Keaton stepped from the kitchen, a bite of breakfast sandwich in his mouth. “Ready for what?”
“The job, doofus. Thought we’d carpool since it’s up in Ponte Vedra.”
“Oh…” Keaton swallowed the bite. He took a leisurely sip of his coffee. “You go ahead. I’ll drive separately. I have errands afterward.”
“Errands? What errands?”
“Just errands.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed. “No. I don’t trust you to show and there is way too much money on the line.”
“Fine.” Keaton dramatically sighed. “I’ll drive and you can follow me. Happy?”
Zane studied him. “You seem different. Not your usual grumpy self.”
“Iamdifferent.” He’d found his daughter.
16 /CURRENT DAY
Mia gaveEmily a lot of space throughout the rest of Saturday. On Sunday, Mia hoped for a reset, but Emily’s mood still seemed the same.
A little after lunch Emily asked, “Can I go to the beach?Alone. I need some me time.”
Mia didn’t hesitate in saying yes. They both needed space.
An hour later Emily returned miraculously back to her chipper self. “There were Black Skimmers everywhere!” She piled a sandy mess onto the kitchen island. “Check out all these shells. Aren’t they amazing? Look at the pink and white one. Ooh, and I saw a rogue dolphin.” She laughed.
Mia listened, relieved Emily’s visit to the beach helped. But in the back of Mia’s mind, a thought circled—there’d be no beaches, shells, and dolphins in their new place.
The next morning Emily overslept and hastily got ready for school.
Over a speedy breakfast, Mia said, “I’d like to carve out some time to talk tonight.”
“Okay.” Emily rinsed her bowl, placed it in the dishwasher, and raced from the house.
“You sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Mia called.
Emily waved her off as she sprinted through the neighborhood.
Mia preferred driving her daughter to campus but Emily begged to ride the bus, so Mia let her. Luckily, the stop sat just outside their neighborhood and down a block.
After Emily left, Mia went into her daughter’s room to gather laundry. The sketchpad Emily had been working on two days ago rested on her desk. Mia opened it, flipping through. She noted the same picture, finished now, of the father, mother, and daughter building a sand castle on the beach.
It broke Mia’s heart a little that Emily still felt misplaced.
Mia flipped to the next page. Cold prickled along her skin. Emily had created a new sketch. In this one, she wore the outfit from yesterday—cutoffs, cropped tee, and a trucker’s cap. She drew herself walking on the beach next to a man that Mia recognized as Zane Young.
She didn’t know if this scene depicted a real event or something made up in Emily’s mind. But given how good of a mood Emily had been in upon returning, Mia suspected the worst.
17 /CURRENT DAY
Keaton workedalongside his brother from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon. Zane finished painting a challenging stairwell aqua blue. Keaton spent the time in the primary suite prepping the wall for the mural, scaling the design, outlining the larger shapes, and adding details.
He took pictures for Emily.
