Page 107 of The Otherworld

The door swings open behind us, and Dad steps in with a stern frown. He doesn’t even see Orca at first. “Jack, where the hell have you been? Your mother was getting worried.”

“I was—”

“John,” Mom cuts in, tugging his sleeve and nodding to Orca.

Dad gives her an irritated smile and says, “Hello,” before driving his attention back to me. “You told your mother you were working at the marina. That wasn’t true, was it?”

“No.”

“So where were you? Obviously, out with this young lady, whom you’ve yet to introduce us to—”

“I’m Orca,” she says.

Silence.

The realization seems to hit Dad even harder than it hit Mom.

I clear my throat. “I can explain.”

“Please do.” Mom plants her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows expectantly.

“I flew out to the island and asked Orca’s dad for permission to let her come to the mainland for a week,” I explain, keeping my voice steady and confident.

“And your father granted you permission?” Mom asks, glancing at Orca as if she expects a more honest answer from her.

I keep my mouth shut and let her have the floor.

Remember the white lie, Orca.

“Yes,” she answers haltingly, wringing her hands behind her back. “Yes, he was perfectly fine with it.”

“Really.”

“Yeah, perfectly fine,” I insist. “We discussed it for a little while, and then Mr. Monroe decided that Orca deserved a little vacation.”

She nods quickly. “He told me to go. Actually.”

It’s true, in a way. Mom usually has a nose for sniffing out bullshit, but Orca and I are an impressive double act—smooth enough to convince both my parents.

Dad still holds my feet to the fire. “And why did you feel the need to lie to your mother about this excursion?”

“Because I knew she’d try to stop me. Right, Mom? You would have stopped me.”

Mom crosses her arms stubbornly. “I would have told you to wait and ask Adam’s permission before taking his plane.”

“See? That’s why I didn’t say anything—”

“You should never go flying without telling someone.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” I sigh. “Can we just… agree that the ends justify the means?”

Mom looks like she wants to argue, but she only shakes her head and steps in to hug Orca.

“It’s lovely to meet you, sweet thing.”

Orca smiles and hugs her back. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Stevenson.”

“I can never thank you enough for helping my Adam,” she says into Orca’s hair. “You don’t know what a gift you’ve been—to all of us.”

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