Page 108 of Seven Days in June

“Jesus.Jesus.What? Where? Is he…”

“All we know is that the shooter stole two hundred dollars from him. And he might be an associate of Ty’s sister, Princess. They were at an abandoned house in Elmwood. Ty mentioned something about a music studio.”

Shane stared at the wall. He could barely breathe.

“Mr. Hall?”

“He’s gonna make it, though. Right? He’ll be okay?”

“The doctors don’t know. Are you nearby? The boy asked for you, and I can’t locate his guardians.”

“I’m coming.”

“Appreciate it. Like I said, he asked for you. And he’s in intensive care alone.”

Shane knew how it felt to be so vulnerable and frightened—and stuck in a hospital with no trustworthy adult who cared whether you lived or died. No parent to swoop in and rescue you. To do what the fuck grown-ups are supposed to do.

He had to do what he’d promised.

“Yeah. Okay, yeah, I’m coming.”

In a fever, he booked the only outgoing flight to Providence that morning, at 9:30 a.m. His return flight was at 4:00 p.m., so he’d be back in time for the Littie Awards that night.

And because he couldn’t help it, because it was naturally where his mind went, Shane decided, with clear-eyed finality, that this was his fault. Ty had called him, and he hadn’t answered. Ty had tried to reach him, and he’d been too busy being happier than he had any right to be.

And it wasn’t until that moment—midflight, leveled to near paralysis by the worry and self-hatred he was feeling over Ty—that he remembered. He froze in his seat, taking in a slow, deep gasp, and was immediately overtaken by a clammy, prickly sweat.

Eva. Eva and Audre.

He’d forgotten. He’d forgotten, because he had no experience with being needed. As a beloved author, he was a lot of people’s favorite person. But no one had everreallyloved him. At least not since he was little.

Shane was loved now. And Shane was happy. And he knew, without a doubt in his mind, that he’d made a mess of that, too. He’d been naïve enough to think that it could have lasted.

But Shane wasn’t made for these things.

***

By the time Eva got home that afternoon, she’d stopped waiting for Shane to call. Instead, still wearing her fancy brunch dress, Eva carefully lay atop her duvet, balanced an ice pack on her forehead, and phoned her ex-husband.

“Eva!” Troy’s voice was as crystal clear and enthusiastic as always.

“Hey! Just dropped Audre off; she’s on her way.”

“Fantastic. Athena’s been making comfort food for her all day. Gluten-free, of course. And vegan everything. Chia-seed ice cream. Athena’s a marvel.”

“Sounds delicious,” she said politely. “How are you, Troy?”

“Great! But not as great as you, apparently. I heard you’re seeing someone.”

“That girlcannotkeep a secret.”

“Is it a secret?”

“No. No, I guess not.” Eva slipped her ice pack down over her eyes, where her sockets werepounding, pounding, pounding. Unconsciously, she fingered her cameo ring. “Can I ask you something? Was I hard to live with?”

“Nooo,” said Troy, without taking a moment to think about it. “I just wasn’t ready. You’re complicated, you know? I thought you were a problem that needed solving. But you don’t need solving. You need understanding. I was too young and too scared to figure that out.”

After a lengthy silence, she curled up into a ball. “Thank you for that, Troy.”

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