Down By The Water (22 page)

FORTY TWO

Ty wasn't hard to find. I followed the gravel road that wound through the top tier of camp sites, the sites closest to the Reilly house and the pool. The RV sites were all full, fifth wheels and motorhomes parked in the sand and gravel driveways, but there weren't many people out and about. The afternoon heat ensured most campers were either at the pool, the river or, more than likely, locked away in their air-conditioned campers.

I thought back to the trips my family had taken when I was a kid, when we'd pack up tents and coolers and our little portable propane stove and head out for a weekend—or longer—of camping. Our time was as much about being in the outdoors as it was togetherness as a family. I could remember countless summers where the heat had been oppressive, the bugs just as bad, and we'd never even commented on it, just made do. Dad would drench us with bug spray and sunscreen and hand us thermoses of water and send us on our way. We'd never wander far but we'd hang out outside, tossing sticks into the campfire we never seemed to extinguish, planning a scavenger hunt, or making friends with kids in the neighboring sites. I couldn't imagine sitting in a camper as a kid, glued to the TV or some other electronic device, huddled under a blanket because the AC was blasting too cold.

Even on our last trip, the trip that had ended with the death of my sister, we'd spent the bulk of our time outside. The only reason we'd been in tents that day was because our parents had gone to the store. And, while they'd always trusted me to babysit, they didn't want us wandering the campground without adult supervision. They'd been worried about us getting in trouble, about the campground managers frowning upon unsupervised kids. They thought we'd be safe, reading and playing games in our tents.

But they'd been wrong.

I  physically shook away the memory, shaking my head back and forth, and looked down the road.

Ty was walking toward me, a smile on his face.

“Should I be flattered?” he asked, crossing the short distance between us.

“
Flattered?”

He cocked his head. “Oh. Maybe not. Here I thought you were out here looking for me.”

“I am.”

His grin widened. “Good. I like that.” He slipped his hand into mine. “Everything cool with your dad?”

His hand felt so warm, so right, wrapped in mine. I wanted to clutch it tight, hang on to it like I might a life preserver, but I forced my hand slack, to just barely grip the space between his fingers.

“
I don't know.”

Ty gave me a puzzled look. “How do you not know?”

“I left.”

He turned so he was fully facing me. “You walked out on your dad?”

I shook my head. “No. I walked out on my dad and
your
dad.”

He closed his eyes and groaned. “Shit. Did they go at it?”

It was my turn to be confused. “Go at it? Like, fight?”

Ty nodded.

I thought back to their interaction. The tension had been palpable but the conversation had been civil. Mostly.

“
No,” I said. “They were fine.” It wasn't the total truth and he knew it.

He lifted his hand out of mine and shoved both hands in his pockets. He stared at me. “Tell me what happened.”

I sighed. “My dad stuck up for me. Your dad said he wanted life to go back to normal. That was pretty much it.”

“
I didn't know my dad was around,” Ty said. 

“
Yeah, seems like they've sort of disappeared these past couple of days.”

“
They haven't,” he said. “You've just been a little distracted.”

That was an understatement. Distracted and distressed and a whole hell of a lot of other things.

“What exactly did my dad have to say?” Ty asked.

It was awkward, standing in the middle of the road. I wanted to sit down, to fiddle with something as I talked, not just stand there and talk about what our parents had said to each other. He must have sensed this because he grabbed my hand again and led me down a mulched path between two campers, into a small grove of trees.

“Where are we going?” I asked. I'd never fully explored this section of the campground. We'd been tent campers when my family had visited ten years earlier, in the spots closer to the river. There'd been no need to go exploring by the campers.

The path opened into a small clearing, a little park-like setting with a small patch of grass and a wooden park bench. Large boulder encircled the grass area, patches of clover and goldenrod growing through the cracks.

“We're going here.” Ty sat down on the bench and pulled me down with him. I didn't land in his lap but it was close.

He twisted on the bench so he was facing me, his arm looped over the back of the bench.

“Talk,” he said.

I thought about protesting but, the truth was, I wanted him to know. He'd answered the door when my dad had arrived but he'd given us time on our own. He didn't know why he'd showed up. And he didn't know that Jenna had called him. It wasn't like I expected him to do or say anything about it, but I needed to vent. I needed an outlet.

I needed him.

I took a deep breath and told him what had happened. About my sister calling him, about the conversation we had and the details of my dad's talk with his own dad. He listened, not speaking, nodding his head several times as I relayed what had happened.

“Okay,” he said when I finished. “So Jenna called daddy to come and fix things.”

I frowned. “No.”

“Sure she did.” He drummed his fingers on the back of the bench. “She called in reinforcements.”

“
But my dad can't do anything,” I pointed out. “And Jenna knows that. And, more importantly, I told her not to call him.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Since when does your sister do everything you tell her?” he asked dryly.

“Not hardly ever,” I admitted. “But this was important.”

It was. She knew how weirded out I was about being back in Pelican Lake. She'd felt the same way when she'd followed me out.

“I know,” he said. “And calling him was a stupid move. You guys are out of here tomorrow, as long as Sven gets your car up and running. There was really no reason for her to get him involved.”

I nodded. At least he understood.

“Except for one thing,” he said.

I looked at him and waited.

“The sheriff.”

I looked away. There was no breeze in the small clearing, the trees serving as a barrier to both wind and sun. It was oddly cool and I shivered but I knew it wasn't because of the temperature.

“And I know he doesn't have shit on you,” Ty said. His fingers stilled and he shifted his hand so it was on my shoulder. He squeezed gently. “But I could see how your sister would be concerned.”

“
Well, her concern hasn't done anything but cause more trouble,” I said bitterly.

I didn't want my dad there. I didn't want him to be reminded of what we'd all had and what we'd lost. He lived with a constant reminder of it. Like we all did. There was a permanent hole in our lives, one that could never be filled.

“I'm sure it's hard for your dad to be back here,” Ty said. “The same way it is for you, I mean.”

“
Yeah.”

“
And I'm sorry if my dad made things worse.” He sighed. “He's not the most tactful when it comes to this kind of stuff. When it comes to anything, really.”

“
I wouldn't say that.”

“
No,” he said, shaking his head. “You don't know him. One of the reasons I started tagging along with him on rounds and stuff was because of it. You've seen him in action. He can be a little abrasive.”

I did know this. I thought about the limited conversations we'd had after he'd found out my history,  who I was. But, before that? He'd been perfectly civil. Friendly, even.

“He was fine when I first came to stay,” I pointed out. And he had been. He'd been the picture of a perfect host, asking questions, making sure I knew I was welcome.

“
Well, yeah,” Ty said. “He's fine when everything is cool. When there aren't problems. But the minute something goes wrong? He loses it. Not like he starts screaming and fighting or anything, but he gets agitated, you know? Definitely not good when your main job is customer service.”

“
So you're like his buffer?”

“
Kind of. I mean, nothing major has happened.” His eyes shot to mine and he quickly amended his statement. “I mean, your sister excluded. But the other stuff has been mostly minor. A mix-up with payments. Hook ups not working. Rowdy guests. Things like that. I remember the first time I noticed. There was this family reunion. Three adjacent sites. Party got a little loud and went a little long and some of the other guests complained. I think I was nine, maybe ten at the time. Dad lost it. Had a few words with the people making all the noise, was all defensive with the guests who'd complained. And I just remember thinking, this isn't good.”

I didn't say anything, just nodded. I don't know if I would have had the ability to pick up on that, if I'd been in his shoes. I knew what I'd been like at age twelve. I was responsible enough but it was always done sort of grudgingly, more out of obligation than desire. I watched my sisters because I was told to do it. I did the most chores and helped with meals and took care of our ornery old cat because it was expected of me.

“So, anyway, I can imagine how uncomfortable sitting there might have been.” He smiled apologetically. “I wouldn't have left if I'd known my dad was coming around. But I also wanted to get down to the site that was having problems. Because, again...if I hadn't dealt with it, my dad would have.”

“
It's okay. I walked out before they started throwing punches.”

He smiled and I felt my heart somersault. He was so sweet and so hot and I hated the thought of having to say goodbye, knowing it was only a matter of hours before I'd leave.

He leaned toward me, the smile still on his lips. “Maybe we should go check on them. Make sure they didn't just invent a new reason for Jorgenson to show up.”

“
Maybe,” I said reluctantly. I didn't want to leave the secluded spot he'd found for us. I wanted to sit there with him and pretend again. Pretend that everything was okay and normal, even if only for a few minutes.

“
Or maybe we should let them fend for themselves a little while longer,” he murmured, lowering his head further. His mouth was an inch away from mine and I could feel his breath on my skin, could smell the peppermint gum I didn't know he'd been chewing.

“
I like that idea better.”

His lips met mine and I felt the thrill run through me as he kissed me.

“Me, too.”

FORTY THREE

The living room was empty when Ty and I returned to the house.

“
Not sure if this is a good thing or not,” Ty commented, peering into the living room. Louder, he said, “Dad?”

There was no response.

“Where do you think he is?” I asked. “And where do you think
my
dad is?”

He made his way down the hallway and into the dining room. I followed him and found another empty room. “No idea,” he said. He called for his dad again.

The kitchen door swung open and Sheila Reilly appeared, an unwrapped stick of butter in her hand. “Everything okay?” she asked, her brow creased with concern.

“
Yeah,” Ty said. “Just wondering if Dad was around.”

Sheila shook her head. “He went to pick up your sister. Camp ended today. Remember?”

Ty frowned and it was clear that he hadn't remembered this at all. “Oh. That's right.” He hesitated. “Anyone else around?”

Her frown deepened. “Are you talking about Jenna? I haven't seen her in...” She thought for a minute. “I don't think I've seen her since we had dinner together that one night.”

I felt my cheeks redden a little. I was glad she didn't know how my sister had been spending her time.

“
No one else?” Ty asked.

She looked at him. “Who else do you expect to be in this house?”

So she hadn't seen my dad.

“
No one,” Ty said quickly. He turned to me. “You wan to go for a swim?”

I stared blankly at him. No, I didn't want to go swimming. I wanted to figure out where the hell my dad had gone. In his state of mind, he very well could have high-tailed it to Sheriff Jorgenson's office and started demanding answers.

He widened his eyes at me and nodded his head ever so slightly.

“
Uh. Sure. That sounds great.”

Sheila disappeared back into the kitchen. “Dinner will be early tonight,” she called. “We're having salisbury steak. Your sister's favorite.”

Ty made a retching sound and shook his head. “
Not
her favorite,” he said under his breath.

“
We need to find my dad,” I told him. “Not swim.”

He rolled his eyes. “Duh. Where do you think he went?”

I made a face. “Jorgenson.”

Ty nodded. “Yeah, that was my first thought, too.” He stood there, thinking. “Okay. I'll head over to the sheriff's office. See if I can do damage control.”

“I'm coming with you,” I said quickly.

He shook his head. “No. The last thing we need is to have you around Jorgenson. Not with your dad all bent and you being the way you are.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He suppressed a smile. “Nothing.”

“What?” I demanded.

“
You're a little quick-tempered.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Not a criticism. Just fact.”

I started to protest but stopped. He was right. I was a total hot-head. And I knew what would happen if I saw Jorgenson again.

“So what am I supposed to do? Just hang out and do nothing?”

“
Uh, pretty much.”

I sighed. I didn't like waiting and I didn't like doing nothing.

“You could go to the pool,” he suggested.

I rolled my eyes. “No. I'm not gonna go sit at the pool while you fight my battles for me.”

“You're not coming with.” His voice was firm.

“
I know,” I said, my voice just as tight. “I'm going to find my sister.”