Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
“What’s going on?” Mom ran down the stairs.
“Chad set the neighbor’s house on fire! I have to see if Josie’s dad is back home.” I dropped the phone while the 9-1-1 operator was still talking to me.
Just as I crossed the street, Chief Watts pulled into their driveway. He opened his door and stepped out, holding two bags of ice. “Hey, Colten. What’s—”
“The Burmeister’s house is on fire. I … I called 9-1-1.”
He dropped the bags of ice and jogged across the street, past our driveway and through our backyard, hopping the short fence into the Burmeister’s yard as smoke billowed from the broken window.
Chief Watts tried the handle. Then, he broke the window next to the door, kicked the jagged shards of glass with his boot, and slipped into the house. Minutes later, he emerged, coughing a little, and carrying Humphrey, their white cat, just as firetrucks arrived.
“They’re gone.”
My hand covered my mouth.
We killed the Burmeisters. I didn’t do it, but I knew I would get blamed along with Chad. What would happen to us? Did they send young kids to prison?
Chief rested his hand on my shoulder for a second. He must have read my expression. “They’re out of town for the holiday. Josie’s supposed to be feeding their cat.”
I nodded several times. I thought Josie did mention that, but I’d forgotten.
“Take the cat to my house.” He handed Humphrey to me and headed around to the front of the house toward the firetrucks.
“Whoa! What happened?” As I turned around, Josie ran up behind me, mouth agape, eyes on the smoke coming from the window.
I handed her the cat. “Take him. I have to do something.”
“Colten?”
I ignored her as I ran into the garage.
“What is wrong with you?” Mom screamed at Chad. The garage door was open. He was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car. “Why would you do this? Tell me why?” She stopped screaming and fell to her knees with her head on his lap.
He stared straight ahead, tears streaming down his face.
“I love you,” she whispered. “No matter what … I. Love. You.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
We stay the night in California. Josie doesn’t eat a bite of her dinner, and when I talk, she plasters on the fakest smile and nods.
“Would you like to take this to go?” the waiter asks her while depositing the bill onto the table.
She shakes her head.
“My dad killed himself.”
Josie glances up at me, a hint of confusion in her expression.
“Two weeks after my parents separated, my mom took a whole bottle of pills.”
Josie’s expression falls flat. She didn’t know that.
My gaze wanders around the restaurant. “We were at school. Luckily, my dad came home late that morning to pack up a few more of his belongings. I remember my mom being in the hospital for several days. Dad told us she had kidney stones.”
Josie nods and whispers, “I remember that.”
“Do you remember when Chad set the neighbor’s house on fire on the Fourth of July?”
She nods again.
I let my gaze land on hers and stay there. “My mom found my brother in the garage. In her car. The car was running.”
More confusion lines her face.
I tap the table a few times. “The garage doors were down.”
Josie flinches. “Colten …”
I chuckle and shake my head. “People in my life try to kill themselves.” Reaching across the table, I take her hand. “I’d like it to stop.”
Her gaze falls to her lap, chin down. When I squeeze her hand, tears race down her cheeks. She releases a quick sob and holds her breath. I’m not trying to hurt her or guilt her. I’m trying to save her, and I’m trying to stop this epic streak of tragedy in my life.
I place money on the table, slide out of the booth, and tuck her next to me as we exit the restaurant.
When we get to the hotel, she doesn’t say a word and neither do I. We kiss. Discard our clothes. And make love like it’s the last time we’re ever going to do it.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about your brother?” she whispers, her back spooned to my chest a little after midnight.
“It took me a while to figure it out. And when I did, when I overheard my parents talking months later, discussing Chad’s punishment and his therapy … I got the nerve to ask my mom what they were talking about. My dad told her not to tell me, but she did anyway. And she made me promise not to tell anyone, even you. And for some reason, that felt like a secret I needed to keep because she cried the whole time she told me about Chad. I still have that image of them in the garage.”
I kiss her head. “I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you when you told me about your mom being raped. I felt guilty for keeping something from you when you told me everything. But I didn’t think Chad’s attempted suicide was going to brighten your day after the news your parents gave you.”