“I think he likes you, S.G.. Not the town.”
She blinked her wide eyes at him as two spots of pink colored her cheeks.
“That’s why we’re hoping that you’ll come to Texas for a visit.”
But she was shaking her head with a panicked no. “I can’t leave here. I don’t want to leave here. I live here now and I can’t leave.” She put her burger down on the dashboard. “You can’t make me, can you?”
“S.G., of course not. It’s just an invitation.” Slowly, her fear drained away and she picked up her cheeseburger again. “You really love Lost Harbor, don’t you? You feel safe here.”
“I don’t ever want to leave,” she said firmly.
He could understand that. Lost Harbor was the only safe haven she’d known after running away from that trapper. He could understand her attachment to the charming little spot clinging to the edge of the wilderness.
He loved it too. But what he wanted—or needed—didn’t matter right now. Dylan was all that mattered.
As far as he could tell, Dylan was fully onboard with the road trip and the move back to Texas. He threw himself into every step of the process, from packing to acquiring road trip snacks.
Every night, after the busyness of the day, Darius lay in bed and thought about Kate. Where she was, what she was doing, what she was wearing, what she was thinking. He’d wake up in the middle of the night with the intense urge to text her, to beg her to see him one more time. To let him kiss her one more time.
Was this really the end? Was it really so easy for her to dismiss him from her life?
What if he opened his heart and told her just how deep his feelings for her went? What if he told her he…loved her?
But how fair was that when he’d made the decision to leave? And when he’d committed to putting Dylan first, no matter what he himself wanted?
So he turned his phone off and pulled a pillow over his head, knowing how absurd that was.
Sure, hide from his feelings for Kate. That would work.
By the time Departure Day arrived, he’d had three nights of rotten sleep. His eyes were gritty with fatigue as he packed up his bedding. The bed and mattress were staying put, to be picked up later by the thrift store.
Same with the couch, where Dylan slept. Except that it was empty. All of Dylan’s things had already been packed in his backpack, which was propped against the couch.
He was probably saying one last goodbye to S.G., or having one last quad shot at Gretel’s Cafe.
Darius carried the box containing his bedding and Dylan’s backpack out to the RV. The Sun Seeker had a little kitchenette and a coffeemaker, along with the groceries they’d packed. But instead of wasting their road trip supplies, he decided to mosey down to Gretel’s and join Dylan.
As he strolled the peaceful streets, he took deep breaths of the fresh Alaska air, so different from Texas humidity. If only he could bottle this up and take a whiff when he needed it. He nodded to a few people working in their front yards as he passed. Everywhere he looked, daffodils were blooming like splashes of earthbound sunshine.
Was Kate planting those raspberry canes? Was her hair falling out of its ponytail? Did she have mud on her shirt? Was she thinking about him?
Stop it.
No one at Gretel’s had seen Dylan. He ordered a large coffee to go and quickly walked home, hoping the boy had reappeared. No sign of him at home either. His phone wasn’t receiving texts, but that wasn’t unusual. He had sketchy service from some company in Texas.
The upstairs apartment? Unlikely, but just in case, he jogged up the outdoor staircase and tapped on the door. No answer. He checked for the key that Kate used to leave under the mat, but it was gone.
Shoving aside all the hot memories of the time he’d spent behind that door, he ran back down the stairs.
Next theory: maybe Dylan was with S.G.. S.G.’s phone didn’t pick up either, so he called Denaina, who called for S.G. to come to the phone.
S.G. came on the line, a little breathless. “I was learning how to jump rope. Did you ever try that?”
“Oh yeah. That’s good exercise. Hey, have you seen Dylan?”
“No.” Sadness filled her voice. “He said goodbye yesterday. I cried last night.”
“I know what you mean. Okay, kiddo, if you see him, tell him to call me immediately.”
“I will.”
Shit. What now? This was starting to get strange. Dylan knew the plan to leave early. Should he reach out to Maya?
No, it was too soon to consider him officially “missing.”
But he could call the firehouse. Between the fifteen of them, the volunteer firefighters had connections in all parts of the community.
He dialed Nate Prudhoe’s number and explained the situation.
“We’re on it,” Nate said right away. “I’ll get the word out to everyone. We have eyeballs everywhere in this town. We’ll find him.”
Darius hesitated to ask his next question. “I know he’s not the most popular kid on the block—”
“Forget about that,” Nate said forcefully. “He’s a kid in Lost Harbor and that makes him our responsibility. Besides, he’s been doing a good job with his community service. Putting up with a ration of shit, too. People are noticing. Don’t worry, Darius. We got this. You do your thing. Have you called Petal to the Metal? He could be out there.”
“Thanks, Nate. I’ll do that. Let me know the second—”
“Of course.” Already calling out instructions to someone, Nate hung up the phone.
Darius reached the driveway of the duplex, with the Sun Seeker poised for departure. The thought of the entire volunteer fire department fanning out to find Dylan moved him deeply.
What if he was wrong about the town? What if they would come to accept his son, with all his flaws and bad acts?
Never mind that, first he had to find the kid. Next step, Petal to the Metal.
Steeling himself, he called the farm’s landline. Kate answered. The sound of her voice made his gut twist.
“Hi Kate, it’s Darius. Have you or Emma seen Dylan today?”
“It’s eight thirty in the morning.” Judging by the extra huskiness in her voice, she hadn’t slept well either.
“Yeah. Can’t find him. Sorry to bother you, I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
“Wait.” A rustling sound came from the other end of the line, then she spoke again. “Sorry, I had the cable wrapped around me. Landlines are such ancient relics, you know? So what’s going on? You think Dylan’s missing?”
He almost smiled at the image of her wrapped in the phone line—except he was too worried to actually smile. “Yes,” he said simply.
“You’re worried?”
He couldn’t lie. “Yes. We were scheduled to leave this morning and—”
“Where are you?”
“Fairview Court, but—”
“I’m on my way.”
Before he could object, tell her there was no need, she hung up.
Wild joy flooded through him. Kate was coming. He was going to lay eyes on her again. She was going to be next to him, at his side, lending her smarts and her fire and her spirit to the situation and that meant…it meant everything.