Hold My Breath(53)

“You’re right. It would be a waste to miss this one,” I say.

His eyes hover on mine for a few seconds, and I can tell he knows things. I get the sense that he and Will are close, so he’s probably known things a lot longer than I have. Uncomfortable with that thought, I flit my gaze to his palm, to the small box that’s held shut with a rubber band. I nod at it.

“Oh, yes. That’s the reason I stopped by, actually. I finished the watch your dad wanted me to take a look at,” he says, propping the package flat in one palm so he can slide the band away and open the lid. A golden pocket watch rests surrounded by chain, the hand moving in time around the face. I recognize it as my grandpa’s, so I look to Duncan for permission, taking it from the case and holding it closer when he nods that it’s okay.

“That one’s rare,” he says.

“That’s what my dad always said,” I say, holding it to my ear. I grin at him when the ticks reverberate in my head. “That’s why he’d never let Mom toss it or donate it.”

“Oh, God. I’m glad she didn’t. That watch there goes for about five or six thousand dollars on the auction sites,” he says, and my eyebrows react, shooting up my forehead as I hand the watch back for safekeeping. Duncan chuckles, but takes the box firmly in his hand, fastening the band around the lid before handing it all to me in one, safely packed piece. “It’s worth even more because of this box, actually.”

I chuckle, now holding the box.

“Anything else you want to make me afraid of holding over concrete?”

He laughs in response, and shakes his head.

“No, I think that’s about it,” he says, stopping with his head turned slightly to the side, his eyes blinking. He has more to say, and I know it’s about Will, but Duncan isn’t one to force his opinion into things. Where Will and Evan’s dad was always bold and loud—quick to brag and forceful with dominating conversation—Duncan is reserved.

“Well…thanks for the watch,” I say, holding it up between us. “I’ll put it somewhere safe inside and show my dad as soon as he’s up. He’ll be thrilled.”

“Glad to help. It’s kept me busy. Let him know I’d be happy to fix anything else, while I’m here. I’m going to have a few days on my own this weekend, but I guess…you already know that,” he says, his mouth curved the slightest amount.

Duncan knows things.

I look down to regroup, glancing back at my visitor through my lashes.

“I’ll let him know,” I say, my words focused on repairs and watches and nothing else. “Thanks for stopping by.”

I turn, cradling the box against my chest, reaching for the door, and pushing it open to disappear inside and avoid everything else for a little while longer. But the quiet and reserved Hollister stops me with one last piece of information.

“He headed out to that lake you two love so much. About an hour ago…in case you were wondering,” he says.

I’m starting to think that rather than reserved, Duncan is better described as calculated. I turn my head to one side, enough that I see him in my periphery, his hands in his pockets, his mouth a tight line, satisfied at the bait he’s left on his nephew’s behalf. I nod once, then push the door fully open, closing it quietly behind me.

There is never a single second when I doubt that I’m going. The moment Duncan told me where Will was, I knew it was his way of forcing us to talk. I’m sure his interest was in his nephew’s corner, probably wanting to ease Will’s guilt, to force him to have to confront the one person he’s lied to, to find closure, and finally clear his conscience. But I think there’s also a part of him that knows I still have questions. Duncan has always been so kind to me, and I think maybe he’s in my corner a little on this, too.

I put the watch on the counter with a note for my dad, then finish picking up the tables, leaving the rest for my parents to handle when they wake up. I grab my keys, wallet, and phone, and I toss them all in the passenger seat of my car, pulling away from my parents’ house a little faster than I should, my speed picking up with each mile I come closer to the truth. For something that hurts so much to face, I’m racing to it at an alarming speed.





Will




I’m not sure how she made it home. I’m not really sure if she made it home. I drove by her parents’ house, though, on my way to the lake, and everything was calm and quiet. If Maddy were missing, I’m sure there would be visible commotion, which leads me to believe she probably walked.

I don’t like that she walked…alone. But I know after the wound I made, I was less welcome than a predator in the dark.

This lake has always provided me with answers. Maybe it just always gives me a place to think—forces me to think. I can’t be near this water without seeing Maddy, hearing her laugh. She’s all around me, and the more places I let her in, the less places I have to hide.

Telling her the truth was the single hardest thing I’ve ever done. Seeing her face when she realized exactly what I meant, broke me. I instantly wanted to take those words back. I’d rather her hate me, think that I was the one who was hiding Dylan, hiding a relationship—I’d rather be the cheater than have her think that someone could have done that to her.

That Evan could have done that to her.