Every Other Weekend(54)

“Hi,” she said, and Daniel returned the greeting.

“I haven’t seen Daniel in a while,” I explained.

“I guessed that, too,” Jolene said.

Right. I didn’t exactly go around launching myself at strangers.

“So, are you going to college somewhere or...?”

Daniel ran a hand—not the one with the busted knuckles—through his hair. “No, I’m actually getting ready to move. My mom... She’s in the hospital and, um, when she gets better I’m taking her... We’re leaving. She always wanted to go somewhere warm, so we’re gonna try Arizona.”

I swallowed. I was more sorry than I could say that his mom was hurt. I glanced toward the hand still concealed in his pocket, and I prayed that he’d busted each one of the knuckles on his bastard of a father. Greg would have been happy, too.

“Arizona sounds good,” I told him. I would have said something more if Jolene hadn’t been there, but he met my gaze and nodded, understanding.

Jolene glanced between us, then made a show of shivering. “Wow, I am cold. I think I’m gonna head back to my apartment.”

“I guess we have been walking for a while. We can go.”

Jolene put her hand on my arm. “Stay,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s not like I don’t know the way by myself.”

Daniel ducked his head. “Actually, I have to get going. But I can give you guys a ride.”

I was glad for the excuse Jolene’s presence gave me not to explain about the apartment I had Daniel drive us to. He’d assume Jolene lived there and I was hanging out with her.

We climbed into Daniel’s Jeep, me in the back, Jolene in the passenger seat, and I felt such an overwhelming sense of déjà vu that I couldn’t breathe. How many times had I sat back here with Daniel and Greg in the front? Greg had never minded when I wanted to tag along with them. Or, I don’t know, maybe sometimes he had and I couldn’t remember. A lot of the time, Jeremy had been there, too, and the two of us would push at each other, fighting to lean forward between the front seats.

Jolene and Daniel were talking while I drifted back to the past, and I liked the sounds of their voices mixing together.

Greg would have liked Jolene. I knew it with such a strong bolt of conviction that my heart skipped a beat. And then it skipped another as I realized that moment was the closest they’d ever come to meeting each other.

Jolene glanced back at me, took in the moisture I could feel in my eyes, and went back to talking to Daniel. Without being obvious about it, she extended a hand between the seats and found mine.

The whole drive back to the apartment she held my hand, releasing it only when Daniel parked.

“I’ll meet you inside,” she told me before saying thanks and bye to Daniel.

We watched her go. Well, I watched her go. Daniel watched me.

“So that’s your girl?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, still staring after her. “I don’t know if I’m hers, but she’s definitely mine.”

“I like her,” he said. And I knew he was telling me Greg would have, too.

“I’m sorry about your mom.” And because I couldn’t help asking, I said, “He won’t be able to hurt her anymore?”

Daniel’s jaw locked and his injured hand tightened on the steering wheel. “No, he won’t ever hurt her again.”

I nodded, not caring how or why Daniel knew that. His mom would be safe, and though I’d never met her, I was glad for his sake almost more than hers. “When do you leave?”

“It depends.” He swallowed. “On when she gets released and how soon she can handle the move. Few months.”

“But she will—heal, I mean?”

“Yeah.”

Daniel pushed the passenger seat forward for me to climb out. When my feet hit the asphalt of the parking lot, I turned back to him. “I know my mom would like to see you. I think... I think it would help her to see you.”

The way Daniel lowered his gaze told me he didn’t agree.

“Daniel,” I said. “She knows it wasn’t your fault. We all know that.” When he didn’t respond, I said, “I’m glad I got to see you. I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Daniel said, meeting my gaze again. “It’s good to see you finally growing into those ears.”

I laughed, and it hurt only a little knowing that I was probably laughing with him for the last time.

“Be good to Arizona,” I told him.

“Be good to your girl,” he said. “And tell your mom—” He pressed his lips tight together. “Tell your mom that I’m sorry, okay? Tell her it should have been me.”

Then he was gone, and I waited a long, long time before going inside.





SEVENTH WEEKEND

December 18–20

Jolene

For the first time in months I felt nervous about seeing Adam. He hadn’t said much after Daniel left on our last Saturday, and on Sunday all we’d done was watch movies. I’d had to bite my tongue, literally, to make myself stay silent.

We’d texted a little over the past two weeks, but he was busy finishing a project for school that he’d been working on with Erica, but...yeah. I guessed they’d decided to finish individually.