Maybe This Time(37)

Andrew smiled a little, then looked at me like I should say something more. I probably should’ve, but I wasn’t in the mood to defend anyone tonight, especially not my dad. It went back to my mixed feelings about him. I may have understood why he wanted to leave, and most of the time I liked him, but he could’ve done a better job at keeping in touch. Especially with Gunnar. He could’ve come back to visit. He could’ve at least acted like he wanted to. He didn’t. He was never big on pretending. Which is probably where I’d gotten that from.

“Well, my mom’s a loser,” Andrew said. “Maybe they’re friends.”

Gunnar thought that Andrew was serious. “Does your mom live in California? That’s where my dad lives.”

“I’m not sure where my mom is living at the moment. Last I checked she was in Oregon.”

So I’d been right. He and his mom didn’t get along. Micah seemed surprised and concerned by this exchange. “Really?”

“Really. Why is your dad in California?” Andrew asked Gunnar.

“Because he thinks he’s twenty and wants to surf all the time,” Gunnar said, again sounding like our mother. Mom usually added the part about Dad feeling like he needed to regain his youth after marrying too young. She said too much in front of Gunnar.

“Okay, Gunnar,” I said, finally stepping in. “Let’s not be gossips.”

“It’s not gossip if it’s true.”

“It’s gossip if you’re telling people who have no business knowing.”

Gunnar shrugged and took a bite of his ribs.

I saw Caroline coming from fifty feet away. Her movements were big and purposeful. When she reached the table she said, “Sophie, can you show Bryce how to connect his phone to the speakers? I thought all you kids understood that wireless thing, but apparently not. The fireworks are starting in about twenty minutes.”

“Sure,” I said.

She walked away, not even glancing at Gunnar. I wondered if my mom really had talked to her. I stood and pointed to Gunnar. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He nodded.

“We’ll watch him,” Micah said.

“Thanks.”

Bryce was cursing at his phone when I reached the parking lot. The trunk of his car was open and a pair of large speakers pointed toward the park.

“You’ve given us all a bad name with Caroline because you don’t have technology skills,” I said.

Bryce’s parents were in charge of the fireworks, and Bryce was in charge of the music that went along with the fireworks. When night fell, fireworks would go off over the lake.

“Sophie, it’s these stupid speakers Caroline lent me,” Bryce groaned. “Will you tell your boss to come into this decade?”

I held out my hand for his phone. “Let me try?”

“Jodi and Kyle couldn’t figure it out either.”

My stomach tightened at the mention of Kyle’s name but I continued holding my hand out. Finally, Bryce relinquished his phone.

I went into his settings and tried to find the name of the speakers. It took me a while to realize the speakers weren’t turned on. When we finally powered them on, music blasted at both of us. I quickly turned down the volume, my ears ringing.

“You did it!” Bryce yelled loudly even though the music was low. His ears must’ve been ringing too. “Thanks.”

I had taken one step back, ready to walk away, when I stopped myself. “Is Kyle seeing someone? Are he and Jodi a thing?” I’d wondered this before. Jodi had been in their band for at least a year. She was cute, with dyed-pink hair and a nose ring.

“They better not be,” Bryce said with a half smile. “Since me and her are talking.”

“Oh.” I realized how much I wanted Kyle to have a good excuse when I was disappointed by that answer. I shook it off and left Bryce probably thinking I was pathetic.

Back by the tables, Micah was refilling the bowl of fancy potato salad that Jett had made. I wasn’t sure, but it had tasted like it had grapes in it.

“Hey,” I said. “Where’s my brother?” I scanned the area but didn’t see him.

“He’s sitting right there.” Micah turned toward the picnic table where we’d all been sitting. But it was empty. “He was just there a second ago.” She turned a full circle, taking in the surrounding area.

My eyes went straight to the large grill, thinking Gunnar had gone to refill his plate, but he wasn’t there. Then my head whipped to the water. Gunnar knew how to swim, but that didn’t mean I didn’t panic for a moment. It wasn’t completely dark, but I pulled out my phone so I could shine my flashlight over the surface of the lake.

“You don’t think he’s out there, do you?” Micah asked, sounding nervous.

“No.” I really didn’t, but better safe than sorry. When my scan of the lake produced nothing, I calmed down a bit. He had to be here somewhere.

“Wait, where’s Andrew?” Micah asked.

My phone buzzed with a text. It was from an unknown number. Your brother dragged me to the boathouse.

I held up the phone for Micah to see.

“That’s Andrew’s number,” she said.

“Speaking of someone who has no self-control. He couldn’t have waited until I got back?”