Rapid Falls(42)

“Poor little thing,” Anna said, moving closer. “Can I hold her, Wade?”

He nodded, and Anna took the small dog in her arms. Wade continued, “Someone must have abandoned her near that casting spot. I thought I heard a little cry, and so I went to look. At first, I thought she was a fox or something.”

Anna’s eyes looked misty. “Who would abandon a puppy? There are bears out here.”

“Probably its mother,” I said.

Jesse looked over at me with a comically puzzled face. “Harsh, Cara.”

“It’s true. Mother animals do it all the time. Maybe she just wasn’t able to care for it.” I looked directly at Anna.

“Oh my God, Cara. Are you seriously still mad about Mom coming to my track meet?”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Ross turned to Jesse for interpretation.

“Don’t worry about it, Ross. This is between Anna and me,” I said.

“Cara, you’re being a cow. Just drop it.”

I felt my temper flare at her dismissal. “It just seems really weird to me that you would have Mom and Dad come to your track meet when you won’t even be running for Rapid Falls next year after you go to film school.”

Anna’s mouth dropped. The small puppy squeaked as she tightened her grip.

“Look, Anna, I’m going to take that puppy home and get her warmed up,” Wade interrupted.

Anna shook her head as if trying to come to terms with what I had said, but she passed the small bundle back to Wade. “Sure.”

Wade opened his jacket and tucked the small dog inside.

“Film school?” Ross crossed his arms on his chest.

“I was going to tell you.” Anna glared at me. “I haven’t gotten accepted yet or anything. Nothing is for sure.”

“Oh my God, Anna. I’m so sorry. You’ve been working on your application for months. I thought Ross knew.”

“I had no idea. When were you going to tell me?” Ross was the captain of the track team, and he and Anna had been dating for the entire school year. They had planned to spend their senior year training together. Or so he thought. I knew Anna had been waiting to tell him until she was accepted, but I was tired of seeing her get away with her dishonesty.

“Jesse, why don’t we go see if Wade needs any help?” I said.

“Sure.” Jesse edged away from Ross’s scowling face.

“Bye, Anna. Bye, Ross.” We headed up the trail. I could feel Anna’s eyes cutting into me. I knew she was going to get me back for letting Ross know her real plan, but I didn’t care. She was taking away my parents when I needed them. It was only fair that I took something from her.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

July 2016

Ingrid likes to drink nice wine. Drinking is still relatively new for my mom. She refused to join my father when he brought out his whiskey or beer. Now her face looks pink and joyful, even though she asked me over to discuss Anna and her drinking problem. I agree quickly to her offer of a glass. I am still rattled from the visit with Anna’s counselor. I went in the wrong direction as I drove here from the rehab center without even realizing it and was nearly twenty minutes late. I had turned down three different streets to try to change course, and every single one had been a dead end.

I feel happy that my mother has such a beautiful home now. Ingrid bought it before prices skyrocketed in this part of the city; the wide-beamed log house with the water view must be worth millions now. It’s just over the bridge from downtown, but it feels quieter here, miles from the rest of the city.

Ingrid rises from the table. We are sitting outside on the deck, and the sunset is lighting the sky in deep orange. “Oh, I almost forgot. I found some of those cookies you like!”

She gently squeezes my mom’s arm and then walks back toward the kitchen. Ingrid is like that, making little gestures that remind a person they are loved. I wonder if being with her makes my mother realize all the ways that my dad was absent. Having a partner like Ingrid has made my mother seem more alive than she ever did when she was with my dad.

My mom sets down her glass. “So the place seems okay? Does it really have the resources to help Anna?”

I sigh and lift my shoulders. “I don’t know, Mom. I hope so.”

“I just really hope the counseling there is effective. Anna seems to be working through some kind of trauma, and she needs skilled people to help her.”

“What do you mean?”

My mom takes another sip. “I’ve been doing a bit of reading lately. This kind of addiction usually comes from somewhere. Childhood, maybe. I suppose it’s not that surprising, given what she went through.”

The sliding glass door opens before I can remind my mother that I experienced the same accident and I was fine. Ingrid strides over, a plate of softly colored madeleines in her hand.

“Oh, sweetheart. These are my favorite!” My mom lifts a rose cookie and takes a small bite. “We were just talking about Anna.”

Ingrid nods. “I so hope that she can get what she needs at EagleWind.”

“Do you know the facility?” I ask. Ingrid’s clients often battle addiction.

“I know of it. It’s a mixed bag, like most of those places. There are some fantastic people working there and others who are not as . . . capable, let’s say. Some people have great breakthroughs there. Hopefully Anna is one of them.”