River Bodies (Northampton County #1)(34)

Every now and again, she would catch him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he said, “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“Oh, come on. You know how much I used to love waking up before the sun to fish with you.”

“I know how much you used to complain about it.”

“But I always showed up, didn’t I?”

“That you did,” he said, looking at her so intensely she had to look away.

He recast the line, eyes back on the water.

“How are your folks?” she asked.

“They moved to Florida a couple of years ago. Dad loves the deep-sea fishing. Mom likes walking the beach. They’re happy. I try to get down and visit whenever I can.”

“Tell them I asked about them the next time you talk to them. I think about your folks sometimes and how they always included me in everything, in all your family activities.”

“I’ll tell them,” he said.

They continued fishing, careful with one another in the conversation that followed. Parker caught her up on old classmates, how Chad worked for the local electric company and had married Krissy, his high school sweetheart. They had two kids, with another one on the way. Some of the other guys Parker had played football with had stayed local and lived in the Slate Belt area.

He shrugged and said, “Nothing really newsworthy, I guess.”

She wanted to ask him why he hadn’t married, whether there had ever been a girl in his last year of high school or later in college, whether there was a girl now, but she couldn’t work up the nerve. They were still feeling each other out, working out the distance, the awkwardness between them. Plus she didn’t want to talk about her relationship with Matt. She didn’t want Parker to know she’d been living with someone for the better part of five years. He would ask the same questions she’d asked herself more often than not. Why hadn’t they gotten married? Why hadn’t Matt asked her? Would she have said yes if he had? Why had she put up with his lies?

The sun was beginning to rise, warming her face and chest through the windbreaker. Parker checked his watch. He put his pole down.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and took the stairs two at a time, his strong thighs easily carrying him up the steep incline. He returned a few minutes later with a thermos and two mugs. He poured them each a cup of coffee. They sat across from each other on teakwood chairs.

“Thank you.” She raised the mug before taking a sip.

“You’re welcome.” He leaned back, his legs sprawling out in front of him and taking up much of the space between them. “So how’s your dad doing?”

She gave it some thought before answering. “When I got here, it was like he was on his deathbed. Jackie, his nurse.” She looked down at the mug in her hand. “His nurse and lady friend,” she added. “She thought he had maybe a week, two at the most. But I don’t know. He seems a little better. Not great or anything, but it’s like he got a second wind.” She sipped the coffee. “I don’t know how else to explain it. He’s just not ready to let go.”

“Maybe it’s because you came home.”

She laughed a little bitterly. “I don’t think so. You give me too much credit.” She looked out at the calm water, thinking relationships were a lot like the river, sometimes tranquil and other times tumultuous. She and her father were more like the white water rapids tumbling over rocks, navigating bends, riding the currents, unable to stop as they barreled into Dead Man’s Curve.

She continued. “My dad and I fought a lot. I’m not sure how much you knew about that.”

“I suspected as much.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“When he sent me away, I was so angry. God, how I hated him for it.” She stared at the river, the myriad of red and orange leaves covering the trees along its banks. When she turned her gaze back to Parker, he was staring at her in that intense way he had. “What?” she asked.

“Your dad. He knows a lot about this town and the people.”

“I suppose. He knows a lot of the women, that’s for sure.”

“Yes,” Parker said in a careful voice.

“So?”

“Do you think he’d be up to talk with me? He might be able to help me with something, answer some questions I have.”

“Is this about the guy that was found in the river?” She sensed a change in Parker, a shift to the new Parker, the one she didn’t recognize.

“It might have something to do with it,” he said, eying her over the rim of his mug.

“I saw the news last night. They said the guy was from New Jersey. And bodies from the cities turn up in the river all the time.”

“True.”

“So what’s different about this guy?”

“I can’t tell you,” he said.

“Well, can you tell me what this has to do with my dad?”

He shook his head. “Just tell your dad I’d like to talk with him.”

She felt protective of her father suddenly for reasons that weren’t entirely clear. And she felt hurt, too, thinking Parker had an ulterior motive for asking her here.

“Is that why you called the house? Hoping to talk with my dad? And then asked me here to get an in with him?”