The Lucky Ones(53)

Roland looked at Deacon, glared at him, in fact, then slowly sat back down. Thora laughed so hard she nearly shot water out of her nose. Meanwhile Allison blushed like a monk. Embarrassing as it was, Deacon’s snark was exactly what the dinner needed. The tension dissipated, and for the first time Allison felt truly back at home.

“Just for that,” Dr. Capello said, “I’ll try to eat something.”

After dinner she and Roland did go for their walk on the beach while Deacon and Thora washed and dried the dishes.

“I’m going to be laughing all night at you sitting back down at the table,” Allison said.

“When Deacon makes a good point,” Roland said, “he makes a good point.”

“Dad’s really sick, isn’t he?”

“I told you.”

“I guess it didn’t hit me until dinner.”

“He’s trying to act healthier than he is,” Roland said. “He’s good at pretending things are okay when they aren’t.”

“He seemed so...himself today when we were walking out here,” Allison said. “Like nothing had changed in thirteen years.” Roland took her hand in his and she was surprised by how much she liked it. She and McQueen had never done much in the way of hand-holding. There wasn’t much chance to as they rarely went out in public together.

“I’m glad you had a good day with him,” he said. “I hate to think how few good days are left.”

“How are you holding up?” she asked, squeezing his hand.

He stopped walking and turned to face the water.

“I’m fine until I think about it,” he said.

“I shouldn’t have asked. Now you’re thinking about it.”

“I would like to be able to be not fine in front of you.” Roland turned to her and she saw the tight line of his mouth, the hard set of his jaw, telltale signs of a man trying very hard to be strong when inside he was falling apart.

“You can be not fine with me all you want,” Allison said.

“Thank you,” he said, taking her face in his hands to kiss her.

She glanced up at the house and saw a face gazing down on them from a third-floor window.

“Wait—Dad’s watching.”

“Let him watch,” Roland said, and kissed her, a kiss she returned, unable to stop from wrapping her arms around his neck. Eventually they broke off the kiss and started ambling along the beach again. A mile from the house stood the basalt caves they used to play in as kids.

“So Dad seemed okay today?” Roland asked.

“Pretty good,” she said. “Tired, he said, but sharp as a tack. A little bit ornery, too.”

“Ornery?”

“Is a Southern word.”

“I like it. Ornery. I hope Dad stays ornery to the end.”

“I’m sure he will,” Allison said.

“What did you all talk about?”

“The past. The future. You.”

“Did you ask him about your fall?” Roland asked.

“I did.”

“And?” Roland asked.

“He made a very good point about why he didn’t tell you all about that phone call to my aunt. He said he didn’t want you all freaked out in the house, afraid of each other.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Roland said. “With so many kids in one house...the fewer reasons to fight, the better. And if we thought one of the four of us was to blame for you leaving, it would have been a bloodbath.”

Allison furrowed her brow, stopped walking.

“The four of you? You, Deacon, Thora, Oliver and Kendra. That’s five.”

“You don’t remember? Oliver’s mom took him back home the day after our...you know. On the beach. And you fell or whatever a couple days later. By the time of your accident, there were just five of us.”

Allison went cold.

“Oliver’s mom took him back before I fell? You sure?”

“I helped him pack his stuff,” Roland said. “He was upset with me because I hadn’t gone to the park with them the day before. Your accident was after he left. I know because Oliver said he wanted to stay another week for my birthday, but his mom wouldn’t let him. I know he left before your fall. I remember thinking how insane it was we lost both of you in the same week.”

“That...that doesn’t make any sense,” Allison said.

“Why not?”

She didn’t answer.

“Allison, why doesn’t that make sense?” Roland asked again, his voice more demanding this time, almost scared.

“I...I’m not sure I should tell you,” she said. “Your dad asked me not to.”

“Tell me what?”

Roland looked so worried Allison knew she had to tell him. It wouldn’t have been fair to keep him in the dark after she’d already said so much.

“Today when Dad and I were talking about what happened to me, he said he thought Oliver was the one who called my aunt and told her someone was trying to kill me. He said Oliver was jealous of how close you and I were.”

“Dad said that?”

“He did. He said he couldn’t swear it was Oliver, he didn’t know for sure, but that if anyone was responsible for my fall, it was him. But...why—How would Oliver call my aunt or push me down those stairs when he wasn’t even here?”