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I know that she wanders the property during the time she’s gone and disappears into the tree line about a hundred yards from where I usually go.
I know that while she’s wandering around, she has nothing else to distract her. No phone. No headphones.Nothing.
And I’ve wondered how it is she can live so easily and peacefully in her own head like that.
And lastly, I know that her mom is having an affair with that guy who was there the first night.
The guy whoisn’ther dad.
And I wonder if she knows it, too.
And maybe that’s what keeps her up at night and the reason she can’t stand to be around her mom.
Like I said: I’ve seen more than I should and know more than I want to…
“Shit,” Jonah whispers, jumping off the counter. Lana and the girl reappear from the hallway leading to the office while Jonah does everything possible to look busy, which is stupid considering he’s supposed to be working in the kitchen, anyway. They walk past us, smiling and talking, and the girl’s eyes meet mine for all of a millisecond. I smile at her for half that time.
“I’ll be in touch,” Lana says, holding the door open.
I don’t quite make out what the girl says in return, but Lana’s barely made it back to us before Jonah says, “Pleasetell me you hired her.”
Lana rolls her eyes. “I have to go to Odessa to run some errands. Make sure the place doesn’t burn down, okay?”
Jonah salutes her.
Lana shakes her head. “I meant Jace,” she says over her shoulder as she goes back to her office, and I go back to what little work there is to do. Jonah stays next to me, bouncing on his toes like an unsupervised toddler who has no control of his emotions. A minute passes before Lana returns with her handbag and car keys. “You boys be good,” she says.
Jonah waits for her to leave the building, then counts to ten,out loud, before hopping over the counter and running to the office.
Within seconds, he’s returning, waving a sheet of paper in the air. By the time he gets to me, he’s out of breath. “You not been training during the summer?” Jonah’s not only my co-worker, but he’s also my point guard and one of the strongest players in the district if he actually tried.
“Her name’s Harlow Greene, she’ll be a senior, and she’s from Gembrook, Dallas.”
I snatch the paper from him and read what he clearly already has. It’s nothing but Lana’s handwriting that states exactly what Jonah just told me.
Harlow Greene, I turn the name over in my mind a few times. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“I don’t know.” Jonah shrugs. “Do we know any Greenes around here?”
“No,” I’m quick to say, going back to lacing the skates. You can match up most last names here with street signs, so I’d know if there were any Greenes around.
“Oh, wait!” Jonah says, snapping his fingers. “Maybe you’re thinking ofHarleyGreene.”
The name is as familiar as Harlow Greene, but I can’t figure out why. “Am I supposed to know a Harley Greene?” I quickly run through as many names on the rosters of our opposing teams, and still… nothing.
“He’s that kid…” Jonah says, moving around me to get to the computer. “You know, with the heart thing…”
“What heart thing?”
Jonah taps at the keyboard, then dramatically hitsenterwhen he’s done. “Oh, shit.”
“What?”
Whatever Jonah’s seeing has him stunned silent.
“What?” I repeat, dropping the skates so I can see what’s on the screen.
He turns the monitor to me, and I freeze mid-inhale.
