“They didn’t take your phone,” Lex announced. “Because I was tracking it, and it never left the restaurant. And also, you never called me back! Which is so rude. I need my snorkel gear for Saltwater Scouts. Today we’re dissecting a squid, Dad. A squid!”
“I don’t know what snorkel gear has to do with squid dissection,” Ginny said. “Unless you’re dissecting it under water?”
“They are two unrelated activities,” Lex said. “You’re old, so you wouldn’t understand.”
The binds slipped loose. Shepherd, shakily, moved to his knees, his bound hands held up for Oscar like a stained-glass image of a praying monk. Lex was looking over Ginny’s ropes with interest, while Ginny was staring at his daughter’s face with something remarkably close to fondness.
“I’m younger than your dad,” Ginny said.
“Everyone is younger than my dad,” Lex replied. “He’s literally the oldest person I know.”
Shepherd’s wrists were free. He was on his half-numb feet in seconds, sprinting on his old legs to the bathroom, shouting behind him, “I’m only forty-two!”
When he returned to the kitchen, Ginny was free, Lex was gone, and Oscar was eating shredded cheese straight out of the bag.
Shepherd snatched the plastic bag out of Oscar’s hands. “Thank you for rescuing us. Now, get out.”
Oscar, his cheeks puffed with cheese, furrowed his brows. “Hey, man!” he said, except it sounded like “Wwwha wwwham!”
Lex sauntered into the kitchen with her dive bag slung over her shoulder. “Dad, don’t be mean to Oscar when he’s eating cheese. He can only handle one thing at a time! You know that.”
Shepherd deflated, but only slightly. There was still pressure in his chest, anger gurgling in his stomach, and it needed to go somewhere. Just, probably, not in front of his child. “Fine.” He handed Oscar the cheese back. “All yours.”
“Thank you,” Lex said. “Now, hurry up and eat it or I’m going to be late for Saltwater Scouts.”
Oscar gave her a thumbs-up and kept eating.
Ginny cleared her throat. “Thank you again. Both of you. But I … I have to go. Shepherd? I’m sorry.”
Shepherd turned. Shoved his hands in his pockets. Looked at her face. Took his hands out of his pockets. Stared at thespot on the wall to the right of her head. “Yeah, well. Sh—stuff happens.”
Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. For a moment, the only sound in the kitchen was Oscar shoving cheese into his mouth.
“I’m going to get an Uber and go back to my parents’ house and see if I can do anything to save my mom before it’s too late.”
Shepherd nodded, once. Acknowledging he heard her. Refusing to go deeper than that.
“Thank you for everything you did for me, Shepherd. I–I can’t ever make it up to you.”
He shrugged, put his hands back in his pockets. Kept staring at the wall. Why did he seem to grow more hands whenever Ginny was around?Just keep looking at the wall, idiot. Don’t look at her eyes. Don’t look at her perfect ice-blue eyes, or you’ll fall back into the hole, and this time it’ll be your grave.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Ginny tucked her hair behind her ear—her vibrant red hair, her dainty ear. He didn’t care. He didn’t look at it directly. He just stood there with his too many hands and waited.
“I’ll, um, I’ll check in later, OK? I’m sorry about missing so much work. If you need to hire someone else, I understand.”
He nodded again, another acknowledgment. Someone else would probably be the correct choice.
“Bye, Shepherd. Bye, Lex. Bye, Lex’s stepdad.”
Oscar swallowed. “See ya around, Shepherd’s girlfriend.”
Ginny left, the kitchen door swinging shut on the biggest headache Shepherd had ever encountered in human form in his lifetime. He took a deep breath, pulled his hands back out of his pockets. They were shaking.
Lex came up in front of him, arms crossed, head shaking. “You big dumb dad.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
