He goes quiet again. “Yes. We’ll see you soon then.” He listens for a little longer, then hangs up, dropping the phone into the cupholder.
“She’s okay,” Jacob says, before my father can ask. “She said she needed some time to clear her head. She stopped somewhere last night, but she just made it to Skye. She said she was thinking about coming back to Aberdeen to talk to you, but since we’re almost there, I think it makes sense to just go and meet her.” He pauses. “Does that sound all right, or…”
“Yes,” my dad says. “But she’s—she really sounded okay?”
“Yes,” Jacob says slowly. “She did. She just…she said she wants to wait to talk to you in person. But I’m sure it’ll all make sense when we see her.”
“Right,” my dad says, but the worry in his voice and on his face is clear.
A heavy sensation settles in my chest.
“It’ll only take an hour,” I say. “And look, the road’s cleared upso much.” There are a couple straggler sheep left, but the car in front of us is moving, able to navigate around them.
I pick up the key and put it in the ignition. “We’ll be there in no time,” I tell him.
My dad lets out a breath, and nods. He settles back in his seat and fastens the seat belt across his chest.
I do the same and turn to check on Jacob, but he hasn’t moved. He’s just looking at me, his brows furrowed. I’ve seen the way he looks when he wants me, when he hates me, when he’s fed up with me. But I’m not really sure what this look is.
“Seat belt,” I tell him, and he snaps out of it.
He reaches for the belt behind him, clicks it into place, and turns away, glancing out the window.
I check the GPS, and it confirms what Jacob said.
“Just one more hour,” I say, and some of the worry on my dad’s face subsides.
But when I turn the key, expecting the hum and rumble of the engine coming to life, there’s nothing but silence.
No.
I turn it again, and again, but nothing changes.
The car won’t start.
12
This town—like every small town we’ve driven through on this trip—is beautiful, but that’s the only silver lining of the past few hours because the garage doesn’t have the parts we need, and they’re not sure when they’ll get them. The rental company called around to other local garages, but they all confirmed that these parts need to be ordered and will take at least a day to arrive.
We decided to stop and eat something before we figure out our next steps. The mechanic recommended a small shop only a short walk from the garage.
Jacob’s sandwiched between my father and me as we head there, but we both notice the way my father’s breathing changes just a few feet from the restaurant, growing labored and loud. He coughs, and his face looks paler than usual.
“Dad?”
“Uncle, are you—”
He coughs again, shaking his head. “I’m okay. I just need some water.”
Jacob and I exchange a worried look. Once we’re inside, he helps my father to a table by the window while I buy some water and order a couple sandwiches at the front counter.
A few minutes later, Jacob comes to stand beside me as we wait for the food to be ready. “He’s overexerting himself,” Jacob says quietly.
“You think it’s his blood pressure or—”
“No, he says his pressure is probably fine. His pulse was high, but he thinks it’s from stress. He’s doing some breathing exercises now.”
We both glance over at my dad. His eyes are closed, one hand on his chest as he breathes deeply.
