Page 17 of Wintering with George

“You’re welcome,” I replied with a smile.

“It doesn’t seem enough just to say words.”

“It is, though,” I assured him.

“I was scared.”

“So was I.”

“No you weren’t.”

“I was,” I stated, letting him hear the sincerity in my words. “But when you get older, you separate the fear from everything else and⁠—”

“Compartmentalize,” he apprised me.

“Uh, yeah.”

He shrugged. “I know. I have a therapist.”

“I know, kid.”

He took a breath. “Uncle Kurt, Mom says that if she doesn’t have the party, she has to pay back a lot of money to her sponsors, so she has to have it anyway.”

“No,” Kurt said quickly, bolting out of the room.

We both watched him go, then turned back to one another.

“It’s not her fault,” Toby said. “Dad talked her into it.”

“Why would he do that?”

“It’s because he borrowed money he has to pay back or he’s gonna get in trouble.”

I nodded. “So if your mom doesn’t have the party, then your dad can’t repay his loan, right?” He nodded. “Would you tell me how you know that?”

“I was listening when he was on his cell phone. I didn’t do it on purpose, but I needed a screwdriver. He was in his bedroom, and I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I know that’s bad.”

I was about to ask more questions, like how he was so sure about everything, but then he said, “He had his phone on speaker, so I could hear.” After a moment he added, “He sounded scared.”

I was so tired. I just wanted Kurt, and I wanted to sleep. But everything Toby was telling me had to be dealt with, and I could have kicked myself. Earlier, I’d felt something was off when I was talking to the cops, but I’d allowed myself to stop thinking about it and let it go. Even thinking I’d have to be watchful hadn’t stopped me from taking myself off high alert. But I knew better. Until there was a clear answer, you stayed ready, which meant there was only one thing to do. I had to act.

“Hey,” I said softly, and Toby met my gaze. “Do you know how to pack?”

His brows furrowed. “Like for a trip or for school?”

“Trip.”

He nodded.

“Like toothbrush, underwear, all that?” I verified.

“Sure.”

“Do me a favor, Toby. Go pack a week of stuff for you and Dennis. Can you do that?”

“Yeah.”

“And bring stuff for both of you to play with too.”