Page 8 of The Pilot

Fact was, Linc saw a lot of himself in Kash. The boy he used to be. Unsure of himself. Gangly. Slow to hit puberty. He’d been bullied by more than Harper and her group of mean girls, although they were the main instigators. It wasn’t until he’d joined the Air Force that he’d grown into his body, started weight lifting, gaining confidence in himself.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Kash was being bullied, and figured he probably was. Kids hadn’t changed much over the years, any weaknesses or differences in their peers an opportunity to pounce. And Kash had more than his fair share of reasons to be seen as an outsider. He was new to town, was smarter than the average seventh grader, and apparently had more interest in science-y things than girls, being popular, or anything else kids his age thought was important.

Not sure what he could do to help the kid, Linc’s thoughts were interrupted by Harper appearing at the front door. She stood there watching him, uncertainty and worry easy to see in her gaze.

Linc’s body was moving before his brain caught up. He didn’t like to see doubt in Harper’s eyes, not when it came to him. No matter how many second thoughts he was having, he wasn’t going to rescind the offer. That would be an asshole thing to do, and Linc prided himself on keeping his word.

“Hi,” she said a little nervously as Linc approached.

“Morning,” he responded with a nod. “Things okay? With your dad?”

She shrugged. “He thinks I’m making a mistake, but that’s nothing new. He thinks every decision I’ve ever made was a mistake.”

“He’s probably upset that he’s losing you and Kash,” Linc said.

Harper blinked in surprise. “You think?”

“He’s going to be alone again when you leave. It could be a rough adjustment after having you and Kash around.”

“Wow, that’s so not what I thought you’d say,” Harper said.

“What’d you think I was going to say?” Linc asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t know. Maybe something about how my dad’s an asshole, and you aren’t surprised he’s being a jerk about us moving out.”

“Your dad is an asshole,” Linc said without hesitation. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings. And before you keel over in shock, you should know that when I first got here, I probably would’ve said exactly what you thought. But with the shit that’s gone down with my family, and how he’s helped us . . . I’m able to see him in a different light. Your mom died a while ago, yeah?”

Harper nodded. “Before I moved to New York.”

“He’s lonely. Rattling around in this big house of his. He loved Carrie, and losing her had to have been hard. He’s a little crusty . . . okay, a lot crusty . . . but there’s good in there somewhere.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Linc?” Harper joked.

Linc felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Again, I’m not saying I want to come over and hang out with him, but your old man’s been through some shit. And now you’re moving out a second time. He’s probably lashing out because he doesn’t want to be alone again.”

“We aren’t going thousands of miles away,” Harper said, sounding a little defensive. “I’m going to keep my eye on him. He might drive me crazy, and I might not ever be able to do anything right in his eyes, but I still love him. He’s still my dad. And Kash’s granddad.”

“I know. You ready to show me what to bring over to my house, so you can get to work?” It was an abrupt change of topic, but Linc was done talking about Victor. He might understand the man, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be around him any longer than necessary.

“Sure. Come on in. By the way, Dad’s not here. He said he didn’t want to witness another one of my shitty decisions, and he wasn’t going to help me make said shitty decision by assisting me in moving my stuff.”

Linc winced. He felt like taking back all the semi-nice things he’d just said about Victor.

Harper chuckled. “I can see you regret everything you just said.” She shrugged. “I’m used to him. His words mostly go in one ear and out the other these days.”

Linc wasn’t sure that was true. Victor was her father. The one person in her life who should be doing everything in his power to support her. To encourage her. To lift her up. If he had a daughter, or a son for that matter, that’s what he would do. What his own dad had done for him and his brothers.

Harper led the way into the house, and Linc took the time to look around. He’d never been inside and was curious about the place. To his surprise, the house was very well kept. It wasn’t dirty. Wasn’t cluttered. The difference between the inside and the outside grounds was like night and day.

Harper led him to a room at the back of the house. It was small and had a tiny window that overlooked the trees between Victor’s property and Lobster Cove. There was a twin-size bed and a small dresser. Harper had apparently already packed her things before he’d gotten there. Two large boxes sat on the floor, with three smaller ones stacked on top. “Here are our things.”

Wait—our things?

“Kash’s too?” Linc asked, knowing he sounded shocked.

Harper looked a little embarrassed. “Yeah. We didn’t have a lot when we got here, and Kash doesn’t need much beyond his telescope and books. I have to warn you, those smaller boxes are heavy because they’re mostly books.”

Linc stared at Harper, then looked back at the boxes. He was feeling a lot of things right then. He was well aware that material shit mattered less than things like shelter, food, and safety. But he wasn’t thrilled that everything Harper and Kash had to their names fit into five fucking boxes.