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So on the last day of junior year, while the school was celebrating the start of summer, I took Val’s hand. I wasn’t thinking of our friendship, wasn’t thinking of any potential consequences. I turned her to face me, looked deep into her eyes, and we both went quiet. I can’t really explain it, but this intensity sparked between us. An abrupt change, like a lightswitch turning on.
I think I made the first move, leaned in. Val met me halfway.
We’ve been inseparable—even more inseparable—ever since.
This morning, Val’s off to church with her family, but we’ll get together later. I have a surprise for her. She’s usually the one surprising me, but I’m pretty sure she won’t see this one coming.
I start to walk towards my house, then detour towards town instead. Pops and Nana aren’t morning people, so by the time they wake up and get to my room to see that I’m not there, they’ll probably assume that I went to the Valley Roast for coffees.
My walk takes me right past the park where Val and I have our treehouse. It feels odd to say that my favorite place in the world is up a tree, but here we are. Pops and I built it a couple years ago, and it’s sort of a hideaway now for Val and me.
As I’m walking by, I spot a figure standing at the base of the tree. A figure wearing familiar khaki shorts, a blue polo, and sensible sneakers.
“Pops?” I call.
He whirls around to face me. “Ethan! There you are.”
I jog over to him and he claps me on the shoulder, smiling wide. His face is tanned—that nice level of weathered that looks like he just came in from a hard day’s work on a fishing boat. Though, by “hard day’s work,” it’s more likely that he spent hours lazing in the sun with his hat over his eyes and a fishing rod propped beneath his boot while chatting with his friend Ray.
“You’re up early this morning,” I say.
“As are you.” His watery blue eyes sparkle. The ever-growing bald patch on the top of his head shines bright in the morning sun. “What’re you doing wandering around at this hour?”
Okay, Ethan. Play it cool…
“Coffee!” I burst out.
Nailed it.
Pops raises a brow and I keep my expression carefully neutral even as a cool feeling licks at my stomach.
One of Pops’s all-time favorite pastimes is solving mysteries. He’s obsessed with treasure hunts and secret missions; the kinds of adventures that belong in spy novels or that Nic Cage movie with the Declaration of Independence. Seriously. When that movie came out, Nana joked that he wasn’t even that excited on their wedding day.
A statement which I fully doubt, by the way. My grandparents have been married for thirty-five years and are still so in love, it’s nauseating. In a nice way. For most people.
The thing is, Pops is absurdly proud of our last name—“Holmes.” If he had the chance, he’d try to convince you we were somehow related to Conan Doyle’s world-famous character. It actually took three sit-down discussions with Mrs. Perez to convince me that no, I was not related to a highly-intelligent yet fictional Sherlock.
Which is why his alert gaze is making me more than a little uneasy…
“Going to get us some coffees from the Roast,” I repeat with a touch more conviction.
“Is that so?” Pops’s gaze drops down my body and I suddenly remember that I’m wearing the same shirt I was wearing yesterday. And my stubble is probably less five-o-clock shadow and more seven-in-the-morning messy.
That’ll teach me to get excited when my beard stopped growing in so patchy.
“Yes,” I say, but it comes out sounding more like a question. I clear my throat. “I decided to take a detour to the treehouse first.”
Pops’s eyes clear. “I see. Well, I appreciate that, son. I slept like the dead last night, and could really use a good coffee. How’d you sleep?”
I smile, relieved that we’ve moved past the interrogation. “Really well, thanks.”
“Glad to hear it. And how about Val?”
My mouth dries. Pops’s question seems so innocent, but I could swear his eyes show a glimmer of mischief.
Oh, for the love... Does he know?
I clear my throat again. “Uh, probably okay? She’s at church this morning, so we’ll see each other later.”
