The Rules for Disappearing (26 page)

to do.

“You don’t think she went home?” Ethan asks.

“No.” If she thinks those men were agents and she ran from

them, there’s no way she’d go to the cottage.

“What happened?”

Deep breath. “She got scared. You know things didn’t end well

for us in Florida. She got upset over something tonight and ran.”

Ethan doesn’t ask any more questions and we continue to zig-

zag through downtown, yelling her name from the windows.

“There she is!” Ethan yells, then pulls off the street.

Teeny is down by the river, sitting in an empty canoe that’s

pulled up on the bank. I don’t know how Ethan spotted her, all you can see is the top of her head poking out.

I run to the canoe and pull her out, crushing her in a hug. “Why did you run away? You had me worried to death.”

Ethan keeps his distance and I’m thankful. I need to talk to her without worrying about what he’ll hear.

She’s shaking and buries herself in my arms. “I saw those men

and I thought they would take us away.” Her teeth are chattering so I wrap my coat around her. “You and Mama have been so weird. I thought something bad was happening. I don’t want to leave. I like it here,” she says.

I drop to the ground and hold her tight, rocking back and forth.

I don’t know how long we sit here but Teeny cries it all out then falls asleep in my arms.

S—

Ethan wanders over and sits down beside me.

N—

“Is she okay?”

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I nod and stroke Teeny’s hair. “It’s just been really hard for her lately.” I move my hand to his and squeeze. “Thank you so much for helping me tonight. I don’t deserve it.”

He lets out a strained laugh and says, “Maybe not but you know how much I like Mary.”

Being with him here, down by the river, makes me ache for

the way things were before. It’s still not safe for him to be with me but there are only a few days left before this is over—one way or another. And I’m about to be the most selfish person on Earth because I want him in my life—even if it’s just for a few days more.

“I’m sorry, Ethan.”

Ethan nods and looks down.

I drop my hand from his. “You know I’m not Meg Jones. There

are things going on with . . . my family. Hopefully very soon I can tell you everything about me. Until then—could you just bear with me? I really want to be your friend.”

“Friend? That’s it?”

I dare to smile. “I’d actually like to be more than your friend, but I’m afraid to push my luck with you right now.”

Ethan scoots in close. “I get it. You’ve got things going on—

things I can’t understand—but you have to stop pushing me away.

And let me know if you need help. I had to hear about Mary tonight from Pearl.”

I squeeze my eyes tight and open them again. “Yes, but no questions about my family. Or anything crazy we may do.”

“Okay. So are you gonna get that panicked look when I suggest

we go somewhere, like my house?”

—S

I shake my head. “No, but I’m terrified of your sister.”

—N

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Ethan laughs. “She’s all bark, no bite.”

He leans in and I can feel what’s coming. He braces himself

on his hands, hovering over Teeny’s sleeping form, and kisses me softly. It’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had.

I struggle with the last thing I want to say to him. It’s important I get it right. “If there is ever a time when you are really . . .

confused, I want you to know it’s out of my control.”

“I’ve been confused since the day I met you.”

It’s necessary he understand this. “You’ll know what I’m talk-

ing about when it happens.”

He hears the seriousness in my voice and edges closer to me.

“You can tell me anything.”

I shake my head. “No, I can’t. Not right now. But it’s not because I don’t want to. I just can’t. And that has to be okay.”

He nods. “Okay. But I have a condition of my own. Loosen up.

Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen.”

I smile. “I’ll try.” He’s asking a lot, but he’s right. The plan that’s ticking around in my head will either work or it won’t, but one way or another this shit is about to end.

Teeny sits on the counter, legs swinging, and waits for Dad. She’s clung to me since we found her in that canoe last night but the last few hours at Pearl’s have seemed to loosen her up.

“I don’t see why I can’t stay and ride home with you?” she asks.

I finish writing up a to-go order and hand it to her to take to Pearl. “Because you didn’t do any of your homework yet. And Dad S—

will want to see you before it’s time for bed.”

N—

She hops off the counter and takes the slip of paper to Pearl.

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I’m so worried about her—one minute she seems fine then the next she’s a total mess.

By the time Dad shows, Teeny is less pouty and seems okay

with going home. It’s probably because Dad told her he picked up some Blue Bell ice cream, her favorite flavor chocolate chunk, and it was waiting in the car for her.

Ethan comes in right before closing. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I feel silly. All I want to do is pull him across this counter and kiss him. “Are you hungry?”

His eyes linger on my face. “Starving.”

It’s been twenty-four hours since Ethan and I have declared

peace. And it’s been nice, really nice. If I can go through with The Plan to retrieve the ledgers just right, this is the last week I will live a lie. After this weekend, no matter what, Ethan will know who I really am and anything else he wants to know about me.

I call his usual back to Pearl while Ethan glances around the

room. “Can you come sit with me?”

“Yeah, let me close up back here.”

I finish with all the chores that have to be done before we close just as his pizza is ready. Most of the traffic this late is for to-go orders, so the dining area is deserted.

I bring Ethan’s pizza out. “Pearl says we can go as soon as

you’re done.”

“Is Mary still here?”

I pinch a piece of crust off. “No, she left with Dad a little while ago.”

“Can you hang out or do you have to go home?” Ethan says,

—S

shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth.

—N

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I lean back against the booth. “I can stay out awhile. What do you have in mind?”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “Wanna go back to my place?”

I giggle at his cheesy line and hit him with one of my own.

“Why? Wanna make like a fabric softener and Snuggle?”

He falls back, laughing then says, “If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?”

My cheeks get warm and I rack my brain for another line. He’s

smiling, dimples and all, and waiting for my comeback. Oh! Got it!

I move in closer, trying hard for a serious expression and say, “If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.”

He braces his hands on the table and is inches from my face,

eyes twinkling, and asks, “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?”

Oh my God. I’m probably blushing to my hairline—my face is

on fire. He puts a hand under my chin and pulls me in for a quick kiss then says, “Let’s get out of here. We can hang out at my house.

Watch a movie, whatever.”

It’s the way he says “whatever” that really gets my heart racing.

Ethan packs up his barely eaten pizza while I call home to say I’ll be late. We’re both rushing to get out of here.

All the warm and fuzzy feelings evaporate when we pull away

from Pearl’s and I spot a black Suburban in the side mirror. I don’t know if it’s the same one from the other night. Cars in Louisiana don’t have to have a license plate on the front so I’ve yet to see a number. It stays behind us all the way to Ethan’s house but doesn’t S—

seem to slow down—it just continues to drive down the street. I N—

hate this! Is it real or all in my head?

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I try to shake it off as we walk in the back door of Ethan’s house.

His parents are sitting at the kitchen table, going over some paper-work. My palms sweat, but I resist the urge to dry them on my jeans.

The last time I saw Mr. Landry I was laying on the ground in the middle of the woods. After being in school all day and then working all evening, I’m sure I look rough. Probably stink like pizza, too.

“Mom, this is Meg Jones. Meg, you know my dad.”

Ethan’s mom stands up quickly and walks toward us.

“Meg, so nice to meet you.” Mrs. Landry holds her hand out to

shake mine.

Mr. Landry shakes my hand after I finish with his wife’s. “Yes, Meg, nice to see you again. I hope you recovered from the excitement the other evening.”

I force a laugh and say, “Yes, I’m much better.”

Mrs. Landry playfully slaps her husband’s arm. “Meg, you’re a

real trooper for going out there with that group. I’ve been once and that was enough to last me a lifetime,” she says, her accent very soft and very southern.

“We’re gonna go watch a movie, so we’ll see y’all later.” Ethan drags me through the back door of the kitchen as I mumble a good-bye. We follow a cobblestone path through the yard that leads to a small building in the back, walking up a set of stairs on the outside wall that leads to a single door. Inside is a large room. It has a bed against one side, a couch in the middle, and a ridiculously big flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. There are clothes everywhere, covering almost every surface.

“Sorry it’s so messy in here right now. I guess I should have

—S

cleaned up before I asked you to come over.”

—N

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“Do you live up here?” I turn around the room and see another

table against a wall that has a mini-fridge, microwave, and a small coffee pot. There’s an open door on the other side of the table leading to the bathroom. How cool is this? It’s like he has his own apartment.

“Yeah, my parents let me move up here the beginning of this

school year.”

He pulls me to the couch, and I sink down on it with him. I

want him to kiss me again, but he looks down at the go-bag that I dropped at my feet.

“Is your backpack one of those off-limits topics?”

I nod and change the subject. “Why do you and Ben hate each

other now? Catherine told me a little about it but I still don’t get it.”

We lay side by side with my head resting on his upper arm. “So, you get to ask me personal stuff, huh?”

“Yes, new rule: I can ask you anything, and you have to answer.”

Teasing him, I poke him gently in the ribs.

He rubs his hand up and down my arm. “Everything got screwed

up a few years ago. Our dads used to be partners but they had a falling out. My dad wanted to update all the equipment, change the way some things are done—ya know—catch up to modern day. But

Ben’s dad is old school. Doesn’t like change so they decided to split ways. It was fine at first, until my dad partnered with Will’s dad.

They feel the same way about that stuff and it was a good fit. Plus, Will’s dad has the farm on the other side of us. Ben’s dad didn’t like that.”

S—

“So this is why you and Ben fight?” This seems like the Dads’

N—

problem, not theirs.

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“Things were weird at first but it wasn’t until last summer that it got bad with Ben. His dad is about to go broke. He never had to handle the money or take care of any bills—my dad did all that stuff. He’ll probably have to sell his farm and we’re the only ones around that could buy it. Ben blames us, says we cheated them. Says Dad split ways knowing this would happen and we would end up

with their land.” He plays with my fingers.

“Where does Emma fit in with this?” I lock my fingers in his.

“She doesn’t believe Dad did anything wrong but she also isn’t trying to convince Ben he’s wrong either. What sucks is we were so close before all this shit happened. I know she feels like she’s caught in the middle but she could make things easier if she tried to talk to Ben about it.”

I brush a fat curl away from his eye. “My sister and I are close.

It would suck if that changed.” I bite my lip, hesitating to take this close to home. “I have another question.”

Ethan turns his face to mine. “Shoot.”

“How far can you get from one of those collars you use for the bay dog and still have the GPS work?” I know this is out of the blue, but I couldn’t think of any way to randomly bring it up.

He leans back, looking at me funny. “Where’d that come from?”

I shrug. “Just curious. Been thinking about it.”

He looks up to the ceiling like he’s trying to figure it out. “I don’t know—maybe a mile and a half.”

I slump down in my seat. “That’s all?”

He looks at me with a confused expression. “Yeah, with those,

but Dad’s got a tracker. You can stick it on anything and pull its

—S

location up on the computer.”

—N

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This perks me up. “From anywhere?”

“Pretty much. He has a bay dog that would damn near run to

Texas looking for a hog. He’d get too far ahead of us, and we almost lost him once. Dad uses the tracker for him.”