end it wouldn’t matter, no matter what she does, we’ll end up with you. What I see is what happens.”
“You can’t change it?” Will didn’t like the sound of that. He sure didn’t plan to be stuck protecting this kid.
Jake shook his head. “No, I’ve tried. Sometimes it doesn’t happen how I saw it, but it does happen.”
“What do you mean you try to change things?”
“When I was little and in daycare, I saw a girl fall off the slide and break her arm.”
“In your head?”
“Yes, like a movie in my head. So that afternoon, I saw her on the play set and I talked her out of going down the slide. But she fell off the picnic table instead and she still broke her arm. I tried to change what I saw, and it happened different, but it still happened.”
“Did you ever try to change anything else?”
“Sure, I thought maybe that was just one time. I tried to change other things, like my babysitter burning her hand on an iron, and a boy in a store getting smashed by a shopping cart. I changed how I saw it, but in the end it happened. I didn’t really change anything, so I stopped trying.”
The waitress brought their food and they fell silent. Jake ate his chicken nuggets while Emma picked at her food.
Will decided it was time to broach their plan. “We need to talk about where we’re going.”
Rolling her eyes, Emma took a bite of her hamburger.
“Why are you planning on staying in Dallas?”
She shrugged. “It turned out to be the city you dumped us in.”
“So why don’t you come with me to where I’m going?”
Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth with a French fry. “Where exactly are you going?”
“South Dakota.”
She started laughing and coughing at the same time. “I’m sorry, I thought you said South Dakota.”
Will grinned. “You heard right.”
“And why are you going to South Dakota?” she asked, still laughing.
“I told you I’m a consultant. I have a consulting job up there.”
“So what are you doing in Texas?” She squinted at him, her disbelief evident.
“I just finished a job in Houston. I’m not due in South Dakota for a few days so I’m taking my time.”
“Why would I go to South Dakota?”
“Why not? It’s far from here; they’re less likely to find you up there.”
“South Dakota? Their winters are heinous. There’s no way I’m going there.”
“So go with me and I’ll drop you off somewhere along the way. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska. See? Three other states to choose from.”
She looked torn.
“We go with Will,” Jake said, dipping his chicken nugget in ketchup.
Emma scowled but didn’t protest. Will relaxed a little. After the initial bumpiness, things were going pretty well.
CHAPTER FIVE
After lunch, they got back on the highway. Stuck in her melancholy mood, Emma watched Dallas and its suburbs whiz past through the windows. As though being homeless, carless, and penniless weren’t enough, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right. Something was off. She turned to Will as he watched the highway in front of him. He seemed the likely reason, but there was something else. Something bigger.
“This is where we lived before, didn’t we, Mommy?” Jake sat in the backseat, gazing out the window.
Emma bit her lower lip before she answered. “Yes, baby, we used to live here.”
“Until the Bad Men came?” Will asked, glancing at Emma.
“Perceptive, aren’t you? Yes, until the Bad Men came.” Her tone was hateful but she didn’t care. She hated that Will knew so much. Goddamn it Jake, why did you have to tell him?
“How long did you live here?”
“It’s not any of your business. The less we know about each other, the better. We’re not going to be together very long, so what difference does it make?”
“It’s a long way to South Dakota, two days. We might as well get to know each other.”
“I say we just listen to a CD. Got any Tim McGraw? You seem the country
“You can’t change it?” Will didn’t like the sound of that. He sure didn’t plan to be stuck protecting this kid.
Jake shook his head. “No, I’ve tried. Sometimes it doesn’t happen how I saw it, but it does happen.”
“What do you mean you try to change things?”
“When I was little and in daycare, I saw a girl fall off the slide and break her arm.”
“In your head?”
“Yes, like a movie in my head. So that afternoon, I saw her on the play set and I talked her out of going down the slide. But she fell off the picnic table instead and she still broke her arm. I tried to change what I saw, and it happened different, but it still happened.”
“Did you ever try to change anything else?”
“Sure, I thought maybe that was just one time. I tried to change other things, like my babysitter burning her hand on an iron, and a boy in a store getting smashed by a shopping cart. I changed how I saw it, but in the end it happened. I didn’t really change anything, so I stopped trying.”
The waitress brought their food and they fell silent. Jake ate his chicken nuggets while Emma picked at her food.
Will decided it was time to broach their plan. “We need to talk about where we’re going.”
Rolling her eyes, Emma took a bite of her hamburger.
“Why are you planning on staying in Dallas?”
She shrugged. “It turned out to be the city you dumped us in.”
“So why don’t you come with me to where I’m going?”
Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth with a French fry. “Where exactly are you going?”
“South Dakota.”
She started laughing and coughing at the same time. “I’m sorry, I thought you said South Dakota.”
Will grinned. “You heard right.”
“And why are you going to South Dakota?” she asked, still laughing.
“I told you I’m a consultant. I have a consulting job up there.”
“So what are you doing in Texas?” She squinted at him, her disbelief evident.
“I just finished a job in Houston. I’m not due in South Dakota for a few days so I’m taking my time.”
“Why would I go to South Dakota?”
“Why not? It’s far from here; they’re less likely to find you up there.”
“South Dakota? Their winters are heinous. There’s no way I’m going there.”
“So go with me and I’ll drop you off somewhere along the way. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska. See? Three other states to choose from.”
She looked torn.
“We go with Will,” Jake said, dipping his chicken nugget in ketchup.
Emma scowled but didn’t protest. Will relaxed a little. After the initial bumpiness, things were going pretty well.
CHAPTER FIVE
After lunch, they got back on the highway. Stuck in her melancholy mood, Emma watched Dallas and its suburbs whiz past through the windows. As though being homeless, carless, and penniless weren’t enough, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right. Something was off. She turned to Will as he watched the highway in front of him. He seemed the likely reason, but there was something else. Something bigger.
“This is where we lived before, didn’t we, Mommy?” Jake sat in the backseat, gazing out the window.
Emma bit her lower lip before she answered. “Yes, baby, we used to live here.”
“Until the Bad Men came?” Will asked, glancing at Emma.
“Perceptive, aren’t you? Yes, until the Bad Men came.” Her tone was hateful but she didn’t care. She hated that Will knew so much. Goddamn it Jake, why did you have to tell him?
“How long did you live here?”
“It’s not any of your business. The less we know about each other, the better. We’re not going to be together very long, so what difference does it make?”
“It’s a long way to South Dakota, two days. We might as well get to know each other.”
“I say we just listen to a CD. Got any Tim McGraw? You seem the country
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