bay.
“I’m here.”
Sam heard his steps across the grass. “Where’s your mom?” He jabbed the words at her.
She stared down the pier, knowing what she’d feared was true.
“Where’s your mom?” He grabbed her arm and squeezed, but she didn’t feel it.
“She left.”
He held her there, staring her down, his bushy brows becoming one. Then he let go. “Her things are gone. Everything.”
A hard lump grew in her throat, but she stuffed it down.
“Except you.” He laughed, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Leave it to her to take everything but you.”
Moments later, she heard the car’s engine and wondered if he would come back. She laid her head against the hard wood. More time passed.
Sam didn’t hear Landon until he slid into the other chair. She was surprised to see that dawn had morphed into daylight and the sun, peeking over the horizon, had burned off the fog.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
She stared out at the sea, watching the shadows play on the surface. “Nothing.”
“Why are you still in your pajamas?”
She looked down. Her long T-shirt hung to midthigh, and she pulled the hem down, feeling the coldness of her legs through the material.
“I don’t know,” she said. Numbness flowed through her veins. She wondered if that was why she didn’t feel cold.
“You should go inside and get dressed. You’re cold.”
She could feel him staring at her and heard the concern in his voice. He always noticed things other boys didn’t.
“My mom left.” She remembered what her mom had told Emmett the night before, about not having any plans for the day. Had she even told Sam good night? What was the last thing her mom had said to her?
“Where’d she go?”
Beyond the bay, a sailboat rode the waves, its sails billowing in the wind. “Away.”
An eastern phoebe called out from the tree limbs above her, nearly swallowing Landon’s reply.
“Is she coming back?”
Sam’s lips were stiff, like they hadn’t moved in weeks. “I don’t think so.” She didn’t know if Emmett was coming back either. As much as she feared him, she feared being alone more, but she didn’t tell Landon that.
Emmett did come back, much later, his clothes reeking of beer, his lips loosened by excess. “ Don’t ever let yourself love, Sam,” he’d slurred. “ Just soon as you do, they leave you. It’s the one thing in life you can count on. Love never brings anything but pain.”
Later, she weighed his words against her own experience. She had only loved three people—her mom, her dad, and Landon. Two of them had left. What Emmett said held more than a grain of truth, and she wondered for the first time if Landon would leave her too.
Now, she looked at Caden lying beside her, the moonlight washing over her hair, and it hit her fresh that her daughter was nearly the same age she’d been when her mom ran off. So young, a tender age that carries enough of its own problems. She imagined trying to leave Caden and couldn’t. What kind of selfishness brings a parent to abandon a child and never look back?
Sam’s eyes burned. A stone hardened in her throat, and she pushed it down, just as she had all those years ago. She turned on her side and reminded herself the past couldn’t hurt her anymore. But Emmett’s words chanted at her through the night. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone . . .
Eight
L andon fell into a new pattern the next week. Instead of savoring his work, he waited impatiently for the last appointment of the day, after which he could go help Sam. At first, she’d been resistant, but as time wore on, she loosened up. Their friendship was finding its footing again.
Thursday, as he walked toward her house, she smiled, and he felt like he’d won the lottery. Sam turned off the mower when he entered the yard.
“You should have waited,” he said. “I would’ve done that for you.”
She wiped her
“I’m here.”
Sam heard his steps across the grass. “Where’s your mom?” He jabbed the words at her.
She stared down the pier, knowing what she’d feared was true.
“Where’s your mom?” He grabbed her arm and squeezed, but she didn’t feel it.
“She left.”
He held her there, staring her down, his bushy brows becoming one. Then he let go. “Her things are gone. Everything.”
A hard lump grew in her throat, but she stuffed it down.
“Except you.” He laughed, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Leave it to her to take everything but you.”
Moments later, she heard the car’s engine and wondered if he would come back. She laid her head against the hard wood. More time passed.
Sam didn’t hear Landon until he slid into the other chair. She was surprised to see that dawn had morphed into daylight and the sun, peeking over the horizon, had burned off the fog.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
She stared out at the sea, watching the shadows play on the surface. “Nothing.”
“Why are you still in your pajamas?”
She looked down. Her long T-shirt hung to midthigh, and she pulled the hem down, feeling the coldness of her legs through the material.
“I don’t know,” she said. Numbness flowed through her veins. She wondered if that was why she didn’t feel cold.
“You should go inside and get dressed. You’re cold.”
She could feel him staring at her and heard the concern in his voice. He always noticed things other boys didn’t.
“My mom left.” She remembered what her mom had told Emmett the night before, about not having any plans for the day. Had she even told Sam good night? What was the last thing her mom had said to her?
“Where’d she go?”
Beyond the bay, a sailboat rode the waves, its sails billowing in the wind. “Away.”
An eastern phoebe called out from the tree limbs above her, nearly swallowing Landon’s reply.
“Is she coming back?”
Sam’s lips were stiff, like they hadn’t moved in weeks. “I don’t think so.” She didn’t know if Emmett was coming back either. As much as she feared him, she feared being alone more, but she didn’t tell Landon that.
Emmett did come back, much later, his clothes reeking of beer, his lips loosened by excess. “ Don’t ever let yourself love, Sam,” he’d slurred. “ Just soon as you do, they leave you. It’s the one thing in life you can count on. Love never brings anything but pain.”
Later, she weighed his words against her own experience. She had only loved three people—her mom, her dad, and Landon. Two of them had left. What Emmett said held more than a grain of truth, and she wondered for the first time if Landon would leave her too.
Now, she looked at Caden lying beside her, the moonlight washing over her hair, and it hit her fresh that her daughter was nearly the same age she’d been when her mom ran off. So young, a tender age that carries enough of its own problems. She imagined trying to leave Caden and couldn’t. What kind of selfishness brings a parent to abandon a child and never look back?
Sam’s eyes burned. A stone hardened in her throat, and she pushed it down, just as she had all those years ago. She turned on her side and reminded herself the past couldn’t hurt her anymore. But Emmett’s words chanted at her through the night. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone. Don’t ever let yourself love anyone . . .
Eight
L andon fell into a new pattern the next week. Instead of savoring his work, he waited impatiently for the last appointment of the day, after which he could go help Sam. At first, she’d been resistant, but as time wore on, she loosened up. Their friendship was finding its footing again.
Thursday, as he walked toward her house, she smiled, and he felt like he’d won the lottery. Sam turned off the mower when he entered the yard.
“You should have waited,” he said. “I would’ve done that for you.”
She wiped her
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