Chapter 27

 

Thea stayed to visit for an hour and a half before the get-together started to break up.

“It’s been a long day,” Cynthia said. “I think Toby and I will go home and watch a movie. I’m ready to relax.”

Nancy stifled a yawn. “Yeah, putting my feet up in front of the TV sounds pretty good tonight.”

Thea and Hannah helped pick up paper plates and napkins and throw them away before leaving. On the drive home, Hannah said, “Gavin’s a big, stupid bully. He’s always trying to push everyone else around.”

“He doesn’t push you, does he?”

“Me?” Hannah blinked. The idea of someone pushing her had never occurred to her.

“He’s a decent kid,” Thea said. “A little rough around the edges--he could use a few more manners, but he’ll grow up to be all right. Some boys go through periods when their muscles work better than their brains.”

Hannah laughed. “Did Josh ever do that?”

“No, not Josh, but I’m pretty sure Gabe did.”

“Girls can be stupid, too,” Hannah said.

“I guess so.”

“Amy meets her boyfriend at the bridge every night, and they make out. It looks pretty disgusting.”

“He was there today?” Thea asked.

“Yeah, and he keeps grabbing her boobs.”

Thea cringed. What had Hannah seen?

“I told them to break it up, or I’d tell on them,” Hannah said. “The boyfriend doesn’t like me much, but who cares? Amy thought it was funny and told me that I’d change my mind when I got a little older.”

Thea almost choked and covered it with a cough.

“Are you okay?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah, just my sinuses.” Thea tried to think of some brilliant, motherly words of wisdom, but nothing sprang to mind. “When you get interested in boys, let me know, will you?” is all she could manage. “And come to me instead of getting all the wrong information from your girlfriends.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “My mom’s a ghost, but she’s just dying to give me ‘the lecture.’” She thought about her choice of words, and started to laugh.

When they pulled in the driveway, Thea was surprised to see Josh sitting on the steps to the deck. His hands were dangling between his knees, and he was staring off at nothing. Rachel’s car was parked under the overhang.

“What’s Rachel doing here?” Hannah asked, tumbling out of the car and rushing past Josh.

“She came to get the rest of her clothes to move to Annabel’s.” Josh didn’t sound happy about losing his sister.

Hannah’s face scrunched into a frown, too. “She’s never coming back?”

“It’s not like she’s moving far away,” Thea said. “She and Isak will be married soon. Married people don’t live with their mothers.”

“I won’t see her as much,” Hannah complained.

“But you’ll still see her a lot.” Thea looked up as Rachel pushed the screen door open and dragged four garbage bags full of clothes down the steps.

“I don’t want you to go!” Hannah said.

“Why not? This way, you can come to our place and spend the night with us on weekends. We’ll do something special.”

Hannah stopped to consider that. Would the perks be better if Rachel stayed or left?

“You like Isak. It’ll be like you have a new brother.”

Josh’s face looked even gloomier.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to make me feel guilty, too?” Rachel demanded.

“No, I’m happy for you.” His words lacked conviction.

“Hey, Mom, how about giving me a hand with loading these in the trunk?” Rachel asked.

Hannah looked at how heavy the bags were and said, “I’m going inside.”

When Thea and Rachel reached the car, Rachel kept her voice low and said, “Just thought you should know that Josh’s green aura is tinged with gray--dark thoughts--and sulfur--depression. We’ve gotta come up with something to make him feel better.”

Thea told her about Josh’s bookmark, how he was supposed to get mad at her and leave for college, and possibly, meet his soul mate there.

“How do you fix that?” Rachel asked.

“I can only think of one thing to do, and nobody’s going to like it, especially me.”

“What is it?”

Thea loaded the bags into Rachel’s trunk and stalked back to Josh. “We need to talk.” She had to do it while she was feeling strong, or she’d talk herself out of it.

Rachel followed behind her and looked so scared, Thea wouldn’t meet her eyes. Hannah sensed the tension and drifted out of the house to watch.

“Josh, I did your life map as far as I could go,” Thea said.

“And?” He looked only mildly interested.

“When your dad left Emerald Hills, you were supposed to get so mad at me that you left, too. You needed to leave to find yourself. You found a wonderful girl in the bargain. You came home, married and happy.”

He waited quietly to see what that meant.

“I’m kicking you out,” Thea said. “You have to pack your bags, your tools, whatever you want to take with you, and you can’t come back for one year.” There, she’d said it. It was the right thing to do. She’d fall apart after he left.

“Mom!” Hannah looked at her, horrified.

Rachel blanched, but didn’t say anything.

“You’re kicking me out?” Josh asked.

“It’s for your own good.”

“Right now?”

“It should have been three years ago. You’re behind.”

“What good will it do now?” he asked, hands balled into fists as he towered over her. “You always talk about windows of opportunity. Mine’s got to be closed by now.”

“You’ll have to find another one.”

“Haven’t I been through enough?” he yelled. “Do you have to make it worse? Dad just died.”

“That makes it perfect timing. You could go to Arizona, to where your dad lived, and close out all of his stuff. If you like it there, stay. If you don’t, go visit David and Muriel in California.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I don’t care. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

“You can’t make me leave,” he said.

“I can make you leave this house. And I’m going to. Pack up and get out.”

“Stop it!” Hannah cried. “Leave him alone.”

“I can’t,” Thea said.

“I hate you!” Hannah screamed.

Thea nodded and braced herself. “You probably do right now. So does Josh. But that doesn’t change things. He has to go.”

Without another word, Josh reeled on his heel and stomped into the house. “There’s no guarantee I’m coming back this time!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Thea sighed. There were no guarantees this would work, at all. But she had to try something. Josh wasn’t finding any direction on his own.