Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Adam parked in the driveway and got out, waving at them.
“Uh, hey, everyone.”
A chorus of Heys and Sorrys and Awkwards greeted him, and one woman approached him haltingly.
“This is super weird, probably, sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay. It’s nice that people are interested,” Adam said. “I’m surprised anyone would trek up here. Are you from around here?”
“My parents live down in Douglas and I’m visiting for Christmas.” She shrugged. “Not much to do, so...”
Adam nodded. “I grew up here, so I know what you mean.”
She grinned. “Cool if we take a picture?”
“It’s fine. Just don’t post my address if you share it, okay?”
“Sure thing, thanks. And Merry Christmas!” she called as he walked to the front door.
“Merry Christmas,” Adam called back with a wave.
Adam was trying and failing to whistle “Joy to the World” as he walked in the door.
“I’m home!” he called to River and Gus, but it was Wes who stepped out of the kitchen.
“Hey,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind—”
Adam shut him up with a kiss to show him exactly how little he minded.
But whereas Wes usually wrapped his arms around Adam and kissed him deeply, now Wes was tense, his shoulders rigid.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked. “Is Gus okay? Where’s River?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Wes
When Wes had seen the first car pull up while Gus was at school and Adam was at work, the first person get out to take a picture, he’d been mildly charmed. He knew Gus would get a kick out of it.
When the second car came, he felt his jaw clenching, teeth grinding.
When the third car came, his heart started to pound.
Through the window, he watched River and Gus get home, watched Gus flip the power strips on with glee. River took a selfie of them in front of the house, presumably to send to Adam, and they went inside.
When the fourth car came, Gus came outside and waved, and River peeked shyly through the window. Wes got the sense that River didn’t appreciate the attention any more than Wes did, though likely for different reasons.
Gus went back inside, River pulled the curtains, and Knockbridge Lane went back to its usual sleepy quiet.
Wes relaxed. Some weirdos with nothing better to do than take pictures of Christmas lights wasn’t a big deal. At least, that’s what he told his clenched jaw, his grinding teeth, and his pounding heart. He stroked Bettie’s back and recorded the results of his recent light readings as the sun set.
Then a camera flash bloomed in his periphery and Wes found himself sitting on the floor below window level, even though he was in the basement. He couldn’t even be positive he’d seen the camera flash. But they were out there, just the way they used to be.
All Wes could think about then was Gus. He’d only been a little younger than her when he’d realized that his dad was famous. And a little older when he’d realized his dad wasn’t nearly as famous as he wished he was. Gus might think this was fun at first—attention for a project that excited her.
But what about when she wanted to hang more lights and she and Adam couldn’t go outside without people taking her picture and she didn’t know how to get them to stop and she didn’t want to be mean but she really, really needed to feel like a person instead of like something other people controlled like a puppet or a paper doll or a trading card and by then it was too late and she couldn’t get out of it.
What about that?
Wes pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and heavy jacket and a hat and put the hood up over the hat and snuck out his own back door. He snuck down the road and around to the side of the Mills’ house, and then walked to the front door with his back to the three people taking pictures.
Gus opened the door with a happy smile and pulled him inside.
“River, Wes is here!” she called happily.
River waved and then snuck a nervous glance outside.
“Those people still there?”
“Three of them.”
“I wish this place had a back door,” River muttered.
Wes fervently agreed.
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, River chewing their lip and Wes trying very hard to come up with a normal reason he’d come over that he could proffer to River. A reason that wasn’t I had a famous dad and I was famous for a second and it ruined my life and I’m FREAKING out right now. Because River was Adam’s sibling and he wanted to make a good impression.
“I, um, thought I could make dinner before Adam got home?”
It came out sounding like a choked question and River raised an eyebrow, but Gus looked up at him excitedly.
“What are you gonna make?”
Oops.
“Rice?” Wes offered, trying to think of the rest.
“Great. I love rice,” Gus said.