Forever This Time (28 page)

Josie looked at the dad, whose hands were braced on the tree like he was ready to climb after the kid. “Sir, what's your son's name?”

“Bryce.”

“How old is he?”

“Ten.”

Josie backed up to a spot where she could see Bryce's Red Sox hat through the limbs. Cripes, he really was up high. “Bryce! Hi! I'm Josie! Whatcha doing up there?”

Silence as the boy stared her down.

“You know what would be great? How about you climb back down here? These trees can really sway if the wind picks up.”

More silence. Josie swore silently, wishing she'd squeezed one more pediatric counseling course into her schedule.

Josie turned toward Paige. “Does he do this often?”

“No! Never before. I don't know what came over him.”

“Has he spoken since he got up there?”

“Only to tell us to stay down here or he'd jump.” The last word came out like a little hiccup as her hand flew to her throat again.

Josie looked up at the boy, then back at Paige. “Is anything bothering him right now that you know of? Is he sad about something? Mad?”

“No! Nothing! Really! Everything's fine!” Paige pointed vaguely to a little boy in a wheelchair. “Brennan was having a good day, so we thought we'd come over to the park and see if we could get in a couple of hours before his next meds.” She looked at her watch in the automatic gesture of parents who have to medicate their kids on a strict schedule, and Josie suddenly saw the situation more clearly.

She looked back up at Bryce, then at the people starting to wander closer, wondering what was happening. She had to act quickly if she was going to get him out of the tree before he slipped and ended up doing it himself.

She turned back to Paige. “All right. I have an idea, but you really need to trust me.”

“Okay?”

“Take Brennan and Dad here out of sight. I'm going to go up after him, and I'll do my best to talk him out of the tree.”

“You're going to
what
?” A deep voice came from behind her as a strong hand circled her wrist. So Ethan actually
was
in the park today. “No. You are not climbing that tree.”

Josie put her finger to her lips and motioned him away from the parents. In a low voice, she hissed, “You and I both know I've climbed this tree more times than anyone else in the known universe. And where have you been, anyway? Sarah needs help at the dairy bar. This park's falling apart today!”

“I've been busy. And no offense, Jos, but I imagine it's been a long time since you've climbed trees.”

Josie leaned down to tighten her laces. “Fire guys are all out on a barn fire. We've got no ladders tall enough to get near him. Do you see another choice?”

“I'll go.”

“No you won't. You're big and male and scary.”

“You do know how to stroke a guy's ego.”

“Seriously, Ethan. He's playing all big and brave, but he's probably scared out of his wits up there. I'm going up, and I'll bet you a maple creemee I get him down.”

“You haven't bet me a maple creemee in a really long time.”

“I know. So I must mean it, right?” She widened her eyes, pleading. “Get the parents out of here. He won't come down while they're watching, I guarantee.”

Ethan made a growling sound in his throat. “I'm not happy about this.”

“Duly noted.”

“Keep your radio with you.” He pulled it off her waist and fiddled with the dial. “Here. Now if you press talk it'll just go to me, not the entire park.”

She took it back and shoved the clip back into her waistband. “Got it. Okay, go. Get out of sight so I can get him out of this flipping tree.”

“Do you need a boost?” He cupped his hands under the lowest branch, which was still almost over her head. As much as she didn't want to admit that she did indeed need one, she stepped into his hands and let him lift her into the tree.

“Thank you. Now go.”

“Be careful.”

“Always. Now shoo! Go! Seriously! Kid up a tree!”

Why was he looking at her like she was breakable? Like he wanted to stand under the tree and catch her if she slipped? He really needed to stop it.

Because she really didn't want to like it.

 

Chapter 28

Ethan got Bryce's parents situated with two park employees, then snuck around through the trees so he could come close to where the boy was while still staying undetected. The family had checked into Avery's House for the first time just yesterday, but he hadn't had time to talk with them yet, so he had no insider information that would help Josie talk the kid out of the tree.

As he crept through the pines, he was grateful for the needles that silenced his steps. He kept one eye on the lithe body scaling the tree branches and one ear on the radio. Unbeknownst to Josie, he'd clicked hers on so he could hear her, since he'd figured both of her hands would be busy clambering over branches.

“Oh! Ouch!” Her voice hissed through the radio. “That's gonna leave a mark.” She climbed up a few more branches, but was still far below Bryce.

Ah hell. Why did his gut feel like a giant fist was stretching his innards and then snapping them back into place? The kid wasn't moving, so he was safe for now. Safe-
ish,
anyway.

But Josie probably hadn't climbed a tree in fifteen years. How safe was
she
?

“Did. Not. Sign. Up. For. This. Ow!” Ethan listened as she cursed her way up the tree. “Not trained for this!” He crouched as he got closer to the tree, and planted himself under the low branches of the one just beside it so neither she nor Bryce could see him. At least if the kid fell, he might have time to scramble and try to catch him.

“Hey, Bryce. How's the view up here?” Josie's voice was breathless, tired. “Did you find a perfect spot?”

No answer from Bryce, and he heard Josie shuffle for a few seconds, then go silent. “Mind if I sit up here with you?”

“Don't touch me.”

“I'm not going to touch you. I'm just going to sit over here, okay? We don't even have to talk if you don't want to.”

“Good. Don't want to.”

“I don't blame you. Sometimes you just need to sit in a tree and think.”

Ethan could imagine the boy looking at her in distrust, unsure of her motives. To her credit, Josie didn't say another word, though. Not for ten whole minutes, in fact. His thighs were aching from crouching for so long, and his right knee was about to explode. How long was she going to sit up in the damn tree before she tried to get him down?

“Brennan's really sick.” He started as the little boy's voice came over the radio.

“Yeah?” Josie's was soft, inviting.

“They think I don't get it, but I do.”

“I'm sure.”

“I didn't want to come on this stupid vacation.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Bryce was silent forever, it seemed. “Because I knew it would be like this.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Mom's taking a gazillion pictures of Brennan, like he's not going to be here much longer.”

“Wow.”

“You know what the worst part is?”

“What?”

“I know he's not.”

Ethan's gut squeezed as he listened, marveling at how Josie's quiet one-word questions were cracking Bryce's shell, making him talk without him ever suspecting that's what she was doing. They sat in the tree for forty-five minutes before Josie said, “Hey, you know what? My butt is getting sore. Do you want to maybe get out of this tree and go get a Slush-Bomb?”

Bryce actually laughed. “My butt hurts, too. Let's go down.”

Ethan watched carefully as the two of them climbed down the huge pine, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw all four of their feet on the ground. Josie put her hand on Bryce's shoulder as they walked up the pathway toward his parents, who pulled him into an enormous hug while Josie stepped back and watched, smiling. After a few minutes and a slew of grateful hugs, the family headed toward the water park, and Josie meandered back down the hill toward Ethan.

“So. You're two for two on saving kids since you've been back.”

She shrugged, but he could see the pride sneaking through her nonchalance. “I didn't save him. He could have climbed down.”

“I'm pretty sure he was prepared to sleep up there, Jos. He came down because you got him down.”

“Well, I just tried to help.” She fussed with the pine pitch on her hands. “He's just feeling left out.”

“So he climbed a tree for attention?”

“It's pretty hard to compete with a really sick little brother. And don't be under any delusion that he won't do it again. Or something like it. I didn't solve anything—just got him to safety this time.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Ethan stopped and put a hand on her arm. “So this is what you do.”

“Well, no. I have a nice office with a couch. Tree-counseling is a new one.”

“You're good under pressure.”

She nodded slowly. “I guess maybe I am.”

“Huh.” His wheels were spinning at high speed. Avery's House was great at caring for kids' bodies, but what it hadn't yet tried was caring for their heads. Or that of their family members. He'd known it was a hole in his quest to provide the perfect getaway, but until this very moment, he hadn't seen the perfect way to plug that hole.

Would Josie ever consider…? If he could show her how much Avery's House needed her, would she possibly, maybe think about…?

He shook his head. He'd done a bang-up job this week of staying away from her as much as possible, determined to keep his armor intact and her at arm's length. And it was working. He got to the park at dawn, worked till he was bone-tired, then spent the evenings with Pops. In between, he did stopovers at Avery's House as often as he could, but was thankful to Molly and Josh for holding down the place so well since Andy's stroke.

He sighed. He knew better than to entertain schemes for keeping Josie here. She wasn't staying, and if he allowed himself to get his hopes up even one stupid bit, the crash would be even more painful when she left.

*   *   *

Josie tried in vain to scrub off the pine pitch in the little hallway bathroom, but it was stuck like Krazy Glue and she couldn't remember what in the world got the stuff off. She'd emptied a quarter of the soap dispenser, but the pitch held fast. As she walked back into Dad's office, drying her still sticky hands on a paper towel, his desk phone rang. She peered at the display and frowned when she saw that the caller was Bellinis Pub.

Had Molly misdialed trying to reach Ethan—who was apparently off somewhere else once again? Josie braced herself as she answered, but to her relief, the voice that boomed across the line was Mama B's.

“Josie! So glad I caught you!” Josie could hear pots banging in the background. “I'm thinking you're bored tonight? Nothing to do?”

“Um…”

“Good! You be here at five and I'll give you a free apron. It's spaghetti night and I got no help again.”

“Let me guess. Your waitresses called in sick again?”

“You know it.”

“Seems to be an epidemic going around.”

“Only to sixteen-year-olds. Little nitwits are all heading over to Keene, thinking they're so sly. Some Rock Fest thing.” Josie heard another loud clang and winced. “I'll show them sly when they show back up. You watch me.”

“I'm too scared to.” Josie laughed.

“So you'll help me? Even my Molly's got a date, so you can see this is dire. Otherwise I wouldn't ask.”

Josie sighed quietly, rubbing her already aching feet. This day was destined never to end. “I'll be there, Mama. But I'm going to need a giant Pepsi when I arrive unless I can sleepwalk while I deliver the food. It's already been a long day.”

“Eh, you get up at dawn to make the cannolis and go to sleep at midnight after the last pot's clean and you can say you've had a long day, okay? Okay. I see you at five.”

Josie smiled as she hung up the phone. Yes, there sure were some things that hadn't changed around here. And the big, brusque Italian woman with the heart of gold was one of them. Her energy level could compete with an Olympian, and now Josie had to try to keep up for the night.

Two hours later, she walked into Bellinis and flipped open the counter like she'd been doing it for ten years, not just
twice
in ten years. A clean apron hung under the register, so she tied it around her waist and grabbed the suds bucket to wipe down the bar while it was still empty.

Mama blasted out from the kitchen just as she got to the end of the bar. “Oh, you're here. Thank you I love you now get those salts and peppers out would you?”

Josie smiled as Mama B punched back through the swinging doors, leaving a tray of salt and pepper shakers for Josie to deliver to the tables. Before she could grab the tray, though, Mama came back through the door with an industrial-sized jar of peanut butter and a big spoon. “Gimme those hands.” She motioned toward Josie's hands, grabbing one of them and plopping a glob of peanut butter in her palm. “I don't know if I wanna know why you been climbing trees today, but you're not serving
my
food with that gook on your hands.”

Josie laughed as she rubbed the peanut butter into her palms. “I couldn't remember the secret cure for pine pitch! Thank you!”

“Well, I don't imagine you've had much use for it in the city, right?” Mama's eyebrows crooked upward. “Ethan chase you up a tree today?”

“Hardly. Little kid decided to make sure mommy and daddy were paying attention, so he climbed up one of the giant pines to check.”

“And you got to play monkey and get him down?”