“I didn’t know that.” Harper rested her chin on her knee and watched him talk.
“We weren’t friends, but we’d worked together for years, and I didn’t want him to be alone,” Brian said. “When the rescue team finally came, they had to lift up the pallet to get him out. All his organs had squished out to the sides. You could see his intestines smashed to the bottom of the pallet, dangling off like a dead worm.”
“Oh, my gosh, Dad.” Harper grimaced. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m not telling you to gross you out,” he assured her. “The point I’m making is that it was gruesome. Somehow, the pallet sitting on him was keeping him alive, I guess, because as soon as they lifted it, he died.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, since she didn’t know what else to say.
“I had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards. You could have asked your mother about it, if she still remembered.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I was a grown man when that happened, and it was just a freak accident. Nobody had been murdered or left to rot in the trees, and it still messed me up for a while.”
“Dad.” She sighed and leaned back in her seat.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through, honey,” Brian said gently. “But I do know that you are going through something. And it’s okay to admit it. It’s okay to be hurt and scared sometimes.”
“I know. But I’m okay.”
“I know you don’t always want to talk to me, but I hope you’re talking to somebody.” He took a sip from his coffee. “Are you going over to Alex’s today?”
“No, Gemma’s over there.”
“So? He’s your friend, too. You can be around him when Gemma is.”
“I know, but…” She shrugged.
“You can still be his friend even though he has a girlfriend.” Brian paused. “Is Gemma his girlfriend?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Kinda, I think.”
“Hmm.” He furrowed his brow. “I guess there could be worse boys than Alex.”
“Yes, there could,” she agreed.
“What about you?”
“What about me what?”
“Are you seeing anybody?”
“Dad,” Harper groaned and got up from the table.
“Harper,” Brian groaned back.
“Why is everybody so interested in my love life all of a sudden?” She went over to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice. “Not that I have one. Because I don’t.” Pouring herself a glass of juice, she muttered, “I don’t like anybody.”
“Everybody’s interested in your love life?” Brian asked. “Who’s everybody?”
“I don’t know. You. Alex.” She squirmed and gulped down the juice so she wouldn’t have to say more. “I know it’s Saturday, but I don’t think I’m going to see Mom today.”
“Okay.”
“Gemma’s pretty tied up today, but maybe tomorrow she’ll want to see Mom.” Harper glanced back over toward Alex’s house. “I don’t know. Or maybe she won’t. I’ll probably still go tomorrow, even if she doesn’t want to.”
“Okay.” Brian nodded. “Good. It’s good for you see your mother.”
“You know, it would probably be good for you to see her, too,” Harper said carefully, and he visibly stiffened at her suggestion.
The doorbell rang, saving them both from another awkward conversation about Nathalie. Neither of them really liked talking about her at all, least of all to each other, but once her name came up, they’d both feel compelled to get into a discussion about her.
“I’ll get it,” Harper said, even though she was still in her pajamas and Brian was dressed.
She thought it might be the police. They said they would stop by if they had more questions, but she and Alex hadn’t really been able to tell them much. They didn’t actually know anything, except where the bodies had been found.
Instead of the police she found Daniel standing on her doorstep. He smiled at her, and at first she did nothing but stand there with the door open, gaping at him in surprise.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?” Daniel asked. “If I’m bothering you, I can just go—”
“No, um, it’s fine.” Harper shook her head, but she suddenly became aware of the fact that she was wearing only a tank top and short girl boxers. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I was awake.”
“Good.” He scratched at his arm and stared at her. “Can I come in?”
“Oh, right, yeah. Yes. Of course.” She stepped back so he could get by, so now they could stare at each other awkwardly in the entryway instead of on the doorstep. Finally she just blurted out, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, um, I heard about what happened to your friend.” Sympathy filled his hazel eyes. “The one that was missing, and I wanted to offer my condolences.”
“Oh. Thank you.” She smiled thinly at him.
“I stopped by the library to see if you were at work,” Daniel explained. “I wanted to check and make sure you were holding up okay, because you seemed pretty distressed when you found out he was missing.”