by Sally Derby
I looked at Mom, too. She had a big smile. “Tom is offering you the chance to spend next summer with him in his cottage, Kyle. Free room and board, and all you need do in exchange is fish with him in the mornings. Not only that, but he’s said the rest of us can spend a few weeks there, too, if we like.”
Everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to say something. But I couldn’t. If I tried to talk I’d cry. All I could think was, I don’t have to say good-bye for good! I get to come back!
“Course, if you’re not interested …” Tom teased.
That was enough to snap me out of it. I smiled so wide I thought my face would break. “You bet I’m interested! I’m just having trouble believing it.”
“Not such a big deal. I need your help.”
“Thanks, Tom. It’s so—it’s—just thanks.”
A knock at the door surprised us all. Mrs. Morley stuck her head in. “Happy Birthday, Kyle. Call for you over at our house. Your dad wants to know will you come talk to him?”
I looked at Mom. She looked back at me with pleading eyes. I looked at Tom and remembered what he’d said: “Mostly we don’t know, about other people.” And Vicki and Andrea—I’d been mad at them for shutting me out, when all the time they’d been planning for my birthday. Then I looked at Josh. He looked steadily back at me, and I realized I hadn’t the slightest idea what he was thinking. I just didn’t know. Maybe there were things I didn’t know about Dad? “All right, Mrs. Morley,” I said. “I’ll talk to him. Come on, Josh. You can talk after.”