Chapter 20
Light gray clouds churn across the sky as I drive south.
They roll down the mountains and sink low over the trees like smoke from a snuffed-out flame.
The first drop of rain splatters against my windshield just as I turn into Rainbow Valley’s long driveway.
My tires slosh through muddy puddles and send ripples across the murky brown water.
I park next to a new car I don’t recognize.
At the top of a ladder, Kim brushes leaves off the old shed’s roof.
“Hey, Stetson,” she says as I step out of my truck.
“Hey, Kim.” I give her a quick wave.
“These leaves have been here so long they’re basically cemented on.” She scrapes at them with her gloved hand, then glances up at the darkening sky. “I’m trying to clear them off before the rain.” She jerks her chin toward the pool. “Sheryl is over there, if you’re here for another inspection.”
I nod and head down the drive.
Sheryl stands near the lounge chairs, deep in conversation with an unfamiliar woman. Xander isn’t beside them. He has a habit of listening in on these conversations unseen, so I scan the trees and far end of the pool for where he might be hiding, but there’s nothing.
A cool breeze hits my face, sending my hair swirling and raising goose bumps along my arms.
“Is the third time the charm?” Sheryl asks as I approach.
The other woman crosses her arms and gives me a once-over with a faint smile.
I grin. “Let’s hope so.”
Sheryl sucks in a breath through gritted teeth, rubbing her forehead. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m about to kill that hope real quick.”
At this point, I barely flinch. Hope isn’t something I count on lately. I glance at the pool. It still looks like a Saint Patrick’s Day–themed science experiment.
“We’re thinking of draining the whole dang thing and starting fresh,” Sheryl says, hands on her hip. “We tried shocking it with high levels of chlorine too, but that didn’t do a thing.”
“That could work,” I say.
I hand her an informational packet on pool cleaning methods from the health department. “I’ll check out the safety equipment while I’m here.” I nod toward the bin of orange life jackets and the freshly constructed lifeguard stand.
It’s strange to see something so new, so clean.
Especially here, but really, anywhere in Penango.
We’re a town of hand-me-downs. We use old textbooks with scribbled notes from students long gone.
Our rusted cars rattle down cracked back roads.
And we wear our grandparents’ hemmed clothes to homecoming dances.
Just like the people, everything here is barely getting by.
Keeping it all together takes up so much time, there’s not a second to spare to even think about getting out.
I’m starting to understand how people get stuck.
“Before you do that, I want to introduce you to Maggie,” Sheryl says, placing a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “Stetson, this is Maggie Pomers.”
A cool rush of adrenaline floods my body. My breath catches. I yank out my earbud, suddenly needing to catch every single word of what she has to say.
“She’s Xander’s mother,” Sheryl continues. “I’m giving her a tour of the grounds.”
My throat tightens. “Hi, Mrs. Pomers,” I say, my voice unsteady. “I’m Stetson Delancey—the local county pool inspector.”
She extends her hand. “You can call me Maggie.”
Her mouth moves exactly like Xander’s when she speaks. Her hair is dark and curly like his too. The greeting is jarring—like hearing a friend’s voice in a crowded room when I wasn’t expecting them to be there.
And her eyes hold the same intensity, a deep, amber glow. But unlike Xander, the corners of her eyelids droop slightly, appearing like she’s on the verge of tears even as she smiles.
“We’re trying to recruit Stetson for camp,” Sheryl says with a laugh. “Come to think of it . . .” She raises a finger in the air. “You should help chaperone our summer send-off dance. We just finalized the activity schedule.”
I shrug. “What would I do?”
“Serve punch. Hang out. The kids would love having an older role model around.”
Maggie swallows.
I shift my stance. “As long as the pool stays green, I’ll be here.” I force a small smile. “So . . . count me in.”
Sheryl grins. “Then we’ll have to keep it green all summer.”
I stare at her.
“Kidding. Kidding.” She lifts her hands in surrender.
“Xander would have loved this,” Maggie says, pressing a hand to her heart. “I really appreciate everything you’re doing here, Sheryl. It’s beyond sweet.”
“That’s what it’s all about,” Sheryl says, nodding. “We have a page on our website dedicated to him. I’ll have to show you later.”
Maggie’s cheeks flush pink.
“What made him come here?” I ask.
Maggie blinks and tightens her expression. “Excuse me?”
I clutch my clipboard to my chest. “I mean . . . why did he like swimming here at night?”
She exhales, rubbing her brow. “Right, sorry. My mind always goes elsewhere.” Her hands move to her hips.
“It was on the way home from the animal hospital. I think he liked stopping here to unwind after his shifts. It’s quiet, you know?
Peaceful. You could always hear the water lapping against the pool walls, especially back then.
The trees, the birds . . . it was calming for him.
” She pauses. “Xander was a private person.”
“That sounds nice,” I say as I glance over my shoulder.
He’s not there.
Maggie’s gaze drifts to the side. She bites her thumbnail. “I do wonder if he came here because . . . he was afraid to go home. If he felt uncomfortable there, you know?”
Sheryl lets out a sigh. “Of course he didn’t, Maggie.” She squeezes her arm.
Maggie hums softly, but there’s no conviction in it. Her hands slide from her hips into her back pockets. “It doesn’t really matter what I think though. That was always my problem. I spent too much time in my own head. Never enough time in his.”
A tear slips from her left eye. She catches it with the back of her hand.
Sheryl cringes. “It’s okay, Maggie. Why don’t we finish the tour and let Stetson get on with his inspection?” She nudges her gently forward.
Maggie nods. “Yes. Of course. Please excuse me. It’s just—” She swallows, then forces a smile. “I’m just overwhelmed at how wonderful this place will be. It has me thinking about everything Xander is missing.”
Her eyes meet mine.
“And everything he could’ve been.”