Chapter Twenty #2
Hearing this man say he was proud of him was one of the most amazing moments in Kash’s life.
For years, he’d felt . . . less than. He was the skinny nerd.
The guy people liked to pick on. People always wanted him to be different from how he was .
. . his grandfather, girls, teachers. And yet here Linc stood, a man who was larger than life in Kash’s eyes, saying he was proud of him.
Not even winning the crate race could top this moment.
“I love you, Kash. We were so worried!”
Kash turned to hug his mom, loving how soft she was against him. How she smelled. How tight she held him. She’d always been his safe space, and this moment was no different. He’d longed to feel one of her amazing hugs again, and his wishes had come true.
But as grateful as he was to be in his mother’s arms, the confidence he also felt was overwhelming.
If people had taken bets on whether he’d be able to survive being left on a deserted island for more than a day, they probably would’ve lost a lot of money for betting against him.
Kash felt as if he understood Linc a little better now.
Of course, their situations weren’t even close to being the same, but he’d kept going one minute at a time, just as Linc had done when he’d been hiking across North Korea. Neither of them had given up.
Ginger sobbed loudly then, and turning, Kash saw Knox patting her on the back as she buried her head in his chest.
Kash’s mom let go of him and pulled Ginger into her embrace, holding her the same way she had him. And Kash wasn’t jealous or resentful. He felt bad that Ginger’s parents weren’t there, wondered why. But ultimately he was too overjoyed that he’d been able to be reunited with both Linc and his mom.
It was only a few minutes before they heard another motor.
There were two more boats heading their way, just as fast as the Coast Guard boat had come in.
They all backed up a little, onto the walkway leading to the tiny little pier, making room for the newcomers, and as Kash stood between his mom and Linc, he watched as Ginger was reunited with her parents.
She and her mom were crying hysterically, as her dad stood with his arms around them both. It was touching and a little dramatic. But Kash hadn’t really expected anything different. After all, he’d just spent three days with Ginger and was well aware of how much of a drama queen she could be.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Linc said quietly.
“It was Donny. And Owen and Scott,” Kash blurted, needing them to know.
“We know. The police are talking with Donny now, and I’m sure they’ll go pick up the other two as well. You and Ginger will need to tell your side of things. About what happened.”
“Okay,” Kash said, having no problem with that. He was eager to let everyone know exactly what Donny had done. What he’d said. What an asshole he truly was.
“But not today,” his mom said firmly. “I need to get you home. Fed. Clean.”
All those things sounded awesome. “I don’t suppose there’s any food on the boat? I could eat a cow right about now.”
Linc chuckled, but his mom simply frowned. “I don’t know. But we’re about to find out. Come on. I don’t know about you, but I want to get off this island.”
Kash nodded. But after two steps toward the pier, he stopped. “Linc? Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?”
He didn’t even protest the baby thing. It felt good to hear the familiar term of endearment. “I broke a window or two. And we used their stuff. I want to replace it.”
Linc ruffled his hair. “I’ll make sure it’s done.”
“I want to do it,” Kash insisted. “I messed things up, and I want to make it right.”
“You don’t mind coming back out here?” Linc asked.
“Will you come with me?”
“Of course.”
“Then I don’t mind.”
“We’ll make it happen sooner rather than later. And if you want, I’ll find out who owns the cabins out here and see if we can arrange to meet them.”
“Oh yes!” Kash said with a smile. “I want to thank them. For the food, the blankets, and everything. We all know that I’m not much of an outdoor person, and without these cabins I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
“You would’ve figured it out,” Linc said without hesitation. “You’re the smartest person I know.”
Once again, his praise made Kash’s self-esteem rise by a few notches. “I’m not saying I want to become Paul Bunyan or hike the Appalachian Trail . . . but Mom, do you think Granddad would be willing to teach me some outdoor stuff? Survival things?”
“I bet he’d be thrilled.”
Kash nodded. Then frowned. “Not that I don’t want you to teach me stuff, Linc, but Granddad’s always been wanting to, and I’ve always told him no.”
“I understand, Bud. And I think that’s a great idea. I think he’d love that,” Linc said.
Kash never again wanted to feel as helpless as he did when he’d watched Donny and Owen driving off in that boat, leaving him and Ginger alone on the island.
For a split second, he’d also thought they were going to die.
Because he knew nothing about building shelters, fires, or finding food.
He hadn’t lied. If there hadn’t been cabins on this island that he could get into, that had a few provisions, they might’ve frozen to death.
Certainly would’ve been way worse off than they were.
“Come on, Bud. There are a lot of people waiting anxiously to see you,” Linc said.
“Hospital first,” his mom said.
“Mom,” Kash whined. “I’m fine. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“No one wants to go to the hospital, but you’re going and that’s that. I need to make sure you’re all right.”
Kash frowned but nodded. He understood his mom had been worried, was still worrying. She had a death grip on Kash’s hand and wouldn’t take her gaze from him. It was comforting in a way, even if seeing a doctor would be annoying.
“Can we please stop and get a hamburger or something on the way? Maybe The Lobster Buoy’s lobster and truffle oil mashed potatoes. Ooooh, or some Ruckus Donuts! No—pizza!”
Linc chuckled. “We’ll get you something, but I have a feeling you aren’t going to be able to eat nearly as much as you want to. Not at first.”
Kash figured he would know, considering his own experiences with being hungry. He thought back to how full he was after eating the SpaghettiOs and realized Linc was right. “I love you guys. Thank you for finding me,” he blurted.
“Nothing would’ve stopped us,” Linc said.
“We left to come out here and get you the second Donny admitted what he did,” his mom agreed.
Some kids had a ton of toys. Or clothes. Or money. But Kash thought he was the richest person in the world. He had a mom who loved him with everything she had in her. It was more than enough.
He stepped onto the Coast Guard boat and watched the island get smaller and smaller as they headed back to the mainland.
He should probably hate the sight of it, but in actuality, he felt proud of himself.
He’d been put in a horrible situation and came out mostly unharmed on the other side.
He felt as if he was a different person . . . in a good way.
Turning back into his mom’s embrace, he let her hold him steady as the boat flew over the waves. Linc was at his mom’s back, keeping her upright. They were stronger together than they were apart, and Linc was the father he’d always wanted but never had.
Life had a strange way of throwing curveballs, but for once, Kash felt as if he’d managed to hit a home run.