Page 49

FORTY-EIGHT

The bell above the door rings as we enter the Waffle Shack.

More than a week ago, when I’d eaten here with the team after winning the district championship, this place was a ghost town, but it’s now prime business hours. A late breakfast crowd is swiftly shifting into an early lunch rush, and almost every booth is full.

“You want to go somewhere else?” Nadia asks.

“No,” I say, spotting two open seats near the cooktop. “I’m starving.”

The past twenty-four hours have been trying in way I’ve never experienced. My elation over finally finding Evie was soon overshadowed by my fear over what could happen to us both. But there are other reasons I want to be here, too. This is yet another victory. Perhaps the most important one of my life.

Nadia sits down. The waitress comes by quickly, and we order our food without even looking at the menu.

“It’s been years since I’ve been here,” Nadia says, looking around the crowded restaurant. “It looks exactly like it did when we were kids.”

“That’s why I like coming here,” I say, sipping the steaming coffee in front of me.

When you grow up the way Nadia and I did, it’s easy to fixate on all the bad parts of our lives. Sometimes I forget there were good parts, too. This place represents that. All the wins in my life, from childhood to adulthood. The fact I had people who cared about me, like Coach Phillips, willing to take a chance on me. The fact I had friends like Nadia who, even now, will do anything for me.

“Evie’s lucky to have you, you know,” Nadia says, still following my train of thought, even in the silence.

“I still worry about her,” I say. “She doesn’t have a strong support system.”

“She has you,” Nadia says.

“And hopefully you and your brother,” I say. “When Crystal hears how instrumental you were in finding Evie, she’ll have to let you be part of her life.”

Nadia smiles. “You’re right. She has both of us. That’s more than some people have.”

I think of Coach Phillips and the chances he took on me, to the detriment of his own family. It never occurred to me that all the time he poured into me was perceived as neglect by his own daughter. I never realized that it affected her mind to the point she was willing to harm a preteen girl.

“Have you talked to anyone from the school?” Nadia asks.

“Mr. Lake keeps reaching out, but I’m screening his calls,” I say. “I don’t want to talk to him until I know what I’m going to say.”

“He can’t fire you when you’re the one who found Evie,” she says.

Behind the cook station, a television plays the local news, a breaking news bulletin appearing on the screen.

“The students and teachers at Manning Academy have plenty of reason to celebrate,” the announcer says. “We can confirm that Evie has been found. More on this developing story.”

There are cheers from around the restaurant, a warm sensation starting in my chest and spreading through my body.

Nadia nudges me with her elbow. “See, you’re a celebrity all over again.”

The waitress arrives with plates full of food. I unfold my napkin and immediately dig in.

The bell over the door chimes and a family of three walk in. A man, a woman, and with them, a little girl I recognize. It’s the girl Nadia pointed out to me. Her daughter.

I look at Nadia, but she’s already noticed, her eyes glued to the little blonde girl making her way across the restaurant. I feel as though I’m caught in their orbit, frozen in place and unable to look away.

As they pass, the woman looks up. She pauses when she sees Nadia, frozen in the same way. She spotted us at the playground too. She tried chasing us down, but now there is no way to escape.

The man and the little girl slide into an open booth, while the woman approaches us. I can feel Nadia shifting beside me.

“Nadia?” The woman stands in front of her, making it impossible for her to leave. “I thought that was you. I didn’t know you were back in town.”

“I’ve been back for a few months.”

“I saw you at the school.”

I’m not sure what type of confrontation I’d been expecting, but the woman doesn’t sound angry or defensive.

“I know I should have reached out,” Nadia says, stammering over her words. “I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable or?—”

“It’s fine, Nadia.” She pauses. “Would you like to say hello?”

Nadia looks past the woman, staring at the little girl in the booth. Her daughter. Then she looks back at me, a dozen scared questions in her stare.

“Go,” I say, sensing she needs the same type of confidence she’s been giving me her entire life.

Nadia gets out of the chair, following the woman over to the booth. She remains standing at the table, her hands in front of her, nervous. I hear the woman make introductions. The little girl holds out a hand, gripping Nadia’s, and in that instant, all the nervousness seems to melt away. Nadia’s smile is genuine, one I haven’t seen in a very long time.

It’s hard making friends with the past. It’s hard carrying those memories and thoughts and experiences into the future. But if you can somehow find a way to marry the two, something beautiful can happen. I feel as though I’m witnessing that right now, and warm tears spring into my eyes.

On the counter, my phone begins to buzz, interrupting the heart-warming moment. It’s Coach Reynolds calling, and to my surprise, I feel the desire to answer it. For the first time in a long time, I’m not afraid of the future, or how my past might impact it.

I have a feeling whatever comes next, it will be good.