Page 45 of Discretion

Did I want to fall over that edge?

Sometimes.

Sometimes I didn’t want to restrain myself. Sometimes I wanted to give in. To let go.

Sometimes I wanted to go back to how we were last summer. Easy and carefree and fun.

It was tempting.Hewas tempting.

There was a long, silent pause, and then my phone started vibrating in my back pocket. I startled then peeked at the screen. It was my mom, so I figured I’d call her back later.

I pocketed my phone, but as soon as it had stopped buzzing, it started again. Mom, again.

“Everything okay?” Jasper asked.

“I just—” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder. “I should take this call.”

“Sure.” He furrowed his brow, scanning my face for clues. “You can use my office. I’ll keep an eye on Kai.”

“Thanks.” I pressed the button to connect the call and dashed down the hall to his office, closing the door softly behind me. “Hi, Mom. Is?—”

I barely got the words out before my mom cut in. “I can’t find your dad.” She sounded frantic, and my pulse instantly shot up.

“What do you mean, can’t find him?”

“I-I don’t know. I went to shower, and when I came out, he was gone. I’m sorry to bother you with this, but I’m just so worried. He usually comes back by now.”

“Usually?” My pitch rose. “How many times has this happened? How long has he been gone?”

I was practically shouting at this point. I couldn’t believe she’d kept this from me, and I was upset that it was happening, period.

“Oh. He just went to see Ms. Foster last time. It was no big deal.”

“No big deal?” I scoffed. “Mom, he has a progressive disease that affects his brain. He could’ve been hurt or…” I swallowed hard, not willing to go there. Right now, the only thing that mattered was finding my dad. We’d deal with next steps once he was safe. “Look. Let’s focus on finding Dad. Did you call his phone?”

“It keeps going straight to voice mail.”

“I thought you installed the app to track his phone.”

“I did, but that only works if he has the phone on him and the battery is charged. Last time, we got lucky.”

I wasn’t even going to touch that statement. Not yet.

“Neighbors?”

“I texted them, and they’re keeping an eye out for him. I drove the main road several times but didn’t see him.”

“Do you think he’s in the woods?”

She started crying when I mentioned that possibility.

That was it. I’d had enough. He was missing. He could be confused or hurt. “We need to call the police and have them issue a Silver Alert.”

“He’ll come back.” She sniffled. “He always comes back.”

If I’d been in denial, it was nothing compared to my mom. And I worried that there was even more that she hadn’t been telling me about my dad’s condition. About the true state of things.

“I’m going to call the police, and then I’ll call you right back.”