Page 18 of Room to Breathe

“What about Harper?” I said. “We were going to get her to join us.” My eyes scanned the yard. I couldn’t find her.

“After.” He led us toward a tree at the back of the yard.

“Whydidn’tyou spray your hair or wear a kerchief?” I asked, curious. But before he answered, my mind filled in the reason. “Your mom?”

He sighed. “You know how she is.”

She was all about appearances. She probably thought sprayed hair or orange kerchiefs looked tacky. She would hate our peapod outfit.

We came to a large tree and he nodded up at the branches.

I looked up to see a house built around the trunk. “Is there a way up?”

“In this costume? No.”

“Out of it?” I said.

“Yes, but you’re scared of heights,” he pointed out.

“True.”

We turned back toward the party but didn’t move.

“Speaking of parents, something is going on with mine,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. My mom is stressed. I think it’s because my dad has been in a bad mood for weeks.” Ever since that day he couldn’t find his papers. Was he still mad about that? I hadn’t gone back in his office since. “And neither of them will tell me what the problem is.”

“Your parents are usually so chill…well, your dad can be kind of scary sometimes, but mostly chill.”

“Right?”

“What do they say when you ask what’s going on?”

“My mom keeps telling me it’s nothing.”

“What do you think it is, then?” he asked.

“Maybe it’s another confidentiality thing.”

“Something with one of his clients?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m trying not to think of worst-case scenarios.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, tightening his arm around my shoulder. “It probably is a client thing.”

I swallowed as tingles went down my arm. “Yeah, probably.” But he’d obviously had clients his whole career, kept their secrets, and never acted like this. “Let’s go find everyone.”

“Wait,” he said.

“What?”

“Look.” He pointed up at the sky. The black night above us was dotted with light.

A star streaked across the sky. I gasped. “How did you know that was going to happen?”

He chuckled. “I can tell the future.”