Trail of Secrets Read Free Page B

lots of money so we could move into a nicer house and just do things we really wanted to do every day instead of struggling to make a living. He called it the “what if” game. “What if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? What if you could buy anything in the world, what would you buy?” I liked playing it withDad and Leslie when we were lying side by side in our lawn chairs in the backyard, looking up at the stars overhead in the night sky. I think I’d trade all my wishes though, to have Leslie stay with us and for Mom to move back to Springhills. My wishes had been letting me down lately, and I was thinking maybe it was time to stop believing in anything I really wished for coming true.

    We ate supper outside at the picnic table since the warmth of the day still lingered, even though the sun had begun setting. The days were noticeably shorter, with the evenings getting cooler, but it was more pleasant to be outside now than in the full heat of summer. The crickets provided a chirping background music to the meal, as they did every evening, and a light breeze blew over us now and then. Dad and I tried to act like nothing was wrong, and Leslie happily chattered away about her day at the water park. She didn’t appear to notice that Dad and I weren’t talking all that much. As she pushed away her empty plate, she said, “Daddy, I think we need to go shopping so I can get some clothes for school. Molly says they have new jeans in at Pago’s, and I want to look there tomorrow. Jen could come with me if you’re too busy at work.” She looked at Dad and waited for him to answer.
    I glanced at Dad and saw him swallow hard. He couldn’t seem to make eye contact with Leslie and appeared pretty interested in the back of the ketchup bottle. “We’ll see,” he finally said. “No promises.”
    â€œWhy don’t I get us some ice cream?” I asked, standing and gathering the plates. “Dad brought home some Ben and Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie.”
    â€œAll my favourites tonight,” Leslie said, clapping her hands.
    When I reached the kitchen, I leaned my head against the freezer door for a minute with my eyes closed. Making like everything was okay was really hard. I forced myself to keep moving and busied myself filling up bowls of ice cream. When I carried the bowls outside on a tray, I found Dad and Leslie sitting on the back steps. Over the summer, it had become our ice cream eating spot. I ate mine quickly, before clinking my spoon into the empty bowl and saying, “Think I’ll just go inside and clean up.” I gave Dad a nod and what I hoped was a smile before I climbed the steps into the kitchen.
    Leslie cried a little bit after Dad told her, but he talked for a long time, and later she seemed okay. I watched from the window until they stood to come indoors. Then, I hugged Leslie before going upstairs to run her a bubble bath. Afterwards, Dad let us stay up and watch a movie he’d rented on the way home. It took our minds off everything, and Leslie and I headed up to bed together around ten thirty.

    I was just slipping under my covers when I heard footsteps coming into my room. I looked over to see Leslie standing next to my bed. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach like she was cold.
    â€œCan I sleep with you tonight, Jen?” she asked.
    â€œSure can,” I said, pulling back the blankets so she could scramble in next to me. “Can’t sleep?”
    â€œNo, it’s not that.” Leslie fell silent. I reached over and held her hand. We didn’t talk for a minute, then I said, “Maybe Mom needs you with her, Les. This has been hard on her too and we have to accept that, I guess.”
    â€œThat’s what Daddy said too.” Leslie yawned and rolled onto her side so that our faces were almost touching. Her eyes shone, dark pools in the moonlight that was pouring in