Deep Betrayal

said.
    Mom turned back to face me, the paintbrush danglingfrom the corner of her mouth like a long cigarette. “Friends as in boys?”
    I twisted a lock of hair around my finger and examined it for split ends. “Some of her friends might be boys.”
    She took the paintbrush from her mouth and pointed it at me. “Have you asked your dad about it?”
    “I haven’t seen him. Not for a while, actually.” I wished I could take it back. Mom’s look of surprise turned to pain. Silently counting out the days in my head, I tried to remember when I’d seen Dad last. Five days ago? A week? I smiled weakly. “So can I go?”
    She sighed and refocused on her painting. “If Martin’s letting Gabby go, I guess it’s okay.”
    “Thanks, Mom.” I pecked her cheek and ran for the front door. I found Calder sitting at the end of our dock.
    “Hey, you!” I called. He turned and waved. “You never got your coffee this morning.”
    “Professional hazard,” he said. “Unexpected exits.”
    “Were you going to let me know you were out here?” I asked, taking a seat beside him on the dock.
    “I’m watching your dad. He’s truly amazing. I don’t think there’s anything more for me to teach him. See?” He pointed and I caught the flash of a dark shape in the water. You had to know what you were looking for to see it. I wondered if Jack was out there right now, looking.
    I waved at Dad in a big sweeping, overhead gesture. He stared at me blankly, then dove.
    “A black tail?” I asked. I don’t know why, but I assumed he’d be silver like Calder.
    “Same as Maris’s,” he said. “He’s just as fast, too. He takesoff on me all the time, and unless he stops, I have no chance of catching up. He’s good at this, Lily. Maybe too good.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It’s getting harder and harder to convince him the day is over. You said he’s barely been home? When’s the last time you talked to him?”
    I didn’t answer and Calder nodded, saying, “That’s what I thought. So, I’m still planning on that concentrated time together that we talked about, but first, I promised him we’d take another stab at finding Maris.”
    A few days ago, this news would have thrown me into a solid funk. But things had changed. Although the idea of Maris and Dad in close proximity still made my heart race, I was actually excited for some more private time to continue my breath control experiments. So far I’d succeeded in holding my breath for a solid four minutes, but I was pretty sure I could make it to five.
    “That’s probably smart,” I said. “Judging by Jack this morning, he’s not doing any better.”
    “Yeah.” Calder picked at some loose strings on the edge of his shorts. “You’re doing it again, y’know.”
    “Doing what?”
    “Giving a chameleon a helluva run for his money. You’re changing colors as fast as someone flipping through a book.”
    “Shut up.”
    He glanced at me, and the bridge of his nose crinkled. “Excitement, anxiety, excitement, anxiety, back and forth, back and forth. I could handle that, except for the little bit of fear that keeps leaking in.”
    “You have a very, very active imagination.” I gave him a shove. He didn’t budge.
    “I’ll miss you,” he said. “Don’t forget that. I’ll be thinking about you every minute I’m gone.”
    “Good,” I said, smiling encouragingly. “Now go. Dad’s waiting. And tell him it wouldn’t hurt to spend some more time around the house. For Mom.”
    “You know I have been. But there’s something more you wanted to tell me?”
    I’d almost forgotten. “I’m going camping on Manitou Island tonight, and I have no idea what kind of trouble I’m going to get into.”
    “None,” he said. “I’ll see you there.” Then he pulled away, a worried expression still playing in his eyes.
    “Go,” I said, standing up. “I promise I’ll be good.”
    “Just stay on land,” he said.
    I gave him a salute and clicked my heels. He shook his head and dove.
    When Calder and Dad disappeared from view, I turned back toward the house. Sophie was watching from her bedroom window, looking down at me. I waved feebly. Had she seen Dad?
    I didn’t take the time to find out. I ran to the house and dug in the kitchen junk drawer until I came up with an old stopwatch Dad used back when he used to coach track. It was pretty basic by today’s standards. But it would do the trick.
    I had my own training to do.

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