Page 116 of Until Then

While he helps me guide the boat back to Brooks’s place, he plays with my much shorter strands of hair. I’m loving the shorter cut, the bold difference, but I won’t lie and say I didn’t wake up the morning after and panic a little when I looked in the mirror.

“Would you be okay with breakfast for dinner tonight?” I ask as he cuts the motor at the dock. “I was thinking about making egg sandwiches.”

Derrick gives me a narrowed eyed look as he hops off the boat and holds a hand out to take the cooler and my bag from me. “Are you going to put fucking avocado on it?”

Humming, I tilt my head, pretending to consider the question. “Probably.”

“Then no.”

I sigh like it’s a massive hardship, then let him help me out of the boat. “I suppose I could leave it off yours.”

“Good. I don’t like that slimy shit.” He shudders.

He scoops up the cooler while I get my bag, and we head up the hill. Once we’ve loaded our things in the truck, Derrick opens the passenger door for me, and I climb in and immediately go for my phone so I can scroll through the hundreds of photos and videos I took of the whales.

The garage door opens, causing Derrick to pause in front of the truck.

I expect to see Brooks coming out to say hello, but instead, it’s his wife. She’s got her phone to her ear and her face is etched in panic. I sit up straighter and try to read her lips as she rushes to Derrick.

The two of them turn and dart into the house, so, with my heart pounding, I hop out of the truck and take off after them.

I’ve never been in here before, but I don’t stop to take it in as I follow Maura and Derrick into the kitchen. When I round the bar that separates the room from the living space, I stumble at the sight of Brooks sprawled on the ground, his face pale. Too pale.

“There’s no pulse,” Maura cries. “He’s not breathing. He’s not breathing. He’s not?—”

Derrick drops to the ground beside his best friend, lacing his fingers together, and begins chest compressions.

“Is Dad going to be okay?” I turn at the sound and find Amanda standing in the doorway with her arms around her brother. Both kids wear horror-stricken expressions. They shouldn’t be seeing this. All it takes is one look at Brooks to know this isn’t good.

Their mom, busy speaking to the emergency operator, doesn’t hear Amanda’s question.

“Let’s go this way.” I usher the kids away. I don’t have a clue where I’m leading them, but anywhere has to be better than here.

Amanda sits on a couch in what appears to be a den, wrapping her arms around her legs and folding in on herself. Jackson sinks onto the floor in front of her.

“Dad’s dead, isn’t he?” he asks, his voice small and scared. It’s a sucker punch to my chest.

“I-I don’t know,” I answer as honestly. “Paramedics should be on their way, though. Can you stay here?”

When Amanda nods, I rush back to the kitchen, where Derrick is still doing compressions and mouth-to-mouth.

Maura’s sobs are the most heartbreaking sound I’ve ever heard.

I’ve never felt so helpless and utterly useless in my entire life.

At the sound of sirens, I grip Maura’s arm to get her attention. “I’ll go outside and get them.”

The ambulance is turning into the driveway when I burst out of the garage. It only takes seconds for them to grab their supplies and follow me into the house. As they step into the kitchen, Derrick backs away from Brooks so they can take over.

The hopeless, scared look on Derrick’s face nearly makes me drop to my knees.

“The kids,” I say, wanting to get him out of here. “We should go check on the kids.”

“The kids?” he asks, his face blank, as if he’s entirely forgotten they exist.

“Yes, Amanda and Jackson. We should check on them. They shouldn’t be alone right now, and Maura needs to be with Brooks.”

I want to get Derrick out of this kitchen more than anything. I hope there’s a chance Brooks can pull through whatever has happened, but my gut tells me he’s already gone.

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