Page 21 of Shuttered Hearts

“Thankyou for helping get this all set up and for making sure the invites got out,” I tell Emily as we finish setting up for Max’s birthday.

“Of course. I’m just glad the guys were able to come up with something to keep Max busy this morning."

To help keep the surprise alive, Dad thought it would be a good idea to take Max fishing before the days started getting too cold. Of course, Dad didn’t think about the logistics of doing so with a cast on his leg. So Caleb and Declan were brought into the scheme, making it a guys’ day.

Once they’re done fishing, they will head over to Murphy’s for a late lunch. Murphy’s is technically the local bar, but they serve good food, and during the day, it’s much more like a restaurant than a bar. Plus, the owner is the father of a good friend of Caleb’s, so it will be a fun treat for Max.

After lunch, Max thinks he is coming back here to meet up with a couple of friends, where they’ll hang out and have asleepover, but what he will actually come home to is a backyard filled with all his friends.

Emily helped me plan a big scavenger hunt that will have the kids searching the entire town for clues. Luckily, Declan has been on board to fill in for Dad during the scavenger hunt portion of the day. So, the kids will be split into three groups, each with an adult supervising their adventures through town.

The scavenger hunt has everyone ending back here at the house, where I will have transformed the backyard into a little outdoor movie theater, with real movie theater popcorn and fun movie snacks. On the schedule for tonight are some fun Halloween movies to get everyone in the mood for the upcoming holiday.

“I hope Max likes everything we’ve planned,” I tell Emily.

“He’s going to love it. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.”

I want this to be perfect, but I’m not sure. Ever since the night Declan brought Max home from soccer a couple of weeks ago, Max has been a little distant and moody. He’s been slowly coming out of it but isn’t quite there yet. I think the reality of the situation with Dad hit him harder than any of us wants.

I talked to Declan more about it, and after speaking with Caleb and Emily, we all decided not to tell Dad about what happened. If Max wants to, that’s up to him, but I don’t think he will since he hasn’t talked to anyone other than Declan at this point.

All of us still tried to do what we could to brighten his mood. Caleb and Emily planned a weekend in DC, just the three of them, which lifted his mood in the moment. And Declan continued taking Max to his soccer practice, which had Max in the best mood I’ve seen over the last couple of weeks. I’m also taking Thursday evenings as a chance to make myself scarce so Max and Dad still have time for the two of them.

The first week, I took my camera with me on a stroll through the center of town before ending up at The Diner for dinner. I didn’t really anticipate finding much to catch my eye, but I wanted to work on some of the same assignments I had given my students. So, I took my film camera with me, and was shocked I actually needed a few rolls of film that night.

I was sitting at the counter, talking with Rose, one of the owners, when Declan sat down beside me. I shouldn’t have been surprised to run into him around town, but I was.

Without even realizing it, we spent hours sitting there talking about nothing and everything at the same time. It was easy to see how my family had pulled him into their circle.

The following week, I did the same, except I took my digital camera with me, eager to see how I could play with the pictures in editing. That time, Declan found me sitting in a booth with my computer in front of me, unable to wait until I got home to look at the pictures.

It was that night I learned he played in a pickup soccer game most weeks, and his routine on those evenings was to stop by The Diner for a quick bite on his way home.

I shouldn’t, but I was hoping he would show up at The Diner again this week too.

“I know the invite was for 3 p.m., but what time did you tell the guys to bring Max home?” Emily asks, bringing me back to the present.

“I told them between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m. I’m hoping since we made it clear this was a surprise party, parents would have all the kids dropped off close to 3 p.m.”

“Good thinking.” Emily sets the last bowl of chips down on the table on the back deck and takes inventory of all we did. “It looks good.” She smiles and throws her arm around my waist, pulling me into her side. “Max is going to love this.”

“I hope so.” I smile, giving her a side hug in return.

So far,the party has gone off without a hitch. The look on Max’s face when everyone jumped out shouting, “surprise” will go down as one of my favorite moments with him.

The first group of kids to finish the scavenger hunt are officially on their way back to the house, which is perfect timing because I just finished switching the backyard over to our movie theater for the evening.

Emily texted to tell me they were leaving the library—the last stop for her group—and Caleb and Declan aren’t far behind. It’s a bummer Max’s group won’t be the winner, but I know he had a good time regardless, with what Caleb has been texting me.

“You did good, Bean,” my dad says from his seat on the deck.

He wanted to help me set up so badly, but he can’t move around on his leg very well. I told him keeping me company was help enough.

I fall into the seat next to him, this being my first chance to sit since Emily got here this morning and we started setting up.

“I’m exhausted. Remind me not to go all out next year.” The smile falls from my face when I realize Dad won’t be here to remind me of this next year. “Never mind, let’s not talk about that,” I rush to say before Dad can say anything.

“Quinn—” Dad tries to interrupt me, but I don’t let him.

---