Page 62 of Even After Sunset

I slap his arm instinctively, and he glances at me. “Shit. Sorry.”

“Geez. You need to stop leaving a trail of litter everywhere you go.”

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything. He does look a little bashful though, so maybe there’s hope after all.

Back in the camper, Silas reaches across and tugs at the itinerary binder I’m holding, which I’m using to double-check the location of the next stop on our route. I look up and find him biting lightly on his full lower lip. His grey eyes meet mine.

“There’s a quick stop I want to make before we get on the highway,” he says, his voice low and a little cautious. His request takes me by surprise and I’m not sure what to make of it.

“Oh. Um, sure. Where is it?”

Please don’t let it be a liquor store… Please don’t let it be a liquor store…

His eyes won’t meet mine this time. “It’s uh… It’s kind of a surprise.”

Okay. Thatsoundslike it’s not a liquor store. Because a surprise means it’s something I’ll like, right?

“Um, okay… Yeah, sure,” I stammer. “Is it close by or…”

“Yeah.” He glances down at his phone. “Maybe twenty minutes.”

There’s an awkward silence, and then I nod once. “Okay. Sounds good.” I wrestle Trudy into drive. “Let’s do it. Lead the way.”

And he spends the next twenty minutes directing me until we reach our destination. Which appears to be… a huge shopping mall?!?

I’m getting suspicious again and can’t ignore this nagging worry that this has something to do with him finding a way to score booze.

He directs me to the edge of the parking lot, where Trudy has lots of space to stretch out, away from all the other cars, and my worry intensifies because this only confirms that Silas’ surprise end destination truly was this mall.

This massive, definitely ordinary shopping mall.

Silas must sense my trepidation because he pauses as he reaches for the door handle, then sighs when he peers back and sees my expression.

“Jesus. Would you relax?” He rolls his eyes. “I followed you into a toilet museum for chrissake—and you can’t follow me into a stupid shopping mall?”

Okay. When he puts it that way.

“Sorry… Okay, I’m coming.”

Silas hops out and slams his door, then starts toward the entrance. I do the same a few seconds later, and when Silas glances over his shoulder to see if I’m following, I jog until I catch up to him and we walk together. He holds the door open for me when we reach the main entrance to the mall, and as soon as I see what’s just ahead, at the far end of the food court, a lump forms in my throat and my fingers lift to my mouth.

Oh, Silas… You just lit a match and ignited a tiny piece of my heart.

Chapter Seventeen

Jackie

Istand there, frozen, blocking the door and not caring one bit.

Centered beneath a high, pyramid glass ceiling sits an ornate carousel lit up with hundreds of warm white lights.

“Oh my gosh… Silas, this is…”

“Not that big a deal,” he finishes, trying to diminish the gesture but failing miserably, because This.Means. Theworldto me. He just offered me a sliver of the boy who knew me better than anyone else — who could read me like a book; and who was sweet and playful and caring and open and loved surprising me with grandiose adventures. And as much as I am slowly learning to appreciate the darker, sullen version of my former best friend, I love him even more now that I know he hasn’t changed himself completely. He’s suited up in armour, but still — underneath it all, he’sthere.

I finally step fully through the entrance and make my way closer to the carousel. Silas follows silently just a few steps behind.

“It’s beautiful,” I say, once I’m standing right in front of it.

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