Page 84 of Not You Again
As soon as Shireen was gone, Carly began to sob, and hewasn’t sure if she was happy or sad. Adam led Carly to the sofa in the hallway, wrapped her in his arms and let her curl onto his lap. “What’s going on in there?” he gently asked.
“I just can’t believe that you’re here. Like, a small part of me worried I might not see you again, but now I’m... overwhelmed. I’m happy. I’m sad. I have a lot of feelings, okay?” She said all of this through tears. “This is who I am!”
“Don’t cry,” Adam said as he brushed thick tears away with the pad of his thumb. “Let’s figure this out together.”
Carly told him about the loop when he went missing; all of the ways she, Shireen, his parents and even Dean had tried to bring him back. She told him about trying to cause an equal and opposite reaction by reliving memories of him. He heard about the day she went to find her dad and came up with a plan to honor Bruce’s memory. And how, in the theater, she’d felt her dad watching over her.
When Bill and Sheila barged through the front doors, Carly gave Adam space to hug and reassure them. Adam found it hard to believe that he’d been gone, but he sensed the relief from his parents so strongly that it was impossible to deny.
“We’re going to therapy,” Sheila said. She wiped a spot on his cheek and added, “Family therapy, if that’s something you’d be open to. While you were gone, Carly reminded us that secrets have no place when it comes to the people you love. And honey, we’re just so sorry that we haven’t been honest with you, and you haven’t felt safe to be honest with us.”
“We’ll try and do better,” Bill added. “I mean, as good as two old people can.”
Adam chuckled. “Thanks, that means a lot to me.”
His mom seemed to be waiting for him to say more, though, and then it occurred to him. “It’s probably a two-sided coin? So, I’ll make sure to get help, too. I want to be better forall of you.” Adam spoke to his parents, but gave Carly a meaningful look at that last part.
“Should we go test the perimeter? See if we can actually drive out of here?” Bill asked.
Adam was still wrapping his head around being gone for so many loops and the cell phones working. He wanted to think before speaking, which meant Carly took the reins.
“I have a feeling there will be a bottleneck heading out of the main road in Julian,” Carly said. “But I know someone who can show us a way.”
Adam drove Carly, Bill and Sheila over to Rick’s airstream. His dad, who had never taken a close look at the place, was fairly impressed by the flamingo motif.
“He’s really committed to an aesthetic,” Bill commented as he stepped out of the hearse.
“Cheap plastic is an aesthetic?” Sheila poked a flamingo and it immediately tipped over.
“I think Dolly Parton made cheap chic,” Carly said. “Come on, let’s see if Rick’s home.”
When they knocked on the door, though, there was no answer, not even theBeachessoundtrack playing in the background. Carly scanned the yard for a sign of him. “Maybe he’s gone to find Heather? His golf cart is still here, though.”
As they walked back to the hearse, the Caltech van rattled down the road and came to a skittering halt, blocking their path out. Dr. Song jumped out of the van and barreled toward them. “Adam, hey! You’re here.” She gave him a surprise hug, and he almost didn’t have time to hug her back before she followed up with, “Rick? Have you seen him?”
“No, he’s not home,” Adam said, but she continued towardhis airstream all the same. “His golf cart is here, too. We assumed he was with you.”
“Rick, open up!” Heather banged on the door. Then turned around, fisted her hands through her hair and said, “Last night we were in this orchard, and he told me he was going to grab a flashlight. I was focused on my telescope when I saw this blinding light. I mean, way too bright to be a flashlight. I called out his name and then reset.”
Adam wasn’t sure what to make of that story. He’d only just gotten back himself. Unless...
“Oh shit,” Carly said. “Do you think you traded places with Rick somehow?”
Chapter 32
Carly
Carly sat in the passenger seat of the hearse and held on to Adam’s hand while he drove them into town. Now that he’d returned, she’d never let go of that hand.
Well, that was an exaggeration. Much like Adam had pointed out when she’d hurt her back, she’d have to eat, pee and do things without him. But still! She was going to keep an eye on this Rhodes guy so he didn’t pull a disappearing act again.
“Do you think Rick really vanished?” Adam asked. “We don’t even know if the loop is over.”
As they pulled the car up to Main Street, there was once again a stage erected in the middle of the road, and Mayor Franco held court on top of it. She slugged from a bottle of champagne and unlike previous loops, she wore her standard toned done outfit of a muted green pantsuit.
Carly stepped out of the car and a breeze swept through her hair, almost ushering her away from the scene. Indeed, she itched to drive out of town, but she also needed time alone with Adam. They had so many practical details to sort out, logistics and kissing to catch up on. For the time being, though, they had to find Rick.
“We have confirmation that folks are able to leave theJulian limits,” Mayor Franco announced into a megaphone. She held up the bottle of champagne and took a long swig as cheers erupted from the crowd.
