Read Online Hold Fast by Olivia Rigal, Shannon Macallan - Free Book Online

that poor girl’s head. I think he’d rather just believe that it’s Courtney and go on suffering, rather than risk confirming it and having her reject him.”
    “Tough spot there,” I say.
    “That it is.” My mother nods sadly. “So what exactly are you planning to do?”
    “Pretty much exactly what I said.” I shrug. “I do want to spend a little time in the woods. Go to some of the places we used to camp with Dad. The farmer’s market in Greenville happens on Saturdays and Sundays. I’ll check it out, see what I see, and then come home with whatever I find out.”
    “If you want to hunt this fall, why not go up to the camp?”

    “ I think I’d like a little more wilderness than that, right now. I’ll probably stop in there on the way home, though, check on things.” The hunting camp on Tilden Pond in Belmont has been in the family a long time. Buried deep in the woods of Waldo County, it has a comfortable little cabin with a well and easy access to the small lake. Good fishing there, too. “Plus, of course, I’m curious about Courtney myself. She was a nice kid. I’d kind of like to know what happened to her, and I owe Bill that much at least for taking care of The Beast for me. Never mind taking care of you.” My mom blushes a little, but smiles softly.
    “We’ve taken care of each other.” She clears her throat. “I miss your dad, and Bill will never replace him, but he’s not trying to.”
    “Yeah, I know.” Jesus, this conversation went depressing all of a sudden.
    Mom sighs, then smiles wistfully at me.
    “And what about you, Sean? You’re not going to all that trouble just on Bill’s account.” Her knowing look makes me feel like a guilty six-year-old again, caught in some transparent subterfuge. I stay awkwardly silent, shifting uncomfortably and Mom chuckles.
    “My Lord, the two of you.” Her smile grows and she shakes her head. “Even a blind man could see you were pining over each other for years. Everyone except the two of you, I guess.”
    “Was I that obvious?”
    “Oh, honey, you have no idea.” Her laughter is bright now, cheerful. “You were her hero when you were just six or seven, and she had a wicked bad crush on you years before you ever started to think about her that way. Your father,” she breaks off, making the sign of the cross before continuing, “God rest his soul, he and I always thought the two of you would wind up together.”
    “Never underestimate the stupidity of teenagers, Mom.”
    “Well, who knows? Maybe you’ll actually find her,” she says. “Maybe there’ll still be something there?” Another laugh, hearty, full of humor. “But, oh, Sean,” she gasps. “There might be a problem with that.”
    “Problem?” I ask. “You mean, a problem aside from the whole needle-in-haystack, Lost City of Gold, forlorn hope, aspect of it?”
    My mother bounces with anticipation, smirking wickedly at me.
    “Sean, what do you call a girl when your parents are married?” Delighted peals of hilarity pour out of her as my jaw drops.
    “Oh, shit .”
    “Watch your mouth, Sean.” There’s no sting in her rebuke, though. Only warmth and happiness.
    “You know, I hadn’t even put two and two together on that point. Sh- sorry, Mom. Crap , I mean. I really had not thought about that. She’s my stepsister now.” That’s a cold bucket of water right in the face.
    But my mother takes pity on me.
    “I’m sorry,” she says, a contrite expression on her face. “I shouldn’t have made a joke out of it like that.” Another giggle. “I just couldn’t help myself.”
    “God.” I put my head down, face in my hands. “Why’d you have to bring that up?”
    “Relax,” she says. “It’s not like you’re actually related . You two were head over heels in love years before her father and your mother ever had even the first impure thought about each other.”
    “Christ, Mom! Like this wasn’t already an awkward enough conversation.”
    “Oh, get