The Choices We Made novel · Chapter 20 of 24

Chapter 20: The Dock

Weston knew where she had gone before the police asked.

When they were children, the Kittredge and Schermerhorn lawns ran down to the same strip of shore, and a rotted boathouse stood at the end of it.

Gretchen had hidden there from her father at eleven.

He had hidden there from his own at twelve.

"Stay with the officers," he told Eliza in the car.

"No."

"Eliza."

"He's my son, Weston."

"Then stay at the top of the lawn. If she sees a crowd she'll run."

She looked at him for one hard second.

"Bring him back," she said.

"I will."

He walked down the slope alone, in the gray afternoon, with the tide coming in against the stones.

The boathouse door hung open.

At the far end of the dock Gretchen sat on the edge with her legs over the water.

Albie sat beside her in a life jacket two sizes too big.

He had his knees pulled up under his chin and his school bag in his lap.

"Hi, Wes," Gretchen said without turning. "You found us."

"Hi, Gretchen."

"We're going to the island. I have the boat."

A small white skiff rocked against the pilings. There was no motor on it.

"You don't have a motor."

"We'll row." She laughed, high and thin. "I used to row it every summer. Do you remember?"

"I remember."

Albie turned his head. His face was blotchy.

"Daddy," he said. "Syd says Mommy Eliza asked her to take me."

"She didn't."

"I told her. She said I don't know anything."

"You know the truth," Weston said. "That's more than she does."

"Don't talk to him like that." Gretchen stood up, quick, and her hand closed on Albie's life jacket strap. "He's mine, Wes. I did all of it for him."

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