It took him a while to find the spot, but when he finally did, he smiled and nodded in satisfaction. "Like the old days," Jeffrey murmured, settling down on the dry grass. From his position, he was close enough to keep an eye on the kids in case something unforeseen should happen, and far enough away to not overhear their conversation. He'd barely opened his book when his cell phone buzzed. He didn't even have to look at the display to know who was calling.
"Where is he?!"
"Yes, it's nice talking to you as well."
"Where. Is. My. Son?!"
"Well, first of all, he's my son too. And to answer your question, I thought it would be a good idea to take him on a little trip."
"Is he alright?"
"Yes. In fact, he's doing better than he has been in weeks."
"Where are you?" Her voice now sounded resigned, exhausted.
"I think you know where we are."
"Okay, I'm coming."
"Take the parking lot on the west side. I'll wait for you at our spot."
A comfortable silence had fallen as they both sat there peacefully. Then Logan turned his head and looked at Camille. The way she looked out at the lake was incredibly comforting for him. He didn't want to break this silence, but there were things on his mind that were bothering him, and as long as he didn't have answers, he wouldn't find any peace.
"So . . . you and James . . . are you happy?"
Camille turned to him, blinking in confusion. "James and I? What are you talking about?"
"Well, I just . . . it's been eight weeks, two months. That's been a long time and-"
"Wait, you think I started going out with James?"
"This idea is not as far-fetched as you might think. After all, he has shown a clear interest in you."
"Logan, James and I are just friends. I mean, yeah, he's great and cool, he's funny and I really enjoy hanging out with him. But he's not boyfriend material, at least not for me. 'Cause there's only one guy for me."
"Oh, so there's a third one?"
"No, just you," she said softly, placing a hand on his forearm. Logan swallowed. "Really?"
"If that's what you want . . ."
"More than anything else."
"That's good. Because I feel the same way," Camille whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"I never realized how much I missed that until now," Logan said softly. Her answer was a beaming smile.
"Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine. Look." Jeffrey pointed to the opposite side of the lake.
"You left him alone? Are you-?"
"He's not alone."
Joanna's face hardened. "Is that-?"
"Yes."
"What is she doing here?"
"I invited her. This madness has to end, Anna."
"But she is-"
"Exactly that kind of medication he needs the most. And you, as a mother, must recognize that too."
"She won't be able to cure him."
"No, of course not. But she gives his life meaning, so he can see that he isn't as lost and lonely as he thinks he is."
Joanna just stared at her son and Camille.
"If you would only give her a chance, then we could finally put all these petty wars behind us and start a new chapter."
This was the moment when tears rolled down Joanna's face.
Logan's head rested on Camille's shoulder while she rubbed his back. His tiredness had returned. But he didn't want to sleep, not now. The fear of waking up to realize that it was all just a dream was too much for him. So he was grateful when Camille said, "I have one more question."
He turned his head and looked at her questioningly.
"When you showed up at my school, you said you wanted to surprise me. But that wasn't the real reason, was it?"
Logan felt ashamed. "No, it wasn't," he said quietly. "Kendall and I found James's social media and . . . and I just couldn't get over the fact how good looking he was. I thought if someone like him was interested in you, then I could never be good enough for you. I just had to convince myself that he . . . I'm sorry. If I had known what my thoughtless behavior would cause, I never would have . . . it was a mistake."
"You said you were fine with it. You said you could handle it."
"Yeah, that . . . that was a lie. I just couldn't take it anymore to see you so unhappy. I'm so sorry, Camille. I ruined everything."
"Don't feel bad," she whispered softly and kissed his cheek. "But can we be honest with each other from now on? No more lies or secrets, only honesty."
Logan's throat tightened. Honesty . . . yes, Camille deserved honesty. But it was so hard.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Camille asked softly, noticing his changed demeanor.
"Camille . . . there's something I need to tell you. But I don't want to do it here, not right now, and certainly not at my house. It would be the best if we did it somewhere else, in private. So, until we find a solution, can you promise me to be patient? I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I can."
"All right, I'll wait."
"Thank you."
His 'thank you' sounded so sincere and relieved, she could feel how much her words meant to him. "Come here," she said, and pulled him close, held him tight, gave him strength.
"He hates me."
"No, he doesn't hate you."
"And you hate me too."
"Nonsense. I could never hate you. Not then and not now," Jeffrey said quietly while gently holding his wife in his arms.
"When am I going to stop destroying everything in my life?"
"You didn't destroy anything, Anna."
"Are you sure? Because I almost lost my . . . my only son, or maybe I already did. I had so many chances for help, but instead I let everyone down. I'm a hopeless case."
"Maybe it wasn't the right time. But we can try again. We could talk to Greg, I'm sure he'll be able to help us."
Joanna looked questioningly at her husband. "Us?"
"Of course. We're a family. We'll get through this together. Times will get better. I promise."
Logan was getting ready for bed when there was a gentle knock on his door. His mother stood hesitantly in the doorway. "May I come in?"
He nodded and sat down on his bed. He didn't want to fight anymore. Joanna sat down next to him. "Did you have a nice day at the lake?"
"Yes."
His mother rubbed her thighs with her palms restlessly. "I'm so sorry, Logan. I did everything wrong. I'm such a bad mother. It's no wonder you hate me."
"Mom," Logan said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't hate you. And you're a great mother."
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course."
She rubs her face. "I know I have my weaknesses and I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. But I promise this will stop. I . . . I think I'm ready to get help again. And this time it will be better. Your father supports me and-"
"And of course I'll support you too, Mom. Because this affects all of us."
"That is true."
Silence fell between them until Joanna said, "Well, it's getting late. And you still need some rest. Time for bed." She got up so he could lie down. Normally, she would have smoothed his covers or kissed him goodnight on the forehead, but tonight she didn't, even though it was hard for her, she knew it was the right decision. So she just stroked his hair, said "Good night" and walked to the door.
"Mom?"
She stopped. "Yes?"
"Camille . . . she's really great, you know? I'm sure you'll like her too once you get to know her better."
"I believe you. But now get some sleep, okay?"
"Night, Mom."
"Good night, honey," she said softly, turning off the lights and closing the door on her way out.
Logan rolled onto his back and stared at the dark ceiling. Actually, he should have felt relieved, everything seemed to be getting better. But there was one more thing to do. And his stomach knotted painfully at the thought of how Camille would react to the truth . . .
