Page 21 of The Woods

“You’re so smart,” she says, patting him on the back. They pick up the ladder together and reposition it. Then she climbs up. “How was school today?” she asks, once she’s at a safe distance.

“Pretty good,” he answers, and the tightness in her chest eases. “I made a friend. We were lab partners in science and then he was on the same bus, so we sat together.”

“That’s amazing,” Alice says, then reminds herself to temper the enthusiasm. It could scare him away if she’s not careful. “What’s his name?”

“Jason. He lives up the street.”

Alice has no trouble at all wrapping the strap around this tree to secure the camera. Back down on the ground she squeezes Quinn’s arm, even though what she wants to do is pull him in for a hug. “That’s great, sweetie. I’m really happy for you. I knew you’d make friends here.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he says, shifting his arm away to pull the ladder off the tree. “I might go hang out with him tonight if that’s okay?”

She wants to ask if he has any homework, but she presses her lips together to keep the words in. Reminding herself that his adjustment to the move is more important than grades right now. “Of course you can hang out with him,” she says.

“What are you guys doing?” Polly asks on her way across the lawn, a half-eaten apple in her hand.

“We set up a trail cam to catch the predator,” Quinn answers.

“Just one I hope,” Polly replies. “This place better not start to feel like a prison.” Alice notices Polly eyeing the camera, then looking toward the side of the house that her bedroom is on, then back again.

“Why? Do you have things to hide?” Alice asks, half-joking, half-curious.

Polly takes a final bite of her apple and throws it into the woods. “If I did, I wouldn’t be telling you about it now, would I?” She flips her long brown hair over her shoulder. “Guess who got a job.”

“You,” Quinn replies flatly.

“What?” Alice exclaims. “That’s great, Polly. I’m so proud of you.” She stops there, again reminding herself to temper the excitement. Polly hates it even more than Quinn.

“Anywhere good? Like, can we get free stuff from you?” Quinn asks.

“Maybe a couple of day-old donuts,” Polly says. “It’s a job at the coffee shop on the main street, Merry Cups. Stupid name but the other people who work there seem okay and the hours aren’t bad.”

Alice is so relieved, she could cry. Polly has a job and Quinn made a friend. She doesn’t even care anymore that they’re standing under a trail cam that she bought because dead animals littered the property earlier this morning. Today both kids came home doing better than they were when they left. That’s all she wants. Ever.

“I think this calls for a celebration,” Alice says. “A new friend for Quinn and a new job for Polly. Let’s get takeout. You guys get to pick.”

“My God, Mom,” Polly says with an eye-roll. “You’ll find any reason to celebrate.” Alice can tell that it’s fake annoyance. Polly loves being celebrated; she just pretends to hate it.

“I’m really proud of you both,” Alice says.

The door to Geoff’s writing studio opens and he steps out, looking like he just woke up. The sight of him sends prickles of annoyance through her.

“What’s everyone doing out here?” he asks, raising his arms to stretch.

“Mom and I put up a trail cam,” Quinn answers.

“Because of all those dead, dismembered animals this morning,” Alice reminds him.

He does that little laugh. The condescending one that says, You’re so stupid. “Is that really necessary?” he asks. “I mean, it could just be a one-off.”

“It can’t hurt,” Alice replies dryly. “Like calling Animal Control. Because we have a dog and children.” He huffs and rolls his eyes at her, and she immediately regrets saying it. “Either way, a trail cam will be fun to have.” She forces her voice to sound nonpartisan and cheery. “We can see what animals are in the woods. Also, we’re getting takeout to celebrate Quinn’s and Polly’s big news,” she calls out over her shoulder.

“Big news?”

The kids can tell him, she thinks. The less time she spends around him these days, the better. And she doesn’t want to ruin the high she’s on.

She sits down in one of the chairs on the back deck and taps the app on her phone that’s connected to the trail cam. A clear image pops up of the lawn and the path that leads into the woods. She should be able to see if anything comes out of there and onto the property.

The audio is pretty good as well. She can hear clear as day when Geoff says to the kids, “Don’t let your mom’s overreaction about the dead animals scare you. It’s honestly not that big a deal. I think the trail cam’s a bit over-the-top, but if it makes her feel better then we’ll leave it up.”