Briar Rose by Jana Oliver Page B

anywhere near that Rose girl? That was one question that always came his way.
    Last night he had been
very
close to that Rose girl, and it was a good bet someone had already blabbed about it. He never understood how his mom heard about such things; it was almost
like she had a network of spies watching his every move.
    Joshua sighed as he trudged down the stairs and entered the kitchen. They’d remodelled it the year before and so it was all gleaming stainless steel and granite countertops now. His mother
was at the gas stove cooking breakfast, her posture tense, his father hunched over the newspaper at the table. It was clear that things weren’t right between them and had been that way for a
long time. It was quieter than normal this morning: his two younger brothers were in North Carolina, at summer camp. They, at least, got some time away.
    Joshua headed for the coffee out of habit. From out on the porch he could hear Kerry eagerly tucking into her own breakfast, her metal dog tags banging against the ceramic bowl with each
bite.
    His father looked up and gave him a smile. He appeared older than his thirty-seven years. His hair was the same colour as Joshua’s and he had a quick smile for everyone. Much like
Briar’s dad, his job took him on the road more than any of them liked.
    His mother, in contrast, was fair-haired, somewhere between brown and blonde. She used to smile more when he was little, but that had all changed. Most of the time she was pensive, caught up in
her own thoughts. None of them were happy.
    ‘You’re up early,’ his father said. ‘How was the party last night?’
    ‘Good,’ Joshua said, dumping a mound of cereal into a bowl. The milk followed. He took his place at the table, setting his phone by the coffee cup.
    ‘Was the Rose girl there?’ his mom asked, not turning round.
    He didn’t reply. It worked better that way.
    ‘Was she?’
    His dad’s eyes met his and the message was passed: just get it over with.
    ‘Yes,’ he replied.
    ‘You talked to her?’
    For some perverse reason, Joshua decided not to hide the truth. ‘Yes, for a little bit.’ His hand shook as he took another sip of coffee, waiting for the repercussions.
    His mom turned, her eyes widening, and he swore he saw fear in them. ‘Did you . . . touch her?’
    ‘No!’ Josh said, annoyed. ‘I didn’t touch her.’
I just gave
her a birthday present and I would do it all again just to see her smile.
    His mother joined them at the table. It was then he noticed that her hands were shaking. ‘It’s her birthday,’ she said evenly.
    ‘I know,’ Joshua replied. ‘She’s sixteen, like I’ll be in a couple of weeks.’
    His dad’s eyes moved back and forth between them, as if trying to read between the lines. ‘Then if she’s sixteen now, it’s over. About damned time,’ he said.
‘Maybe now our families can get on with our lives.’
    He dropped the paper in disgust and rose from the table. ‘I’ll be back Tuesday night. I’ve got a meeting in Atlanta, and it’ll run long, so I’ll stay over Monday.
I’ll call you guys this evening.’
    He ruffled Joshua’s hair. ‘Hang in there,’ he whispered.
    ‘I’ll try,’ Joshua muttered.
    With a concerned glance at his son, his father was out of the door and headed towards his car. It was as if he couldn’t leave fast enough.
    Joshua began to count down from ten, waiting for his mother to take the next step, to do the full inquisition. Instead, her face grew pale and her hands shook harder.
    ‘What’s wrong? Are you sick? Do you want me to get Dad to come back?’
    ‘No. It’s . . . just so hard.’
    ‘What’s hard?’ he asked.
    It wasn’t as if she was listening. ‘I’m relieved, but that’s wrong and I know it. I’m so confused. I can’t imagine what Franklin and
she
are going
through right now.’
    Briar’s parents?
    His mother wasn’t making much sense, but she hadn’t for a long time. As he’d grown older, he’d come to