Pinpoint (Point #4)

by Olivia Luck

Violet voices my thoughts. “We have to go.”

  “First thing tomorrow morning,” I agree.

  “I’ll email our clients and move any appointments.” Violet thumbs through her phone, sending a flurry of messages and reviewing the schedule. Frozen at my spot on the sofa, I watch the carnage left from a tornado that ripped straight through Winter. My stomach cramps with worry. Even though it’s highly unlikely my parents are at home or that their phone is functioning in the wake of the natural disaster, I dial their number . . . and get a busy signal. I am about to put my phone away when it starts vibrating in my hand.

  Oscar calling.

  Before I can think of all the reasons I have not to answer, I accept the call and press my phone to my ear.

  “Hi.” Violet looks up from her phone sharply to where I’m answering the phone.

  Oscar, I mouth. She nods and I make my way toward my bedroom for privacy.

  “I saw the news.” Oscar’s reassuring tone soothes some of my jangled nerves. “How’s your head space?”

  “Not so hot. I—I called my parents’ house, and no one picked up. I didn’t really think there was a chance they’d pick up, but I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Because that’s what you do, Iris. You care about other people. You nurture. You want to take care of others even if it's to the detriment of yourself. It’s one of the things I admire about you.”

  I climb onto the center of my bed, curl onto my side, and tuck my phone against my ear. Knowing that somewhere in the city Oscar’s out there thinking about me is a show of support that resonates with me. Deeply.

  “Violet and I are driving down there early tomorrow. I thought it would be years before I ever went back to Winter, but how can I stay away? It doesn’t matter how far away I get from Winter; I’ll always know where I came from. They’re struggling. And not just my parents, but also the community. I can’t turn my back on Winter.” Oscar didn’t ask for a justification of my reasoning, but I need to explain to myself why I’m running back to a place I had no real desire to visit again.

  “What time are you leaving? I’ll come with you.”

  For a moment, I am literally stunned silent. “Oscar, you don’t have to do that,” I breathe in astonishment.

  “I don’t have to do anything. I want to come with you. It won’t be easy, and you’ll need support,” he says firmly. Oh, his sincerity makes my heart ache. For the first time, I wonder if Oscar really has changed? What if he genuinely wants to be with me? Offering to drive two hours away from the city to dig through rubble is not something a casual friend does for the other.

  “That’s why Violet will be there,” I argue halfheartedly. Oscar coming along is tempting. “And don’t you have to work? Tomorrow’s Tuesday.”

  “Work can wait,” Oscar says firmly.

  “As much as I appreciate your offer, I think this is something Violet and I need to do on our own.” It pains me to say this because, more than anything, I want Oscar’s shoulder to lean on in this situation, but Violet and I need to climb this hill without distraction.

  The silence on the other end of the line weighs heavily. Eventually, Oscar releases a short breath. “You’ll need to call me when you get there. And when you’re on your way back and when you get home.”

  The ache in my chest intensifies.

  He cares.

  He really cares about me.

  And I’m in love with him.

  The world tilts and my mouth goes dry with the realization.

  “Okay,” I say faintly.

  “Do you want to talk longer? You sound upset,” Oscar says with concern.

  Shoot. He’s dismantling every excuse I built one by one.

  “Thank you for offering, but I should go be with Violet. Cameron didn’t make it back to the city yet because of the storm, and I don’t want to leave her alone.”

  “You’ll call me if you need anything,” Oscar demands. “Even if that means you wake up and want me to drive down with you two.”

  “I will.”

  After we end the call, I climb off the bed and move back into the living room where Violet and Rocky are curled together beneath a fuzzy white blanket. Violet waves me over.

  “What’s up with Oscar?” Though she says it casually, I note interest gleaming in her expression.

  “He heard what’s happening in Winter.” Grabbing another throw blanket off the back of the second couch, I cuddle into the corner opposite of my sister. “He wants to go with us down there. I told him no.”

  Violet looks as stunned as I felt a few minutes ago. “He wants to go with us to Winter tomorrow,” she repeats slowly.

  “He said he wanted to support me,” I mumble the rest. Suddenly ashamed of how I turned him down—how I have continued to turn him down since the day at the site of his new restaurant on the lake.

  “Men don’t make those kind of offers unless you’re their sister or they are dating you. Are you and Oscar secretly dating?”

  “Of course not,” I say, affronted.

  “There’s one other option,” Violet says with a straight face.

  “What’s that?”

  “Oscar Alexander is smitten by you, Iris. This is how he’s showing you that he wants more than a friendship. Well, this and all the non-creepy stalking like bringing us lunch and dropping by just to say hi.”

  “You’re right,” I say miserably. “I’ve been pushing him away because I’m scared that I’m a phase. Two weeks from now, he could turn around and say he doesn’t want a relationship with me.”

  “You have a right to be skeptical, for sure. To play devil’s advocate, the man hasn’t given up. If you even have the tiniest inkling of ‘what if,’ don’t you think you owe it to yourself to see what might happen? In any relationship, there’s a chance that it won’t work out, but that doesn’t mean we sit at home and hide from love. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Iris, because it’s your heart to protect, not mine. All I know is, if I gave up on love after losing Max, I wouldn’t have Cameron, and by extension, I wouldn’t have you. Meeting him gave me the first push toward pursuing all my goals.”

  “This has never happened to me, but I think I’m in love with him.” I blurt out the words before I can get embarrassed.

  Violet looks at me with understanding but doesn’t say anything further. I’m grateful she gives me the time to process my thoughts.

  “I don’t know a better man. He gives and he gives and doesn’t have the slightest clue of the extent of his generosity. And whenever he sees someone in distress, he offers a helping hand. When I’m around him, I can be myself. We laugh together, and he takes me to all these different places to have new experiences. He listens when I speak and remembers what I say. He encourages me to be honest with you and, most importantly, with myself. He believes I’m talented. He’s wildly talented and not overly arrogant. He’s . . . special and chivalrous, and there’s no way I’m not in love with him.” Anxiously, I struggle to sit straight. “Will he forgive me? When he told me he wanted to be with me, I said I couldn’t trust him. But that’s not true. I do trust him.”

  “Welcome to the restless world of first loves,” Violet says drily. “Take a deep breath.”

  When my breaths remain shallow, she nudges me with her foot until I comply.

  “First of all, let’s address the scariest part. There’s no doubt he’ll ‘take you back.’ I don’t think you were ever gone in his mind. Case in point: he calls you the moment he hears bad news from our hometown.”

  Inhaling a calming breath, I nod in hopeful agreement.

  “Here’s the thing about love. It’s a huge risk. The biggest risk. You’re opening your heart to complete vulnerability and giving the key to someone else. Everything could go right in your relationship. Every single thing. But still, it can fall apart. That’s the thing about love; the whole concept is riotously out of control. That’s what makes it terrifying and dizzying and thrilling all at the same time.”

  “You are wise
beyond your years,” I mutter battling back a bittersweet smile. “What you’re telling me is this won’t be easy.”

  “It never is,” Violet concurs. “In the end, you get this.” She slides her phone off the coffee table, unlocks the device, and pulls something up on the screen. Then she passes it my way. It’s a goofy picture of Cameron and Rocky together. Cameron holds the dog in his lap and sign in front of both of them. It says We love you!

  I can’t help but giggle. “The big bad hockey player sent this to you?”

  Violet shrugs and I toss the phone back in her direction. “Love makes you do all sorts of silly things.” She nudges my foot again with hers. “Feeling a little better?”

  I frown as I think of what lies ahead of us tomorrow. “There’s a rough day on the horizon, but I’m glad to face it with you.”

  “When we get back, you’ll go get your guy,” she says sternly, though her eyes twinkle.

  “And when we get back, I’ll go get my guy,” I agree.

  Because now that I’ve admitted to myself that I love him, I don’t know that I can go another day without him.

  Oscar

  It takes creative thinking and calling on a few connections, but I’m able to land Cam Stone’s phone number within an hour of getting off the phone with Iris. Even though I’m friendly with both Cam and Violet, I only have her phone number. When I call Cam, he answers after a few rings, sounding wary.

  “Hello?”

  “Stone, this is Oscar Alexander. I wouldn’t call you this late if it weren’t urgent.”

  “Is Violet okay?” he asks sharply. “Iris?”

  “They’re both fine,” I say quickly. “But there’s something I’m hoping to convince you on related to them.”

  “I’m listening,” he says.

  “If Violet hasn’t already told you, they’re driving down to Winter tomorrow to check on their parents and support the community. I offered to go, but Iris declined. That’s why I’m going to give them a head start, but I’m planning on going to Winter, too.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Oscar, but why?”

  “Because I don’t want her alone down there with their asshole father.”

  “Ah. This sounds more like boyfriend duty than friend duty,” the fucker goads me.

  “Didn’t ask your opinion on the matter,” I retort. “Are you in or are you out?”

  Cam chuckled, again sounding like he knows something I don’t. The arrogance pisses me off, but at the same time, I like the schmuck, so I don’t lose my cool. “In. I won’t get back until painfully early tomorrow morning, so you’ll need to drive.” He rattles off his address.

  “I’ll be there by nine.”

  It’s not a question in my mind. I will show Iris my support by being a physical presence in Winter. If Cam hadn’t agreed to come with me, although I doubted that was a possibility, I would go without him. Iris says she can’t trust me. I’m going to show her that I’ll be her pillar. And the next opportunity I have to share my demons, I’ll take it. No more of this waiting her out bullshit.

  The next morning, Cam jogs out from his house, dark sunglasses covering his eyes and wearing a grim expression.

  “Coffee,” I say when he climbs into the car gesturing toward the paper cup in the center console cup holder.

  “Thank you,” he grunts. “Didn’t get back home until three this morning. Had to pick up my dog from Violet’s place and get him set up with the walker. I didn’t sleep much.”

  “Go ahead and nap. GPS will get us there.”

  Cam sips from the cup, relaxing in the seat as I steer away from the sidewalk.

  “Or caffeinate.”

  “This won’t keep me awake,” he says ruefully. “Caffeine never works on me.”

  “There’s an egg sandwich for you in the back.”

  Cam shoots me a curious look. “All right, we done bullshitting? Tell me why you’re driving two hours outside the city to check up on Iris. Come clean.”

  “You really want me to say it?”

  “Yeah, actually I do,” Cam says cheerfully. He bends backward to get the sandwich and begins unwrapping it. “Violet is the love of my life. That means I watch out for her best interests. Making sure Iris doesn’t get her heart stomped on by you falls within those best interests.”

  “And who watches out for Iris’ best interests?”

  Cam guffaws around a bite of the same breakfast I made for myself before coming to get him this morning. “She isn’t even yours, and you’re falling at her feet.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Cam. She is mine.”

  “Does Iris know that?” Cam uses the buttons to adjust the seat to his height, stretching the length of his legs in front of him.

  “I’m the first one to admit that I’ve made mistake after mistake when it comes to Iris.” Grimacing, I flick my gaze to the GPS and notice that it’s time to cut across a lane of traffic and merge onto I-290.

  “Atta boy.” My passenger claps a hand on my shoulder. “Own up to what you did. She’ll respect that.”

  “Didn’t realize that this trip was going to turn into a therapy session,” I mutter.

  Cameron smirks as he crumples the empty sandwich wrapper into a ball and drops it at his feet. He removes his sunglasses and places them into the side compartment of the passenger door. “What can I say? I’m a multi-talented guy.”

  I grunt. “Until this moment, I hadn’t second-guessed this decision.”

  “In all seriousness, you were right when you asked me who’s looking out for Iris. Yeah, she has her sister and she has me, but at the end of the day, I know she considers herself the third wheel. If this gesture doesn’t show her that she’s front and center in your lineup, I don’t know what will.”

  I don’t bother responding, though I internalize his words, allowing them to stoke my confidence. The rhythmic hum of the car cruising along the highway soon puts Cam to sleep. National public radio plays in the car, but I hardly listen until they discuss the vicious tornado that tore through central Illinois. They classify it an EF-4; apparently, that means a vicious storm. Two deaths were reported and a litany of injuries is being documented. The further west the drive, the more rural the land becomes and signs of distress are evident: downed trees and powerlines among a torrent of debris.

  Twenty minutes outside Winter, Cam rouses from his nap.

  “How far out are we?” He scrubs a hand across his face, wiping away the signs of sleep.

  “Twenty or so.” Indicating that I’m taking the next exit with my signal, I glance at Cam. “Pit stop before we get there?”

  “That’d be great.” Cam frowns at his phone, reading his messages, and then glances at me. “Hey, I forgot to thank you for bringing me along with you. For the record, my independent girlfriend said the same thing when I told her I wanted to go with her and Iris. I was about to request a driver when you called. I appreciate it, man.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “You’re a good guy, Oscar. Makes me feel guilty for ever steering Iris away from you.”

  “Excuse me?” I bark.

  Cam waves his hand dismissively. “It was long before you ever hooked up. I told her you weren’t one to settle down. Not exactly off the mark, was I?”

  Annoyed at how right his assessment was, I can’t help when my voice comes out clipped. “That’s in the past.” I whip the car into a fast food parking lot and shut off the ignition.

  “Clearly.”

  A bathroom break and another coffee for each of us and we’re back on the road.

  “Any idea where we’ll find them?” Cam asks once we see a sign indicating Winter city limits.

  “Not one. Besides, the landmarks are gone. All I see is wreckage.” Slowly, I drive through the remnants of a town decimated by nature. What once were homes, businesses, schools, and buildings now lie in pathetic piles of rubble. A weight forms a ball in the pit of my stomach.

  “This is horrific.”

  �
��A disaster,” Cam agrees. “Red Cross trucks over there. Looks like that building was spared. Why don’t we start there?” I guide the vehicle to where he indicates and park near a cluster of other cars. Cam pulls out a plain navy cap I didn’t realize he brought, pulling it low to shield his face. People mill around. There’s no obvious sense of order.

  “Hang back. I’ll see if I can get information.” Cam nods and leans against the car as inconspicuously as a broad professional NHL goalie can.

  I stride to a woman with a clipboard who looks like she may have an idea of what’s happening. Her face lights with relief when she finds two more volunteers willing to help. She tells me a group is going through businesses on Main Street. They’ve been at it for hours, and she knows that the church was a priority to get the pious community a place to worship after the disaster. At the mention of a church, she catches all my attention. I know Iris’ father is a pastor. The coordinator points me in the direction of the town’s main drag, and I jog back to Cam and tell him where we’re headed.

  “I’d like to get a word in with their father,” Cam says as we walk.

  “Probably not the best timing, considering the chances he lost his home and place of worship are pretty good,” I say with regret.

  “You don’t think he deserves a verbal beat down for what he did to his daughters?”

  “No disagreement here. But I’m not sure Violet or Iris would appreciate us taking that battle on for them. At least, not here and now.”

  “Yeah,” Cam agrees reluctantly.

  On our way to the church, we find a group of men needing our help to move debris. We pause along the way several times to support efforts to carefully move branches and are even given gloves to assist in removing broken glass. Despite the near desperate urge to find Iris and Violet, Cam and I are unable to refuse aid where we can help. Eventually, we break free and make our way to the church.

  It’s not hard to find the Harper sisters. Somehow, the structure of the church remains intact. Most of the other volunteers are walking away from the building when we get within fifty yards, except for a familiar set of young women. A man with wire-frame glasses and a stiff blond haircut stands over them. Even in the aftermath of the storm, his clothes are crisp, formal, and unwrinkled. From this far out, I can’t hear what he’s saying, but it’s clear none of the three are happy.