The Last Song (42 page)

By then, he could barely get the words out, and he suddenly rocked back and collapsed onto the ground. Wrapping his arms around
his knees and lowering his head, he began to sob, his shoulders convulsing.

Ronnie took a seat on the floor beside him. She slipped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him toward her as he continued
to cry. As Will watched, he could feel a lump in the back of his throat, knowing he didn’t belong here.

Still, he stayed while Ronnie held her brother as he cried, not trying to hush him or assure him that everything was going
to be okay. She just held him wordlessly until his sobs began to subside. Finally he looked up, his eyes red through his glasses,
his face blotchy with tears.

When Ronnie spoke, her voice was gentle—as kind as he had ever heard her.

“Can we go in the house for a few minutes? I just want to check the cut on your leg.”

Jonah’s voice was still quavering. “What about the window? It has to be finished.”

Ronnie met Will’s eyes, then returned her gaze to Jonah. “Can we help?”

Jonah shook his head. “You don’t know how.”

“Show us.”

After Ronnie cleaned Jonah’s leg and put some Band-Aids on it, Jonah led them back to the workshop.

The window was nearly complete—all of the detailed etchings of the faces were finished, and the reinforcing bars were already
in place. The work that remained consisted of adding hundreds of intricate pieces to form the heavenly glow in the sky.

Jonah showed Will how to cut the lead strips and taught Ronnie how to solder; Jonah cut the glass, as he’d been doing most
of the summer, and slid them into the lead strips before making room for Ronnie to set the pieces in place.

It was hot and crowded in the workshop, but eventually the three of them fell into a rhythm of sorts. At lunchtime, Will ran
out to pick up some burgers and a salad for Ronnie; they took a short break while they ate but were soon back at their task.
As the afternoon rolled on, Ronnie called the hospital three times, only to learn that her dad was either in tests or sleeping
but doing well. By the time dusk settled in, they’d finished about half the work; Jonah’s hands were getting tired, and they
took another break to eat before moving some lamps from the living room to add additional light to the workshop.

Darkness fell, and Jonah was yawning steadily by ten; when they went inside to relax for a few minutes, Jonah fell asleep
almost immediately. Will carried him to his room and put him in bed. By the time he returned to the living room, Ronnie was
already back at the workshop.

Will took over the glass cutting; he’d seen Jonah doing it all day, and though he made some mistakes in the beginning, he
quickly got the hang of it.

They worked through the night, and by the time dawn began to break, both of them were dead on their feet. On the table in
front of them lay the completed window. Will wasn’t sure how Jonah would feel knowing he hadn’t had a hand in finishing the
final pieces, but he figured Ronnie would know how to handle it.

“You two look like you’ve been up all night,” said a voice behind them. Turning around, Will saw Pastor Harris standing in
the doorway.

Pastor Harris was leaning on his cane. He was wearing a suit—probably for his Sunday church service—but Will noticed the horrific
scars on the backs of his hands and knew immediately that they extended up his arms. Thinking back to the fire at the church
and the secret he’d kept all these months, he found it impossible to meet the pastor’s eyes.

“We’ve been finishing the window,” Ronnie said hoarsely.

Pastor Harris motioned toward the window. “May I?”

Ronnie nodded. “Of course.”

Pastor Harris stepped into the workshop, moving slowly. His cane tapped against the wooden floor as he approached. At the
table, his expression changed from curiosity to wonderment. Leaning on his cane, he ran a knobby, scarred hand over the glass.

“It’s incredible,” he breathed. “It’s more beautiful than I would have imagined possible.”

“My dad and Jonah did all the real work,” Ronnie said. “We just helped to finish it.”

He smiled. “Your father will be so pleased.”

“How’s the church coming? I know my dad would love to see the window in place.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” He shrugged. “The church isn’t as popular as it once was, so there aren’t as many members.
But I have faith that it will work out.”

From her anxious expression, Will knew Ronnie was wondering whether or not the window would be installed in time but was afraid
to ask.

“Your dad is doing well, by the way,” Pastor Harris said. “He should be out of the hospital soon, and you should be able to
visit him this morning. You didn’t miss much yesterday. I spent most of the day sitting in his room alone while they were
running tests.”

“Thanks for staying with him.”

“No, sweetheart,” he said. He glanced at the window again. “Thank you.”

It was quiet in the workshop as Pastor Harris made his way out. Will watched him go, unable to shake the image of his scarred
hands.

In the silence, he studied the window, struck by the work that had been necessary to make a new one, a window that shouldn’t
have had to be replaced. He thought of the pastor’s words and the possibility that Ronnie’s dad might not even live to see
the window installed.

Ronnie was lost in her own thoughts as he turned to her.

He felt something collapse inside him, like a house of cards. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

As they sat on the dune, Will told her everything from the beginning. When he finished, Ronnie seemed confused.

“You’re saying that Scott started the fire? And that you’ve been protecting him?” Her voice rang with disbelief. “You’ve been
lying for him?”

Will shook his head. “It’s not like that. I told you it was an accident.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ronnie’s eyes searched his. “Accident or not, he needs to take responsibility for what he did.”

“I know. I told him to go to the police.”

“But what if he doesn’t? Are you going to keep covering for him forever? You’re going to let Marcus keep controlling your
life? It’s wrong.”

“But he’s my friend…”

Ronnie leapt to her feet. “Pastor Harris almost died in that fire! He spent weeks in the hospital. Do you know how painful
burns are? Why don’t you ask Blaze how it feels? And the church… you know he can’t even rebuild it… and now my dad’s never
going to see the window where it belongs!”

Will shook his head, trying to stay calm. He could see that it was all too much for Ronnie—her dad, his impending departure,
her upcoming court date. “I know it was wrong,” he said quietly. “And I’ve felt guilty about it. I can’t tell you how many
times I’ve wanted to go to the police.”

“So what?” she demanded. “That doesn’t mean anything! Didn’t you hear me when I told you about admitting in court what I had
done? Because I knew what I did was wrong! Truth only means something when it’s hard to admit! Don’t you get that? That church
was Pastor Harris’s life! It was my dad’s life! And now it’s gone and the insurance won’t cover the damage and they have to
hold services in a warehouse…”

“Scott’s my friend,” he protested. “I can’t just… throw him to the wolves.”

She blinked, wondering if he could even hear what he was saying. “How can you be so selfish?”

“I’m not being selfish—”

“That’s exactly what you are, and if you can’t understand that, then I don’t want to talk to you!” she said. She turned and
started toward the house. “Just go! Leave!”

“Ronnie!” he called out, getting up to follow her. She sensed his movement and whirled to face him.

“It’s over, okay?”

“It’s not over. C’mon, be reasonable…”

“Reasonable?” She waved her hands. “You want me to be reasonable? You haven’t just been lying for Scott, you’ve been lying
to me, too! You knew why my dad was making the window! You stood right next to me and you never said anything about it!” Her
words seemed to clarify something in her mind, and she took another step backward. “You’re not who I thought you were! I thought
you were better than this!”

He flinched, unable to think of a response, but when he took a step forward, she retreated.

“Go! You’re leaving anyway, and we’re never going to see each other again. Summers always come to an end. We can talk and
pretend all we want, but we can’t change that, so let’s just end it here and now. I can’t handle all this right now, and I
can’t be with someone I don’t trust.” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “I don’t trust you, Will. You need to go.”

He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

“Leave!” she shouted, and ran back to the house.

That night, his last night in Wrightsville Beach, Will sat in the den, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened.
He looked up when his dad walked in.

“You okay?” Tom asked. “You were kind of quiet at dinner.”

“Yeah,” Will answered. “I’m okay.”

His dad wandered to the couch and took a seat across from him. “Are you nervous about leaving tomorrow?”

Will shook his head. “No.”

“Are you all packed?”

Will nodded and felt his dad studying him. His dad leaned forward.

“What’s going on? You know you can talk to me.”

Will took his time before answering, suddenly nervous. Finally, he met his father’s eyes. “If I asked you to do something
important for me, something big, would you do it? No questions asked?”

Tom leaned back, still studying him, and in the silence, Will knew what the answer would be.

R
onnie

Y
ou really finished the window?”

Ronnie watched her dad as he talked to Jonah in the hospital room, thinking he seemed better. He still looked tired, but his
cheeks had a bit more color and he was moving with greater ease.

“It’s awesome, Dad,” Jonah said. “I can’t wait for you to see it.”

“But there were still so many pieces left.”

“Ronnie and Will helped a little,” Jonah admitted.

“Yeah?”

“I had to show them how. They didn’t know anything. But don’t worry, I was patient even when they made mistakes.”

Her dad smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, I’m a pretty good teacher.”

“I’m sure you are.”

Jonah wrinkled his nose. “It smells kinda funny in here, doesn’t it?”

“A little.”

Jonah nodded. “I thought so.” He motioned toward the television. “Have you been watching any movies?”

Her dad shook his head. “Not too many.”

“What does that do?”

Her dad glanced at the IV bag. “It’s got some medicine in it.”

“Will it make you better?”

“I’m feeling better now.”

“So you’re coming home?”

“Pretty soon.”

“Today?”

“Maybe tomorrow,” he said. “But you know what I could use?”

“What?”

“A soda. Do you remember where the cafeteria is? Down the hall and around the corner?”

“I know where it is. I’m not a little kid. What kind do you want?”

“A Sprite or a Seven-Up.”

“I don’t have any money, though.”

When her dad glanced at her, Ronnie took it as a cue to reach into her back pocket. “I’ve got some,” she said. She pulled
what she thought he’d need from her pocket and handed it to him as he headed out the door. As soon as he was gone, she could
feel her dad staring at her.

“The lawyer called this morning. They’ve postponed your court date until late October.”

Ronnie’s gaze flickered to the window. “I can’t think about that right now.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He was quiet for a moment, and she could feel him watching her. “How’s Jonah really holding up?” he
asked.

Ronnie gave a half shrug. “Lost. Confused. Scared. Barely holding it together.”
Like me,
she wanted to say.

Her dad motioned for her to come over. She took a seat in the chair that Jonah had been using. He reached for her hand and
squeezed it. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to stay out of the hospital. I never wanted you to see me like this.”

She was already shaking her head. “Never, ever apologize for that.”

“But—”

“No buts, okay? I needed to know. I’m glad I know.”

He seemed to accept that. But then he surprised her.

“Do you want to talk about what happened with Will?”

“What makes you say something like that?” she asked.

“Because I know you. Because I know when something else is on your mind. And because I know how much you cared for him.”

Ronnie sat up straighter, not wanting to lie to him. “He went home to pack,” she said.

She could feel her dad studying her.

“Did I ever tell you my dad was a poker player?”

“Yeah, you told me. Why? Do you want to play poker?”

“No,” he said. “I just know there’s more to what happened with Will than what you’re saying, but if you don’t want to talk
about it, that’s okay, too.”

Ronnie hesitated. She knew he’d be understanding, but she wasn’t ready yet. “Like I said, he’s leaving,” she said instead.
And with a nod, her dad let it go.