“Yeah, they’re good. Thanks,” Joel said.
“Know how mind-boggling and surreal it was for me seeing a picture of your mom holding your daughter?” Tallie asked.
“I’m sorry you saw it.”
“It’s on your Facebook page.”
“Tallie—”
“They’re really great grandparents,” she said, interrupting him.
Tallie and Joel stared at each other as if their history played on a film between them, the two of them separated by that flickering screen. She thought of the emails Rye had shown her—that tender, apologetic Joel. She looked at him, knowing that that Joel was in there somewhere behind those eyes.
“I learned my lesson, but I learned it too late,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say to that, Joel.”
“Will you at least unblock me from your phone?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know, Tallie. Just because?”
“I will as soon as I get it from River.” She nodded and leaned over to see River’s face flashing with cell phone light.
“I like your glasses, by the way. They look good on you,” Joel said, taking his time looking at her. “And about what I wrote in those emails—”
Tallie held up her hand. “I really can’t talk about this right now. I have to go. The whole thing was stupid. It’s done. We have to make a deliberate decision to move on…but I’ll unblock you,” she said. “River, I need my phone now. Your mommy will be up here soon.” She held out her hand to him. Once River gave it to her, she let Joel watch her unblock his number. “And you’ll change your Facebook password? I’m deleting mine.”
“On it,” Joel said, taking River on his lap and giving him the phone from his pocket. Joel told Tallie he was going to hang around a little longer and that Ben and some more of Lionel’s friends would be coming tomorrow.
“Text or call me if you want to,” Tallie said, “to let me know when you’re coming back up here…before you leave town.”
“Yeah. Of course,” Joel said, touching the top of River’s head before lifting his hand and holding it still, frozen in a wave.
*
Tallie’s phone lit up with preciousness as Aisha’s face filled her screen. She swiped to answer it, walking fast through the parking lot.
“Girl. I can’t talk for long right now, but I have so much to tell you. You wouldn’t believe it. Like, so much,” Tallie said.
“Okaaay. Is Li all right? As soon as I turned my phone on when I got back home, it blew up with texts saying his costume caught fire at the party. But he’s in the hospital now?” Aisha said. Aisha’s voice did a good job of bringing Tallie to reality. She walked to the car, filling her in as quickly as she could about Lionel’s accident and Joel showing up. She told her she was giving a new friend a ride and would call her soon, explain everything later. She ended the call, saw her car was empty, and walked closer with a sludgy sick stomach, worried Rye was gone.
But when she peeked in the window, she saw him inside with the seat laid back, one arm thrown over his face, looking like a sweet child she’d do anything for. And all he wanted was for her to take him to the bridge. She’d play along. An embarrassingly bottom-of-the-barrel therapy trick—reverse psychology. Bridge bridge bridge. If he wanted the bridge so bad, that’s where they’d go.
*
“So after all this, you won’t talk?” Tallie said, shattering the silence in her car. Rye remained quiet. “We’ve talked all weekend, and…”
“We’ve lied all weekend,” Rye finally said after a stretch of taciturnity.
“Not everything I said was a lie. Yes, I lied and said I was a teacher. Maybe it was unethical for me to not disclose that I’m a therapist, but I’m not perfect and never claimed to be. I’m a professional secret keeper,” she said, wildly gesturing with a free hand before putting it on the stick shift. “I guess you are, too, now.”
Rye turned to her as she stopped at a red light. He had the same haunted, heavy look he had on his face when she found him Thursday evening. Gone was the Emmett in her kitchen, the Emmett making biscuits and charming her mother yesterday morning, the dashing Emmett the night before in his suit at Lionel’s party, kissing and kissing her. Bridge manifested himself as they neared the Ohio River. But. She couldn’t control him. He’d been an unknowing participant in talk therapy. They were soon to part ways. If he didn’t want help, she couldn’t force him. She had to get some rest because she would be waking up early for her morning appointments. She had a life, and it was just as important as everyone else’s. Rye needed to take care of himself the same way she did.