He wiped his eyes as he stood upright.
Nelson had a look of awe on his face. It matched his grandson’s.
It was Mei who spoke first. “I’m going to hug the crap out of you.”
That stunned him, especially when he remembered what Mei had told him about physical affection. “Only you could make that sound like a threat.”
She set the knives on the closest table before tapping her fingers against her palm. There was a tiny pulse in the air around them, and then Mei was on him. He almost fell over as she wrapped her arms around his back, holding on tightly. He was stunned into inaction, but only for a moment. It was fragile, this, and Wallace couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged him. He pulled his arms up carefully, hands going to the small of Mei’s back.
“Squeeze harder,” she said into his neck. “I’m not going to break.”
His eyes burned. He didn’t know why. But he did as she asked. He squeezed as hard as he could.
When he opened his eyes, he found Hugo watching him, a strange expression on his face. They looked at each other for a long time.
CHAPTER
12
That night, Wallace followed the cable to find Hugo out back, leaning against the deck railing. It was cloudy, the stars hidden away. He paused in the doorway, unsure of his welcome. An odd sense of guilt washed through him, though he didn’t allow it to grow any larger. It was worth it, seeing the smile on Mei’s face.
Before he could turn back around and go inside, Hugo said, “Hello.”
Wallace scratched the back of his neck. “Hello, Hugo.”
“All right?”
“I think so. Do you … want to be left alone? I don’t want to intrude or anything.”
Hugo shook his head without turning around. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”
Wallace went to the railing, keeping a bit of distance between Hugo and himself. He worried Hugo was angry with him, though he didn’t think Hugo should be upset over something so trivial as using a Ouija board to scare away a grifter. Still, it wasn’t his place to tell Hugo what he could or could not feel, especially since this was his shop. His home.
Hugo said, “You’re thinking about apologizing, aren’t you?”
Wallace sighed. “That obvious, huh?”
“A little. Don’t.”
“Don’t apologize?”
Hugo nodded, glancing at him before looking out at the tea garden. “You did the right thing.”
“I told a woman I was Satan and was going to cannibalize her diver.” He grimaced. “That’s not something I ever thought I’d say out loud.”
“First time for everything,” Hugo said. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Okay.”
“Why did you do it?”
Wallace frowned as he crossed his arms. “Mess with them like that?”
“Yes.”
“Because I could.”
“That’s it?”
Well, no. But that he hadn’t liked the way Desdemona had flirted with him wasn’t something Wallace would ever admit. It made him sound ridiculous, even if there’d been a kernel of truth to it. Nothing could be done about it, and Wallace wasn’t about to say something that made it sound like he had a crush of some sort. The very idea caused a wave of embarrassment to wash over him, and he felt his face grow warm. It was stupid, really. Nothing would come of it. He was dead. Hugo was not.
So he said the first thing he latched onto that didn’t make him sound like he was about to swoon. “Mei.” And with that one word, he knew it was the truth, much to his consternation.
“What about her?”
Wallace sighed. “I … She was upset. I didn’t like the way Desdemona talked down to her. Like Mei was beneath her. No one should be made to feel that way.” And because he was still Wallace, he added, “I mean, Mei did want to commit a felony, sure, but she’s all right, I guess.”
“That’s quite a ringing endorsement.”
“You know what I mean.”
He was surprised when Hugo said, “I think I do. You saw something happening to someone you consider a friend and felt the need to intervene.”
“I wouldn’t call her a friend—”
“Wallace.”
He groaned. “Fine. Whatever. We’re friends.” It wasn’t as hard to say out loud as he thought it would be. He wondered if he’d always made things so difficult for himself. “Why did you let it happen?”
Hugo looked taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the first time she’s come here. Desdemona.”
“No,” Hugo said slowly. “It’s not.”
“And you know how Mei doesn’t like her. Especially when she involved Nancy.”
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you put a stop to it?” He was careful not to put any censure in his voice. He wasn’t angry, exactly—not at Hugo—but he didn’t understand. He honestly expected more. He didn’t know when that had started, but it was there all the same. “Mei’s your friend too. Didn’t you see how much it upset her?”
“Not as much as I should have,” Hugo said. He stared off into the darkness of the woods around them.
“You know her history,” Wallace said, unsure of why he was pushing this. All he knew was that it felt important. “What happened to her. Before.”
“She told you.”
“She did. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to have no one listen to you when you’re…” He stopped himself, remembering how he’d screamed for someone to hear him after he collapsed in his office. How he’d tried to get someone, anyone to see him. He’d felt invisible. “It’s not right.”
“No,” Hugo said. “I don’t suppose it is.” His jaw tightened. “And for what it’s worth, I’ve apologized to Mei. I shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did.” He shook his head. “I think part of me wanted to see what you would do, even after I’d told you no.”
“Why?”
“To see what you were capable of,” Hugo said quietly. “You’re not alive, Wallace. But you still exist. I don’t think you realized that until today.”
He could almost believe that, coming from Hugo. “Still shouldn’t have done that to her. Or let Desdemona interfere with Nancy like she did.”
“Yeah. I can see that now. I’m not perfect. I never claimed to be. I still make mistakes like everyone else, even though I try my best. Being a ferryman doesn’t absolve me of being human. If anything, it only makes things harder. If I make a mistake, people can get hurt. All I can do is promise to do better and not let something like that happen again.” He smiled ruefully. “Not that I think Desdemona will come back. At least not for a long time to come. You saw to that.”
“Damn right,” Wallace said, puffing out his chest. “Gave ’em the ol’ what for.”
“You really need to stop hanging out with Grandad.”
“Eh. He’s all right. Don’t tell him I said that, though. He’d never let me hear the end of it.” Wallace reached out to touch Hugo’s hand until he remembered he couldn’t. He pulled his arm away quickly. Hugo, for his part, didn’t react. Wallace was thankful for that, even as he remembered the way it’d felt to have Mei hugging him as hard as she could. He didn’t know when he’d become so desperate for contact.