Page 62 of Never Fall Again

“This is amazing.” Eliza held a spoon filled with yellow custard toward Landry. “You have to try it, Mommy.”

Landry obliged. Her eyes closed, and she sighed. “Delicious.”

“Granny Quinn used to have the best banana pudding in the county. And hers is good. But Cassie’s is next level.” Cal savored a bite of his own. “She makes me one every year on my birthday, and I eat the entire thing.”

Landry almost choked on her next bite. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I eat it for breakfast, after lunch, in the afternoon, and after dinner.”

“You eat an entire banana pudding in a day?” Landry took another bite, her expression contemplative. “Never mind. I can see it. This stuffisamazing.”

Cal and Landry had taken seats across from Chad and Naomi again. The girls inhaled their dessert and asked if they could go play on the playground at the back of the church. Naomi and Landry exchanged looks, and Landry spoke. “It’s okay with me, as long as you stay where you can see us and don’t leave the playground.”

The girls jumped from their seats and, after being reminded to take their trash to the garbage can, ran to the swings.

The Lancasters walked over to them and leaned toward Chad and Naomi. “Sorry to interrupt your dessert, but could we have a word?” Larry had a grip on his wife’s hand that made Cal suspect the woman was ready to punch someone’s lights out. And that someone was probably Mr. Brevis.

Landry’s hand landed on his knee again, and she gave him a squeeze. Cal knew this was not the same as before. How he understood the message, he had no idea, but he scooted back in his chair. “Y’all take our seats. We’re done.”

Landry popped from her chair like a jack-in-the-box and grabbed her plate and his. “Yes. Here you go.” She turned to Naomi and Chad. “We’ll catch up to you in a little bit.”

Chad lifted his chin at Cal. “I’ll text you when we’re ready to go.”

Cal took both their cups and followed her to the garbage. They dumped the trash, and by unspoken agreement, walked to the edge of the parking lot.

Cal bumped her elbow. “Thanks for getting us out of there.”

“I hoped you’d be okay with that.”

“Okay? Are you kidding? I was afraid it was going to be one of those awkward situations where you get stuck sitting in the middle of two people, or in this case, four, having a conversation that you not only have nothing to contribute to but also feel very uncomfortable even hearing.”

“Exactly!” Landry came up on her toes, her eyes animated, and leaned closer. “And that Gretchen’s mom is about to go off on someone. I try to keep a low profile. The last thing I need is to be caught in the middle of a brawl at the harvest festival. Can’t you see the headlines?”

Cal tried not to get hung up on Landry’s low-profile comment and kept the conversation light. He made air quotes. “Irate parents attack middle school principal with banana pudding.”

Landry laughed, and they settled into a silence that was neither awkward nor comfortable. Something had shifted between them, and Cal didn’t know if they were going to be able to keep their footing or if they were about to crash.

A scream ripped through the night.

Then another.

And another.

Cal didn’t wait for Landry but ran straight for the playground. He knew exactly where two little girls in pink hard hats were playing, and he had no thought but to reach them and get them out of there.

The problem was that both girls were running away from him and into the woods at the back of the playground. He called out, “Eliza! Abby!” But his words were lost in the chaos of frightened children and their arguably more terrified parents.

He glanced around to keep from running into small children and random playground equipment until he was close enough for the girls to hear him. He called out again, “Eliza! Abby!”

This time they stopped, turned around, and ran to him. Hedropped to his knees, and they ran straight into his arms. He scooped them both up. Only once he had them—their tiny faces streaked with tears, their arms wrapped around his neck to the point of choking him—did he attempt to figure out what had caused the commotion.

“Shhh. Shhh.” He tried to soothe the girls. “What happened?”

Abby hiccupped into his shoulder and said something, but Cal couldn’t catch it. Chad ran up then and took Abby. “Come on.” His expression was grim. “One of the older kids said there was a man with a gun.”

“It was a big gun.” Eliza spoke just as Landry reached them.

“What?” Landry’s face was ashen, and she reached for Eliza. Eliza removed one hand from Cal’s neck but kept the other one tight around him. “Mommy!” With her grip on Cal, and Landry tugging on Eliza, Cal found himself in a tight huddle with both of them.