“She loves you so much, and I’m really grateful to be here. I mean, being with you guys—I’ve never been around a family like yours.” Ruth swallowed. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. You were so nice to let me come here, and if I ruined it, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Silas said. “I’m sorry I got so mad. I didn’t mean to be rude to you. It’s just that this place has a lot of significance for our family, not all in the best of ways. But you know that already, don’t you?”

Ruth twisted her hips and pulled on the tie of her bathing suit bottoms. Silas hadn’t seen this bathing suit before. It was yellow with blue polka dots. It tied the same way as her other ones, knots in the crucial parts. Little else.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I’ll stop prying—she only told me things because I pushed it. I just—we don’t really have any old family stories. It’s just my mom and me, you know? She doesn’t tell me much. So it’s cool to hear—I don’t mean what happened is cool! Shit. Shit! I shouldn’t curse! I’m sorry.” Ruth pushed her palm into her face.

Silas laughed. “It’s fine, Ruth. Really. Forget about it.”

“So you’re not mad at Mickey anymore?”

“I’m going to talk to her later.”

Ruth shifted but stayed at the tree line. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t have to answer your questions; you’re a kid.”

He smiled enough to let her know he was teasing, and she laughed.

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing the old gal up,” Silas answered, digging his fingers back in. “I figured if you guys are going to be down here, it might as well be tetanus-free.”

From where he knelt, Silas could see where Ruth’s legs started at the forest floor, but not where they ended. He could see how she balanced on one foot, placing the other flat against her knee. How she made that balancing act look casual.

“Can I help?”

“Sure, why not? How about you go through the rocks and take out the ones that we should replace? The small ones.”

“Okay,” Ruth said. She pushed off from the tree line with a spring, but when she went to her knees, she did so gently.

Silas could hear her open and then close her mouth, catching a thought.

“Go on,” he said. “Ask.”

Ruth picked up a small rock and flicked it over her shoulder before reaching into the bag for its replacement.

“How do you know I want to ask something?”

“Not to brag, but I’m basically fluent in teenager.”

“You should write a book.”

“Just waiting on Oprah’s seal of approval.”