Little Lost Things

by Eleanor Chance

  Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Who’d you see? Was it that Midge? She can be such a pain.”

  Grace held up her hands to stop him. “Who’s Midge? What are you talking about?”

  Ryan went into the kitchen with Grace following close behind. “That one receptionist in Tony’s office. She’s so rude.”

  Grace wanted to scream as she watched Ryan sit at the kitchen table and start unlacing his boots. "There’s no Midge at Tony’s office. It was Mara! I saw Mara. We need to call the FBI."

  Ryan's head shot up. "Mara? What are you talking about?" Grace dropped into a chair opposite him and told him about the incident in the parking lot. "She’d be insane to show up there, especially if there was a chance she’d run into you."

  "She is insane, Ryan. Have you forgotten that she kidnapped Johnny from the hospital nursery two hours after he was born? Who knows what else she’s capable of? We need to call Scott Michaels."

  Ryan stopped pulling off his second boot and stared at her. "You mean Special Agent Scott Michaels with the FBI? He's probably retired by now, but even if he’s not, what do you plan to tell him? That someone bumped into you in a parking lot?"

  Grace reached down and rubbed the ache in her leg. "She ran when I chased her."

  "I would have run, too, if some strange woman came chasing after me.”

  “I’m not some strange woman. She ran first when she recognized me. I’m sure of it.”

  “You saw Mara once, for less than a minute, fourteen years ago. Johnny’s got you riled up with all this interrogation about the past. He’s stirred up bad memories. That’s all this is. You’re seeing things."

  Grace moved her hands from her leg to her temples. "Why won’t you believe me? I’ll never forget that woman's face. Never!"

  "Even if it was her, why are you panicking? You keep a tight leash on Johnny, and you've got that damned tracker on his phone. What could Mara do? He's a foot taller than her, not a helpless infant."

  Grace glared at him, frustrated by his denials. “Even if she’s not after Johnny, she needs to go to pay for what she did. What if she kidnapped another child?"

  Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. "Take a breath, Grace. You only saw her for a split second fourteen years ago. You have a lot on your mind. You know better than I do the kind of tricks our minds can play under stress."

  Grace closed her eyes and replayed the incident in slow motion in her mind. The woman's hair was darker than Grace remembered Mara’s being, but it would have been simple to dye it. A hint of wrinkles framed her mouth and eyes, which fit Mara’s age, but that proved nothing. It was her eyes that struck a chord for Grace.

  She switched her thoughts to the memory of Mara and her husband, Rick, racing into the ER with Johnny hanging limp and wet in their arms. The events that followed only lasted seconds, but Grace and Mara had locked eyes as Rick tore Mara from Johnny and dragged her out into the storm. Grace would never forget the anguish and loss in Mara’s eyes. It was the pain of a mother losing her child. Grace understood that kind of pain.

  The anguish was missing from her eyes in the parking lot earlier, but the loss remained. Mara had only been Johnny’s mother for months after she kidnapped him, and it occurred to Grace that Mara could have remarried and had children of her own. The thought disgusted her, but could Mara still suffer the pain of losing him after so many years? It seemed unlikely, and Grace wondered if she had conjured Mara up out of her own fears.

  She opened her eyes and said, "I’ll admit there’s a minuscule chance I'm wrong, but whether or not that was Mara today, she's managed to evade the FBI all these years. Who knows if they’re even looking for her? We can’t afford to get complacent. Not ever."

  "I'm not saying we should. We'll continue to keep close tabs on Johnny and contact the FBI immediately if she shows up again, but we can’t go seeing trouble around every corner. Whoever she was, hopefully you scared her off." He finished removing his boot and glanced at Grace. "Did you tell Johnny what happened?"

  Grace shook her head and got up to put a plate in the sink to avoid facing him. “I made up a story for why I was shaken up.”

  "More lies? Isn’t hiding the truth about Mara more dangerous than telling him? If Mara is back in the picture, Johnny needs to be on his guard more than anyone."

  "I couldn’t talk to him about it. I was too freaked out. And if Mara is back, telling Johnny is the least of our worries."

  Ryan stood and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to change. Don't mention this to Alec when she gets here. She'll blow it out of proportion, and half of Richmond will know by morning."

  Grace groaned. She'd forgotten Alec was coming over to plan their Thanksgiving menu. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and hide under the covers. "I'll do my best, but she always knows when I'm keeping a secret."

  Ryan looked her in the eye. "So does Johnny."

  * * *

  Alec read from the list she’d typed into her tablet two hours later. "Along with the turkey, wild rice stuffing, and red garlic potatoes, I'm planning to make my famous pumpkin Agnolotti. We just need to come up with a light vegetable. Is Ryan still insisting on broccoli cheese casserole?" When Grace didn't respond, she said, "Are you listening? Where are you tonight?"

  Grace's gaze shifted from the carpet under the dining room table to Alec. Despite Ryan's warning, she’d been battling with herself about whether or not to tell Alec about Mara. Hoping for a more understanding response that she’d gotten from Ryan, she gave in and spilled the whole story.

  "I haven’t stopped shaking since I saw her. I wanted to call Agent Scott Michaels at the FBI, but Ryan thinks I'm paranoid."

  "Look at me," Alec said, and put her hand on Grace's shoulder. "It happened so fast, and you’ve had Mara on the brain lately. That lunatic wouldn't dare show her face in Richmond and risk getting caught. She’s most likely rotting in prison for some other crime."

  Grace rubbed her forehead. What Alec said made sense, but she was having a hard time convincing herself. "I'm losing my mind."

  "No, you're not. It's just all the stress with Johnny."

  "You sound like Ryan."

  "Just get the big reveal with Johnny over with. You’ve been agonizing over it for weeks."

  "I was happy to let it go. You and Ryan are the ones pressuring me, but you can relax. We're telling Johnny Thanksgiving weekend." Alec picked up her phone and started tapping. "What are you doing?"

  "Putting it in my calendar so you can't conveniently forget."

  "Don’t bother. Ryan will be holding my feet to the fire."

  "Good man." She squeezed Grace's hand. "I know you, better than anyone but Ryan. Maybe better than Ryan. You'll obsess about Mara until you drive yourself and the rest of us crazy. Johnny has all of us to protect him. Forget Mara and focus on reality, not ghosts. By Christmas, you'll be wondering why you kept Johnny’s past from him for so long and this Mara thing will be a faint memory. On another topic, have you considered that Johnny will want to meet Craig once he knows the truth?”

  “I’ve tried not to think of it, but we won’t stand in his way if he does. He has a right to know his biological father.”

  “Speaking of, have you heard from that jerk lately?"

  Grace shook her head. "Not since his daughter was born three years ago. I've heard from Craig exactly five times since the day he relinquished his parental rights to Johnny. First, when Kristen left him, then when he married Melanie, and when Samuel, Charlie, and Laurel were born."

  Alec crossed her arms and huffed. "What do you notice about those events? All about him. He never calls to find out how Johnny’s doing?"

  "Never, but he’s doing me a favor. The less I have to think about Craig Stuart, the better, especially now."

  "Then let's shift gears, be grateful for our amazing lives, and plan our Thanksgiving dinner." When Grace smiled, Alec said, "See what I did there?"

  "I get it. Funny. Now, tell me again what you're fixing. I didn't hear a word you sa
id."

  Chapter Four

  Grace walked into Johnny's room after clearing up the Thanksgiving dinner and frowned at the mess on his floor. Jeans, sweatshirts and even underwear were strewn in every direction, and she could guess from the wrappers and dishes the contents of every meal that he'd eaten for the past week.

  "How can you even maneuver in here on your crutches? It's a miracle you haven't broken your neck."

  Johnny was lying on his bed in a stained t-shirt watching something on his tablet. "I'll clean it tomorrow before I leave," he said, without taking his eyes off the screen.

  "You said that two days ago. Do you need help?"

  "I'll manage."

  Grace knew that meant he had no intention of cleaning his room. Ryan had convinced her to stop doing it for him, but it made her teeth itch to let it go. The room smelled like the inside of a garbage can in a locker room and made her eyes water. She didn't know how he could stand it. She motioned for him to scoot over and sat next to him on the bed.

  "I wanted to thank you for staying tonight after dinner and not leaving to hang out with your friends. It meant a lot to me and everyone else."

  "It's cool. I had fun, and I'm kind of tired. I kind of have a headache." Grace reached over to feel his forehead, but it was cool. Johnny moved his head to the side. "Don't freak out, Mom. I'm not sick. It's just a tiny headache."

  The smallest symptom could turn into a major ordeal with Johnny, so Grace was always on her guard. Aside from the cerebral palsy from his head injury as a baby, he suffered lung and heart damage from going without oxygen when he almost drowned after being thrown out of a capsized boat in the James River. The slightest cold could send him to the hospital.

  "Probably too many video games." Johnny lowered his tablet and rolled his eyes at her. "Besides cleaning your room, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

  Johnny sat up and looked her in the eye. "Can we do my DNA test in the morning? You said I could have one."

  Grace had been so relieved when he'd let the matter drop that his question caught her off guard. A DNA test would be pointless once they had their talk with Johnny on Sunday night.

  "I completely forgot, but tomorrow is Black Friday. I'm not leaving this house."

  "You always have an excuse." He crossed his arms and looked at the wall.

  "It may be an excuse, but it's a legitimate one. We won't be able to do anything about it until Monday. I know a geneticist I trust. I’ll call her and find out the best way to go about this."

  "You'll conveniently forget by then."

  Grace pulled a sheet of paper from a notepad on his desk and wrote a promise to call her friend on Monday. She added her signature with a flourish and taped the note to his mirror. "Satisfied?"

  "That's a binding legal contract." He smiled and swung his feet to the floor. "I'll hold you to it." He picked up his crutches and stood, towering over her. She wondered if he'd keep growing until she wouldn't be able to see his face anymore. "What are you smiling at?" he asked.

  She tipped her head to get a good look at him. "Remember how much you loved Jack and the Beanstalk when you were little? You used to ask us to read it over and over. I always thought of you as Jack, not the giant in the story."

  "I'll let you know if I start craving man-flesh."

  “Good to know,” Grace said and laughed. It was the most pleasant moment they'd shared in as long as Grace could remember. He seemed like the old Johnny. Not wanting to spoil it, she chose not to pester him about the state of his room. The mess would be there tomorrow. "So, what are your plans?"

  "The movies, remember? I did ask."

  "That's right. You're brave to venture out. The theater will be packed."

  "We have tickets with assigned seats. It's all good." He leaned on one crutch and bent down to pick up some trash, which he tossed in the overflowing trash can. "Three points," he said and did a fist pump.

  She was glad to see him making an effort. "Do you and your friends need a ride? There won't be anywhere to park."

  "Jason's taking us. We're going an hour early. Could you drive me to Ty's?”

  " I just need to be back before four. We’re having friends over for a game night."

  "I want to leave at one, so that'll work."

  "Good." She stood on a stack of his textbooks and kissed his cheek. "It was a nice day. I have much to be thankful for."

  * * *

  Johnny waited until his mom was down the hallway before grabbing his backpack. He ignored his growing guilt for lying to her while he dug out clean clothes from one of the piles on his floor and shoved them in his bag before dropping onto the bed to think about what he was about to do. Johnny recognized that his mom was making an effort to get along with him. It felt good to laugh with her instead of arguing and reminiscing about Jack and the Beanstalk had struck a chord, but he and his friends had made their plans weeks earlier. He refused to back out so close to launch. He'd be home before his parents knew he'd left Richmond.

  He dumped the meds he needed for the weekend, and a few extras just in case, into a baggie and added them into the pack. His game controllers went in last. He’d grab his toothbrush and toiletries after he showered in the morning. When he was done, he laid down to finish his video and do his best to shove thoughts of his mom out of his throbbing head.

  * * *

  Grace was glad Alec and Adam stayed behind when the other guests left after their game night, but she hoped they wouldn’t stay too long. Grace was relaxed and looking forward to some alone time with Ryan. Johnny had called earlier to ask if he could spend the night at Ty's, and she hadn’t hesitated before saying yes. Grace and Ryan needed time to rekindle their relationship without Johnny distracting them.

  When the Emersons started making moves to leave, Alec took a wrapped package out of her tote bag and handed it to Grace. "An early Christmas gift. You may not speak to me again after you read it, but I was driven to write it. My agent and publisher went crazy for the idea. It's an advanced copy, but the book comes out next week."

  Grace studied the package. It was much too heavy to be a children's book. Alec hadn't mentioned that she was working on anything else. Grace slowly tore the paper away to see a picture of herself staring back at her. It was one Alec had taken at a park years earlier. Off to the side, there was a blurred-out image of a baby. The title read "Baby Joe Doe."

  Grace's hands started to shake. "What is this, Alec?" Before Alec could answer, Grace caught Adam and Ryan giving each other a conspiring look. She glared at Ryan. "Did you know about this?"

  Alec stepped between them. "I made him promise not to tell you. Adam urged me to tell you, but I knew you'd try to talk me out if it."

  Grace gritted her teeth. "What is it?" she hissed.

  "A biography of Johnny and you that I've been working on for years. I hadn't planned to publish it, but I mentioned it to my agent one day when I was behind on my deadline for another book, and she told me to write up a proposal for the publisher. They ate it up. I've been so worried that you'd find out. The publisher has been putting out advanced publicity, and I've already mentioned it in a few interviews."

  Grace lowered herself into a chair and tried to fight her rising terror. She had secrets that only Alec and Ryan shared. She knew the truth about her disastrous affair with Jay Morgan. Worse, she knew about the attempted suicide. Had she laid her deepest secrets bare for the entire world to see?

  "How could you do this to me? You’re the last person I thought could betray my trust." She let the book fall to the floor. "You were right, I don't ever want to speak to you again. Get out of my house and leave your key."

  Adam kneeled in front of her and put his hand on her arm. "Read it before you throw away a fifteen-year friendship. It's brilliant, and most of the facts are already public. Alec just added more depth and detail. There's nothing intimate or too personal that only we would know. She did include the truth about Jay Morgan and what happened to him, but not your relationship with him.
"

  Grace brushed Adam's hand away. "Don't defend her. You all knew what this would do to me, and you've backed me into a corner, making me tell Johnny about his past on your timetable."

  "You told me three weeks ago that you're telling him this weekend. I put it in my phone, remember?"

  "But you're forcing my hand. What would you have done if I wasn't ready? Or would that matter to you? We’re just the little people in the way of Alec Emerson’s quest for fame and fortune."

  Alec leaned over with her face inches from Grace's. "How dare you say that after all I’ve done for you? I wrote it because I want the world to know the incredible person I've treasured like a sister all these years. I want women to see how you succeed against insurmountable odds and believe it’s possible for them to do the same. What you did was remarkable. No, more than that, it was miraculous."

  "You should have told me. You could have waited until Johnny knew the truth. You're forcing me into telling him because that's what you’ve wanted all along."

  "It's what I want, too," Ryan said. "The rest of the world knows the story. It's a miracle Johnny hasn't found out yet."

  "You all seem to know what's best for my son and me."

  "Our son," Ryan said.

  "We'll tell Johnny as planned on Sunday." She pointed to the book on the floor, "But I'm not reading that."

  * * *

  Grace stroked the cold sheets on Ryan’s side of the bed when she woke the next morning. She'd made Ryan sleep in his man-cave, which made her angrier at everyone. Not only had Alec betrayed her, but she'd ruined her first night alone with Ryan in longer than Grace could remember. They'd had a rare argument. Ryan said now she knew how it felt to have secrets kept from her like she was doing to Johnny. She'd thrown a pillow at him and sent him to the basement. What made her angriest was knowing that he was right.

  She tossed in bed for hours before getting up to apologize for overreacting. They'd never gone to bed mad. Alec should have told her about the book, but it was true that the story was already out there. She had no right to take it out on Ryan. He was up getting the boxes of Christmas decorations out when she found him.