Her voice broke. “How am I supposed to think of DIY projects when my brother is gone and I don’t know where he is?”
He pulled into his parents’ driveway, cut the engine, and turned to face her. “You can’t. I’m afraid until we locate your brother and my sister, our normal lives are pretty much on hold.”
Tessa’s eyes locked with his. “I never even asked what you do for a living.”
“I mostly study coastal erosion and sedimentation, the kind of damage that occurs after a catastrophic weather event, like say, a hurricane, a category three and up, or a tsunami.”
“Funny, you don’t look like a scientist.”
“Gee thanks.”
“I mean, you look like a Wall Street type.”
“There’s a part of me insulted at that description. Scientifically put, I’m a physical oceanographer. Growing up on an island, I always found myself thinking about geophysical fluid dynamics. You know, how weather, high winds and such, create the huge waves that impact the coastal tidelands. I found my calling with buoyancy-driven currents.”
“Let me see if I have this right. In other words, how much sand and beach grass wash away after a storm?”
“Geeky, I know.”
“Haven’t you heard? These days geeks rule the world.”
He turned to see the light in her eyes, those kissable lips. He tried to tamp down his attraction. “Yeah, well, while most guys my age were figuring out how to be the next Dan Marino, I wanted to go into creative research and learn everything I could about ecosystems, earth and flora disappearing, stuff like that, and how long it took for the vegetation to come back after devastation.”
Even in the waning light inside the car’s interior, she could see the eagerness on his face, the enthusiasm he had for his work so much that it resonated outward. It had been a longtime since anyone’s passion had been so visible, so apparent to her. Longing moved through her. She recognized that pull in her lower belly, that sense of desire and knew what it meant. On instinct she reached across the bench seat and took his face in her hands. She said nothing before pressing her lips to his.
His mouth worked a kind of magic, jolting her body to life. It felt like silvery stars shattered inside her, each one finding its mark. Their arms slid around each other until there was no space left between them. His hands roamed to touch her hair. His fingers strummed along her spine and splayed down to her hips.
Between the frenzied slip of tongues, she inhaled his scent, rode the fragrance of his aftershave. The kiss was like standing on a mountaintop, creeping toward the edge, and waiting to take the drop into freefall. She floated high, gliding on the prospect of what they could do next.
Jackson thought she tasted like a smooth cognac laced with golden honey, swirled with soft caramels. He angled his head to slow the pace, and understood the moment she yielded to the pleasure of the kiss. Her body melded into his as a reckless want took over. He sought to rush headlong into the white-hot fire.
An earsplitting foghorn sounded offshore. The noise broke them apart. But the air still sizzled, still rippled between them like the glow from a laser beam.
Jackson rested his forehead on hers. “I’ve wanted to do that since you first opened the door at the hotel.”
“Same here, only when I saw you standing outside my door I saw a pirate who looked too dangerous to mess with or let in. Your little speech about your sister is the only reason I opened the door.”
“This is probably not the best time to start this kind of thing up, is it?”
“Definitely not. Too much going on.”
“Just one problem with that kind of thinking. I’d like to do more than kiss you.”
“Ah, good. It’s a good idea.”
To prove it, they went after each other a second time and then a third, snuggling together until they heard a door slam. A few seconds later an impatient Tanner called out, “Jackson, that you? What’s taking you so long to get out of the truck?”
Tessa let out a belly laugh. “I feel like I’ve been transported back to fifteen again.”
“I haven’t made out in a car since I was a freshman in college,” Jackson admitted. “Back then I had three roommates. And now I’m sharing a house with four people, the same ones I was with when I was twelve. We might have a problem carving out any time to be together.”
A little thrill inched up her spine knowing it hadn’t been a one-time event. “I’ve heard where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Impatient, Tanner bellowed out again in the direction of the truck, “You in there? Anything wrong?”
Jackson rolled the window down. “Dad, we’re fine. I was just saying goodnight to Tessa. I’ll come inside in a minute.”
“Oh, okay, sure. I forgot Tessa went with you.”
Jackson shook his head and watched his father head back into the house. “Yeah, right. Geez, he probably did that on purpose. Your car’s still parked at the curb. This’ll get old real quick. Want me to follow you back to the hotel?”
“No need, I’ll be fine. Be sure to let me know what your friend at the bank says.”
“Mitch and I sorta promised a TV reporter we’d hold a press conference tomorrow…early. Mitch is working on setting everything up. How about having breakfast with me in the morning before I face the media?”
“Sure, sounds like a plan. So they’re making you the spokesman?”
“Oldest son. I sense I’ll be drafted.”
As he walked her to her car he realized he hadn’t been this happy about scoring a breakfast date since he and Roma Lynn Caraway went out for waffles after senior prom. After a dozen years, he still recalled how he and Roma had spent their time together leading up to the food.
It wasn’t until he watched Tessa drive off that Rachel popped into his head. Almost twenty-four hours had gone by and she still hadn’t thought to text him to ask about his family crisis. Typical. Their on-and-off-again relationship had been on life support for too long. It was way past time to pull the plug.
As he opened the back door and stepped into the little mudroom, he decided he’d send an email before he went to bed tonight breaking things off for good. No more connecting with each other just to hook up for sex.
From here on out, he’d take it slow with Tessa. It probably wasn’t the ideal time for that kind of distraction anyway. The two of them were on a mission, a collaboration to find answers, not to play kissy-face with each other in a parked car sitting in his parents’ driveway. Besides, when Livvy and the kids got back home, he’d head to his job in New York. When Tessa located her brother, she’d go back to Nags Head. They were two ships passing each other for a brief amount of time. Hitting the sheets would only complicate things. But under any other circumstance, Tessa would’ve been a welcome bright spot to an otherwise ordinary visit.
Jackson was brought up short when he found his father and brothers sitting around the kitchen table, a spot where the family had faced down many calamities in the past. They were drinking beers all around.
“Where’s Mom?”
Tanner sighed wearily. “She went to bed about an hour ago. Let’s hope she can get some sleep.”
At the prospect of ragging on his brother, Garret snickered with laughter. “Dad says he’s awful sorry he busted in on your make-out session with the hot redhead.”
Mitch snorted with laughter. “Yeah. We’re in here strategizing, working hard, while you’re out gallivanting with a woman and can’t keep your hands to yourself.”
Jackson glared at his dad. “Thanks a lot.”
Mitch straightened him out. “Hey, don’t blame Dad. We figured it out when you stayed in the truck so long that the windows started steaming up. Next time, get a room.”
Jackson finally cracked a grin. “I don’t have to take this. I’m going to bed.”
Tanner stopped him. “Not before telling us what happened with Royce. How was the old coot anyway?”
Resigned to a discussion, Jackson snatched another a
mber ale from the fridge and took it over to the table. To needle Mitch and Garret, he made each brother move their chairs over so he’d have enough room to stretch out his legs. After twisting the top off the beer bottle, he plopped down, guzzled a long drink before breaking into the recap. “Actually Royce looked like he’d taken a punch to the gut and was still trying to digest devastating news, the kind that takes the wind out of your sails right before you crash into the rocks.”
With that, Jackson replayed the high points of the conversation. “Despite everything Royce said to me, I got the feeling he wasn’t being entirely truthful.”
“Now there’s a surprise,” Tanner said as he stood up. “Want a piece of Key lime pie to go with that beer?”
“Isn’t that sacrilegious, drinking a beer with Mom’s pie? She takes particular pride in the way she makes a meringue.”
“True. It’s Livvy’s favorite,” Garret noted with fondness. “I remember one time she scooped in and grabbed the whole pie Mom had made for her bridge club, snuck off with it and gorged herself on the stuff, ate the entire thing in one sitting. Got so sick she puked her guts out right over the treehouse wall. It was so cool.”
A smile crossed Mitch’s face at the memory. “You were just mad because Livvy beat you to the punch, swiping it before you could. I remember that old treehouse. That sucker stood until tropical storm Fay blew through here in 2008 and toppled over the big old maple, turned it into a pile of splinters. Sad day for all of us.”
Tanner chuckled. “When I built that thing for you guys I wasn’t sure the tree could withstand the weight of the lumber, let alone the four of you climbing up and down on its branches every day. Livvy called it her playhouse and you guys referred to it as a fort. Your mother settled the squabbles by naming it Indigo Towers.”
Jackson bobbed his head. “It’s a shame Fay destroyed it before Blake and Ally got to enjoy everything the fort had to offer. Best treehouse within twenty blocks.”
Mitch took exception to that. “Are you kidding? Best in town, biggest, too. I spent hours up there reading, playing with my Matchbox cars, then later when I was fourteen trying to get up the nerve to ask Raine Manning out.”
“You must’ve figured out a way,” Tanner said in jest. “Your mom and I couldn’t keep the two of you apart the summer you turned fifteen.”
Mitch smiled. “Those were the days. Now Raine barely speaks to me.”
“Gotta be the Mitch version of Indigo charm,” Garret chided.
“Is that why you avoid going into her family’s restaurant like it contained some foreign strain of the plague?” Jackson asked.
“Fuck you. What do you know about it?”
“Watch your mouth,” Tanner warned. “I didn’t allow that kind of talk when you were fifteen.”
“I’m not fifteen anymore,” Mitch fired back.
“Doesn’t matter. My house means my rules.”
Stony silence followed. It stretched on until each of them remembered the reason they were gathered around the table in the first place. The unease built up and then dissolved into quiet acceptance.
Four members of their family were not there. And so far no one had done anything to resolve the why of it.
It was Jackson who finally broke the quiet. “I promised Tessa I’d look into Royce and Walker’s bank records. To do that, I need to make a call to Nathan tonight. After that we need to come up with a serious game plan. Now’s as good a time as any.”
Garret laughed a little. “I can’t see Nathan Hollister going against bank policy like that. He’s the straightest arrow you ever had for a friend.”
“That’s just it, Nathan and I go way back. I was best man at his wedding.”
Mitch cleared his throat. “Okay, I’ll say what no one else wants to. We need to get better organized…and fast. There are four of us, including Tessa, and each one needs to do his or her part without bitching. I managed to get the press conference set up for tomorrow morning at eight. Don’t expect a lot because I pulled it together with a bunch of favors and phone calls. Let’s face it, the reporters might not even show up on such short notice. And it’s happening on a Sunday. But it’s a starting point. The next step is rounding up more of the locals for a ground search. I’ve made some calls on that, too. If we get the community involved, we should have a decent turnout. But eventually we’ll need to ask around, maybe bring in professionals who do this sort of thing for a living. I have calls into people who do that with a great turnaround.”
“You’re talking about looking for bodies?” Jackson said before slamming his fist down on the table, fatigue and frustration taking hold. “Where? Where exactly do you intend to direct these people to look? Where do you have them start? Livvy and the kids could be anywhere.”
Mitch abruptly stood up, causing the kitchen chair to fall over behind him. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know that at this point we might be looking for remains?”
“Don’t talk like that!” Tanner shouted. “It’s too early to think that way.”
Mitch sent his father a sad look as he set the chair upright. “Livvy has always been responsible, the one to pick up the phone and call home. Think about it. She’s a levelheaded mom herself, a quick thinker. We all know she wouldn’t go away on her own without giving you guys a heads-up about her plans.” He stared at his dad. “You’ve already considered the stark possibility. Don’t deny it. Mom might not have, but it’s crossed your mind a time or two since this thing began.”
Mitch paced to the kitchen sink, stared out the window into the darkness of the backyard. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you guys, but the truth is, I’m the one person in this room who has the expertise and knows how best to find things no one else can.”
He turned to face his family. “I do it all the time sailing the damned ocean. I know what I’m doing. I’ve already contacted my salvage crew to head back into port. They’ll be here Wednesday with enough sonar to scan what’s out in Sugar Bay and beyond.”
Jackson leaned back in his chair, put his hands on his aching head. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired I’m not thinking straight. Plus I’m scared, scared out of my mind. The search is a good idea, expanding it to the water is an extension of covering our bases to rule out where they could’ve ended up.”
Mitch sat back down. “The plan is to form three groups of volunteers. I’ll send one out to canvass the strand and hand out flyers all along the shops. While doing that they’ll ask around to see if anyone saw Livvy or Walker on Thursday. While one group pounds the pavement around town the other two will fan out and cover the beach, the right of way that leads to the marshlands, and the woods near the bog.”
Tanner exchanged looks with his sons and scrubbed a hand over his face. “My God, I can’t believe we’re looking for bodies. This is really happening. Please don’t let your mother hear this kind of talk yet.”
But it was too late. All eyes turned to see Lenore standing in the kitchen doorway. One hand covered her mouth while the other clutched her chest. “You’ve heard something. My babies are dead, aren’t they? Oh my God! Tell me this isn’t happening. Tell me this is a nightmare.”
Tanner got up, went to his wife. “No, no, we haven’t heard a thing, honey. Go back to bed. Mitch is just organizing a search for tomorrow.”
Lenore wobbled on her feet and started to sink to the floor.
“Call Vernon Whitten,” Tanner demanded. “His number’s there by the wall phone. Get him over here now!”
“Shouldn’t we call 911?” Jackson asked, panic setting in.
“No, Vernon’s two streets over. Do it! Just make the call.”
Dr. Vernon Whitten had just settled in front of the flat screen to watch his alma mater, Florida State, finish off the Georgia Bulldogs in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter when the call came in. He’d been the Indigos’ family physician for over thirty years. Because he knew what they were going through, he rushed out the door and headed to Quay Avenue.
After determining that Lenore had suffered an anxiety attack and that it had nothing to do with her heart, the doctor sedated her and directed Jackson to carry her to bed.
Vernon looked over at an exhausted Tanner and patted him on the shoulder. “She’ll be fine. A good night’s sleep will go a long way to helping her state of mind.”
Tanner eased down into the nearest chair. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
“Not a problem. When this is over and Livvy and the kids are back home, we’ll take those kids fishing for a couple days, get away from this bad memory, get us a bucket of chum and see how many redfish we can score.”
Tanner wasn’t that easily appeased. “Will it ever be that simple again, Vernon? Will the two of us ever get to go fishing without worrying about where Blake and Ally are, where their mother is? Before you got here, we were making plans to search for bodies. Nothing will ever go back to the way it was, not when you’re forced to search for bodies of little babies.”
Vernon went over to his friend. “They’ll turn up. You have to believe that.”
“Everyone keeps saying that, but how do I make sure Lenore holds up until that happens?”
Vernon had no answers so he patted Tanner on the back and said, “You need anything you know Jill and I will do whatever it takes to help. You just name it.”
“That’s just it, I’m not sure what to do, where to start. None of us are.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Vernon said, looking around the room at the glum faces of the Indigo boys. “And these guys, your sons are pretty damn smart. Lean on them to get you and Lenore through this.”
After Vernon left, Tanner joined his wife in bed. But the brothers stayed up, huddled back around the kitchen table.
Jackson rubbed his eyes. His head still pounded from the scare with his mother. “This might be the longest day of my life. We’re all exhausted, frustrated, and on edge. And so far we’ve done a piss poor job of this whole thing. We haven’t even been here one whole day yet and we almost gave Mom a heart attack just mentioning the reality of a search.”
[Indigo Brothers 01.0] Indigo Fire Page 8