Vicki’s Gift

by Fischer, Kristin Noel

  Grant ran back into the workshop. “Ms. Amie? Can I borrow the pen again? I just had another idea for my kayak.”

  “Sure.” She retrieved the pen from her purse and handed it to him. “I need to get going, but I’ll leave it here. Your dad can return it to me later.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Grant nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, thank you very much.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “You’re welcome. Keep it as long as you like.”

  Chapter 32

  Vicki

  Because of construction on the highway and a miserable traffic accident, it took me twice as long to complete Keith’s task. Once I returned home, I flew up the stairs to my apartment, afraid I was going to be late for the party.

  In record time, I changed and raced back down to the parking lot where I plugged my completely dead phone into my own car’s charger, then I sped to the museum. Thankfully, Piper, my most entrusted employee, had delivered the desserts to the museum earlier.

  About halfway up the mountain, my phone lit up with one text after another. Just get to the party, I told myself, refusing to read my texts while driving. Most likely, half of them were from Keith, wondering why I was so late. I couldn’t help it if the van I’d used for his secret mission didn’t have a jack for a phone charger.

  After parking my car, I glanced at the thirty-one messages on my phone and decided to worry about them later. Besides, once I got inside, anyone who’d been trying to reach me could talk to me in person.

  I headed toward the music, imagining all the questions I’d have to answer regarding my whereabouts today. Hopefully, I’d be able to dodge the questions by using Keith’s fib that I was taking care of a baking emergency.

  As I entered the banquet hall, Matt took the stage and signaled for the DJ to stop the music. Scanning the crowd, I looked for Keith and Jillian, but I didn’t see them anywhere. My parents stood off to the side, but even from this distance, I could tell they were worried about something. They both had this way of holding their mouth when the world was about to end.

  “Hi, again,” my nephew said, speaking into the microphone. “I just talked to my dad, and he wanted me to thank everyone who helped look for Joy. The doctor said she’s fine, and her dad is going to be fine too.”

  Everyone cheered, leaving me completely confused. What in the world was Matt talking about? Joy had gone missing? And what happened with Daniel?

  “My dad just left the hospital with my mom,” Matt continued. “They’re on the way up here. She knows about the surprise party, and she’s really excited to see everyone. Daniel has to stay in the hospital. He’ll be having surgery tomorrow, but my aunt Bianca and Joy will be here as soon as they get cleaned up.”

  Again, everyone cheered, leaving me more confused than ever.

  “Vicki,” my mother said, striding toward me. “Where’ve you been?”

  “I had to run an errand. What happened with Joy and Daniel?”

  My mother shook her head. “Joy got lost in the woods without her diabetes bag. Daniel tried to find her but fell down a cliff and broke his ankle.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Yes, but like Matt said, they’re both okay. The Sherriff came, and there was a huge search for Joy, but Bianca and Jillian found her at Camp Windham.”

  “Thank goodness.” I glanced around the room. “What about Claudia? How’s she handling all this excitement?”

  “Oh, she left.”

  “Left? Where’d she go?”

  “Her boyfriend came and picked her up,” my mother explained. “She had some kind of family emergency and decided to go home.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, her brother broke his arm and was missing her.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Is Bianca disappointed?”

  “Probably, but with everything else going on, I have no idea.”

  *

  When Keith and Jillian finally showed up a few minutes later, the crowd went wild. “Happy birthday,” I told my sister after she and Keith made their way over to me.

  “Thanks.” She hugged me. “Keith said you were a huge help with everything today.”

  I winked at my brother-in-law. “Oh, well, I did my best, but your husband and kids were the masterminds behind all the details.”

  She released me and placed a hand on Keith’s arm. “He’s full of surprises, isn’t he?”

  Keith kissed his wife’s cheek. “The best is yet to come.”

  “You keep saying that. I think it’d be pretty hard to top all this.” She swept her hand across the banquet hall. “The food, the decorations, the strobe light, all these people . . . it’s amazing.”

  As Jillian left to talk to another guest, Keith whispered, “I just received confirmation that everything went smoothly. I’ll make the reveal once Bianca and Joy arrive.”

  I nodded, my excitement building for the big moment.

  Joy and Bianca arrived just as Keith took the stage to give one of his sickening sweet toasts to Jillian. After that, Jillian and Keith invited everyone to dance to their song, “Do I” by Luke Bryan.

  “Vicki?” a tall, handsome man said, walking up to me. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m—”

  “Mac Baumguard. Hi. Of course, I remember you. We met at one of Jillian and Keith’s parties.”

  He smiled. “That’s right. Would you like to dance?”

  I hesitated, although I had no idea why. What was I waiting for? Seth wasn’t coming. Most likely, he wouldn’t even be here at the party.

  Smiling up at Mac, I nodded. “Yes, I’d love to dance.”

  *

  When the music ended, Keith took Jillian’s hand and returned to the stage. “My wife just told me she’s ready for her surprise, so without further ado, let’s get started.”

  He clicked a button, and a large screen behind them descended. Keith said a few words as soft background music played. Then, the photo show began. People “oohed” and “aahed” as one picture after another filled the screen—Jillian as a child, Jillian with our family, marrying Keith, having their first child, and on and on.

  Finally, the screen showed a video clip of Anna, Nick, and their kids. I smiled, knowing what was about to happen.

  My sister-in-law and her family wished Jillian a very happy birthday. Then, in a voice that was obviously coached, Travis turned to Anna. “If only there was a way we could go to Rose Island and wish Aunt Jillian happy birthday in person.”

  “If only,” Hailey said just like she’d practiced in the car on the drive from the airport today.

  “I’d love to see Aunt Jillian and everyone else in person,” Anna said. “I miss Rose Island so much.”

  “Me too,” Gabby, the toddler, said.

  Then, Nick looked right at the camera with a gleam in his eye. “You know what? I think we should go to Rose Island. We’ve been gone way too long. What do y’all think?”

  Anna and the kids leapt to their feet, cheering as the video screen faded to black. The overhead lights turned on and murmurs of excitement spread through the crowd as everyone looked around to see if Nick and Anna were actually here.

  Suddenly, a side door swung open, and there they were. Everyone cheered as Anna, Nick, Travis, Hailey, Gabby, and the baby entered the banquet hall.

  *

  After Daniel had his surgery and was resting comfortably at home, Bianca called for an emergency family meeting at Daniel’s house. They’re engaged, I thought.

  I was thrilled, of course, but I was also a little heartbroken. Bianca getting married would change things. She’d confide in Daniel instead of me. She’d move out of the apartment across the hall from me and rent it to someone new. Or worse, she wouldn’t rent it to anybody, and I’d be all alone in the building at night.

  Knowing I was being selfish, I put on my best I’m-so-happy-for-you face and rode my bike over to Daniel’s house. To my surprise, I was the first one to arrive.

  “Where is everyone?�
� I asked as Bianca opened the door.

  Her makeup was a little smudged as if she’d been crying, but the huge smile that’d taken over her face told me everything was wonderful. “Everyone will be here in a little bit, but come in, come in.”

  Glancing at her bare ring finger, I followed her into the living room where Daniel was sitting on the couch, his wrapped ankle propped on the coffee table. Was he going to propose in front of all of us here in his living room?

  “How’s the ankle?” I asked.

  “Getting better.”

  Joy breezed into the living room from the back of the house. “Vicki! Hi.” She welcomed me with a big hug.

  I hugged her back. “How are you?”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she laughed. Glancing at Daniel and Bianca, she said, “Do we really have to wait for everyone to get here?”

  Daniel said, “Yes,” while at the same time, Bianca said, “No.” They both laughed.

  “All right,” Daniel said. “Tell her. You can repeat everything when the rest of your family arrives.”

  Bianca shimmied with excitement. “Well . . . believe it or not, we just found out that Joy is my daughter. She’s the baby I gave up for adoption.”

  “What?”

  All three of them nodded at me as if this were a perfectly logical thing to say.

  “It’s true.” Joy sidled up to Bianca and looped her arm through hers. “The FBI confirmed it.”

  “The FBI? What are you talking about?”

  The three of them laughed again, basking in their private little joke.

  “Come on,” Daniel said. “Let’s put your poor sister out of her misery and tell her what’s going on.”

  Bianca nodded and beamed at me. “Oh, Vicki, you’re not going to believe it. When I tell you the story, it’s going to seem completely random and unbelievable, but I promise you, it’s true. Joy is my daughter.”

  While I couldn’t deny the resemblance between my sister and Daniel’s daughter, I had no idea what they were talking about. “What about Claudia?” I asked. “I thought she was your daughter.”

  Bianca sighed. “Poor Claudia.”

  Joy nodded in agreement.

  “Claudia will be okay,” Daniel said. “She’s got her parents, and she’ll get to know the Klines. Everything will be fine. She’ll be fine. Plus, she has a little sister. That has to be a comfort for both of them.”

  “Who are the Klines?” I asked.

  Daniel patted the couch. “Bianca, come sit down. Start from the beginning and give your sister all the details. It’ll be good practice because I have a feeling you’re going to be telling this unbelievable story again and again.”

  Nodding, Bianca sank onto the couch beside Daniel. I took the chair opposite them, and Joy sat on the love seat. Then, my sister explained how everything had been put into motion when Daniel’s former wife, Libby, decided to kidnap Bianca’s baby.

  Because Libby worked in the hospital nursery where Bianca delivered, she knew she would be a suspect. So, she switched Bianca’s baby with an infant belonging to the Kline family.

  When the missing baby was discovered, everyone believed it was the Kline’s baby who’d been stolen, not Bianca’s. Authorities even came to Libby’s house and questioned her about the kidnapping. They took a blood sample from her baby, but of course, it didn’t match the missing infant’s.

  After a year of hiding in plain sight, Libby resigned from the nursery, drove her baby and meager belongings across the country, and showed up on Daniel’s doorstep, claiming he was the baby’s father.

  Although skeptical at first, it didn’t take Daniel long to fall in love with Joy. Never in his life did he imagine being a father would be so fulfilling.

  He married Libby and threw himself into family life. At first, things were wonderful. Over time, however, he came to realize that Libby had a major problem with the truth. She didn’t just lie about big things, she lied about everything and anything.

  Daniel tried getting her into therapy, but she refused. He surprised her with a vacation to Rose Island because she’d always talked about visiting. When they arrived, however, Libby freaked out. Now, Daniel understood. Libby had been afraid they might run into Bianca.

  Sitting back, I stared at my sister. “So Claudia is actually the missing baby? She’s the Kline’s daughter, not yours? And Joy is . . . Joy is your daughter?”

  “Exactly,” Bianca said.

  I shook my head. “That’s amazing.”

  Bianca beamed at her daughter and Daniel. “Yes, it really is. It’s absolutely amazing.”

  *

  After the rest of my family arrived, and after Bianca had relayed every detail of the story, I found myself wanting to talk to Seth about it. I knew it was crazy to feel that way, but he was the first person I wanted to tell.

  As I left Daniel’s house to go back to the bakery, Mac called. I hesitated, trying to decide if I should answer or not. Mac and I had talked for a long time at Jillian’s surprise party. We threw around the possibility of meeting for a run or going for a hike. I liked Mac, but—

  Oh my goodness, Vicki. Stop being so indecisive. It’s over between you and Seth. Move on!

  Listening to the logical part of my brain, I answered the phone. When Mac invited me to dinner that night, I accepted.

  Chapter 33

  Seth

  A few days later, after a brutal shift, I came home from work and slept all day. When I awoke in the evening, images of last night’s harrowing accident on the bridge played in my mind.

  Some days, being a firefighter pushed me to my physical and emotional limit. You couldn’t save everyone, and when a life was lost, it stayed with me for a long time.

  In the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of water, wishing it was something stronger. Most days, I didn’t think about alcohol that much. Tonight, however, I would’ve killed for a shot of whiskey to settle my nerves.

  King passed through the doggie door into the kitchen and lumbered over to me. Now that he was older, he didn’t mind letting me sleep the day away. The neighbor boy took him for a walk every afternoon and made sure he had food and water.

  Bending down, I rubbed King’s neck. “How are you doing, buddy? Are you worried about me? I’m okay.”

  He did a little happy dance on his hind legs, and I smiled. Then, we went into the backyard, where I called my sponsor. He listened to me unpack my emotional baggage from last night, and together we made a plan.

  Because Grant was visiting his grandparents all weekend, I was on my own tonight. Not in the mood to cook or be alone, I headed over to the Pelican Pub for the best brisket sandwich and sweet potato fries on the island.

  As I sat at the bar, eating my meal and talking to Caleb, my old friend who now owned the place, there was a loud commotion at the door. Caleb and I both turned as the entire Morgan family entered the pub in an extremely celebratory mood.

  Leading the pack were Bianca and Daniel. Bianca thrust out her hand so the hostess could see her sparkly new diamond engagement ring. The young girl squealed and hugged both Bianca and Daniel.

  “Three down, one to go.” Caleb poured me another iced tea.

  I dipped a sweet potato fry in chipotle mayonnaise. “What?”

  “The Morgan sisters. Anna, Jillian, and Bianca are now off the market, so that leaves just . . . wait a minute.”

  Caleb glanced over my shoulder. “Is Mac Baumguard dating Vicki?”

  Despite not wanting to look, I craned my neck around just as Mac placed his hand on the small of Vicki’s back. As if that wasn’t enough, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear that made her smile.

  My blood boiled. Sensing me watching her, Vicki’s gaze met mine. For a brief moment, we stared at each other. Then, she looked away as the hostess led her family across the pub to a large table by the dance floor.

  “You’re not still hung up on Vicki, are you?” Caleb lifted the pitcher of iced tea to top me off, but I shook my head.

&nbs
p; Ignoring his question, I pulled out enough cash to cover the bill and tip. “I gotta go.”

  “Dude. How many years has it been? Don’t you think you should take a clue? She doesn’t want you.”

  “Wow, Caleb. Thanks for the pep talk. You’re a true friend.”

  “Come on. There are so many women out there. You need to get over her.”

  “All right. I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good night. Stay out of trouble.”

  “You too.”

  I slid off the barstool and headed for the door. Before I could leave, Luella Morgan stopped me.

  “Seth, honey. Hi.” She opened her arms and gave me a great big Luella Morgan hug. “Did you hear the wonderful news? Bianca and Daniel got engaged tonight.”

  “Congratulations.” I glanced across the room where another waitress was admiring Bianca’s ring. Vicki sat talking to Jillian and Anna. Mac, thankfully, had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.

  “Daniel proposed on the beach,” Luella said. “Isn’t that romantic?”

  “It’s very romantic.”

  She gave a big contented sigh. “How’s your grandmother doing?”

  “Really well. She and her sister just returned from a cross-Atlantic cruise.”

  “Oh my. That sounds expensive.”

  I gave a shrug. The cruise had been expensive. I knew because I’d paid for it. I didn’t regret doing it, and I absolutely didn’t regret sending them first class. Abuela deserved it, given everything she’d done for me.

  Luella placed a hand on my arm. “You should come over to the table and have a drink with us. Well, not a drink. I didn’t . . .” Her face turned bright red.

  I flashed my everything-is-fine-in-the-world smile. “I know what you meant. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  She shook her head. “I swear, the older I get the easier it is for me to stick my foot in my mouth.”

  “You didn’t stick your foot in your mouth. Asking me over for a drink is a perfectly normal thing to do.”

  “So, you’ll join us?”

  I shot a glance at the table just in time to see Mac place a hand on Vicki’s shoulder. Again, he bent down and whispered something in her ear. Couldn’t this guy talk to Vicki without whispering in her ear?