by Maria Geraci
“Rachel, I’m sure your Uncle Ben is really worried about you. I’d like to take you back to his house so that he knows that you’re okay. Will you let me do that?”
Rachel nodded.
Jenna helped the little girl into the back seat of her car. Since she didn’t have a car seat, she strapped her in as securely as possible and drove at a snail’s pace all the way to Ben’s beach house. A Whispering Bay police cruiser sat parked in the driveway.
“Oh no,” Rachel squeaked.
Jenna killed the car engine and whipped around to see Rachel’s big brown eyes wide with fear. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“That’s the police.”
“Your uncle probably called to help them look for you.”
Rachel shook her head vehemently. “Do you think they’re gonna take Uncle Ben to jail? Like they did daddy and mommy?” She began to cry again.
The confusion she felt earlier was back full force. Rachel’s parents had gone to jail?
“They’re not going to take your uncle to jail,” Jenna said firmly. She unbuckled her seat belt and was about to help Rachel out of the car when the front door to the house flew open. Ben came running toward her.
“I saw you pull up and—” The look on his face when he spied Rachel in the back seat of the car made any anger she’d had at Ben evaporate. Jenna had never seen such raw emotion before. Not on anyone, and certainly not on this man who always seemed to keep his feelings so in check. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing her home,” he said hoarsely before pulling Rachel into a hug.
Jenna nodded, unsure what to say as she witnessed their reunion. It was obvious Ben cared deeply for his niece, but this situation with Rachel was confusing. At this moment, there was only one thing Jenna was certain of. She wasn’t leaving Ben’s house until she got some answers.
* * *
Ben took a long, hard look at his niece. “Are you hurt?” When Greta had come home without Rachel, he’d had to restrain himself from strangling her. But within a few seconds, the anger had turned into a bone-chilling fear like nothing he’d ever felt before. And nothing he ever wanted to experience again.
“I’m sorry I ran away from Greta. I…promise, I won’t do it no more,” she sobbed out.
She’d run away? What was going on here? “It’s okay, honey, I’m just glad you’re all right.”
Jenna looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and wariness. “I found her walking down the side of the road, Ben. Alone.” She didn’t bother hiding the accusation in her voice, not that he blamed her. She was right. If anything had happened to Rachel it would be completely his fault.
“Will you come in the house, please?” he asked Jenna.
“Oh, believe me, I’m not going anywhere.”
They walked into the living room to find the Whispering Bay police chief still interviewing Greta. Zeke Grant took one look at Rachel and smiled for the first time. “I take it this is the missing child?”
“Hi, Zeke,” Jenna said in a friendly tone.
“Hey, Jenna. I sure am glad to see you.”
Greta went to embrace Rachel, but she turned her face away from the nanny. “Rachel, I thought you’d been kidnapped!” She scowled at Jenna. “What are you doing here?”
Jenna ignored her while Zeke hunkered down to get on eye level with Rachel. “Are you all right?” he asked using a quiet, professional voice meant to reassure.
“You’re not gonna take my uncle away are you?”
Ben winced at the fear in Rachel’s voice.
The police chief shot him a look. “No, honey, he called me because he was worried about you.”
“I think I can explain all this,” Jenna said. “Is it okay to tell your uncle and the police officer what you told me?” she asked Rachel.
Rachel frowned. “Everything?”
“I think it’s important to always tell the truth. Don’t you?”
“Okay,” Rachel said.
Jenna went on to tell them how she found Rachel walking alongside the road and the story behind it. The anger he’d felt earlier came flooding back. At Greta, yes, but mostly at himself. How many times had he berated Jake for his irresponsible behavior? Well, the joke was on him. At least Jake had an excuse. A shitty one, yeah. But what excuse did he have?
Zeke Grant asked Jenna a few questions. After he was satisfied with her answers, he asked her to take Rachel into another room. Rachel seemed more than happy to follow Jenna into the kitchen, leaving them alone with Greta.
“Thank God everything turned out all right!” Greta said in a bubbly voice. Was she really this clueless? Ben didn’t think so. She just thought she was smarter than everyone else. She was in for a very rude awakening.
“Not so fast,” said Zeke. “We need to go over your side of the story again. You led me to believe that the little girl might have been kidnapped.” He pulled out his notebook. “You described the man as medium height with an olive complexion and a short, military-style haircut. Possibly Hispanic?”
“I mean, I thought she might have been kidnapped. And yes, there was a man with that description in the restaurant, and he was definitely acting suspicious.”
It took everything Ben had to stand there with his mouth shut.
“What was he doing that was suspicious?” asked Zeke.
“Well… He kept going around the tables and smiling, but it was a weird smile, you know, like he was up to something.”
“Up to what?”
“I don’t know, up to something,” she said as if Zeke was slow on the intake.
Ben hadn’t known Zeke Grant long, but anyone with half a brain could see that the man was a top-notch cop.
Ben crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall to watch the show because this was definitely going to be good.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to explain it to me,” Zeke said in an exaggerated version of his slight southern drawl.
“Apparently. So I’m from Miami,” Greta said as if this was the only explanation required.
“Go on.”
“Which means I’m pretty observant. Don’t get me wrong. Miami is a fabulous city. But just like L.A. or New York, you have to be on your toes. Compared to the average person around here, I’m much more detail-oriented. I’m always on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.”
“Oh, I get it now,” Zeke said.
“Good, because obviously this is all a big misunderstanding. Rachel gets so confused, poor little girl, but with all that’s happened to her… Well, I was afraid this might have something to do with the drug situation.”
Ben immediately straightened from his position against the wall. Zeke threw him a look that said steady. “Mr. Harrison already told me about that.”
“Then you know what we’ve been dealing with,” Greta said.
“Let’s get back to this suspicious person at the Burger Barn.”
“Good idea. I’ve been thinking about what that woman—”
“You mean Jenna Pantini, the city manager?” Zeke asked mildly.
“Her story simply doesn’t add up. I’m a professional nanny. Children are my life. There’s absolutely no way I would have taken my eyes off Rachel. Something or someone must have lured her away in the split second that I was paying for the takeout. I still think you need to question this man who was lurking around the restaurant.”
“I agree. I’d love to get his side of the story.” Zeke pulled a cell phone from his shirt pocket and began swiping at the screen until he found a photo of a man, maybe around forty, fitting the description Greta had given them.
“Oh! Yes, that’s definitely him! Is this like some kind of instant police mug photo?”
“Nah, we aren’t sophisticated enough in little ol’ Whispering Bay for that kind of newfangled technology. This is a photo I took at my son’s last soccer game.”
“You mean this man was prowling around a children’s soccer field? Good thing I’m here to help you identify him.”
“He was definitely there, but I wouldn’t exactly say he was prowling. His son plays soccer with my son and he’s the assistant coach.”
“Oh.” Some of Greta’s smugness disappeared.
“His name is Carlos Baxter and he owns The Burger Barn. Most likely his suspicious behavior consisted of going around and greeting the customers and wiping off tables. He might be the owner, but he’s not above doing any kind of work that needs to be done at the restaurant. I say let’s call him and see if he can shed any light into what actually happened tonight.” Zeke took his phone back.
“No! I mean, there’s no need for that. Obviously, I was mistaken. The important thing is that Rachel is all right.” The smile she gave Zeke made Ben want to vomit. She’d tried that move a couple of times on him when he’d first hired her, but he’d ignored it and she’d eventually given up.
Enough of this bullshit.
“Go upstairs and pack your things,” Ben said. “I’ll call you a cab to the airport and have Gavin make arrangements to get you on a flight back to Miami tonight.”
“But—”
“You have until the cab shows up to get the hell out of this house. After that I can’t be responsible for what I might do to you.”
“Are you kidding?” She looked to Zeke for help. “He can’t do that!”
“You heard the man,” Zeke said. “The fact that he’s offered to call you a cab and is getting you a ticket home seems mighty generous to me. You’re lucky I don’t press charges for attempting to file a false police report.”
“But…but I have a contract!” she screamed at Ben. Then as if she’d just remembered something, she narrowed her eyes at him triumphantly. “You can’t just fire me like this. There’s a clause that states I get three months’ pay if you decide you no longer need my services. So I want my money right now.”
“You’re right, it’s below the clause that says if I catch you in any deceptive behavior I can kick your sorry lying ass out the door. Page three, paragraph five. I’m a lawyer, remember?”
Greta’s face went pale. “Fine. The truth is I was going to quit anyway. This job is nothing like I expected.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ben said.
His sarcasm was obviously lost on her. “I mean, having to take care of that little brat is one thing, but this town! There’s not a decent spa within twenty miles of the place. And you,” she spat, “you’re the biggest disappointment of all. You’re the most boring single dad I’ve ever worked for. I thought if that didn’t work out I’d at least get to meet Tiffany McAdams, but obviously all those tabloid stories about the two of you are just a publicity stunt.” She looked at him like she was trying to figure something out. “Hey. Are you, like…gay or something?”
Zeke choked back a laugh. “I guess boring means you didn’t hit on her, huh?” he asked Ben.
Ben shrugged. “I guess so.”
* * *
Luckily, the cab came fast. Greta was packed and out the door in under fifteen minutes. She didn’t bother asking if she could say goodbye to Rachel, which was just as well because Ben wasn’t about to let her within ten feet of his niece. Zeke waited around till Greta was gone.
“Thank you for everything.” Ben handed Zeke his business card. “If you ever need a lawyer, I’m your man.”
“No problem.” He nodded toward the back of the house. “But it’s Jenna you should be thanking. And I’m going to have to follow up on this, you know.”
“I don’t expect anything less.”
The two men shook hands, then Zeke left. Ben dialed his assistant. As usual, Gavin was on top of things. “I got your text, sir, and Greta’s flight is already booked, but I just don’t understand. Her recommendations were excellent.”
“Not your fault,” Ben said.
“I can have another nanny out there first thing in the morning.”
And risk another potential Greta? No thanks. “That won’t be necessary.”
“But who’ll take care of your niece?”
“My mother and I will work something out.”
“I feel that somehow I’ve failed you, sir. If only I’d thought to triple check everything. I have no idea how I can make this up to you but—”
“I don’t have time for this right now.”
“Oh, yes, so sorry,” Gavin stuttered. “Um, is there anything else you require?”
Ben asked him to email over a few files, then hung up.
Compared to the tension of the last hour, the big house now seemed overly quiet. The sound of soft laughter and little girl giggling drifted over the silence.
Zeke was right. If it wasn’t for Jenna, tonight’s ending might have been completely different. Although words seemed insufficient, he needed to thank her again.
He followed the happy sounds to the kitchen where Rachel and Jenna were busy in front of the stove making pancakes. Neither of them heard him approach.
Jenna’s long red hair was pulled up in a clip and her heels were off. Standing there barefoot in her blue dress, she looked carefree yet elegant and sexy at the same time. Rachel was barefoot too, her shoes and socks strewn carelessly on the kitchen floor like she’d torn them off in a big hurry. She stood on a stool next to Jenna, helping her flip a pancake.
Watching the two of them, side by side, gave him an odd sensation deep down in his chest. The cynic in him said it was probably just heartburn caused by the stress of the last hour. But he knew better than that.
“You know, Rachel,” Jenna said, “when I was just a little older than you, I ran away, too.”
“You did?”
“The kids at school were teasing me, calling me Annie, and I told my mother I wanted to dye my hair brown, but she wouldn’t let me, so I decided to go to the store and buy my own hair dye.”
He smiled at her childhood confession. He should probably make them aware of his presence but he didn’t want to break the moment. Plus, he really wanted to hear this story.
“Why did the kids at school call you Annie?” Rachel asked, confused.
“You know, from the movie, Annie?”
Rachel shook her head.
“You’ve never seen Annie?”
“I’ve seen Trolls.”
“Everyone has seen Trolls. My favorite character is Poppy.”
“Mine, too!”
“Well, hel-lo! We like the same movies, which means if you like Trolls, you’ll like Annie. There’s a new version now and it’s pretty good, but in the original, the girl who played Little Orphan Annie had this curly red hair—”
“Like you do.”
“Yep, like me. And she has a dog named Sandy and she gets to sing ‘Tomorrow,’ and even though there’s a bad guy, in the end she gets parents.”
“Why does she get parents?” Rachel asked.
“Because she doesn’t have any. That’s what being an orphan means.”
“Then I’m like Annie, too, cuz I’m an orphan.”
Jenna froze. “Oh, honey, I didn’t mean—I’m sorry, Rachel.”
“It’s okay,” she said matter-of-factly. “Grandma says mommy and daddy are in heaven and that they’re really happy there and we can go put flowers on their head bones.”
Ben swallowed hard.
“On their… Oh! I think that’s a great idea,” Jenna said.
For a few long seconds, neither of them said anything.
“I like your hair,” Rachel said shyly. “I wish my hair was red like yours.”
“I like yours, too,” Jenna said. “And I wish my hair was brown.”
Rachel giggled. “We’re silly, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Can we put chocolate chips in the pancakes? Grandma let me do that once and they were really really good.”
“We can put anything you want in them.”
“I know where they are. I’ll go get ’em!” Rachel jumped down from the stool and ran to the pantry. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. “Uncle Ben! Look! We’re making pancakes for
dinner!”
Jenna spun around. “I didn’t hear you come up.” She glanced warily behind him. “Everything all right?”
There were a couple of different ways he could answer that. But in this moment, there was only one that would be completely true.
“Everything is perfect,” he said.
Chapter Thirteen
Ben leaned against the kitchen doorway with his hands in his trouser pockets, staring at her. The expression on his face tripped off little warning bells in Jenna’s head. His blue shirt was open at the collar and his sleeves were rolled back, exposing his strong forearms. He was also sporting an unfairly delicious five-o’clock shadow.
Defcon five! her girl parts warned.
“Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes, Uncle Ben?” asked Rachel.
“Absolutely I want chocolate chips. What can I do to help?”
“You can set the table,” Jenna said. “So, are we making pancakes for three or four?”
“Three,” he said meaningfully.
“I take it that means Greta won’t be joining us?”
“Greta will definitely not be joining us.”
Good. There was a lot more she wanted to say out loud, but Rachel was looking at them as if she was trying to figure something out. She might only be four, but the little girl was already smart enough to pick up the subtleties between adults, and Jenna didn’t want to say anything that might be out of line. She was an outsider here, and there were things she didn’t understand. But she wanted to.
“Syrup, whipped cream, nuts on top?” she asked him.
“Definitely all the above.”
The way he kept looking at her, as if she was another condiment to be added to that list, was flustering her. She managed to plate the pancakes while he filled their glasses with juice and water.
Ben was on his third pancake before he came up for air. “These are fantastic.”
“Even better than hamburgers and milkshakes!” Rachel proclaimed. “Wait till I tell Grandma we made breakfast for dinner!” She frowned, like she’d suddenly thought of something. “Are you gonna tell Grandma that I ran away?”
“Yes,” he answered thoughtfully. “Because she loves you and she needs to know what happened tonight, and because Greta isn’t coming back.”