“Of course.” Laini speaks up before I can, which is probably just as well, because I happen to think Tabby should be past all this angst. She should just enjoy her life with the man she landed and his ready-made family. I mean, how lucky is she? But then, I guess everyone gets the jitters right before they get married.
My phone rings and I’m actually glad to remove myself from the current conversation.
My dad is on the other end of the line. “What is it, Dad?”
“Your brother.”
“Brandon? What’s up?”
“I think he ran away, hon. Do you have any idea where he might be? He’s not there, is he?”
My stomach flip-flops as I remember telling him he couldn’t live with me. What if he ran away for good? How many kids get swallowed up in New York City every day? Panic hits my chest.
“He’s not here, Dad. When was the last time you saw him?”
“At the party. We couldn’t find him when it was time to go.”
“Did you look for him, or just figure he’d find his own way home?”
There’s silence on the other end of the line. Silence that tells me a lot. “Dad! He’s just a kid. What’s wrong with you?”
“I know he’s just a kid, Dancy. You don’t have to tell me that. Not now.”
“Do you have any idea where he might have gone? Did you check with Mary?”
“I called her, but she wasn’t there. And she probably wouldn’t have picked up the phone if she had been there.”
“Good grief. What is it with you people that you can’t be parents?”
“Come on. Surely I don’t deserve that.”
“You know what, Dad?” I’m bordering on what Nick would call disrespect, but in this case, it’s time Dad got a dose of reality. “Yes, you do deserve it. I mean, I’m happy that you’re doing right by Mother. But can’t you think of your children a little, too? Especially the one who isn’t grown yet.”
“All right, hate me, but I need to know if you have any idea where he might have gone.”
“I’m not sure.” But I do have an idea. I say good-bye and disconnect as I slip on my coat.
“Where are you going?” Tabby asks, coming into the living room.
“Brandon’s missing. I think he might have run off.”
“Wait, you’re not going out in this, are you?”
“In what?”
“It’s snowing. Didn’t you know?”
I didn’t have a clue. But it can’t be helped. I grab a scarf and slip my gloves from my coat pocket. “I’ll be back.”
“Wait! I’m not letting you go out alone.”
Tabby grabs her coat.
“I’m coming too,” Laini says.
“No. Laini, stay here, please. Someone needs to be here in case he shows up.”
“Okay. I’ll stay. But call me every thirty minutes, okay?”
Tabby gives her a quick hug. “We will.”
I open the door and we head out. Lifting my phone from my coat pocket, I speed-dial Kale. He answers in just a couple of rings. “What is it, Dan?”
“Did Dad call you?”
“No. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Brandon ran off. We think, anyway.”
“Start at the beginning and tell me what’s going on.”
I do, and while I’m telling him the whole story, we leave the warmth of our building and step into the first real snowfall of the year. The sidewalk is blanketed, and the snow swirling around the streetlights reminds me of an old movie. Any other time, I’d walk slowly and take in the beauty, but not tonight. I raise my arm as a taxi sails past us.
Kale gives an exasperated huff on the phone. “What can I do?”
“I think I might know where he is. I think he went to be with his mom. Taxi!”
“Where are you?”
“I told you, I have a hunch about where Brandon might be and I’m headed down to the train station.”
“Hey! You can’t go out on the streets alone at night. Are you nuts?”
“I’m not alone. Tabby’s with me.”
“Okay, listen up, kiddo. Stay put and I’ll come over there. We’ll go together.”
“Too late. We just got a cab. I’ll call you when we get to Jersey.”
“Absolutely not. Dancy, I mean it. Don’t go there without me.”
I hang up. Partly because I don’t take orders well (just ask Nick), also partly because I’m mad at Kale. First he gets my condo, then he gives it back, then my parents sell it so they can buy him a new house in Hooterville.
My resentment runs deep right now. But mainly I’m not waiting because every second we waste is a second Brandon might be in trouble. “Can’t you go a little faster?” I ask the driver.
“Look, lady, the streets are solid ice. The salt trucks ain’t had a chance to get out yet. You shouldn’t even be out here on such a night.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No. I can’t go any faster. So sit back and don’t talk to me. I’ll let you know when we get there.”
Sheesh. I wonder if he’s one of Nick’s brothers.
I’m about to tell him where to get off when Tabby’s hand on my arm steadies me. “Take it easy, Dan. Let’s just pray.”
I’m not really one to make a public display of religion yet. But I happen to know that if anyone can bring Brandon back to us, it’s God.
“You pray, Tabs.”
“Dancy, God knows your heart and your mind. Just talk to Him.”
I turn my focus heavenward. “Lord, we had a deal, remember? I would trust You, and You would direct my paths? Right now I need You to direct me to my brother. Please keep him safe. My heart breaks for him.”
There doesn’t seem to be anything left to say, so I stop. After a minute, the cabbie glances at me in the rearview mirror. “Is that it?”
“My prayer?”
“Yeah.”
“I guess so.”
“You didn’t say amen.”
“Could you just watch the road? It’s pretty icy.”
He mutters something, but I don’t care. All I care about is that I see the train station up ahead. I reach into my purse and hand the cabbie some bills. He waves my hand away. “Keep it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just find your brother. Okay?”
Tabby places her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, sir. God bless you.”
“Yeah. Maybe He’ll make the snow stop before they close down any streets. That would help.”
“You never know,” I say as I fling open the door and rush out into the driving snow. “Thanks again.”
“You be careful.”
“We will,” I hear Tabby say behind me.
We catch the train into New Jersey and sit in silence until we reach the station. By some miracle, we find a cab and give the address. Brandon has been missing for the last three hours. I’m beginning to panic. I pray he’s with his mother. Otherwise, we’ll have to call the police.
We pay the cabbie and climb the four steps to the door of Brandon’s grandmother’s house. I knock, and an older woman comes to the door. “Mrs. Cunningham?”
“Yeah, who are you?” she asks in a heavy Jersey accent.
“I’m looking for Mary Cunningham. I’m Dancy Ames. I’m sorry it’s so late. But my brother Brandon is missing. We just wondered if he might have come here.”
She pushes the door open, and I have to say, the woman isn’t looking so frail. “How are you feeling?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You seem strong to me.”
“Good. I am strong.”
“Is Mary here, ma’am?”
The old woman waves me to a kitchen chair. “No, she ain’t been here in a week. A real piece of work, that one.”
“But I don’t understand. She’s supposed to be staying with you to help you through your cancer. Are you in remission?”
She scowls and shakes her head. Not in a negative way, but like she can’t believe what
she’s hearing. “I don’t have cancer, honey. And I never did.”
I’m stunned silent. I honestly don’t know how to respond to this. Tabby, however, has no problem. “Do you mean she made up a story about her mother having terminal cancer just to get rid of her son?”
She shrugs. “Like I said, a real piece of work, that one.”
I hand her my business card. “If you speak with her, will you ask her to give me a call? It concerns Brandon.”
“I’ll give her your number, but don’t expect her to call you. She’s pretty much washed her hands of that boy. He’s nothing but trouble. Just like her.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Brandon’s a good kid. He goes to church, plays several instruments. How can anyone think he’s nothing but trouble?”
She smiles. “I’m glad he has someone like you takin’ up for him.”
“The thing is, my father is moving to Florida in a couple of months, and my older brother just got married and they’re moving to Oklahoma. I’m sort of wondering what Brandon’s going to do. He wants to stay in New York so he can go to Juilliard.”
“Like I said, I’ll give my daughter your message, but I can’t make any promises that she’s gonna call.”
“But what about you? Are you willing to let Brandon live here if Mary doesn’t come back for him? He could stay with me on the weekends so he can still attend Juilliard.”
She frowns, scowls really, as though she’s deeply offended that I even suggested such a thing. “I’m an old woman. Too old to take care of a teenage boy. I can’t do it. I won’t.”
We leave a few minutes later, my heart breaking for Brandon. Isn’t there anyone out there who loves the kid? Besides me, that is. And my apartment is way too small. There’s no way he can stay there.
On the train ride home, I find myself praying again. “Please, Lord. Please help Brandon.”
Because of the weather, I suppose, I’m getting no signal on my cell phone, and neither is Tabby. She drops off to sleep as soon as the train pulls away. But I stare out the window at the wintry scene. Praying over and over. Please, Lord. Keep my brother safe. Help us find him.
The first person I see when we step off the train is Jack. And he doesn’t look happy. “Are you quite mad?”
“Hello to you, too. What are you doing here?”
“Obviously I’ve come to take you home.”
“But how did you even know?”
“Kale called me earlier, after you called him. I was closer than Kale, so he asked me to come straightaway and stop you from getting on that train. Of course, I was too late.”
“You’ve been sitting here for four hours? Have you heard anything about Brandon? My phone went dead.”
“He’s safe and sound in his bed.”
“What?” Relief washes through me. “What do you mean?”
“Seems he was in the tub when your parents returned home from the reception. But your dad saw the bed made and just assumed Brandon had run away.”
“I’m going to kill that kid.”
Tabby chuckles. “And less than four hours ago, you were bombarding the gates of heaven on his behalf.”
“‘Bombarding’ is a little strong.”
“Fine. Praying, then.”
“Well, he’d better start doing some praying of his own, because when I get my hands on him, I’m going to do some real damage.”
“Now, Dancy,” Jack says. “Be reasonable. All he did was go home. It isn’t as though he ran away.”
“No, of course not. You have that market cornered.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Now that the adrenaline in my blood is starting to cool, I’m remembering why I was so upset earlier. “Too bad, because I won’t give it.”
“Are you angry with me?” He actually seems befuddled. We’ve reached his car, though, and Tabby is shivering.
“Let her inside before she freezes to death.” He complies and then turns to me.
“If anyone has a right to be angry, it’s me,” he has the audacity to say. “And if anyone abandoned anyone tonight it was you who abandoned me.”
“Excuse me? I went into the bathroom to wash my face, and when I came out, you were gone!”
“There’s been a terrible misunderstanding, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart. And I don’t see how I could misunderstand. I was only in the bathroom for a minute, and when I came out, you were gone.”
“Only a minute? That’s hardly long enough.”
“I realized I left my purse at the table and I’d cried all my makeup off.”
“Yes, I know. You should see my shirt.”
“Sorry,” I say with a scowl, sarcasm thick in my tone.
“I still maintain my innocence.”
“Okay, then. Where did you go in the sixty seconds I was in the bathroom?”
“It’s simple really. I saw Brandon leave the reception hall, quite upset, and I followed him, assuming I had at least ten minutes for you to compose yourself. He confided that another young man had captured the attention of the girl he admired, and he no longer wished to remain. I tried to persuade him to wait, but he wouldn’t be convinced. I now see that I should have made someone aware, but I didn’t want you to come out and find me gone.”
“Which I did.”
“Right.”
“Well, what did you expect me to think? You obviously have a woman in your life already. Why do you keep letting me cry on your shoulder?”
My lips are quivering a lot, mostly from the cold. But also because I’m feeling tired and lonely and like I have no one who truly cares about me. Well, besides Laini and Tabby. But as much as I love those two, I don’t want to grow old with either of them.
“What do you mean, I have someone in my life?”
“Who do you think?” I sigh. “It’s okay, Jack. I know it’s all secretive about Cate Able. But I’ve figured out that you have a relationship with her.”
“Yes, I do, but—”
Tabby chooses that minute to open the door. “Guys, I hate to break this up, but I have to be at work in two hours. Could we move it along?”
22
Ben reached out. “Don’t be fooled by him again, Val. Come and marry me. You know I’ll never hurt you.”
Valerie looked from John to Ben. She cared about both men in such different ways her mind was swirling in confusion. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. “I just . . . I can’t think.”
She swept past both men and began to run.
—An excerpt from Fifth Avenue Princess
by Dancy Ames
Tabby is snoring softly by the time we arrive at the apartment.
“I want to talk to you about Cate Able. To explain, really.”
“Don’t worry about it, Jack.” I reach for the door handle. “I’m too tired to discuss it right now. Maybe some other time.”
He gives me a sad nod. “I’m afraid I’ll be out of town for the next few days. But when I arrive back home, will you have dinner with me? If you’re to edit Cate Able’s books, you have a right to know the truth.”
I can’t help but smile. Jack knows I won’t be able to resist if he puts it like that. “Okay. Call me when you get home.”
My mind is buzzing when I get inside, and I know there’s no point in trying to sleep. After Tabby drags herself out the door to work, I bring Laini up to speed, and then settle in with a cup of strong, hot coffee and resolve to finish my own manuscript so I can send it to Sheri as promised. By suppertime, I type the final word and click send.
I sigh and stretch out on the sofa. My head hurts and my nose is running. When I wake up a few hours later, my throat is sore and I can tell I’m running a fever.
For the next two days, I’m in and out of sleep. Tabby and Laini field all of my calls. By the morning of the third day, I have a long list of people to get in touch with. My parents have called several times, Sheri once, and the last name on the list from this morning is Jack.
&n
bsp; I dial his number. “Jack Quinn’s office.”
“Crystal? This is Dancy. Is Jack around?”
“He’s in a meeting with Mr. Kramer.”
“Okay, I’ll call back later.”
I start to call my parents, but I realize I’m still hurt over the condo being sold. I need to let it sink in a little without any drama or illness to cloud my perspective. I know I’ll get over it. But I need a little time.
I dial Sheri and she picks up. “Dancy! I’ve been trying to reach you. How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
“Great! I just wanted to let you know I see a lot of promise in the manuscript. I’ve sent it on to Jack for a read.”
My heart skips a beat at the thought of Jack reading my work, but I try to play it cool. “All right. Thank you for letting me know.”
The rest of the day, I play catch-up on laundry and e-mail. By the end of the day, I still haven’t heard back from Jack, and I must say I’m a little nerved up by it.
I’m rehashing my conversation with Brandon’s grandmother when I realize something. I can keep Brandon. There’s no reason I can’t lease a two-bedroom apartment. I have a trust fund that I’m old enough to break into. I can’t afford luxury like my parents, but he won’t go hungry, and as long as Dad pays his Juilliard tuition . . .
I jump up, shower, race out the door, and reach my dad’s just as they’re sitting down to supper.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting, Dancy,” Dad says. “Have you eaten? There’s plenty. Amanda fixed enough for an army.”
Brandon refuses to look me in the eye. Any other time, he’d have a good reason to avoid me, but after the afternoon I’ve had, I’m more than willing to forgive last night’s wild-goose chase.
“How was school today, Brandon?” I slide into a seat while Dad pulls another place setting from the china cabinet.
A shrug lifts Brandon’s shoulders. “It was okay.”
“What brings you over, Dancy?” Mom cuts right to the chase.
“Actually, I need to speak with Dad privately.” No sense in beating around the proverbial bush. “But it can wait until after dinner. I’m starving.”
“Fine. The two of you can speak privately in your father’s office afterwards.” Mom presses her lips together, and I can tell she’s annoyed. I suppose she wants to be included. And in most cases, I’d agree that she needs to be. But this isn’t her issue. And I don’t want her to be Dad’s solution. I want him to do what’s right for my little brother.
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