Finding Family

by Judith Keim

  The money she and her sisters had borrowed to finance the completion of the restaurant was another worry as well. Sheena felt tired just thinking about the consequences of failing.

  “What do you think, Sheena? Did we pull off the party at the restaurant last night?” said Darcy. “Like I told Austin, we have to have reservations to keep things going.”

  “Arthur Weatherman and his wife reserved the private dining room upstairs for New Year’s Eve,” said Regan proudly.” Casey told me about it.”

  “They’re such nice people,” Sheena commented. “Any word on other group reservations?”

  Darcy and Regan shook their heads together.

  “The new social columnist at West Coast News promised to give us a lot of space in the next issue,” said Darcy. “And the editor of Florida Coast Magazine is planning to put all the photographs they took of various people into their social section, along with a blurb about the restaurant. The travel blogger from Places to Visit was at the bar talking to people and enjoying herself.”

  Sheena gave her sister a nod of approval. “Good job, Darcy. How about the Tampa Tribune?”

  “I spoke to their photographer,” said Regan. “He was taking a lot of pictures.”

  “And the reporter said she’d give us some space,” added Darcy.

  “Is Sally handling the registration office?” Sheena said, holding back a yawn. At Regan’s nod, she got to her feet. “Time for our meeting at Gavin’s.”

  She followed her sisters out of the Sandpiper Suites Building and stood with them a moment, studying the restaurant across the parking lot. The simple, stucco exterior belied the elegant, wood-paneled interior, lush carpeting, and fine finishes throughout. In recognition of the bright, funky colors and decorative schemes of the commercial buildings and houses in the surrounding neighborhoods, the wood trim outside was painted turquoise, and a carved-wooden, pink flamingo stood watch outside the entrance. Were Gavin here to see it, Sheena was certain he’d approve.

  “Thank God the pink house is gone,” said Darcy. “I couldn’t believe that’s where we were supposed to live together for one year.”

  “And with only one old-fashioned bathroom,” Regan said, shaking her head.

  “I was scared to pieces when the kids were caught in the fire that destroyed the building. Thank heavens, they were spared even if the house turned out to be a total loss.” A shudder marched across Sheena’s shoulder, sending chills down her spine. In her mind, she could still see flames shooting out the windows of the house and hear herself screaming for her children.

  They entered the restaurant to find Casey, Graham, and Nicole sitting at a table waiting for them.

  “Good morning,” Sheena said.

  “You all look bright and beautiful,” said Casey, smiling at them. He pushed back a lock of brown hair that was falling on his brow. “How about some fresh coffee to wake you up?”

  Sheena smiled happily. “Great. I could use another cup.”

  After he served them all coffee, Casey cleared his throat. “The party was very well received. Several people made reservations for the holidays, and others said they’d do so.”

  “Good,” said Darcy. “We need to show we’re at least going in the right direction if Archibald Wilson is to agree we’ve met the challenge.”

  “You and I can work on an online ad blitz,” said Nicole.

  “I sent out notices to Mo’s clients,” Regan said. “Some of them told us they’d check out the restaurant.”

  Nicole wrote that information down and smiled. “Every little bit helps.”

  “How did you do with the staff?” Sheena asked Casey.

  “Quite well. A few mess-ups, but not bad. However, when we book parties, we’ll need to add to our wait staff. So, as we move forward, expenses will likely be going up.”

  “The kitchen staff needs a little more coordination and practice to come together as a team, but overall we did fine,” said Graham. “We can call it a learning experience.”

  “Your food was delicious,” gushed Regan. “Everyone said so.”

  “And we now have a new hostess,” said Casey, turning to Nicole and smiling.

  “Nicole?” said Sheena, surprised.

  Nicole made a little bow. “At your service. Casey and Graham talked me into it, and I’m going to give it a try.”

  “What about your marketing business?” Darcy said.

  “I’m going to do some consulting jobs for marketing on my own and see how it goes,” said Nicole. “My severance pay will carry me for a while.”

  “Very good.” Sheena studied Graham, Casey, and Nicole, the three people who were essential to the successful launch and operation of the restaurant. “After the first of the year and our meeting with Mr. Wilson, we hope to be able to make some adjustments to your salaries. For now, think of yourselves as part of the family willing to make this work.”

  Everyone laughed with good nature. Sheena hoped it would last. She’d been told restaurants were difficult for so many reasons—management of staff principal among them.

  ###

  Sheena was working on financials for the restaurant when she received a call from Michael.

  “Hi, Mike! What’s up?”

  “I need to talk to you, Mom,” he said in a troubled voice. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at home going over financials. Why?”

  “Can you meet me down by the waterfront? We’ll have more privacy there.”

  Sheena’s stomach squeezed with worry. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll meet you there,” said Michael. He hung up, leaving her to wonder what could be so terribly wrong. He’d sounded as if he were crying.

  She hurried across the hotel grounds toward the bay and sat in one of the wooden chairs on the grassy area beside the water. Her mind raced. What had happened? Her son was strong. He didn’t often cry.

  She didn’t have long to wait for him to show up at the hotel. From a distance, she could see Michael moving across the lawn toward her, his head down, his shoulders drooping.

  Her heart thudded to a halt and then sprinted in sickening beats. She knew her child, and he was in distress. She rose to greet him.

  Michael’s face was pale.

  “Michael, Michael, what’s wrong, honey?” she said, putting her arms around him and holding him close.

  His shoulders shook, and then he pulled away and gazed at her with tear-streaked cheeks. “It’s Kaylee. She says she’s pregnant.”

  Sheena felt the blood leave her face and fought to get her balance. “Is she sure?”

  “As sure as she can be. One test said positive. Another said negative. She’s waiting for the results of a different brand of test.” He slumped.

  Sheena sucked in a deep breath. “How far along is she?”

  “Only a few weeks, I guess,” he said. “I don’t know how it could’ve happened. I was so careful.”

  Sheena took his arm. “Let’s sit down. No one else is nearby, so we can talk.”

  She led him to one of the Adirondack chairs they’d placed on the lawn next to the bank of the bay and collapsed into it, her pulse pounding with dismay.

  Michael slumped into a chair next to hers. “What am I going to do?” He ran his hands through his dark curls so like Tony’s.

  “First of all, we don’t know for sure she is pregnant. Until then, we’re not going to panic,” Sheena said, lying through her teeth. She was so panicky she felt dizzy.

  “What’s Dad going to say?” asked Michael in a small voice that sent Sheena’s thoughts back to the time when she’d had to break the news to Tony of Michael’s unexpected presence. Tony had been marvelous then, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about this.

  “He’s probably going to be pissed,” Sheena said honestly. “Dad and I have both spoken to you about the risks of being intimate with Kaylee.”

  Michael’s eyes flooded once more.

  Sheena reached over and patted his hand. “We certainly understand raging
hormones, but you’re both only in high school and with the most challenging and exciting years still ahead of you. I hate for you to be caught in this situation.”

  “But what if she’s pregnant?” said Michael. “How am I going to support her? And the baby? I’m not ready to be a father. I don’t even know what in the hell I’m doing myself.”

  “No matter the situation, we’ll get through this, Michael. All of us together.” Sheena’s voice was shaky, but she meant every word of it.

  Michael lowered his head. “The worst part is that Kaylee is blaming me.” He looked up at her with an anguished expression. “I swear to you, I never pushed her to do anything she wasn’t willing to do. Sometimes, I even had to fight her off, if you know what I mean.”

  “I believe you, son. I’ve seen how she was with you. And she does realize, I’m sure, it takes two people to make a baby.”

  Sheena recalled the first time she’d met Kaylee, who hadn’t favorably impressed her. But more than her appearance, it was Kaylee’s lack of goals and her willingness to blow off school Sheena had found upsetting. But no amount of honest talk with Michael had succeeded in his breaking off the relationship. Something he, no doubt, seriously regretted now.

  “So, I just have to wait to find out?” Michael all but wailed.

  “For the time being. And sometimes, early pregnancies end quickly on their own. I’ve had a couple of false starts myself.”

  Michael’s eyes widened. “You have?”

  “Yes,” Sheena said, thinking back to both the relief and sadness those incidents had given her. She and Tony didn’t want more children than they could handle while he was building his business and she was helping him.

  “What can I do for you, Michael?” Sheena asked, giving him a steady look.

  “Just be like this.” Once again, his eyes filled. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too.” Sheena felt her own eyes water. It had been a while since Michael had spoken to her with such affection.

  They sat quietly for a while, looking out at the bay. An onshore breeze formed little whitecaps on the waves that roughed the surface of the water. Her life seemed the same way.

  “Will you tell Dad?” Michael said into the silence.

  “If I get the chance to talk to him, I will. But that’s something you need to do, Michael, regardless of my conversation with him. It’s important for you to talk to him yourself, like a man.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  Sheena drew a breath and said, “All right. There’s no need to say anything to anybody else until we know for sure what’s going on. How does Kaylee feel about this? You said she was blaming you, but how is she handling it? After all, most of the burden falls on her.”

  “She likes the idea of our being married and told me she wants to live here at the hotel. She thinks it’s glamorous, especially because her life at home isn’t that happy. That’s another thing. Her mother drinks too much, and her father is gone a lot driving his truck. I wouldn’t want to raise a baby in that house.”

  Sheena was pleased Michael was thinking of both Kaylee and the baby. Though she was proud of him for that, she prayed all his worries would come to nothing.

  ###

  That afternoon after arriving home from school, Meaghan pulled Sheena aside. “Can I talk to you?”

  “Sure.” Sheena had a very good idea what this was about. High school rumors found their way into every corner of the building.

  Meaghan plopped down into a kitchen chair and faced her mother. “Today at school, I heard something about Michael, and I don’t know whether to tell you.”

  “If you’re talking about Michael and Kaylee’s situation, he’s already come to me. He’s very upset about it, so I wouldn’t say much to him at this stage. And please don’t say anything to your father about it until Michael and I have had the chance to talk to him privately.”

  “But what do I say to the other kids? They’re saying he made her do ... ‘it.’ But, Mom, I know what Kaylee is like around here, and I don’t believe that’s true.”

  “Neither do I. But I think you should be mindful about how you defend him. The less said, the better. It would only make matters worse for the two of them.”

  “Okay.” Meaghan gave Sheena a worried look. “Is Michael going to be all right?”

  “I hope so, sweetie. I really do.”

  ###

  That afternoon, Sheena waited until after Meaghan had gone next door to Regan and Darcy’s suite and Michael had gone for a run on the beach. Then, she drew Tony inside their bedroom. “I need to talk to you.”

  As she told him about Michael’s predicament, Tony’s reaction was as expected. He went from shock to outright anger before settling down to a posture of worry. The situation was made more awkward because of their own history.

  “I tried to tell him,” said Tony, shaking his head. “What’s he going to do about college?”

  Sheena put a restraining hand on Tony’s arm to stop his pacing. “One day at a time. We don’t even know for sure she’s pregnant.”

  A knock on the bedroom door stopped their conversation.

  Tony went to the door and opened it. “Come in, son. We were just talking about your dilemma.”

  Michael walked into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. Looking up at Tony, he said, “I’m sorry, Dad. You tried to tell me ...”

  “Your mother and I both did,” Tony said shortly. “I think you’d better think seriously about how you’re going to handle this. Brian and I can always use you at the company. That will give you some income. And I suppose you could get a second job here at the hotel.”

  “What about school?” Michael said, his eyes so wide they looked much too big for his young, handsome face.

  “You could probably take some online courses, get a start to your college career.”

  Michael curled up into a ball on top of the bed. Sheena wanted to go to him, but as she started to move, Tony gave her a warning look that told her to back off.

  “Michael, I’m sorry this happened,” Tony said. “I hope it isn’t true. If it is, we’ll help you. But make no mistake, it won’t be easy for someone your age.”

  Michael sat up and gave them a glum look. “Guess that’s all I can expect.”

  “Let us know the minute you find out anything,” said Sheena. “And if it’s true, let Kaylee know we’ll be there for her too.”

  Michael got to his feet and lumbered out of the room, looking like a much bigger version of the little boy they loved.

  Sheena was left in the room with Tony and a nagging question. She studied him. He’d been there for her through everything—from the unexpected pregnancy to finally accepting the move to Florida.

  “Tony, how did you feel when I told you I was pregnant?” She braced herself for the truth.

  He wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t know after all these years?” He gazed down at her with tenderness. “I felt then, and I’ve always felt I was the luckiest guy around.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. It had been such an emotional day, and this was exactly what she’d needed to hear. She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Love you, Mr. Morelli.”

  He grinned. “I know. Say, maybe a little later you could show me.”

  Laughing, she gave him a playful push.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  REGAN

  When Mo called her to meet him at Kenton’s new house a few days after Gavin’s opening, Regan stopped reading the promotional material for Florida’s Finest Restaurants chain and rushed out the door. She couldn’t wait to see Kenton’s home!

  Following directions, she drove south on Gulf Boulevard and, after some distance, pulled her car through a gated entrance Mo had opened for her, stopping in front of a palatial, three-story, white-stucco house. A small circle planted with colorful impatiens sat in front of the building. On each side of the circle, sweeping staircases led up to the second-story entrance, making Regan think of two curving stairs
rising to heaven.

  Mo stood at the top of them waving at her. She felt a smile spread across her face as she climbed out of the car. He looked perfect standing there in white linen slacks and a purple, Hawaiian-print shirt.

  As she climbed a set of stairs, she gazed at the large expanse of land surrounding the house. That alone was worth a lot of money.

  “Hello, welcome to my palace,” teased Mo, giving her a hug. “Kenton is away, but he left me here to work on some ideas for the house. I thought you’d like to see it.”

  He opened the carved-wooden door stained a rich walnut and ushered her inside to a white-tiled entrance. Tall ceilings rose above them, and behind her, above the door, a round window let in light, making her feel as if she’d entered a refreshing winter scene. From the foyer, chestnut-colored hardwood floors stretched in all directions, setting off the white walls.

  “Where should we begin?” asked Mo.

  “How about here?” Regan walked to the right into what she realized was a private study. Bookcases surrounded a fireplace on an outside wall. Green leather chairs faced an enormous modern desk. She gave Mo a questioning look.

  “Kenton likes to read, and he’s a whiz at online investing,” said Mo. “He’s been helping me with some investments.”

  He led her out of the room, stopped to indicate a powder room with a fancy sink, and ushered her into a huge living area. Here again, high ceilings gave a sense of openness and space. In the center of the room, a gas-lit fireplace, exposed on three sides, added interest. Regan could see a large dining room beyond the fireplace,

  As they walked to the far end of the room, she stopped to gaze at the magnificent view. A double set of sliding glass doors led to a small deck outside, which overlooked a stunning, Olympic-size, infinity-edge pool with the blue water of the Gulf beyond it.

  “Beautiful place for a deck,” Regan murmured.

  “That’s just a small observation area. The screened-in porch and main deck are on the other side of the kitchen. Follow me.”

  Regan trailed Mo into a modern kitchen that would tempt any person to take up classical French cooking—a la Julia Child. Gleaming, stainless-steel appliances, a huge Viking range, a magnificent central island with a huge double sink, and equipment of every kind added a professional look to the gray-granite countertops and white cabinetry.