Barefoot Bay_A Family for the Holidays

by Karen Ann Dell

  “Mom is especially allergic to those two species,” Sky said. She pulled a seven-footer away from the pile and shook it to let the branches settle into their normal configuration. “There’s a hole back here,” Alex immediately pointed out. He pulled another one out.

  “Too skimpy,” Sky condemned it.

  And so it went. Eventually, Alex stood an eight-foot specimen up and twirled it around for inspection.

  “Kind of bare at the bottom,” Sky said. “But as tall as it is, Mike can cut a foot off down there and then it will be perfect.”

  Alex agreed and loaded it into the van. It was difficult to resist the Christmas spirit Sky spread with support from a holiday CD in the van’s player and the heady smell of the tree in the back.

  Sky looked back over her shoulder at Kelly. “I kind of hoped we could have a tree at our place, too. It’s going to be hard enough for me to stay in the Christmas spirit down there with the temperature in the eighties.”

  Kelly readily agreed. “We have to get a real one, though. My mom and I used to put up an artificial one, because in Florida real trees are so expensive, but as far as I’m concerned, the smell alone is worth the extra bucks.”

  “Oh, good. I’m so glad you’re on board with this. We can get one as soon as we get back, Mike will help put it up, and we can enjoy it for weeks.”

  Kelly smiled at Sky’s enthusiasm. With Mike in the mix, the Christmas season was going to be much brighter. She’d be able to bring her mother over, as well. She hummed along with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

  Back home, Alex dragged the tree out of the van. “Go get Mike, Sky. I’m forbidden to wield the chainsaw by your mother. We need to get this beauty cut and into a bucket of water.”

  Kelly waited with Alex for Sky’s return, which seemed to be taking a long time. “He might still be talking to AJ about the new center. I’ll go in and hurry him along, Alex.”

  She met Sky in the kitchen, talking to her mother. They both stopped talking and turned to Kelly, the expression on Sky’s face an immediate giveaway that something was wrong.

  “What’s up?”

  Sky’s gaze slid away from her. “Mike’s not here. Jed told me Sarah came by a little while ago. She wanted to talk to him.”

  It took a second for the name to register. Then Kelly’s heart stumbled. “Mike’s first love, Sarah?”

  Sky nodded.

  “Oh.” There seemed nothing else to say.

  Kathryn continued, “She didn’t want to come in—”

  Sky scoffed. “No wonder. She probably feared bodily harm from anyone in this house.”

  “Sky,” her mother scolded, “don’t say such things. We don’t know everything that went into her decision back then. I’m sure he’ll be back soon. They just went for a walk.”

  Kelly nodded and faked an unconcerned attitude. She took off her jacket and the pair of gloves Sky had loaned her. Even in the warm kitchen, her hands were icy.

  “I’ll go tell Dad to come on in,” Sky said.

  “How about some hot chocolate?” Kathryn offered.

  Kelly forced a smile. “Sure. That sounds good.”

  AJ and Owen came in searching for leftovers from yesterday’s feast. Quick to sense the palpable tension radiating from Kelly, Owen frowned. “Where’s Mike?”

  “He, um, went for a walk with Sarah,” Kelly said, amazed she was able to sound so nonchalant.

  “You’re kidding? He left with her? What the—”

  “We’re having hot chocolate. Want some?” his mother interrupted.

  Owen caught the look even Kelly couldn’t miss from across the room. “Uh, sure. AJ and I were going to make ourselves a sandwich. Anyone else hungry?”

  Sky and Alex came in through the mud room in time to hear Owen’s offer. Alex rubbed his hands together. “Absolutely. Tree hunting is hungry work. Kelly, can Owen get you something?”

  “Thanks, but no. I’ll settle for the hot chocolate.”

  “Sky, why don’t you call your brother and tell him we’re back?” Kathryn suggested. “I’m sure the time just got away from him.”

  “Good idea.” Sky fished in her purse and found her cell phone. The kitchen went silent as she dialed. Then, faintly, Kelly heard the theme from “Rocky.” She turned toward the doorway, expecting to see Mike’s face, but the ring tone continued to play.

  Jed walked in carrying the ringing phone. “Hey, Mike left his phone on the hall table.”

  “Figures,” Owen grumbled.

  Then Kelly’s phone chimed, and she dug through her big purse to find it. “That’s probably him.” She saw the Florida area code and couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Hello?” As she listened, her face paled. “How could that have happened?” she demanded, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. She listened for several minutes. “How long has she been missing?” At the response, she closed her eyes. “Yes. I’ll email you a picture from yesterday. I’ll be on the next flight to Naples. Let me know as soon as you find her, please.”

  Kelly put her phone down and surveyed the concerned faces around the table. “My mom’s missing from Harbor House. They don’t know how she left or where she went. They discovered she was gone after lunch. When she hadn’t come to the dining room, one of the workers checked her room to make sure she was okay. It was empty. They’ve searched the building and grounds with no luck. That’s why it took so long to call me. I guess they were hoping to find her first.” She took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. “I’ll need to get a flight home as soon as possible.”

  Owen shook his head. “You’re not flying commercial, Kelly. I’ll take you back.”

  Kelly put her hand on his arm and gave him a smile. “Thank you, Owen. You are sweet to offer, but I know that fueling that plane of yours costs a fortune, and you’ve already spent enough on me.”

  He flashed a smile. “You still haven’t got it yet, have you? You’re family now, Kel. You aren’t going home alone, and five seats on a commercial carrier will cost a fortune today, if we could even get them. So, go upstairs and pack your bag. You, too, Sky and AJ. Jed, throw some clothes of Mike’s in his duffel bag, then canvas the neighborhood. If he and Sarah took a walk, they can’t have gone far.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “Jack? It’s me. Gas up the Citation, file a flight plan for Naples, Florida, and be ready to roll in thirty minutes. Yeah, I’ll explain later. Just do it. Right.” He hung up and frowned at the group. “What are you all waiting for? Move!”

  Galvanized by his aura of command, AJ, Sky and Jed headed for the stairs. Owen held up one finger to Kelly to delay her. “Have they put out a Silver Alert on your mom?”

  Kelly nodded. “Yes, that’s why they wanted her picture.”

  “Police?”

  “Yes. But they won’t act until she’s been missing for twelve hours. That’s why they have the Silver Alert. It goes out as soon as someone is reported missing.”

  “Okay, go pack.” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

  “Owen, I can’t—” Kelly began, overwhelmed with gratitude and admiration at his decisiveness.

  “Thank me later. I want to be taxiing to the runway in thirty minutes.”

  She ran for the stairs.

  “Mom, could you put together some food and drinks for the flight?” Owen asked, then saw that she was already making sandwiches. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

  She smiled at him. “I am so proud of you, Owen.” She frowned, then. “It’s going to kill Mike if we can’t find him in time.”

  “Yeah. Damn Sarah. She could fuck up a—”

  “Owen!”

  “Okay, okay, Mom, but you cut her way too much slack.”

  “Regardless. You need to pack, too, while I finish here.”

  He nodded and left. Kathryn packed sandwiches, sodas, water, two thermoses of coffee and a pumpkin pie.

  Jed passed her and dropped Mike’s duffel bag in the mud room. “I’m taking Jesse’s bike
. It’s quicker, and he can ride it back from wherever the hell I find him.” He was out the door before she could scold him for language.

  Julia came in and scanned the table. “What can I do? AJ just told me what’s going on.”

  “I think we’re all set here. I just hope Jed finds Mike before they leave for the airport.”

  Kelly threw her clothes in her bag, not bothering with folding. Her stomach was tied in knots, and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. I guess this is payback for a wonderful Thanksgiving. The Fates give, then they take back with a vengeance. Where are you, Mike? I really need you right now.

  She was frantic with worry for her mother, but that didn’t keep her from wondering what Sarah wanted from Mike. Niggling little doubts crept under her forced veneer of calm. Did she want him back? Did he still care for Sarah? Love her, even? Was she just the next best thing when he felt he’d never get Sarah back?

  She almost jumped out of her skin when Jesse appeared beside her. He pointed to her suitcase. “All ready?” She nodded, and he closed it and Sky’s and headed back downstairs, carrying both as though they weighed next to nothing.

  Everyone gathered in the kitchen. Owen checked his watch, then nodded to Kelly. “The plane will be ready by the time we get to the airport if we leave now. It’s your decision, Kelly. We can go or wait for Mike as long as you want.”

  She couldn’t bear to leave without him, but the anxiety for her mother, who was lost somewhere in Naples and completely defenseless, tore her heart to shreds. “Five more minutes. If they aren’t back in five minutes, we leave.”

  AJ reached for his phone. “What’s the number of the Casa Blanca Resort, honey?”

  Sky scrolled through her contacts and gave him the number, a question in her eyes.

  AJ held up one finger and dialed. “Yes, hello. I need to speak with Luke McBain in security, please. Tell him it’s AJ Reed.” While he waited, he explained. “Several of the Bucks signed on with Luke for the holiday season. If he can spare them, I’m going to ask them to join the search for Kelly’s mom.”

  Kelly watched the clock tick away her five-minute moratorium while AJ spoke with Luke. He finished his call just as time expired.

  “Luke is directing as many men as he can spare to join the search. He’d seen the Silver Alert but didn’t know it was Kelly’s mom who was missing. All the employees at the resort will be keeping an eye out, especially along the beachfront.”

  Kelly stood. “Time’s up. Tell Mike I’m sorry. We have to go.” She hugged Kathryn and Alex. “Thank you so much … for everything.”

  “Call us as soon as you find her, dear,” Kathryn said.

  Owen called Jed. “We’re leaving for the airport. Any luck?” He shook his head at Kelly. “Fuck. If you find him, don’t go home. Have him head straight for the airport. He might still make it before we get clearance to take off.”

  The group piled into the van with Jesse at the wheel.

  “Don’t spare the horses, Jess,” Owen said.

  Chapter Ten

  Mike and Sarah sat on a bench at a playground halfway between her parents’ house and his. The same bench they’d often used to meet back in high school days. Those memories still lived in his mind, but his heart no longer felt the joy they’d once given him. Nor, he was surprised to acknowledge, the pain.

  Sarah was still a beautiful woman, though the fresh-faced bloom of her teenage years was gone. She was thinner, paler, almost ethereal in her fragility. She told her story, and her fine-boned hands shook as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

  Her marriage was over, and she’d run home to her parents to restart her life. She and her husband had lived fast and high out in Silicon Valley. The money had poured in—along with all it could buy. Fast cars, private planes, designer clothes and expensive jewelry. In the crowd they ran with, getting high was a given, and it hadn’t taken very long for Sarah to succumb to the lure of feeling good, all the time.

  When she’d had enough of the parties, the partner swaps, and the ever-wilder orgies, it was too late. She couldn’t kick the drugs, and if she wouldn’t play the games her husband liked, he wouldn’t pay for her habit.

  “All the way home on the plane, you were all I could think about, Mike. I knew if I could just get back to you, I could get off the drugs and we could be together again. I was an idiot to believe that Hank ever loved me. He just wanted sweet, pliable eye candy to impress his clients with. I was so dazzled with his charm and money, I fell right into bed with him, never seeing it for the trap it was. Our life was fine for a few years, but then things started to go south, and I didn’t know how to get out.” She laid her head on his shoulder and slipped a trembling arm around his waist. “We were good together, back then, weren’t we, Mike?”

  Mike gazed out over the playground, to the few kids using the swings. “Yeah. We were.”

  But if we were so good, how come it only took a little charm and a few bucks to woo you away? Did I miss something back then? Some clue that what I felt and what you felt were two different things? Maybe our parents were right. Maybe we were just too damn young to have our heads on straight.

  He sighed and eased her head from his shoulder. Really, he wanted to get back home. To Kelly. To the woman who held his heart in the palm of her hand. She was friend and lover, supporter and confidant. She was his everything.

  Mike hated the thought of hurting Sarah. Their shared memories bought her his sympathy, but his love, if he had ever really felt that for her, belonged to someone else, now.

  “Sarah, I can’t tell you how sorry I am that your marriage didn’t work out. I know you have a long, tough road ahead of you to kick the drugs and get your life back on track, and I wish I could help you with that. I really do. I’m glad you made the break and came back. Your parents love you, and I know they’ll support you through rehab. But I can’t, Sarah. I love someone else, now, and I’m starting a new chapter of my life with her.

  Sarah shifted away from him far enough to see his face. Her own was twisted with rage. “Don’t lie to me, Mike. You said you’d love me forever. You promised me.”

  He shook his head. “We promised each other a lot of things, Sarah. You broke yours, and I guess now I’ve broken mine.”

  She shoved him back and stood. “You’re just like all the rest. You’ll say anything to get what you want, and when you’re tired of it, you simply throw it away.” She slapped him and finished with scathing venom, “I hope she treats you exactly like you treated me, you motherfucker.” Then she turned and ran across the playground.

  Mike was so stunned at her reaction, he made no move to stop her flight. His cheek stung from her hand, but his heart felt nothing. Well, maybe a morsel of regret and a dollop of pity. Mostly, though, he felt grateful. Grateful to Sarah’s parents and grateful to Hank, for saving him from a terrible mistake he’d been too young and too stupid to see coming.

  He began to walk home, anxious to get back to Kelly. His pace quickened until he was almost running. As he turned a corner, he saw Jed flying down the street on Jesse’s bike. He waved and Jed practically stood the bike on its front wheel as he screeched to a stop.

  Jed took off his helmet and handed it to Mike. “Don’t ask questions. There isn’t any time. Kelly’s mother is MIA. Kelly, Sky, AJ and Owen are on their way to the airport. If you hurry, you might be able to catch them.” He got off the bike, took Mike’s phone out of his back pocket, and tossed it to him. “Next time, take your damned phone when you go out.”

  Mike put on his helmet and pocketed his phone. “Call Owen. Tell him I’m on my way.” He took off down the street.

  ~~~

  Kelly sat in the plush seat of the private jet and peered out the window. She could just glimpse the access road where Jesse had parked the van. They were about to taxi to the runway when he got out of the van and began to run toward the plane, waving his arms frantically. She quickly unfastened her seatbelt and headed for the cockpit. Owen was in the left seat and Jac
k, in the right one, saw her first. He said something into his microphone, and Owen slipped off his headset and swiveled in his seat.

  “Jesse is trying to get our attention. It must be important.” She pointed to the side window.

  Jack acknowledged the control tower’s voice and said, “We’re cleared for takeoff.”

  “Shit. Hold on, Jack. We’ve got one more passenger coming.”

  Behind Jesse, Mike flew through the gate and headed straight for the plane. He skidded to a halt next to Jesse, who grabbed the bike, killed the motor and caught the helmet Mike tossed in his direction. Without breaking stride, Mike ran for the plane.

  Owen winked at Kelly. “Get the door, will you, Sis? And hurry. If we don’t move in a minute, we’ll lose our slot.”

  Kelly ran to the door and fumbled with the latch. “Come on, come on, don’t give me a hard time, you—”

  AJ reached around her and released the lock. “Let me give you a hand here, Kel.” He lowered the steps, and Mike ran up them and into Kelly’s arms.

  “Hi, honey, I’m home,” he murmured, returning Kelly’s fierce hug.

  AJ activated the steps and closed the door, while Owen announced over the cabin intercom, “Cut it a little close there, didn’t ya, bro? Okay, everyone, sit down and buckle up. Let’s get this bird in the air.”

  “I was so afraid you weren’t going to make it.” Kelly’s heart rate hadn’t slowed since the first call from Harbor House, but as Mike buckled himself in next to her, the frantic beat settled into a steady, if anxious, rhythm.

  “Babe, I am so sorry I wasn’t there when you got the news. Tell me what happened.”

  Kelly gripped the armrests as the plane hurtled down the runway and lifted into the air. She wasn’t an experienced flyer, and takeoffs and landings trumped everything else on her mind for those few minutes. As they leveled out, she filled in the details of the past seventy-five minutes. Had it only been a little over an hour since she got the news? “I have to tell you that your family, especially Owen, was magnificent handling this situation. Talk about organization, teamwork and decision-making in a crisis. The president should have this group in the situation room next time there’s trouble somewhere in the world.”