The Problem With Mistletoe

by Kyle Baxter

  The bed was slept on, but no sign of Eric. The booby bird sat there alone. He checked the bathroom. There was no sign of him there either.

  Walking down the hall, he looked in his own room and the master bathroom. Nothing. He grew concerned. Back down the hall, he went into the spare bedroom. It was storage space at present, with boxes stacked floor to ceiling. Where is he?

  “Eric?” He moved boxes around, hoping his son was playing hide-and-seek, but there was no sign of him.

  Racing back to his bedroom, he threw open the window and looked out on the roof. No sign of him here. He didn’t climb out the window. Of course not. He doesn’t know Alex and I sat out there.

  He rushed down the hall and leapt to the bottom of the stairs. Back in the kitchen, he glanced around frantically. His mother and Zooey looked at him in alarm. Ignoring them, he ran to the dining room, then the Laura Ashley room. Still nothing. In the living room, he checked around the boxes of decorations.

  “Have you seen Eric?” he yelled. The boy’s new phone still lay on the shelf where David left it. No way to call him.

  “He’s not here,” Zooey volunteered.

  David rushed to the mudroom, his mother appearing beside him.

  “His boots and jacket are gone.” David pulled out his phone, but there were no messages. Dammit. Pulling on his gear, he scrambled. “I’m checking the front yard.”

  “I’ll check the back.” Tandi raced to the kitchen.

  David stepped outside. The security lights came on as he reached the edge of the porch. The big yard was empty, but two sets of footprints marred the pristine snow. One was Zooey’s, leading from her car. The other was Eric’s. He followed them to the sidewalk, but there was too much foot traffic to leave a trail.

  He staggered back into the kitchen, cold and out of breath. “I don’t see him anywhere. I’m going out to find him. Let me know if you hear anything.”

  Tandi pulled out her phone. “I’m calling everyone.”

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  All the Lovers

  Standing at the host stand, Alex helped Bonnie check in guests and walk them to their tables. Business was brisk, but not hectic, a normal night during the holidays.

  The staff enjoyed this measured pace while they could. Next week was Christmas and school let out in two days. Everything switched into high gear and it would be busy every night.

  Against his wishes, Mama was here, but she acquiesced to sitting at a table by the bar. She held court there, greeting people and pinching children’s cheeks.

  It was four days until the CYA Christmas party. After that, Alex was going to go back to NYC to help Five Points through New Year’s. Once his obligations there were over, he was coming back home. He’d stay at least until the final disposition of the restaurant. Mama and Papa wanted to wait until after the New Year to sign the papers.

  John made a strong case for his group. They offered a nice tidy sum to his aunt and uncle and jobs for the staff. It was a good deal, all in all.

  “Damn,” he said to himself, checking his phone.

  “That’s the fifth time you’ve checked that thing in the last hour.” Bonnie nudged him. “You know Mama’s rule on cellphones.”

  “I don’t work here.”

  “Try telling her that.” Bonnie tilted her head in her direction. Mama was helping a busboy clear a table.

  “I’m going to have to strap her down, aren’t I?” he groaned.

  Bonnie cackled. “You think that’d work?”

  “No, I’ve seen her with a knife. She probably has a shiv hidden somewhere on her.” He shared a look with Papa, who was standing by the bar. The older man held up both hands in surrender. He knew better than to fight with his wife.

  “Who are you expecting to call? David?” She pulled two menus out for the next reservation. “You could be waiting a while after you iced him out.”

  “It’s one day,” Alex protested. “I’m allowed to have hurt feelings for one day.”

  “Don’t let it go on too long, is all I’m saying,” Bonnie said over her shoulder. She waved to the next guests. “This way, please.”

  He almost called David half a dozen times, but every time he thought about it, he saw Zooey kissing him at the tree lighting. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind. Nurse Ratchet.

  She held mistletoe over his head when she kissed him. Why was it always mistletoe? And that brought him back to Todd and he relived that one more time. It sent him into a spiral and he put off calling David once again.

  Bonnie circled through the restaurant, touching tables. Putting a hand on a hip, she smiled at him. She listened to his woes all afternoon, and with good humor, he appreciated that.

  As he watched, Justin made his way around, passing by her. With a giggle, she batted at his arm. The sight made him happy; they were good together.

  Several phones beeped. Hurrying to the host stand, Bonnie pulled her own phone out. A chill crept up his spine and he followed suit.

  Her eyes darted to him and back to her phone. “Eric is missing.”

  “What happened?” Mama was suddenly beside them. Justin too.

  Alex read the message again, his head swimming. “Eric is missing. Tandi thinks he ran away.” Feeling dizzy, he steadied himself with a hand on the podium. Take a deep breath.

  “Go.” Mama shooed them. “We’ll be fine. You go find our boy.”

  Justin gave Bonnie a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ve got your section.”

  She grabbed him, pulling him into a full kiss on the lips. “For luck.”

  “It’s about time,” Mama whispered to Alex as she took his place.

  He joined Bonnie at the coat check. “‘For luck.’ Was that a quote?” Alex cocked an eyebrow as they bundled up.

  “Star Wars, original recipe.” Bonnie smirked. “I can do it too.”

  She climbed into her Ford Focus and peeled out of the parking lot. He watched her leave and fished his keys out of his jacket. Climbing into his truck, he started the engine . . . and paused.

  It was cold out and getting worse. The wind was starting to pick up too. They didn’t have time to drive around mindlessly. “Work smarter, not harder,” Papa liked to say.

  Where would Eric go? Where did he like to go? He hoped he was somewhere warm. Thinking for a minute, he made a phone call. Check with his friends.

  The minute they picked up, he spoke. “Kevin, hey. It’s Alex.” Grateful for the Bluetooth hands-free technology so he didn’t have to hold the phone, he rubbed his hands together as the truck warmed up.

  “Merry Christmas, Alex. Brandi missed you today,” the man chirped in his friendly lilting tenor.

  “Give her a kiss for me, would you? I have a question: have you all seen Eric?”

  “No, is everything okay?”

  “We don’t know.” His jaw tightened. “Would you mind asking your other half and Brandi?”

  “Give me a second.” His voice trailed off and Alex heard talking in the background. “Sorry, no one’s seen him since this afternoon.”

  It was a good try. “Let David know if he calls, okay?”

  “Will do. Anything else?” Kevin asked.

  Maybe there was. He stared at his phone in its holster hanging off the vent. They needed to broaden the net, increase their resources. “Yeah, Brandi probably knows who he hangs out with better than I do. Would you mind calling around? I’m on the road, looking for him.”

  “I’m on it.”

  That was a good start. Now, where to go? An idea popped into Alex’s head. He grabbed his phone and sent Kevin a text. Let’s start a group text. Add anyone you think might be able to help.

  Will do, Kevin wrote back. I’ll reach out to David since you’ll be driving.

  Thank you! Returning the phone in its cradle, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Don’t Stop Me Now

  David made his way to the corner, calling Eric’s name over and over again.
What prompted this? Eric was upset, but this was different. This was new. Was this about school or was this about what happened between me and Alex?

  Bonnie responded immediately. She and Alex went their separate ways, but they were both looking. She was scouring the neighborhoods between the restaurant and David’s house.

  Alex was . . . He didn’t know what he was doing. There was only Bonnie’s assurance he was also searching. That was enough, though his anxiety made him want to reach out to his friend even more. Alex will know what to do.

  His mother waited at the house with Zooey in case Eric came back.

  Where is he?

  It was getting colder, with a fresh snowfall due later, along with dropping temperatures. It was too cold for a young boy to be out in the elements. They needed to find him soon.

  Scrolling through numbers of friends and contacts on his phone, David felt miserable. This was his fault: Eric’s problems at school, his attachment to Alex. I should’ve known . . . Eric’s problems at school. That’s it!

  He called Brandi’s father, “Hey, Kevin, it’s David.”

  “Did you find him?” Kevin asked excitedly.

  “Not yet. How did you know?”

  “Alex called a few minutes ago. Do you need help?”

  “Ohmygodyes,” David said. Alex reached out to them. Thank God one of us is thinking. It helped push down the panic.

  “I’m going to get ready. Let’s meet at the corner of Elm and Pine. I’ll cover every square inch on the way. Alex told me to spread the word. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “Thank you,” David stammered. The cold was making it hard to talk.

  “We’ll find him.”

  There was a ping on his phone as Kevin added him to a group text chain: David is out looking; meeting him at Elm and Pine.

  Within minutes, half a dozen voices chimed in, parents of Eric’s classmates and neighbors all volunteering to help. Some names he knew, some he didn’t, but he was grateful for them all.

  Recognizing the name of one particular person, he found himself impressed and humbled. It was Cara Sarafyan, the mother of the boy Eric punched. She was out and on the move.

  WE WILL FIND HIM, she assured him.

  David sent a private message to Alex: THANK YOU.

  Gripping his phone tightly, he hoped for a response, any response, as he made his way through the snow. Stopping, he looked around and cursed. He was going in the wrong direction. It was fine. He needed to cover all his bases, anyway. May as well be thorough. Crossing the street, he headed to the corner of Elm and Pine.

  Kevin was waiting, jumping in place to keep his blood moving. “It’s cold.”

  “Too cold. I’m scared.”

  “He’s a smart kid. I’m sure he’s somewhere safe.” Kevin cuffed his shoulder.

  David gave the best smile he could manage. “Hey, I really appreciate this.”

  Looking at his phone, Kevin checked for messages. “That’s what friends are for. Where would he go?”

  He’d been going over that in his head and narrowed it down to a small list, all within walking distance. “Probably to see Alex.”

  “Okay, we go to his house.” Kevin pulled his hat down tighter. “We cover every inch from here to there.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Private Idaho

  Alex’s truck careened down the street. Calm down, he told himself. Nothing would be gained by getting in an accident. Max whined beside him. “Sorry, boy.”

  He slid to a halt in front of the Orpheum. The lights were on inside. Did he dare get his hopes up? The boy wasn’t at his house when he stopped there. This was the next stop—the only other stop he could think of.

  He unlocked the front door and looked around. Eric sat at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Alex blew out a deep sigh of relief. His hands were still trembling, but the panic subsided. Thank God. No doubt the youngster let himself in through the secret way he showed him. I should’ve seen that coming.

  He cursed himself for his own stupidity while also grateful that at least the kid went somewhere warm. The boy stared at him with a mixture of anticipation and fear. It turned to excitement when he spied the dog.

  “Max,” Eric shouted, and the Labrador Retriever ran up the stairs to him.

  Decorated for the party, the theater’s Christmas lights and heat were on and music played. Undoubtedly, the boy turned them on himself. Eric also made sure to take off his boots and keep them on the drop cloth. Alex followed suit.

  Walking up the stairs, he sat beside the boy. Max squeezed between them. Eric rewarded the dog with scratches behind the ears.

  “Nugget.” He pulled a cloth out of his pocket and wiped Max’s paws off.

  “Hey,” the boy replied, his voice soft.

  “What are you doing here? Hiding?”

  Eric shrugged. “I guess.” Max put his head in the boy’s lap.

  He held his phone up to show a screen of frantic texts. “Your father’s a little agitated. I have to let him know that everything’s copacetic.”

  “What?” Eric asked.

  “Copacetic. It means ‘good,’” Alex explained. “I have to tell your father everything’s all right.”

  Eric bit his lip. “Okay.”

  He sent a group text: FOUND HIM. WILL BRING HIM HOME ASAP. He returned the phone to his pocket—on mute—as it chirped happy responses. Putting a hand on the boy’s back, he asked, “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Eric exhaled. “I couldn’t find a dog to walk so I came here.”

  “That is why I brought Max. I made a pass by my house first in case you were there.”

  “Couldn’t get in. No secret passage.” The boy glowered.

  Leaning over, he nudged the nugget. “Or I haven’t shown it to you yet.”

  Eric giggled.

  “Running away doesn’t solve problems,” he said.

  The boy raised an eyebrow. “You ran away when you were a kid.”

  Ouch. “That’s true, but it’s not the same.”

  “Why not?” The boy scrunched up his face.

  “I was seventeen and it was a little different.” He didn’t want to get too deep, but he wanted Eric to understand the distinction. “I left because my dad was abusive, and he beat me when he found out I was gay.”

  The boy stared at him in alarm. “I’m sorry.” He considered this for a moment. “Did it help? Leaving?”

  “It’s complicated.” Alex exhaled. “Running away helped because I got away from him. But it also kept me away from people I love.”

  “Like Mama and Papa?” Eric asked. Alex nodded, and Eric put a hand on his. “Did they know?”

  “No, they didn’t. They knew it was bad, but not how bad. If they did, they would’ve done something. I was too ashamed to go to them. I blamed myself for what my dad did to me for a very long time.”

  Eric squeezed his hand. “It kept you away from my dad too.”

  “Especially your father. I missed him all the time.”

  The boy turned full on to face him. “Then why are you mad at each other? You love each other. You talk about each other all the time.”

  Reaching over, Alex rubbed his back again. “I wish it were that simple.”

  Eric put his head in one hand and petted Max with the other. “I don’t want you to go back to New York. You’re gonna forget me.”

  “No matter where I go, or wherever you go, we’ll always be buddies. Okay? Your dad and I are still friends and I haven’t been home in years.”

  “I guess.” Eric nodded, but he was downcast. “But Dad’s going to be sad when you go. Max too.” The dog sat up and gave him a lick on the cheek. With a grunt, the boy wiped the slobber away.

  “I’m going to be sad too.” He pushed a lock of hair off Eric’s forehead. If anything happened to him, Alex didn’t know what he’d do. He’d never felt anything like this before. How am I ever going to leave?

  “Then just don’t go,” Eric pleaded.

  Th
ey sat there for a long moment until finally Alex stood up and took his hand. At the bottom of the stairs, he helped him bundle up and hit the button on his key fob to start the truck. It was a cold walk over here, and he wanted the boy’s ride home to be warm and toasty.

  Checking his phone, he found the home screen filled with happy texts. David needed help tonight and accepted it from strangers. That was impressive.

  Under Alex’s watchful eye, Eric turned off the music and the lights in the theater. It was only fair; he turned them on, after all. Stepping outside, the kid halted, looked at him, and shook his head in resignation.

  “What?”

  Eric gestured to his truck, parked half on the sidewalk. “Is this a thing with you?”

  “Quit giving me cause, nugget.” Lifting the boy up, Alex helped him into the back seat.

  Walking to the driver’s side, he looked down the street. With the Old Quarter now trendy, this corner was ripe for revival. There were downsides to gentrification, but seeing this historic area slowly coming to life was a good thing. Glancing at the for-sale sign on the building, he made a wish that someone would save the property—if he couldn’t convince Tandi to do it.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Oh L’Amour

  David kept checking the window for some sign of Alex and Eric. He hurried home as soon as the news came in, sending grateful texts to everyone who stepped up to help.

  Everyone chimed in. He’d never received this many texts in one evening. Cara made him promise to let them know the minute Eric was safe and back at home, and he agreed. She already texted again to check.

  On a whim, Tandi invited everyone in the impromptu phone tree to the CYA Christmas party. He liked the idea. It’d make for a very merry Christmas.

  Zooey watched him carefully. He assumed she was afraid to say anything. Good call.

  After his mother moved onto another glass of wine, he made her promise to take a cab home. She was welcome to stay over in the guest room, but then her dogs would be without her.