Courting Disaster

by Boeshaar, Andrea

  “I should be going.” Cadi stepped away from the fence. “I’ll walk out to the parking lot, and if I don’t see my friends, they can either find their own way back to the hotel or call my cell phone.”

  Before Frank could answer, his children raced over after their ride.

  “Daddy, you didn’t see me waving to you,” the little girl said with a pout.

  “I’ve been talking with Miss Trent, honey. I’m sorry.”

  “Oh.” Emily’s gaze slid from her dad to Cadi.

  Cadi replied with a guilty smile. She hadn’t meant to steal Frank’s attention from his children.

  Then Dustin looked at Cadi, almost as though he were seeing her for the first time. Was that a glint of enthusiasm in his honey-colored eyes?

  “Do you cook dinners like Miss Paige?”

  “Or bake cookies like Miss Nicole?” Emily asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

  “Paige? Nicole?” Puzzled, Cadi looked at Frank.

  “Remember the well-intentioned friends I mentioned? Those two women were, um, setups.”

  “Ah.” Cadi grinned. “And a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  “Something like that.”

  She couldn’t help a laugh. “Well, Emily,” she said, turning to the little girl, “I’ve got no time for baking. I don’t cook, either.” She looked at Dustin. “In fact, I’m a terrible cook. I burn everything. Seriously.”

  Frank looked as though he were holding back a guffaw while the kids scrunched their faces, unable to follow the conversation. At least, Cadi thought, she had quelled any romantic notions he might have.

  “Well, have a fun day.” She took several steps backward, smiled at the trio, then whirled around and strode to her van as fast as her legs could carry her.

  Six

  “I’m telling you, she’s up to no good!”

  Adam heaved another sigh. “You have no proof.”

  “It’s a gut feeling—and I trust my gut.”

  “Sure it’s not heartburn?” The pastor swatted at the circling gnats. “Listen, can we talk about this another time? I have a sermon to prepare.”

  “I realize that—and I’ll only keep you a minute.” Frank knew from when he used to attend regularly that it was Adam’s habit to arrive at church on Saturday evenings and research, rehearse, and pray over his next day’s message. Adam had done this for years, which was why Frank chose to meet him here. . .and now.

  He glanced around the parking lot, empty except for his SUV, just as Dustin opened the door to the vehicle.

  “Dad, tell Emily to be quiet. She won’t stop singing.”

  Emmie’s impish voice wafted on the thick summer air. “La-la-la. . .”

  “Dad, make her stop. She’s plugging her ears. She won’t listen to me.”

  “La-la-la. . .”

  “I’ll be right there, Dustin.”

  “Frank, I have my sermon to practice, and you have kids to take home and put to bed.”

  He swung his gaze back to Adam, who grinned, but Frank had yet to speak his piece.

  “I’m telling you, something’s up. Cadi’s jittery around me; she avoids looking me in the eye.” He paused. “She’s hiding something.”

  “I talked to Cadi last night at the barbecue, and she didn’t seem jumpy to me. What’s more, I spoke with her—”

  “Dad!” Dustin’s voice cut into the conversation and held a tone of unmistakable aggravation. “She’s singing again!”

  “Okay, son. I’ll be there in a sec.” Frank turned back to Adam. “Look, about Cadi—”

  “She and her team are the real deal, Frank. Go home,” the pastor advised. “Relax. Pray about things. We’ll talk again tomorrow. I think that when we do you’ll agree that Cadi and the Disaster Busters are in Wind Lake to help.” An idea lit his gaze. “Hey, come to service, and then you and the kids can come over for lunch. What do you say?”

  “Appreciate the offer. I’ll consider it.” Frank was amazed at the way Adam always worked in the invitation to hear one of his sermons.

  “We’ll be seeing you later,” Adam said as he began to make his way across the almost deserted parking lot. “G’night, kids. Be good for your dad and make Jesus proud.”

  Frank strode to the SUV and settled the matter between his children, knowing full well that they were exhausted. After the zoo this morning, they went to his parents’ condo in a retirement community on the outskirts of town. His folks still worked full-time jobs, but because they were older than fifty-five, they qualified for a condo in the newly constructed retirement center. Both Mom and Dad loved it, as the amenities seemed like luxuries to them after years of living in a century-old farmhouse, but Frank had been sad to see the old place go in order to make room for a strip mall.

  “Can’t stop progress,” Dad had said, and Frank supposed it was true. Besides, his folks’ new low-maintenance home meant they had more time to spend with friends and family. This afternoon, for instance, Dustin and Emily splashed and played in the retirement community’s indoor pool, under adult supervision. Later, Mom made one of Frank’s favorite dinners: spaghetti with meatballs. He ate so much he thought he’d bust, and thankfully, Mom put in a children’s video for the kids to watch so the adults could laze around, talk, and allow their meals to digest. Now, however, Dustin and Emily were beyond tired—which accounted for their squabbling.

  Pulling alongside the curb in front of the townhouse he rented from his in-laws, Frank parked his vehicle. When the tornado had destroyed his home and killed his wife three years ago, he needed a place to go, and his in-laws just happened to need tenants in the unit adjacent to theirs. So he moved himself and the kids into this two-story place, and he just never bothered to leave. He figured it gave Dustin and Emmie a sense of home, since their grandparents lived right next door. What’s more, his mother-in-law, Lois Chayton, ran a day care in her home, which benefited Frank greatly.

  “Hi, Gramma! Hi, Grampa!” the kids hollered through the screen door before Frank unlocked their identical front entrance and ushered the pair inside.

  He called his own hello to his in-laws before stepping into the sparse living room area. His mother and Lois had tried to spiff up the place by hanging pictures on the wall, and his sister brought over knickknacks, setting them here and there. But the fact remained: Frank didn’t give a hoot about decorating his home, although he managed to keep it fairly clean. That was the best he could do, and Lois stepped in and took care of the rest. She knew as well as he did that life hurled issues at him that were much more pressing than housekeeping—issues like taking care of his kids and working sometimes eighty hours a week.

  Dustin and Emily took their turns in the shower, and then Frank tucked them into their beds. With each child in his and her respective room and the house now still and silent, Frank moseyed out onto the narrow cement slab of a front porch. He lowered his tired body onto one of the hard plastic lawn chairs and kicked up his feet, setting his athletic shoes on the metal rail.

  The night air had a nip to it, but it felt pleasant enough. Refreshing.

  He forced himself to relax. His eyelids grew heavy.

  “We are so totally lost.”

  The voice coming from the sidewalk sounded vaguely familiar.

  “But that guy said the hotel is this way.”

  “It’s the other way. I’m sure of it.”

  Frank sat up in time to see two males and two females making their way past his home. Beneath the glow of the streetlamp, he recognized them at once.

  “Hey.” Frank stood. “Disaster Busters.”

  They stopped and looked his way.

  “It’s me, Frank Parker.” He stepped off the porch and walked over to them. They greeted him.

  “Have you seen Cadi?” Meg asked. “We’ve been trying to get a
hold of her, but either (a) she’s turned off her phone because she’s, like, really mad at us or (b) her battery’s dead or (c) her phone’s in her monster purse in which she carries almost everything and she can’t hear it ringing.”

  “If this is multiple choice,” Frank said with a grin, “I’m choosing (a)—she’s really mad at you.” He chuckled in spite of himself.

  “So, um, you’re on to our matchmaking efforts, huh?” Bailey asked, holding her husband’s hand. She looked at her friends. “I guess it was a bad idea.”

  “Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Will retorted; then a broad, mischievous smile lit his expression.

  “Except now we’re worried about Cadi,” Meg informed Frank. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”

  He shook his head. “She left the zoo right away—as soon as she found out you all took off on her. She mentioned you’d call her cell phone.” He rubbed his stubbly jaw. “I don’t think she thought the whole setup thing was amusing.” He sensed the foursome’s embarrassment and discomfort. “If it’s any consolation, I took it all in stride.”

  “Frank, we’re sorry if we put you in a bad position,” Jeff said, sounding sincere. “Hopefully we’ll find Cadi back at the hotel and we can make it up to her somehow. Can you point us in the right direction?”

  “What hotel?”

  “Wind Lake Inn.”

  Frank shook his head. “That’s on the other side of town. How’d you manage to get so far off course?”

  “We were at the explosion site all afternoon, digging through the rubble,” Jeff said. “We were able to help one family recover a good number of their possessions.”

  Frank tried to fight off the doubt and suspicion seeping into his heart.

  “Afterward we were invited to eat dinner with a family who will be staying with relatives until their home can be rebuilt,” Bailey added. “The Neumanns. Do you know them?”

  Frank nodded. “I know them well.” He made a mental note to follow up with the Neumanns once the Disaster Busters team left town.

  “So after our huge meal,” Meg put in, “we all decided the walk back to the hotel would be healthy, and we were told we had a short distance to go, but—”

  “But somehow we must have gotten turned around,” Will interjected.

  Muttering ensued, and he chuckled again.

  “This might sound like a stupid question, but did anyone call the hotel and ask for Cadi?”

  “We’ve been calling all day.” Meg sighed. “No answer in our room, and all they could tell us is she didn’t check out.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Frank, are you available to drive us to the hotel?” Jeff asked. “We’ve been told Wind Lake doesn’t have public transportation.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “Ordinarily we’d never dream of imposing,” Bailey added quickly, “but we’re exhausted, and I, for one, can’t bear the thought of walking across town.”

  “Sure, I can give you a lift.” He supposed his in-laws could watch the kids for a while. “Wait here while I grab my keys.”

  ❧

  Cadi sat back on the queen-sized bed in the hotel room and smiled at her laptop. She’d been working all afternoon on creating a Web site for the victims who’d lost everything after the explosion. It had turned out perfectly.

  After leaving the zoo this morning, Cadi had returned to the bank and talked with Leslie Pensky, the branch manager. Together they set up an account, and Pastor Dremond agreed to be the signer, overseer, and disperser of the funds. Cadi would give him the signature card tomorrow after the worship service, and the pastor would drop it off at the bank on Monday.

  And now, with the Web site up, people everywhere could make a donation.

  Lord, I guess it was Your will for me to spend an extra day in Wind Lake.

  Cadi glanced at her gold bracelet watch. It was nearly ten o’clock. Where were her friends?

  She scooted off the bed and searched for her cell phone, only to realize she’d left it out in the van. No wonder she hadn’t heard from them!

  Taking strides for the door, the latch clicked, and it opened just as she reached for the handle.

  “Where have you been?” Cadi asked as Meg stepped into the room.

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

  Cadi had the good grace to feel chagrinned. “I just realized I left my phone in the van and was headed outside to get it.”

  “I knew it.” Meg snapped her fingers. “We’ve been trying to get ahold of you all afternoon. I knew you wouldn’t purposely ignore us.”

  “I didn’t. Honest. Sorry you couldn’t reach me.”

  “We actually wondered if maybe you’d gone home, but we knew you wouldn’t leave us stranded.”

  “Not a chance, although. . .” Cadi paused. “I thought about it.” With a grin she padded to one of the two beds in the room and sat down. “I’ll admit that your little prank upset me, but when I left the zoo, I came up with a great idea.” She smiled. “I stopped back at the bank, met the branch manager, and set up an account for the explosion victims. Then this afternoon, I created a Web site, just like we planned. Come and look.”

  Cadi pulled her computer onto her lap and showed Meg the Web pages she’d put together.

  “The digital photos Will took this morning before we went to the bank turned out great.”

  “Absolutely. And they transferred onto my computer and the new Web site with no problems.”

  Meg sighed. “Well, your Web site is impressive even if your memory isn’t.” She shook her head. “I’m going to attach that cell phone of yours to idiot strings and make you wear it around your neck.”

  “That’s an idea.” Still smiling, Cadi shut down her computer. “So how did things go for all of you this afternoon?”

  “We worked as hard as you did. You would have been proud of us.”

  “I’m always proud of you—my friends.”

  A wide grin spread across Meg’s face before her expression turned serious again. “We made progress, but there is still so much left to do. And so much damage! At one point I had to sob right along with a woman whose cherished family photographs had been destroyed. But then I reminded her that she and her husband are both alive and unhurt, and we both started crying all over again—but crying tears of joy.”

  “You helped her see the rainbow through the rain. That’s important—and that’s what Disaster Busters is here for.”

  Meg nodded and sighed wearily. “When it got too dark to keep searching and sorting, we had dinner with some other volunteers before heading for the hotel—except we somehow got our directions crossed and wound up on the other side of town. Our friendly neighborhood sheriff’s deputy gave us a ride.”

  “Frank?” Cadi stared at her friend, amazed. “How’d you manage to run into him?”

  “Sheer coincidence—if you believe in coincidence, that is.”

  Cynicism wound its way around Cadi’s heart. “He was probably following you all day. He thinks we’re lowlife scum who’d rob senior citizens.” She stood to ready herself for bed.

  “Frank doesn’t think ill of us. In fact, he asked all kinds of questions about Disaster Busters while driving us back here.”

  “He’s asking questions because he’s suspicious.” Cadi searched her overnight bag for her nightshirt and toothbrush. “He’s interrogated me at least twice.”

  “Let him interrogate. We’ve got nothing to hide.”

  “I agree. But Frank takes his suspicions way too far.”

  “Uh-oh. Sounds like you’re angry with him.” Meg tipped her head. “Or are you angry with us for trying to set you up with Frank?”

  “I’m not angry with anybody.” Cadi turned her back to Meg, hoping to mask any telltale e
motions. “It’s just rather insulting to be treated like a thief when you’re really trying hard to help other people.”

  Meg seemed to think it over. “Look,” she said at last, “I’ll admit Frank has some rough edges.” She flopped onto the adjacent bed with its colorful floral spread. “But those edges are probably due to his wife’s death. I wonder how it happened.”

  Cadi strode to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She told herself she didn’t care about Frank Parker or his adorable kids—or how his wife died. But she immediately regretted her harsh attitude. It belied her values, her very being.

  Closing her eyes, she prayed for God’s peace that passes all understanding. Perhaps by morning her tumultuous feelings would be back under control.

  Seven

  “Daddy, why are you coming to church with us?”

  Frank winced. His daughter shouldn’t have to ask such a thing. Rather, attending worship services with their dad ought to be a regular event in his kids’ lives.

  He glanced at Emmie in the rearview mirror of his vehicle. Pigtails in her hair, she sat belted into the backseat, looking darling in her Sunday best, thanks to his mother-in-law’s helpful hands. Once more it pained Frank that accompanying his kids to church was such a rarity.

  “I’m coming today so I can hear God’s Word with you and Dustin. It’s the right thing to do. I should have been attending services with you more often.”

  He spoke from his heart but didn’t add that after hearing that the Disaster Busters team would be in church today, he had decided to use his attendance as a great excuse to check them out one more time. He had dual motives, it was true, and he admitted them to God and himself. But at least he was actually on his way to the small, quaint house of worship again, and for the first time there were no tears stinging the backs of his eyes and no lump of sorrow in his throat over having lost Yolanda.