Suddenly One Summer (8 page)

“I don’t,” Jenna said quickly, even though she was a little taken aback. She and Robin were barely acquaintances.

“I’m just so exhausted I can’t think straight. Some days I feel like I don’t even have time to brush my teeth, and then Steve comes home and wants to know where dinner is and why I didn’t pay the bills and what did I do all day besides watch the kids. As if watching a two-year-old isn’t a full time job! Yesterday Jonathan climbed into the dryer. He could have suffocated in there and it would have been my fault. Sometimes I think I wasn’t meant to be a mother. I’m not very good at it.”

“Motherhood is a tough job. I never realized until I had a child just how difficult and overwhelming and worrying it is, and I only have one kid.”

Robin gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks for being so nice. I hope we can get to know each other better. Kimmy and Lexie have formed such a good friendship, maybe we can, too.”

“I’d like that,” Jenna said, feeling bad that she couldn’t be as honest with Robin as Robin was being with her. She looked up as the kids returned with their balloon animals.

“Mommy, can we play skee ball now?” Kimmy asked.

“Can we?” Lexie echoed.

Before Jenna could answer, Kara Lynch stopped by the table.

“Hey there,” Kara said. “Sorry to interrupt. I was hoping to see you here, Jenna. Do you have a minute?”

“Well,” Jenna began, “I think we’re off to skee ball.”

“It’s okay, I’ll take the kids,” Robin offered as she
got to her feet. “Jonathan isn’t going to sit still another second anyway. You can join us when you’re done.”

Jenna hesitated. She hated to let Lexie out of her sight, but the skee ball game was just around the corner. “Okay, but stay with Kimmy and her mom,” she told Lexie.

“I will,” Lexie promised.

Kara sat down on the bench as Lexie left with the Coopers.

“So what’s up?” Jenna asked curiously.

“I have more information on Rose Littleton, if you’re interested.”

“I am interested.”

“I spoke to my boss, Ben Farraday. He’s Rose’s nephew and he told me a little about the family. Apparently Rose was one of four girls. She and her sister Martha never married, and they lived in the house until first Martha died, then Rose a year later. The other two girls got married. Cornelia was Ben’s mother. Thelma moved to South Carolina and had several children, and Ben doesn’t know where she is now. But what I thought you might find interesting is that Rose was a piano teacher, just like you. Ben said that his aunt was very good. She used to play at church every Sunday. Isn’t that funny? In fact, that’s her piano you’re giving lessons on.”

A shiver ran down Jenna’s spine. Another coincidence? She didn’t think so. Something was going on that she didn’t understand, and right now anything that she didn’t understand could potentially be very, very dangerous.

“Ben said his aunt Rose was convinced that she was descended from baby Gabriella, who was rescued by the town after the wreck. Apparently she had a birthmark just like the one Gabriella had, the angel’s wing that you saw on the quilt, remember?”

“Yes,” Jenna said, her heart pounding. Rose had a birthmark the same as Lexie? It seemed unbelievable.

“Ben also told me that his aunt was trying to find out who Gabriella’s parents were. I guess the survivor reports were pretty vague. Legend has it that an angel saved the baby and brought her to shore. If you’re interested in the history, there are some journals and letters at the library.”

“I am interested,” Jenna replied. Especially because the town’s history seemed to be colliding with her own.

A big, burly guy in a police uniform walked up behind Kara and put his strong hands on her shoulders. Kara smiled up at him. “Hi, honey. This is Jenna Davies. I don’t think you two have met. This is my husband, Colin, on duty as usual.”

“We haven’t officially met,” Colin said with a broad smile, “but I did see you on the pier after you rescued the jumper. She owes you a debt of gratitude.”

Jenna shrugged uncomfortably. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a conversation with a police officer, but Colin was sliding onto the bench next to Kara. He gave his wife a tender kiss on the cheek.

“Jenna is too modest,” Kara said. “She gets embarrassed when people make a big deal about her
bravery. I’m sure you don’t know what that’s like, honey,” she added with a laugh and a nudge. “Colin loves being the center of attention. He’s a big ham.”

“Not true,” Colin said. “I’m very shy.”

Jenna didn’t believe that for a second. She knew a charmer when she saw one. And while she had become very distrustful of anyone in a uniform, she had to admit that Colin Lynch seemed more like a big, huggable teddy bear than a threat to her safety.

“So how do you like Angel’s Bay?” Colin asked. “Are you planning on staying?”

“I think so,” Jenna said. “Lexie—my daughter—loves the school and her friends.”

“It’s a great place to raise kids,” Colin said. “Kara and I both grew up here. We met in first grade. I tripped her on the playground. She scraped her knee and called me a moron. It was love at first sight.”

“You were a moron. And it was not love at first sight,” Kara interjected. “I couldn’t stand you until at least the fourth grade.”

“After that we were inseparable,” Colin finished.

“Except when we fought—which was a lot. Colin is stubborn.”

“And Kara talks way too much.”

“You’re the one who is boring Jenna senseless,” Kara pointed out.

“No, you’re not,” Jenna protested, enjoying their teasing exchange. She hadn’t been around many happily married couples, but these two were practically glowing.

“Jenna is interested in the history of her house,”
Kara continued. “Do you know anything about the Littleton women who used to live there?” She turned to Jenna. “Colin knows a lot about this town. He’s a history fanatic. Oh, and he believes in the angels, too.” She rolled her eyes.

“That’s right—I saw one once,” Colin said.

“Really?” Jenna asked.

“I was fifteen. I was diving by some of the caves around the point. You can only reach them at certain tidal periods, and you have to dive under rocks to get into the caves. I became disoriented and couldn’t find my way out. All of a sudden this girl appeared; she was my age. She gave me her hand and the next thing I knew, I was coming up inside the cave.”

“You were probably hallucinating from lack of air,” Kara told her husband.

Colin shook his head. “It was an angel. She saved me. I would have drowned if she hadn’t shown me the way. Miracles happen when you believe.”

Jenna wanted to believe in miracles, but how could she? She certainly hadn’t seen any sign of angels wanting to help her. “That’s really interesting, but I should probably go. I need to catch up with Lexie since I have the quarters for the games.” She got to her feet. “I really enjoyed meeting you, Colin. And I’m glad that an angel saved you, because you seem like a good guy.”

He smiled at her. “I am. If you ever have any problems, just give me a call.”

As much as Jenna liked him, he was the last person she would call, but she simply said, “I will,” and
left the table. She headed toward the skee ball game, but there was no sign of Lexie, Kimmy, or the rest of Kimmy’s family. As she moved through the carnival, her heart began to race. She told herself not to panic, but all of her instincts were screaming that something was very wrong.

Finally she spotted Robin. She was wrestling again with her squirmy toddler and talking somewhat heatedly to her husband, Steve.

“Where are the girls?” Jenna interrupted.

Robin looked startled by the urgency of her question. “Why, they’re right over there.” She turned her head and pointed toward a water toss game.

Jenna saw Kimmy’s ponytail and started to breathe a sigh of relief until she realized that Lexie was nowhere in sight. She ran over to Kimmy and grabbed her by the arm. “Where’s Lexie?”

“She went to the bathroom.”

“You let her go alone?”

Kimmy’s mouth started to tremble, and Jenna realized she was scaring the little girl. “It’s okay, honey, I’m sorry. I just need to find Lexie.”

“What’s wrong?” Robin asked, coming up behind them.

“Lexie went to the bathroom alone. I have to find her.” Jenna took off on a run toward the public bathrooms on the other side of the carnival. She couldn’t believe Lexie would have gone by herself; they had spoken about never going anywhere alone over and over and over again. She
never
should have left her—not for one second.

She ran into the bathroom and stopped abruptly, staring in disbelief at the empty stalls. She called Lexie’s name in desperation, her voice echoing off the cement walls.

“Is she here?” Robin asked, running into the bathroom, Kimmy’s hand in hers.

“No,” Jenna said, feeling the most intense fear she had ever felt.

“We’ll find her,” Robin said. “I’m sure she just went back to the games.”

“Or to see the angels,” Kimmy put in.

Jenna stared at Kimmy. “What did you say?”

“Lexie wants to see the angels. She said she has a question for them.”

And suddenly Jenna knew exactly where Lexie had gone.

Reid drained the beer from his plastic cup and tossed it in a trash can. The carnival was going strong, with happy screams coming from the Tilt-A-Whirl, and laughs and cheers from the game area where kids were throwing basketballs in hoops and aiming darts at balloons. The smells of buttery popcorn, hot pretzels with mustard, and sweet cotton candy were making him restless. Ever since he’d arrived in Angel’s Bay, he’d felt as if he’d stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting or a nineteen-fifties movie where everything was wonderful.

He wouldn’t have minded growing up like these kids. He could have handled hanging on to his innocence a little longer. He could have been satisfied with having two parents who cared about him, who took him to school and helped him with homework. He would have enjoyed riding on the shoulders of his father, like the three-year-old boy in front of him.

But he’d stopped wanting things he couldn’t have
a long time ago. This wasn’t his life. He was just passing through, and the sooner he got out of town, the better.

Turning away from the carnival, he crossed a parking lot and headed toward the bluffs that ran above the ocean. About a half mile down, the cement walk-way turned into a well-trodden dirt path. The traffic out to the cliffs had been heavy the last few days. At the farthest point, he could see groups of people huddled together, awaiting the appearance of the angels. He hoped he could gather more information.

It was a bright night with a full moon, but the ocean was in a wicked mood, the waves bouncing off the rocks below, sending up a white spray that caught on the wind and put a fine sheen of moisture on his face. He’d never been a beach person, but he was starting to like the taste of salt in the air, and the energy of the sea made his heart beat a little faster in anticipation of something, though he didn’t know what.

He was about a hundred yards away from the cluster of people when he saw a small, lone figure standing at the edge of the cliff. As he drew closer, he couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Jenna’s little girl, Lexie. And nowhere in sight was the ever-protective, ever-watchful Jenna.

As he drew closer, he said, “Hey there,” in a soft voice, not wanting to scare her.

Lexie jumped about a foot when she saw him, and he could see her eyes fill with fear. For a split second he was afraid she would take a backward step right over the side of the cliff. While there was
a makeshift fence farther down the bluff, here there was nothing between Lexie and the sea below.

He quickly put up a reassuring hand. “It’s okay. I’m the man who took your mom’s picture the other night. Remember? My name is Reid—Reid Tanner. I’m a reporter. I’m here to report on the angels. And I heard your name is Lexie.”

Lexie didn’t answer.

“You need to move away from the edge,” he added. “It’s dangerous to stand that close.”

She didn’t say anything, but she did take a step away from the cliff, which he found reassuring.

“So where is your mom?” he continued. “I bet she’s worried about you being out here all alone. How come you’re not at the carnival?”

Lexie’s lips drew in a tight line. The little girl was as closemouthed as her mother. But while she didn’t seem interested in talking to him, she also didn’t appear ready to leave.

“You must be waiting for the angels,” he guessed. “I’m hoping to see them myself.”

“Do you think they’ll come?” she asked, a desperate note in her voice.

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“I hope so. I need to ask them a question. It’s important.”

“It must be, or you wouldn’t be here. Your mom doesn’t know you’re here, does she?”

“I asked her to bring me, but she wouldn’t.” Lexie turned her face back toward the ocean. “She always says we’ll do it another time, but we never do.”

“What do you want to talk to the angels about?”

“I can’t tell you.” She crossed her arms over her chest, a picture of stubborn defiance.

He smiled, thinking that she reminded him a little of himself as a kid, pretending to be tough when inside he was terrified. But Lexie had a mother who cared about her, who was probably worried out of her mind. He wanted to take Lexie back, but he suspected she wouldn’t go easily, and dragging away a screaming child who wasn’t his own wouldn’t look too good. Maybe he’d just keep her talking until Jenna came, which was sure to be any second.

“It’s a secret, huh?” he asked casually.

She nodded her head. “I’m going to wait here until they come.”

“Maybe I should wait with you, just to make sure you’re okay.”

She gave him a quick look. “They might not come if you’re here.”

“Well, you can’t stay here by yourself. The angels would get mad at me if I left you here.”

“Angels don’t like to talk to grown-ups—only to little kids. That’s what Kimmy says.”

“Is Kimmy your friend?”

“She saw an angel once. She got lost in the park and she couldn’t find her way out, and an angel lady came and took her back to her parents. They’re really good at finding parents.” Lexie turned to give him a closer look. She might be wary, but she was also curious. “Are you going to take their picture?” she
asked. “They might not like it. My mom doesn’t like to have her picture taken.”

“I’ve noticed that,” he said with a dry smile. “But I don’t understand why. She’s very pretty. So are you.”

“I know. I look like an angel. Everyone says so.”

His smile broadened. Lexie was starting to relax, and with a few nicely worded questions, she might even tell him why she and her mother were so scared. But pumping a little child for information didn’t sit well. It was also possible that his questions might trigger some sort of traumatic memory. It was clear that Jenna and Lexie were in trouble and hiding from someone. He could imagine half a dozen scenarios, most of them leading back to an abusive husband/father. He had no idea what Lexie knew or didn’t know, but he was becoming more interested in finding out with every passing minute. Perhaps he could help them—it was why he’d gotten into news in the first place. But Jenna didn’t want his help. She’d begged him to stay out of her life.

“Do you have a kid?” Lexie asked curiously.

He shook his head. “No. Why?”

“Do you want to have a kid?”

“I don’t know. I hear they’re a lot of work. They run off when they’re not supposed to.”

She frowned, taking his point. Lexie was smart, and she obviously had a mind of her own. “I had to come here. It’s important.”

“What do you want to ask the angels?”

“I can’t say. I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she added belatedly. “You need to go away.”

“I don’t think so. I have a few questions for the angels myself.” He sat down on the ground a few feet away from Lexie and stretched out his legs. A moment later Lexie sat down, too, carefully keeping her distance from him.

“What do you want to ask them?” she inquired a moment later.

“I want to know what their wings are made of, and how high they fly.”

“Those are silly questions. Angel wings are made of clouds. And they can fly all the way to heaven. Don’t you know anything?”

He smiled to himself. “Actually, I don’t know much. You’re pretty smart for…what are you—ten, eleven?”

“I’m seven. Do you think angels are like Santa Claus?” Lexie asked. “You know, how he won’t give you presents if you’re bad? Do you think that the angels won’t talk to you if you’re bad?”

“I don’t believe it works that way,” Reid said slowly, sensing Lexie’s need to be reassured. “Did you do something wrong?”

Her eyes were solemn as she nodded. “I didn’t go to my room when I was supposed to.” Her mouth trembled, and she looked away from him. “Did your daddy ever hit your mommy?”

His gut tightened. “My father went away when I was a baby. I didn’t know him. But I do know that it’s wrong for anyone to hit. And especially for a man to strike a woman.”

“Even if they’re bad?”

“No matter what,” he said firmly.

“But sometimes when daddies are sick, they get mad, and they accidentally hit someone.”

“Did someone hurt your mother, Lexie? Was it your father?” He knew he was pushing, but if someone had hurt this little girl or Jenna, he wanted to make sure that it didn’t happen again.

Lexie looked like she really wanted to answer him, but a group of people came down the path, and she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

When the group had passed by, she said, “Kimmy says angels can see everything in the world. They can talk to you when you’re lonely. They can make you feel better when you’re hurt. And sometimes they can find people.”

“Is that what you want the angels to do—find someone for you?”

Lexie gave him a steady look. “Do you think they really can?”

“Who do you want to find?”

Lexie started to open her mouth, but they were interrupted by the wild, panicked call of her mother. Lexie scrambled to her feet. Reid got up as well, knowing that Jenna wouldn’t be happy to find her daughter with him.

A second later, Jenna swooped in and scooped Lexie into her arms. “You scared the life out of me, Lexie.” She wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl.

“I’m sorry,” Lexie said. “I wanted to see the angels.”

“They’re not here.” Jenna gave Reid a furious look. “Did you bring her down here?”

“No. I was just walking by and I saw her alone. I didn’t want to scare her by trying to take her back. I figured you’d be along any minute. And here you are—as well as half the town.”

Jenna looked at the crowd of people who had followed her down the path. “Oh, God,” she muttered. “She’s fine,” Jenna called. “Thanks, everyone. Everything is okay.”

“I’m really sorry I didn’t watch her better,” a woman said. She had a child by her side and another in her arms, and her face was a picture of distress.

“It’s all right, Robin. It’s not your fault. Lexie, tell Mrs. Cooper that you’re sorry that you ran off.”

“I’m sorry,” Lexie mumbled, her head down, her toe kicking at the dirt.

“It’s okay, Lexie. You just scared us,” Robin said. “I guess we’ll be going home then.” She gave Reid a curious look, then glanced back at Jenna. “Do you want to walk back with us?”

“I’ll be along in a few minutes,” Jenna said.

“Are you sure? Do you know him?” She lowered her voice, although Reid could still hear her.

“He’s a reporter,” Jenna replied. “We’ve met a few times. It’s fine, but thanks for your concern.”

“I still feel horribly guilty. I never should have taken my eyes off of the girls. I couldn’t forgive myself if anything had happened.”

“But it didn’t, and this was Lexie’s fault, not yours. Say good-bye to Kimmy, Lexie.”

Lexie obediently said good-bye, and Kimmy gave a sad wave as her mother dragged her away.

“For someone who likes her privacy, you’re sure finding ways to be the center of attention,” Reid said when they were alone.

“Lexie—how did you get here?” Jenna asked, turning to her daughter. “Did he bring you?”

Lexie shook her head. “I came by myself.”

“I told you,” Reid said.

“Why do you keep showing up wherever we are?” Jenna demanded.

“It’s a small town, Jenna. I was on my way to talk to the angel watchers.” He tipped his head toward the group still clustered at the point.

“Well, don’t let us keep you. We’re going home.”

“No,” Lexie said with a stubborn stomp of her foot. “I have to wait for the angels.”

“Lexie, don’t argue with me.”

“You never let me come here! I want to see the angels. They’re going to be here any second. I
know
they are. I have to talk to them.”

Reid waited for Jenna to tell Lexie that angels didn’t exist, that they were just a fairy tale. But she remained mute, a battle going on in her eyes. Finally, she said, “This isn’t the right place or time, Lexie. We’ll come back another day.”

“I’m not going,” Lexie declared.

Reid could see that Jenna was torn between making a scene in front of him and giving in to Lexie’s desire to hold her ground.

“She has a stubborn streak, just like you.” Reid
nodded toward the horizon. “The fog is coming in. It won’t be long before it reaches us.”

Jenna took a quick look over her shoulder and then glanced back at him. “You’re right. I guess we can wait a few minutes,” she told Lexie. “But once the fog rolls in, we won’t be able to see any angels. We’ll have to do it another day.”

“I hope they hurry.” Lexie slipped away from Jenna, moving a few feet away, her gaze fixed on the ocean.

“Don’t get any closer to the cliff,” Jenna warned.

Lexie moved farther down the bluff but kept a good distance from the edge. She obviously thought she’d have a better chance of talking to an angel if she wasn’t standing next to them.

“What did she say to you?” Jenna asked him, her voice low.

“She spilled all your secrets.”

A spark of fear flashed in her eyes, but she quickly covered it. “No, she didn’t.”

“No, she didn’t,” he agreed. “But she told me she’s looking for someone. She thinks the angels can find that person.” He paused, wondering if Jenna would fill in the blank, but of course she didn’t. “I’m guessing if it’s an angel she wants to talk to, and her father is dead, then it has something to do with him.” Reid moved closer to Jenna. He heard her quick intake of breath, saw her stiffen at his nearness, but she didn’t move away. “He’s not dead, is he, Jenna?” he whispered.

“Of course he’s dead,” she said immediately.
“That’s why Lexie is looking for angels.” She turned her head away, as if she were afraid he’d see something in her eyes.

“I don’t believe you,” he said quietly. “I think he hurt you, maybe Lexie, too, and that’s why you’re hiding in Angel’s Bay.”

“You should stick to the story you’re supposed to be writing.”

“And you should go to the police. Get their help.”

“I don’t need anyone’s help. Lexie and I aren’t hiding. We’re—we’re mourning. Lexie wants to see the angels, because—because she really needs to believe that heaven exists, and that the person she loved more than anyone else in the world is okay.”

“The person you loved, too?” he couldn’t help asking.