When Least Expected (4 page)

Damn it, Uncle Jimmy. What have you done?

 

“No margaritas,” Lexi said with a laugh as she answered the phone the next afternoon. She had spent the night before crying uncontrollably while she'd tried to gather enough courage to open the letter from Jimmy. She never did.

She was barely able to get herself together to go to work, but she made it. Now the night was dragging out in front of her. Seeing Kelly's name on her phone's display made her feel less alone.

“Do you have Aidan?” Kelly asked, sounding panicked.

“No. Why? Was I supposed to?” She quickly racked her brain, trying to remember if she'd been supposed to watch him that afternoon. There was nothing on her calendar.

“No. But something's happened. I sent Ian a text asking if he could pick him up. I got a text back saying he would, but now he doesn't have him and he says he never got the text. Aidan's not at school, and I don't know where he is. I'm so scared.”

“Shh. Don't worry. We'll find him, okay. Where are you now?”

“At the school. They're not being very helpful. I think they're more worried about procedures and if I can sue them than helping me find my son.”

“I'll be right there. Try to stay calm.”

Lexi arrived at the elementary school five minutes later. The place was flooded with police cars. She found Kelly crying in Ron's arms as she approached.

An officer stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“She's with us,” Ian's voice called. She turned to see him, grim-faced.

“What happened?” she asked as he put his hand on her arm and led her to where the rest of the family were huddled.

“I have no idea. I went for a run. I don't take my phone with me when I run, you know?” She did know. Running was like meditation for him. He didn't like to be disturbed. She used to worry that he wouldn't be able to call her if he needed to. “When I got home I checked my phone before I went to take a shower. I didn't have any messages. Then, later, Kel called and asked when I was bringing Aidan home and we realized something went wrong. We came here and he's gone. I don't have any messages on my phone, Lex. Not the one from Kelly, and not the one to her saying I could pick him up. Who could do that?”

“Was the door locked at your apartment?”

“No. I—”

“Don't like the jingling,” she interrupted him, remembering. “So anyone could have come in.”

“I guess. Or maybe something happened with my phone. Maybe he was here alone and someone grabbed him up.” Ian took a shaky breath.

“I don't think anyone at the school would have left him standing here alone. If kids aren't picked up, they're brought back inside so a parent can be called.”

“We're going to start searching as soon as the police figure out a grid or something,” Ian explained, waving a hand of irritation at the group of officers. Kelly and Ron were surrounded by another group of official-looking people, being swarmed with questions.

“Screw that. Let's go.” She was the one pulling Ian away. Her car was on the other side of the parking lot so it was easy for them to get out.

She started driving up and down the streets, looking for Aidan. The windows were down, as if they'd be able to hear him yelling for help.

After the third block, Lexi began to really think about the situation.

A stranger wouldn't have just wandered into Ian's apartment at the exact time Kelly sent that text. She had an idea. Maybe
someone
wanted to be . . . helpful.

“Ian?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Meeghan working today?”

“Um. I'm not sure. Why?” She didn't ask why he didn't know his girlfriend's schedule, though she did wonder.

“Call her. See if she has him.” Lex started driving toward Kelly's house while he fumbled with his phone.

“I don't think she would have done this,” he said, holding the phone to his ear. “Hey, it's me. Do you—”

They were already pulling up in front of Kelly's house. Lexi could see Aidan running around in the front yard while Meeghan sat on the steps with her phone in her hand.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Ian started yelling as he jumped out of the car. Lexi hadn't even gotten it in Park first.

“What the hell are you doing with
her
?” Meeghan fired back as Aidan came over to Lexi looking upset.

“Why are they fighting?” he asked, giving her a hug. Lexi already had her phone to her ear.

“He's at your house. He's fine. He's safe. He's home,” Lexi said to a hysterical Kelly as soon as she answered.

“Oh my God!” Kelly cried. “Thank you. We're on our way.”

“Mommy's coming,” Lex told her nephew and led him down the sidewalk, away from the screaming coming from Ian and his girlfriend.

“Is Meeghan a stranger?” he asked. “I wasn't sure. She said she was picking me up because Uncle Ian was out for a run. I figured it was okay because she was at my house before. Did I mess up?”

“No, sweetie. You did not mess up. Sometimes grown-ups mess up. It was a miscommunication.” He laughed at the big word. Lexi smiled and rephrased for her smaller audience. “Grown-ups don't always tell each other important things.” She couldn't help but think of how true that was. All the important things she'd never told Ian. She glanced over, seeing him still yelling. Ian and Lexi had never fought. He'd never screamed at her. Not once.

“Ahh,” Aidan said, like he understood completely. “She took me for ice cream at that place you always take me. That's where I picked.”

“That sounds like fun.”

He shrugged like he wasn't sure.

Seconds later, Kelly's car squealed into the driveway. She ran to Aidan and picked him up, hugging him fiercely.

“Mama? Why are you crying?” he asked, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. “Aunt Lexi said I didn't mess up.”

“You didn't, baby. You didn't. Mommy is just so glad to see you.”

“Grown-ups have mix-communal-cations,” he butchered the word, making Kelly laugh through her tears.

“They sure do.” Kelly looked over at Ian and Meeghan. It was a good thing for Meeghan that Kelly was holding her son, or Kelly most likely would have beaten the girl to a pulp. Lexi gave herself a moment to appreciate the image.

When the police arrived, Lexi excused herself to leave. The family crisis was over. She had to admit, it felt pretty good to still be included. She still had a family.

As she was in bed that night, reading but not seeing the words on the page, her phone rang.

She answered it, assuming it would be Kelly, but it wasn't.

“Hey,” Ian said. His voice was rougher than normal, probably hoarse from yelling so much.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes. Thank you for coming today.” He sounded so tired.

“Thanks for calling me. I know I'm not technically part of—”

“You are part of this family, Lex, and . . . and I don't want you to change your name in the fall. I should have told you that.” He took a deep, shaky breath. She wished she could reach through the phone and hold him. She knew he needed someone to hold him. “Unless you want to change it. Whatever you want. Shit. I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. It's been a long day.”

“It sure has.” He took another long breath. “I'm glad you were there today. I'll see you this weekend.”

“Yeah. I'm planning to head up Thursday after school.”

I
an was back at his uncle's the next day to take care of some things for the estate. He tried not to think about where he would be the next day.

On the way to the cabin with Lexi.

One minute he was excited and happy. The next he was sick and reluctant so he stopped in to check on Kelly and Aidan. He still felt responsible for her panic.

“Hey, Aidan. Tell Uncle Ian why Meeghan said it was okay to go with her yesterday,” Kelly said with her brow raised.

“She told me she was going to be my new aunt and Aunt Lexi wasn't going to be around anymore.” Aidan frowned. “I would rather have Aunt Lexi, if it's okay.”

“Sure, bud. It's fine.”

“Is Aunt Lexi not going to be around anymore?” his nephew asked, sounding worried. Ian wanted to find Meeghan and yell at her some more.

“Aunt Lexi loves you so much. She'll be around whenever you want her. All we need to do is call her and she'll come,” Kelly said, putting her son's fears to rest.

“Really?” Aidan looked up at Ian for verification.

“Yes,” he assured him. “She's not going away.”

“Good!” he said and ran off to play a video game.

“What kind of witch says that to a kid?” Kelly said. “Oh, I know. The kind who kidnaps kids. What was she going to do next? Stuff him into an oven?”

“For the last time, she didn't kidnap him. She picked him up, took him for ice cream, and brought him home.”

“Don't defend her.”

“I know she didn't go about it the right way, but I don't think she intended any harm.”

“Scaring my son by telling him his favorite aunt won't be around anymore is
harmful
, Ian.”

“I know. You're right. I'm sorry.”

“It wasn't your fault. I really don't know what you see in her. She's not your type at all. Do you stay with her because it pisses me off? Because if that's your goal, you do plenty of other things that piss me off.”

“Actually . . .” He hadn't wanted to get into it with his sister, or anyone else for that matter. “I broke up with her last week.”

“So she took Aidan to seek revenge?”

“No, no. She told me she stopped by my apartment to pick up a sweatshirt she left there. She heard my phone go off and looked at it.” He rolled his eyes. “She thought I had a new girlfriend until she saw your text. She wanted you to like her, so she thought if she and Aidan bonded, you would have to like her. I think she thought if you liked her, I would take her back.”

Kelly snorted.

“Please! I like Lexi and you haven't taken
her
back.”

“Don't you want the best for Lexi, Kel?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well, it isn't me,” he said before he left. “Don't say anything about the breakup. I mean it.”

“You're not the boss of me!” she yelled after him.

Ian stopped in at his parents' place around dinnertime in the hopes of scoring a good home-cooked meal. To his surprise, Alexis was there.

Both of the Mrs. Montgomerys were in the kitchen, laughing and talking. When he stepped into the room, they stopped and stared as if they'd gotten caught.

“Oh, hi, Ian. Did we have plans for dinner?” his mom asked.

“No. I was just over at Kelly's and thought I'd stop in.” He looked at Lexi, who seemed intent on cutting up a piece of red pepper into tiny bits.

“Well, you're more than welcome to stay for dinner; it's just that I invited Lexi over.” His mom gave him a dismissive glance and continued stirring whatever was in the pot that made the house smell so damn delicious.

“Oh.” He wasn't sure if he should leave. He didn't want to leave, but his mother sure wasn't making him feel invited.

“It's okay. I can go,” Lexi offered, making his mouth fall open.

“No!” his mother said at the same time he said, “Absolutely not.”

“Alexis, you're my friend, whether you're married to my son or not. He made his choice; I'm making mine. You stay. He can either deal with it or go.” His mother gave him her don't-mess-with-me look.

He turned to Lexi. “I'm actually fine with it, if that's okay.” It was her decision. If she didn't want him there, he would go.

Both women nodded.

“It's fine,” Lexi said quietly, directing all her attention to the poor pepper, which was now divided at the molecular level.

Ian went to the den to find his father, but he was napping. He tried to come up with something else to do so he wouldn't encroach on their girl time, but he wanted to be in the same room as Lexi. He wandered back to the kitchen quietly to see if it was safe.

“. . . not the same thing,” his mother said.

“But maybe if you gave her a chance she would come around,” Lexi said. Was she defending Meeghan? He stopped in the hallway to listen. He was becoming a serial eavesdropper lately.

“She stole my grandchild!”

“It was a stupid way to try to connect with the family, but I don't think she meant any harm,” Lexi said.

“She doesn't fit in with us.”

“I know I was bewildered by this family when I first started dating Ian.” Lexi laughed, making him smile. God, he loved to hear her laugh.

“There's a difference between being bewildered and being downright rude. Do you know, she didn't even say good-bye to any of us after the viewing? She just went to the car and waited for Ian to drive her home like she was some kind of princess.” His mother tapped the spoon on the side of the pot. “She's no princess, let me tell you. The boy is miserable. He was never miserable when he was with you.”

“Trust me, I made him plenty miserable. So miserable he left, remember?” Lexi said sadly. He fought the urge to rush in there and hold her until she didn't sound sad anymore.

“It wasn't you, sweetheart. It was him.”

“No. It was me. I turned into a crazy person, and before I knew it, I scared him away.”

“I still think it's not right that teenage girls get pregnant and struggle to take care of their children and the two of you tried so hard and couldn't conceive. There's just something wrong about that.”

“Life is unfair.”

“You could have adopted,” his mother suggested. His heart seized in his chest. He was the one who had been resistant to adoption. Every time she'd mentioned it, he'd suggested they try again. He had been under some delusion that they had to have their own child. He'd selfishly wanted the experience of seeing her grow round with his child. It seemed so stupid now.

“It didn't work out,” Lexi said, covering for him. “Maybe things will be better for Meeghan. She's young; they have plenty of time to try.” The sadness in her voice nearly brought him to his knees.

How could she sound so encouraging about him having a baby with another woman? He sighed, knowing the answer.

She was a wonderful person.

She would do anything for anyone.

Ian left the house silently. He was undeserving to sit at a table with her.

 

Ian had left without a word, and Lexi couldn't help but feel guilty about his departure.

“Did he tell you he needed to go?” Elise Montgomery asked her husband as he sat down at the table.

“I don't know. I must have dozed off. He might have said something.”

“Well, I'm sure it must have been some kind of emergency.”

Yes. The thought of sitting at a table with his ex-wife probably had his throat closing. She shook it off and sat up a little straighter. It was his loss.
Dinner is amazing, and he's not going to get any. Ha.

She wished she would have been able to get some pleasure out of knowing she'd scared him off, but she couldn't.

“Maybe he needed to pack. Aren't you two going to the cabin this weekend?” Tom Montgomery asked, finally getting into the earlier conversation.

“Yes. I'm heading up tomorrow when I get out of work.”

“Maybe we should give you an extra key in case he doesn't show.” Tom got up and went to the den. He came back and handed her a key. “Do you remember how to get there?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Last time I was up there, I got cell service. So if he doesn't show and you need anything, give me a call.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

After the amazing dinner, they had a mouthwatering dessert, and then she went home to her big empty house with way too many leftovers. Especially considering she would be going away for the weekend.

A weekend with Ian, who couldn't even eat dinner with her.

 

Thursday morning she went to work, trying to forget about her weekend plans. She focused intently on the futures of the student body whose last names started with A through L. When Roslyn came in her office at the end of the day, Lexi told her what had happened at dinner the night before.

“I'm not an expert in these things, but I think that means he likes you,” Roz said.

“Since when does running away and not speaking to a girl mean a guy likes her?” Lexi laughed.

“Um, since about fifth grade.”

“He doesn't like me. He divorced me.”

“He hugged you.”

“I was crying, Roz. If a guy doesn't hug a crying woman in the State of Virginia, he can be hanged. It's still on the books,” she joked, causing Roslyn to laugh.

“So then he likes to hug you more than death,” Roslyn said.

“Well, there is that. We're practically reconciled.” They laughed together as Lexi looked at the clock. “I need to go.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I'm going to go home and read a letter from my deceased uncle. Then I'm going to pack for a weekend with a man who may or may not like me only slightly more than being hanged, and his helium-voiced, younger girlfriend. So I'm going to have to say no. No, I don't think I'm okay.”

“The guidance counselor in me wants to offer some wise advice, but I have to say I can't come up with a damn thing.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” They were actually laughing as Lexi gathered her things and walked out of the school. Something she didn't think she would be capable of as she headed off to start the world's worst weekend. But she knew she had friends and family who loved her.

As soon as she walked in the door at home, she went to her room, picked up the envelope from Uncle Jimmy, and opened it. She had tried a couple of times since the lawyer gave it to her but hadn't been able to do it. Now she had no choice. Jimmy might have told her something about what he wanted her to have at the cabin. She had to read it.

Tears came at just the sight of his scratchy writing. She could barely read the words.

“Bossy much?” she said as she wiped tears from her eyes. She folded the letter and tucked it into the book on her nightstand. A calm came over her as she packed. She was going to spend the weekend at a place that had always made her happy, with a man who'd once loved her. It might not be the ideal situation now, but her heart was filled with memories of a better time, and she would always have that.

She wasn't surprised when Ian showed up to drive her to the cabin as she was heaving her suitcase out of the house.

After reading Jimmy's words to her, she'd kind of expected it.

“Can I drive you up to the cabin?” he asked, as if he had been properly scolded.

“Yes. Thank you,” she said, as Jimmy had requested.

He took her bag and put it in the back with his own. He even held the door for her as she got in. She couldn't help but be grateful Meeghan wasn't in the car as she watched him climb in and start the SUV.

“I'm sorry if this isn't how you planned—”

“This is not how I planned anything, Lex. But this is the way we're going to do it,” he interrupted her apology. “It's a weekend. I owe Jimmy a hell of a lot more than a weekend.” She nodded in understanding.

It was only a weekend.

How bad could it be?

The cabin was about an hour from Roanoke, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lexi had always loved this drive. Feeling the population dropping off, and the trees embracing her like an old friend. Her ears would pop with the change in pressure as they made the elevation.

She would hold Ian's hand as they chatted or sang along with the radio. She would have a feeling of anticipation, knowing they would be having tons of sex, starting the minute they walked into the cabin.

It sure wasn't like that now. She gazed out the window, watching the hazy red buds on the trees flash by. The silence was crushing and they had only been on the road ten minutes.