Blue Christmas (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book One) (32 page)

“Kylie, come
back here,” Jim said.

The redhead
froze. Slowly, she turned around. “Uh—”

“In the break
room. Now.”

She offered another
peculiar smile then slipped by them back to the break room.

“Mrs. McKenzie
here is looking for Hannah, Kylie. Now, you told me she was taking the week
off, but you didn’t tell me where she was.”

They both looked
at Kylie, expecting an answer. She scratched the back of her neck, pulling off
the blue bandana headband she was wearing. “Well, see the thing is—”

“Kylie, we
haven’t been introduced, but I take it you know who I am,” Laura said,
approaching her.

“Oh yeah. I know
who you are.”

Laura couldn’t
help smiling at the precocious girl, with her wild curls, bright green eyes,
and splash of freckles across her nose. “And I trust Hannah has told you about—”

“Yes.”

Laura looked
relieved. “Then you know it’s very important that I talk to her as soon as
possible.”

Kylie paced back
and forth, twisting the bandana in her hands. “I know . . . I
mean, I’m sure that—”

“Where is she, Kylie?”
Laura interrupted.

“But you see, I
promised.”

“Promised what?”
Jim asked.

“Not to say
anything. She’s
so
upset. You have no idea.”

Laura’s eyes
misted. “I’ve been so worried about her. I haven’t known her that long, but
Jim—just like you, I’ve felt like she was one of my own from the first time we
met. And then she and Jason—” She looked at Jim, suddenly uncomfortable to be
discussing something so personal with Hannah’s boss.

“Oh, I’m sorry.
How rude of me,” Jim apologized. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk. But Mrs.
McKenzie—please, if there’s anything I can do, I hope you won’t hesitate to call
on me.” He thrust his hand toward her. “I never even introduced myself. I’m Jim
Carson. Hannah has worked for me since she first came to UNC. Again, I
apologize for doubting who you were. It’s been a little scary around here
today.”

“Don’t give it
another thought. You did exactly what I would have done in your shoes.”

As he left, Laura
pulled out a chair and took a seat. “Kylie, we have to talk.”

Kylie shrugged.
She slowly sat down on the other side of the table. “Hannah told me how nice
you’ve been to her. She really thinks the world of you, Mrs. McKenzie.”

“Laura. Call me Laura,”
she insisted. “You and Hannah are close friends, aren’t you?”

Kylie drummed
her fingers on the table. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve known each other forever. We’ve
been best friends since we were midgets.”

“And she’s told
you all about—”

“Yes. I was out
of town over the holidays. By the time I got back, well, by then Jennifer had
come back. See, the thing is, I hadn’t even
known
that Hannah was seeing
Jason,”

“I know.”

Kylie continued.
“Mrs. McKen—Laura—she’s been really upset about all of this. I’ve never seen
her like this before. She’s usually pretty strong, but this has torn her apart.”
She paused. “And I—” She stopped again, looking Laura in the eye.

“What?” Laura
waited. “What is it, Kylie?”

“I don’t know. I
just suddenly had the feeling I was betraying her by speaking so openly with
you. What with you being Jason’s mom and all.”

Laura reached
across the table and patted her hand. “I realize this is awkward for you. You
don’t even
know
me. But if we’re going to help Hannah get through this,
then you are going to have to trust me.”

Kylie stared at
their hands. “I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“Nor would I.
You have to believe me, Kylie. I only want to help her. If she told you how
this whole thing started, then you know why I feel personally responsible for
all of it.”

Kylie laughed
quietly. “Yeah, she told me. You rescued her from a crazy old man on Christmas
Eve. Something about cranberries, I think. But she was crazy about you from the
start. Both you and your husband. And Jason, of course.”

Laura patted her
hand again. “Then you must tell me how I can reach her. Is she at your place?”

Kylie’s eyes
grew wide. “Uh, no. Not exactly . . .”

“Well, I’m sure
she’s not at her apartment. The press has been disgraceful. I knew she would be
smart enough to hide somewhere.”

“Uh . . .
yeah.”

“Where is she, Kylie?”

Kylie looked
away. Laura noticed the reddening of her face. “I promised her I wouldn’t tell
a soul.”

“Please. You
must tell me. I
have
to talk to her.”

“I can’t! I
promised her. What kind of friend would I be if I broke my promise to the first
person who asked?”

“But surely you
can see why
I
need to talk to her!”

Kylie jumped up,
feeling cornered. “I don’t want to be rude. You have to believe that. But she’s
my best friend. And she’s really upset . . . and . . .
well, to be honest, she’d kill me. I’m pretty sure of it.”

Laura laughed.
“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Have you ever
seen Hannah when she’s mad?”

Laura leaned
head back. “I haven’t. But come to think of it, she did tell us about some big
football player who—”

“Tommy Joe! Oh,
don’t you love that story?” Kylie laughed. “You should see him on campus. That
big ol’ ox is the biggest wimp when he sees Hannah coming anywhere near him.
It’s too funny!”

Laura laughed
along with her. “No, I guess I wouldn’t want to see her really angry. But let’s
be honest—you know she won’t be
that
mad. Please. I’m begging you to
tell me where I can find her.”

Kylie grew
quiet, looking at Laura. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m
sorry. I just can’t. I’m really sorry.”

Laura lowered
her head and closed her eyes. She nodded her head, her lips moving as she
uttered the silent prayer.

“Laura, I’m
really sorry.”

She finished her
prayer then looked up at the quizzical face across from her. She smiled and
answered. “No, honey, I’m the one who’s sorry. I have no business asking you to
betray your confidence with Hannah. Trust is something to be taken very
seriously, and I admire your loyalty. It’s rare these days. But there’s a
promise I’m going to ask of you as well.”

“Geez, all this
pressure!” Kylie teased.

“You promise me if
she is in trouble or needs help or
anything,
you’ll call me.” She pulled
a pen out of her purse and wrote her cell phone number on a piece of paper.
“Obviously this is a private number, so I know you’ll keep it to yourself.”

“Oh, of course.
Here, let me give you my number too. In case you need to get a hold of me. That
way you won’t have to come by here if you don’t have to.” She scribbled her
number and handed it to Laura.

Laura stood up,
heading for the door. “Kylie, call me. Anytime. Please keep in touch with me.
And if you talk to Hannah, give her my love, okay? And please ask her to call
me. Will you do that for me?”

“Sure. It was
nice to meet you, even if it’s kind of a strange situation.”

Laura smiled
over her shoulder. “When we get all this behind us, I want you to come to the
house. We’ll get acquainted. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Laura hurried
through the store, tossing a quick wave at Jim as she passed the customer
service counter. As she pulled her coat tighter around her, she walked through
the automatic doors and out to the parking lot. A mischievous smile curled her
lip. “Miss Kylie, you are a faithful friend,” she said to herself. “But you are
no match for my secret weapon . . .”

Chapter 22

“
J
ust the man I was looking for.”

Still stomping
snow off his boots on the McKenzie’s front porch, Sergio Cruz turned at the
sound of Laura’s voice. “Hi Mrs. M. You were looking for me?”

Her eyes trekked
to his luggage on the porch. “Sergio? What are you doing?”

“I’m waiting for
George. He’s taking me to the airport.”

“What? Where are
you going?”

“I have some
business down in Orlando. And to be honest, I was getting kind of restless so I
thought I’d head down there and—”

“Well, you just
call George back and tell him you changed your plans. I have a favor to ask.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts,’ Sergio.
I need your help.”

“But—” He
stopped, alarmed at her stern tone. He followed her into the house and into the
kitchen.

She took off her
coat, tossing it over the back of a chair. “Have a seat. I’ll make us some
tea.”

He wasn’t use to
this side of Jason’s mom. She was ordering him around in a tone bordering on
belligerent.

She filled the
teapot, then slammed it on the stove’s burner. Sergio jumped, then quietly
pulled out a chair and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Laura turned around,
crossing her arms across her chest. “Here’s the deal. I have to find out where
Hannah is. Her best friend knows, but she’s promised Hannah not to tell a soul.
And, of course, I can appreciate that.” She spoke in short, clipped sentences.
“But I have to talk to her.
We
have to talk to her.”

“We?”

“We.” She stared
him down. “Kylie wouldn’t tell me, but she’ll tell you.”

“Who’s Kylie?”

“Hannah’s best
friend.”

Sergio rolled
his eyes and avoided hers. “Laura, come on—”

“Sergio?”

He snapped to
face her. “Yes, ma’am?”

“You know I
wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

“But—”

“Sergio?”

He let out a
groan. “You sound just like my mother.”

The teapot
squealed and she turned for it. “I’m not surprised. I’ve had lots of people
call me ‘Mama Blue’ so I’m entitled.”

A lopsided grin
tugged at the side of his mouth. “‘Mama Blue?’ Sweet.” He laughed until she
turned around. She was not smiling.

She poured the
hot water over teabags in two large mugs. “I have Kylie’s number. I need you to
call her. With your charm, she’ll spill the beans in no time.”

“Now you sound
like a
Mafia
Mama. You’re quite the versatile little woman today, aren’t
you?” he teased.

No smile.

“Laura, come on.
What am I supposed to say to this girl? ‘Hola, this is Sergio. Where’s Hannah?’”

“I’d expect a
little more charisma, but sure . . . whatever it takes.” She
took a seat across from him. “I want you to call her, tell her who you are and
insist on coming over to see her.”

“What?!”

“There’s a
chance Hannah might be hiding out at her friend’s apartment. If she is, she’ll
talk to you. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah, and
chances are if she is, my call will only scare her off somewhere else.”

“We’ll take our
chances.”

“We?”

“You.”

He nodded his
head in resignation, studying her. Laura was like a second mother to him. She’d
always been there for all the guys, but after the shooting, he felt a stronger
bond to her than he’d ever known. Laura McKenzie was a saint. She and Frank had
literally saved his soul last week. And there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do
for her. He melted at the gentleness hiding in her eyes behind the serious
guise. “Jason never told me how stubborn you could be.”

“This isn’t
stubborn. This is determined.”

“Where’s her
number? And what’s her name again?”

“Kylie. And
she’s adorable, Sergio. You’ll love her.”

Now it was his
turn to level a stare at her. “AS IF I’m looking for ‘adorable’ right now?” He
shook his head. “Thanks, but just for the record, I’m giving up women forever.
I may become a priest.”

Finally Laura
laughed. “Oh Sergio, if you become a priest, church membership will skyrocket.”

“Kylie, huh?
I’ll call her but I refuse to be charming.”

She slid the
piece of paper across the table, her smile lingering. “Don’t sell yourself
short. One look at that smile of yours and she’ll tell us everything we want to
know.”

“We?” He folded
the paper and stood up, stuffing it in his pocket.

She walked around the table then
gave him a hug. “Love you, Sergio.”

He hugged her
back. “You drive a hard bargain,
‘Mama Blue.
’”

“Call me after
you’ve talked to Kylie. I’ll be waiting.”

The sun dropped slowly in the winter sky. Jason parked his Escalade in
one of the garages and scuffed his way toward the house. “Anybody home?” he yelled,
walking through the back door. No one answered. He assumed they were upstairs or
gone. Just as well. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

He threw his
coat on the couch and headed downstairs. As he turned the corner of the
staircase, he heard the clink of billiard balls below.
Hannah?
His heart
pounded as he descended the stairs two at a time.