Casting About (23 page)

I
turned in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom to admire the red dress I was wearing—a clingy knit sheath, it showed off my slim figure to perfection. With a v-shaped neckline and cap sleeves, it was subtle, yet sexy. Casual was the normal style on the island and I enjoyed getting dressed up now and then with a bit of glamour. I still had enough choices in my wardrobe left over from my single days.

After slipping into black sling-back heels, I picked up the bottle of Chanel No. 5 Adam had given me for Valentine's Day and released a bit of spray to my neck. The perfume may be old-fashioned, but it had remained my favorite over the years.

Opening my jewelry box, I fingered a bracelet that had belonged to Sybile. Chunky links of gold, a small circular disc dangled from the center with two
s
's intertwined. Sybile gave it to me shortly before she died. She explained that Saren had purchased it at a jewelry shop in Manhattan during his first and only visit there to see her—the visit that resulted in the conception of my mother.

I slid it onto my wrist and fastened the clasp. Wearing it on the most romantic day of the year seemed appropriate. My grandparents had shared a love that had lasted not only a lifetime, but even beyond.

Walking into the great room, I found Adam waiting, looking exceptionally handsome in a tan sport jacket, chocolate brown slacks, shirt and tie. I felt a ripple of desire.

Looking up from the newspaper he'd been reading, he let out a low whistle.

“You look stunning,” he said, walking over to bury his face in my neck. “And no wonder you love that perfume. Talk about a turn-on.”

“Ah, does this mean I've managed to seduce you?”

“You've seduced me from the first moment I laid eyes on you in that yarn shop.”

I felt Adam's hand slide down my back and laughed. “Hey, if you keep that up, we'll never make the Island Room.”

“My plan exactly,” he said, joining my laughter.

“We have the entire night to ourselves,” I told him, picking up my white knitted shawl and handbag.

“And I intend to take advantage of it,” he said, reaching for my hand and leading the way to the door.

 

Enjoying coffee following a wonderful dinner and wine, I smiled as Adam related a story to me about an incident at school. After all my uncertainty during my dating years, it had reached a point where I wondered if I'd ever meet the right guy. I'd begun to think I wasn't cut out for a long-term relationship, and unlike many of my friends, I refused to settle. I wasn't naïve enough to think I'd find the perfect guy, but I also wasn't willing to endure some of the flaws and traits my friends seemed to think were fine when they were dating and once they married, those same flaws became constant irritations and the cause of much unhappiness. And then Adam walked into my life, and while nobody's perfect, he sure came mighty close.

When he finished his story, I reached across the table and took his hand. “I love you, Adam. I will always love you.”

His face softened as he squeezed my hand. “And you—you are that one great love of my life and always will be.”

“We're fortunate to have found each other. Do you realize how many people go through life and never know what it's like to love and be loved so deeply? Look at poor Grace.”

Adam nodded. “Yeah, but I have to say, the women in your family seem to somehow find that special love—Sybile and Saren, and your mother and Noah, and now you. Maybe in time it will happen for Grace. She's not your family, but possibly some osmosis will be at play there.”

I laughed. “Right. From hanging out with me, it'll eventually rub off on her. I know one thing, she's pretty relieved that Tony's selling his place and probably leaving the island. So Carrie Sue didn't mention anything to you yesterday about him?”

“Not a word, but I'm not surprised. She's never been one to keep me in the loop.”

“I can't help but wonder if she'll take off too. How do you think that would affect Clarissa?”

“To be honest, I think she'd be relieved.”

“I think Clarissa's still ticked off at me for punishing her the other day.”

Adam stroked my hand. “Don't take it personally. Kids are smart, Monica. She knows she deserved that punishment. You have to know how much she likes you.”

“I thought she did these past few months—but now, I'm not so sure.”

“Kids get angry at their parents all the time. She'll get over it. Wait and see. Hey, has Grace heard from that fellow that's buying the bookshop?”

“Lucas? Well, I guess he's come back to her coffee shop a few times, but he only talks to her briefly about the construction work that's going on. She said he was in this past week and told her he won't be back till the summer. He has things to tend to in Brunswick.”

“That's a coincidence that Grace's aunt lives there and they know each other. Wonder if Grace will be paying her a visit? She never seems to go up there.”

“Yeah, I know. They're very close, but there has to be a reason Grace stays away from that town. She hasn't shared any of this with me and I don't want to pry.”

“Well, it'd be nice to see Grace have somebody in her life that she cares about.”

“I agree,” I said and leaned over to kiss Adam's cheek. “I'm sure glad I have you in my life.”

Adam stood up and reached for my hand. “The bill is all set. Why don't we go home so you can show me how glad you are?”

“Now, that sounds like the perfect way to end a perfect evening.”

 

Somewhere in the distance, I heard a bell ringing. Turning over, I snuggled deeper into my pillow, and that's when I heard Billie barking. I opened my eyes to see Adam getting out of bed, hopping from one foot to the other to pull on a pair of sweatpants. Glancing at the bedside clock, I saw it was two-thirty in the morning, and the bell I'd heard was our doorbell ringing.

Jumping up, I threw on a robe. “What the heck? Who's at our door at this hour?” I called after Adam, following him to the great room.

Both of us got to the front window at the same time and saw the blue and white golf cart belonging to Officer Bob parked on the road. This couldn't be good.

Adam flung open the door and we both gasped to see Officer Bob standing on our porch with Clarissa.

“What's wrong?” Adam exclaimed, pulling the door wider for them to come in.

Clarissa was wearing pajamas and sneakers and clutching Raggedy Ann in her arm. She bent down to receive Billie's excited kiss.

“Well,” Officer Bob said. “I was doing my patrol on Second Street and I saw this little one walking along in front of the library.”

Adam pulled her into his arms. “My God, are you all right? What on earth were you doing wandering the streets alone at this hour?”

“Come sit down,” I said, walking into the great room.

My heart went out to Clarissa. Her eyes were droopy from sleep and her hair was a tangled mess. She looked like an orphan.

“Well,” she said, settling herself on the sofa with Billie in her lap. “I woke up and Mama was gone.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “What do you mean she was
gone?
Where is she?”

Clarissa shrugged. “I don't know. I checked her bedroom and the other rooms and she wasn't there.”

“Was she there when you went to bed?” Adam questioned.

“Yeah, but she was all dressed up.”

“All dressed up? My God, did she go out and leave you alone there?”

“Probably,” Clarissa mumbled. “But when I couldn't find her, I got scared, so I got Annie and we were walking home when Officer Bob found us.”

Officer Bob shook his head. “I couldn't imagine why she was out alone at this hour. Do you have any idea where her mother might be?”

I could see the anger spreading across Adam's face. “Monica, why don't you take Clarissa and get her off to bed,” he said. I knew he didn't want to talk in front of his daughter.

“Come on,” I told her. “I think Billie needs to get back to sleep too.”

We walked into Clarissa's room and I closed the door to allow Adam privacy. I pulled down her spread and fluffed up her pillow. Clarissa hopped in with Billie beside her.

“Oh, wait,” she said, jumping out of bed and going to her backpack on the desk. Reaching inside, she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. “I'm sorry. I forgot to give it to you yesterday.”

I looked down to see a gigantic red heart sprinkled with what I was sure was the glitter on her carpet from a few days before. In perfectly formed large letters she had printed: Be My Valentine—Love, Clarissa Jo.

Moisture stung my eyes as I stared at the handmade card. Pulling Clarissa into my arms for a tight hug, I said, “Thank you, and of course I'll be your valentine.”

Her face lit up with a smile as she headed back to bed. Reaching up, she put her arms around my neck. “Good night, Monica.”

“Good night, Clarissa. Sleep tight.”

I closed the door to her room and realized Adam had been right. Kids are very forgiving.

“Yes,” I heard him say as I walked back to the great room. “Yes, I do want to press charges.”

Officer Bob nodded in understanding and began writing information on his clipboard. After he completed the forms, he said, “And I'll make sure your attorney gets a copy of this.”

Just as he was about to leave, the phone rang and Adam grabbed it.

“You're damn lucky she's here, Carrie Sue. How dare you take off and leave a nine-year-old alone all night! I've seen mother dogs that take better care of their pups.” There was a pause and he raked his hand through his hair. “What? So what are you saying? That Clarissa's lying! If you'd
been
there, she wouldn't have left in the middle of the night. I know my daughter better than that.”

I could make out Carrie Sue's raised voice coming from the phone but didn't catch what she was saying.

“Why should I believe
you?
My lawyer will be in touch.”

With that, he slammed the phone into the base. “She's home. Claims she's been there all night and she woke to find Clarissa gone. I don't believe a word she's saying.”

“Okay,” said Officer Bob. “I'll mosey on over to her place now. See what she has to say. You folks take care. I'll be in touch.”

Adam turned around after closing the front door and took me in his arms. “Thank God she's all right,” he whispered.

I nodded and didn't allow myself to think what could have happened. “I can't believe she'd claim that Clarissa is lying about all of this.”

“I told you before that Carrie Sue's a pathological liar, so it doesn't bother her at all to put the blame on her own daughter.”

“Come on,” I said, going to turn out the light. “I've got her all tucked in safe and sound. Let's try and get some sleep.”

“A
re you sure?” I said to Adam the following Wednesday evening as we cleaned the kitchen following supper.

“Yes, I want you to go to the yarn shop tonight and join the ladies. It'll be good for you. You need a girls' night out.”

Adam was right. It had been a stressful few days. “Okay, I'll go,” I said, putting the last glass in the dishwasher. “After I say good night to Clarissa.”

I found her curled up on the sofa working on another scarf. This time it was a blue and white one and meant to be a gift for Zoe's new brother when he was born in two months.

“That looks great,” I told her. “It'll be perfect for Zac next winter.”

Clarissa nodded, not taking her eyes from her needles. “Yeah, I thought so too. I think Zoe will like it.”

“I'm sure she will. Okay, I'm heading over to the yarn shop for a couple hours, so I'll see you in the morning.”

 

I was glad I'd listened to Adam. It was fun being surrounded by females, catching up on island gossip.

“So what's this we hear that Opal has a man in her life?” Polly asked, looking up from the sweater she was working on.

All of the needles stopped clicking as four faces looked at me expectantly.

I laughed and shook my head. “You gals are terrible. It's not up to me to discuss Opal's love life.”

“Oh, come on,” Twila Faye said. “You know what's going on. Did she really meet him on the Internet?”

“Yup, she did.”

“Isn't he here on the island now?” Dora asked.

“Yeah, he is,” I said, concentrating on my pattern.

“And so…,” Polly said. “Have you met him yet?”

Grace nudged my elbow with her hand. “Cripe, Monica, tell us what's going on.”

I placed my knitting in my lap as I tried to suppress a smile. These ladies thrived on the current gossip, especially if a hint of romance might be involved. “There isn't much to tell you. His name is Hank, he arrived the other day, he's staying at the Far Away with his dog…and we've invited him and Opal to dinner Friday evening. There. Satisfied?”

“Hmm,” Polly said. “Imagine that. Leave it to Opal to get involved with technology and snag herself a man.”

“Yeah,” Dora said. “Years ago we met fellows at church or were introduced by friends and family. We did have blind dates, but they were, well—recommended. Not a complete
stranger.
Has Opal seen him since he arrived here?”

I nodded. “Yes, he went to her house for coffee yesterday, and according to her, he's exactly as she thought he'd be. Don't forget, they've been talking and getting to know each other for a few months now on the computer. Opal said she felt like she'd known him forever.”

“That's become quite popular,” Grace said. “Couples meeting that way. Might not be a bad idea. They start off being friends and can find out a lot about each other by exchanging e-mails.”

Polly shook her head. “I agree with Dora, it's sure not like it used to be. I see something advertised on TV all the time—something to do with signing up on the computer with a dating company and they match you with somebody who has your exact interests. Seems to me that kinda takes the fun out of getting to know a person. You ever do anything like that, Grace?”

“Me?” she said, shaking her head. “Nah, guess I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl. I like that instant chemistry that might occur the first time you meet somebody. Going through a dating service seems a bit too contrived for me.”

“Speaking of that chemistry,” I said, “seen any more of Lucas?”

“Oh, would that be Lucas Trudeau? The new owner of the bookstore. Are you two seeing each other?” Polly leaned forward, waiting for Grace's answer.

“Yes, Lucas is the new bookstore owner, and no, we're not seeing each other. He's just dropped by the coffee shop a few times.”

“I saw him at the post office the other day,” Dora said. “Seems like a nice fellow. Introduced himself and said he plans to be ready to open the shop by October.”

“I heard he's originally from France and has another shop in Brunswick,” Twila Faye said. “Isn't that where you're from, Grace? Did you know him before you moved here?”

“I've been gone from Brunswick almost ten years and he only moved there from Paris five years ago, but it seems he knows my aunt Maude. He said she's a frequent customer in his shop.”

“And so…,” Polly said, a smile covering her face. “Does he have a
wife?
”

“No, he does not,” Grace told her. “However, he also doesn't appear very interested in me. Stops by for coffee, chats a bit, and that's it. Besides, after that recent fiasco with Tony, being committed to somebody isn't high on my list right now.”

“Is it true that he really left the island with Carrie Sue?” Twila Faye asked.

I nodded. “Yup, the dynamic duo left together yesterday morning. After the crisis over the weekend with poor Clarissa, that's probably the kindest thing Carrie Sue's ever done for her daughter. She swore up and down that she hadn't left Clarissa alone Saturday night—of course we don't believe her. But when Officer Bob got to her place, she was there, so we had no proof. However, Adam had reached the end of his rope with her. He told her if she'd voluntarily sign the papers and give up her visitation rights, then he wouldn't press charges.”

“And did she?” Twila Faye questioned.

“Without a moment's hesitation. Why she even came here in the first place, we have no clue. She's always been a poor excuse for a mother. Once she met Tony, she found a means to get herself out of here. Adam probably did her a favor forcing her to sign the papers.”

“And she had no qualms about giving up rights to visit her daughter?” Dora asked.

“Not in the least. Everybody else is always to blame, so this way she can say that Adam
forced
her to give up her rights. Makes her look like the injured party.”

“Sure, when everyone knows she never wanted the responsibility of motherhood to begin with,” Grace said.

I nodded. “Exactly. Finally, I think we can safely say we've seen the last of Carrie Sue Brooks.”

“How does that make Clarissa feel?” Polly asked. “Does she feel rejected at all?”

“Quite the opposite,” I told her. “In all honesty, I think the poor child feels relieved. We've had some problems with her these past few months since Carrie Sue got here and Clarissa had to visit her twice a month. Her grades slipped in school, some behavior problems, and it's obvious she just hasn't been happy.”

“I can understand that,” Dora said. “You and Adam are her family. She knows how much you both love her and kids know when people are being phony. I'd say she knew Carrie Sue pretty well.”

There was that word
love
again—an emotion I couldn't honestly say that I felt for Clarissa. While I was far from a phony, I still questioned if I truly
loved
the child.

“You've got that right,” Grace said. “By the time I came along, I think my parents had outgrown parenthood. They were into living their own life, and a kid infringed on that.”

Grace had never discussed her parents much with me, but I knew they were in their late forties when she was born and her sister, Chloe, was twelve years older.

“When I was twelve and my parents were killed in that car crash in the south of France, I was fortunate that Aunt Maude was willing to raise me. And that was the difference between her and my parents—I always felt she deeply loved me. Never once did she make me feel that taking me in was her
obligation.
She always made sure that I knew she truly enjoyed having me with her.”

I remained silent as I focused on the knitting in my hands, but I hoped that Clarissa knew that I honestly did enjoy having her with us.