Fox Island (28 page)

Authors: Stephen Bly

Tags: #family secrets, #family adventure, #cozy mystery series, #inspirational adventure, #twins changing places, #writing while traveling, #family friendly books, #stephen bly books, #contemporary christian novel, #married writers

BOOK: Fox Island

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The trip whizzed by as Melody and Barbara
retold, word for word, Bennington’s reaction.

“So,” Tony finally broke in. “He didn’t
croak right on the phone?”

“After the shock, he truly sounded
relieved.”

“Settling the score on another of his list
of twelve?”

“Yes, but he really seemed sad that he
didn’t meet us when he was out here,” Melody continued. “The
doctors are saying he’s got two to four weeks at best.”

“Isn’t this ironic?” Barbara wheezed. “All
my life there’s been an emptiness about my father. Now I’ve found
out the truth, and he’s dying three thousand miles away.”

“I think the Lord had something to do with
the timing. Maybe you weren’t able to handle this until after you
got some priorities straight in your life.”

“Yeah. You sure might be right about
that.”

“What time is it?” Tony asked.

“Ten after three.”

“That’s cutting it close. I’ll check us in
at the curb and let you ladies out. You grab our boarding passes,
then I’ll park the car and meet you at the gate.”

“No,” Melody blurted out. “Let me park the
car. You want to wait here, Mom, or do you want to go with me?”

“I think … I’ll go straight to the ticket
counter and book a flight for Maryland.”

“What?” Melody gasped.

“Go for it,” Price encouraged.

“Mother, do you want me to go with you?”

“Nope. There are some things a daughter has
to do for herself. And this time, I’m the daughter. You’ve got a
teaching job waiting. It’s important to me to do this on my
own.”

Price gave Melody a hug. “Just in case you
can’t find a parking place, you know we love you, don’t you?”

Melody scrunched her nose. “Oh, bother, I’m
going to start bawling again.”

Tony wrapped his arms around her.

“You’ve got the best daddy hugs in the
world. I’ll see you at the gate ... really.”

Tony and Price said their goodbyes to
Barbara inside the terminal. They left her in line at the ticket
counter, then rushed toward Concourse D.

“It takes a lot of nerve to do what she’s
doing.” Price tried to keep up with Tony’s long stride. “I don’t
think I could.”

“Gate D12?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s down at the end.” She got a quick
glance at a mirrored glass window as they passed. “Do you think I
need a little more color in my hair? To cover the gray?”

Tony skimmed his own image. “Babe, it’s just
the glass. It has a silver tint. It makes my hair look gray
too.”

“Your hair is gray.”

“No way.”

“Excuse me?” The woman wore a wide v-neck
sequined blouse and trim white leather miniskirt. Platinum blond
hair billowed down her back, pulled to one side by jeweled
barrettes. Price detected a strong scent of violets. “Are you by
any chance Anthony Shadowbrook, the one that writes westerns? I’ve
seen your picture on the books.”

Price slid her arm into Tony’s. “Yes, he is.
I’m his wife.”

“I can’t believe it. You start out
thinking it’s just an ordinary day. Just going through the motions
and then, all of a sudden, I meet someone famous. Can I have your
autograph? Look...look...” She dug into a plastic sack. “I just
bought
Shotgun Creek
. It
would be tremendous if you’d sign it.”

“We’re in a hurry. A plane to catch.” Price
tugged his arm.

“I always have time for an autograph.” Tony
took the book. “What name shall I put in it?”

“Sarah.”

“Are you S-a-r-a or S-a-r-a-h?”

“With an
h,
thanks. But I’m not Sarah.”

“You aren’t?”

“Oh no, this isn’t for me. I don’t read
westerns. This is for my grandmother, bless her heart. She can’t
get out anymore, so she reads everything she can get her hands on.
You’re one of her favorite authors.”

“Oh, how nice,” Price gushed.

“We have to run,” Tony said.

The blonde grabbed back the signed book and
sprinted beside them. “Grandma says Mr. Shadowbrook never stoops to
smutty language or compromising situations. Now, personally, that
sounds too wimpy for me, but thanks so much. This will be a perfect
present for Grannie Sarah.” The young lady strutted away toward
Gate 11.

“Wasn’t she a sweet girl?” Price commented.
“Come on, Gramps, get your walker and let’s shuffle to our flight.
I think they let old geezers board first.”

The plane had not yet begun to board. They
searched the crowd for Melody’s shining dark head and infectious
smile. Finally, they sat in black padded chairs. Tony picked up a
newspaper from the floor, pulled out the sports section, and read
about the upcoming Ellensburg Rodeo.

“Tony, are they calling our name?”

“What? I didn’t hear anything.”

“Listen, there it is again. Maybe there’s
something wrong with the tickets.”

Tony waded through the crowded boarding area
and waited at the check-in counter until it was his turn. “Did you
call for Shadowbrooks?”

A short-haired, uniformed woman put down her
microphone and pointed toward a courtesy phone. He headed for the
white phone, then spent several minutes in animated conversation.
By the time he returned to Price, they were pre-boarding the
Phoenix flight.

“It was the twins. Who else would call us at
the airport?”

“What’s wrong now?”

“If I got this right, Kit borrowed Kathy’s
pink shorts and matching lace-trimmed blouse without asking her. I
guess Kathy wanted to wear them tonight when we get home.”

“Kit never wears shorts like that.”

“She does now.”

“So, why the call?”

“For me or you to tell Kit to give the
clothes back.”

“Oh, brother. Well, father of the twins,
what did you tell them?”

“I told Kit not to rifle through Kathy’s
clothes. If she wanted shorts, she should go out and buy herself a
pair. And I told Kathy to let Kit wear them tonight because I was
hoping she’d wear the purple western dress with the white fringe
yoke.”

“And she fell for that switch?”

“Yep.”

Price laughed. “Of course. Kit would wear a
gunny sack if old Dad asked her. Kath would wear it only if it were
fashionably correct, and flattering to blond hair and a great tan.
Hey, they called our row. We can board now.”

“Come on, Mama, our babies need us.”

“It feels good to be going home.”

They crowded down the jet way and into the
plane. At Row 17, Tony pushed his briefcase into the overhead bin.
“Do you need anything from yours?”

“No, I’ve got my copy of chapter five. How
about you?”

“Yep.” He shoved her briefcase beside
his.

“Have we got the aisle and the window?”

“Yeah, they said it wasn’t full, so we could
probably have the seat between us. Do you want the window?”

“Sure.” Price slid in first.

Tony sat down and fastened his seatbelt,
rolled up chapter five, and watched passengers of all shapes and
sizes file by.

“I’m glad we had a chance to say goodbye to
Melody earlier. She must have had trouble finding a parking place,”
Price remarked. “I’m so glad Melody agreed to take the teaching
job. It seems like the right thing for her.”

Tony leaned in to give Price a closer look.
“You’re looking beautiful today, Mrs. Shadowbrook. Do you feel
beautiful?”

“I feel better than when that thing in the
slinky white leather told us her grandmother read your books.”

Tony snuggled and tried to steal a kiss on
her ear.

“Hi, guys!”

Tony and Price looked up in unison. The
impish smile, the flowing black hair, the jangle of earrings struck
them as very familiar.

“Melody! You didn’t have to come on board to
see us off,” Price said.

“Excuse me, Mr. S., don’t get up. I’ll scoot
by.” Melody shoved in between Tony’s knees and the seat in front of
him.

“Wh... what?” Tony stammered.

“I’m in seat B.”

“You’re going to Phoenix?”

“Yeah, to Scottsdale, actually. For the
Labor Day weekend. That way I can keep my teaching job. Is this
cool, or what? You always said I’ve got to do those things I’d
regret not doing. So, I said to myself when I met Mom at the ticket
counter, ‘Mel, why don’t you fly down to Arizona and take up the
Shadowbrooks on their offer of hospitality?’ And here I am. Isn’t
this wild?”

“Yes, but you don’t have a bag or suitcase
or anything.”

“I’ll wear what I have on. Mom’s driving the
car home. She flies out on Sunday and she’ll leave the car for me
to pick up Monday. It’s working out so smooth. It must be the
Lord’s will. Know what I mean?”

“I guess.” Price sounded tentative.

“Don’t worry. I called Josh, and he
said...”

“You talked to our Josh?”

She nodded. “Did you know he’s picking us up
at Sky Harbor?”

Price shook her head. It was beginning to
sound like a conspiracy.

“Actually, Josh and I talked several times
today. He’s so... so...”

“Cool?” Tony filled in.

“Just like you, Mr. S. Josh said clothes
were no problem. I could borrow from Kit and Kathy when I get to
your place.”

Price opened her mouth to speak and quickly
closed it. Let the clothes war begin again.

“Boy, am I hyped,” Melody continued. “In the
same day I find out I have a grandfather, my mother’s off to
Maryland, and I hopped in a plane to spend the weekend in Arizona
with my favorite people in the whole world.”

Price patted her arm. “Who just happen to
have a single son with an awesome smile?”

“Yeah, it just doesn’t get any better than
this.” Melody clutched both of their hands, head whirling from one
to the other. “This might go down as Melody Davenport Mason’s
finest hour.”

Tony sank into the seat and scrunched
against the headrest.

Price took a deep breath and reached for the
inflight magazine.

“Well, now,” Melody said, “what are we going
to do about chapter five?”

~~~~The End~~~~

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The Hidden West Series

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The Carson City Chronicles

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