Her Every Fantasy (16 page)

“Good night, beautiful.”

He placed another kiss on her lips as she whispered good night to him. She fell asleep, her grip on him as tight as the one that he’d on her.

Kayla jerked awake as her cell phone rang. She reached for it, surprised to see Brigette’s name appear on the caller ID. As soon as she answered the phone, she knew that something was wrong. “What is it, Brigette?”

At the sound of concern in her voice, James stirred before sitting up.

“When did she leave? Do you have any idea where she is?” She closed her eyes at Brigette’s response. “Okay, Brigette. I will be there as soon as I can.” She hung up the phone and dropped her face in her hands.
“Oh, my God.”

“What is it?”

When she looked up, James had a look of concern on his face. “Somer is missing.”

His expression changed to surprise. “What happened?”

She filled him in on the fact that Dan was Somer’s father and the fact that the only people that knew were Brigette, Dan, herself, and now him. Somer had just found out as well, which was probably the reason that she was missing.

“Evidently Brigette and Somer had an argument, this information came out, and now Somer is nowhere to be found.”

He looked as dumbfounded as she had been, trying to digest the news. “What are you going to do?”

She sighed heavily, thinking about the daunting task that lay in front of her. “I am going to help Brigette find her.”

James smiled. “Well, I know that you will need help, so I’ll come with you.”

She started to protest but knew that it would be pointless. Also, she knew that she would need help. Baxley might not be that large, population-wise, but there was a large amount of land to cover. She also had no idea as to where to begin a search. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Kristen’s number. Her sister answered the phone groggily.

“Kristen, I am so sorry for waking you, but I need your help. Somer can’t be found. I think that she may have run away.”

She heard her sister start moving around. “What? What do you mean she ran away? What happened?”

She sighed. “Meet me over at Brigette’s house as soon as you can, and I will explain everything there. I promise.”

She disconnected with Kristen and dialed Keirra’s number. Eric answered the phone on the third ring. “This had better be an emergency.” The irritation in his voice was obvious.

“It is. I am sorry to wake you, Eric. Can you get Keirra for me?”

She held on while Eric woke up Keirra. Her sister came on the line a moment later and sounded even more irritated than Eric had.

“Sorry to wake you, Keirra, but Brigette needs our help. Somer is gone, and Brigette can’t find her.”

“Where are you?” She heard the confusion and concern in her sister’s voice.

“Right now I’m at Mr. Feldon’s house, but can you meet me at Brigette’s as soon as possible?”

“I will be there.”

She hung up and looked at James. He was completely dressed, and even in a state of emergency, she couldn’t help but to notice how sexy he looked. He gave her a gentle smile as if he could read her thoughts.

“I am going to wake up Jamie.”

She shook her head in protest.
“Let her sleep.”

“Right now, we need all of the help we can get. If anyone knows Somer, it’s Jamie. She would be upset if we didn’t wake her.”

She knew that James was probably right. The two teenagers were close and spent a lot of time together. “Okay, go ahead and wake her up.”

He left the room, and she began getting dressed. She slipped into her bra and panties before putting her clothes back on. When James returned, she was dressed and ready. She slipped her feet into her sneakers, glad that she hadn’t worn heels to work. They wouldn’t be practical to wear when trying to search for someone.

“Jamie will be ready in—”

“I am ready.”

They both looked at a frantic Jamie who now stood in the doorway, and Kristen smiled at the teenager.

“Come here, Jamie. There is something that I want to tell you.”

Jamie entered the room and sat on the edge of her father’s bed. Kayla sat down next to her and took a deep breath then told Jamie what was going on. The teenager was truly confused by the information, but she handled it very well.

“What I need for you to do is to think about any place that Somer might be.”

Jamie nodded. “I can think of a few places. I will see if I can think of any others on the way.”

She gave Jamie a hug. “Good, and try not to worry. Somer is just confused right now, and she needs our help.”

Jamie agreed, and Kayla felt that the teenage understood exactly what she meant. Kayla stood, and James and Jamie followed. He stopped by Dennis’s room to tell him what was going on with the promise to call as soon as there were any developments. The ride over to Brigette’s house was a quiet one. They pulled into the driveway behind Kristen’s car, and Keirra was behind them. Kayla took a deep breath as Randy and Eric appeared by her sisters. She led the way up to Brigette’s door, and it quickly swung open. A distraught Brigette stood there, and Kayla embraced her. “I hope that you don’t mind, but I brought some help.”

Brigette her head and gave everyone an appreciative look. “I just want to find my daughter.”

“
Our
daughter.”

Everyone turned in surprise as Dan’s voice sounded from behind them. Kayla interjected not giving anyone a chance to speak.

“Before we do, I think that everyone should be told everything that is going on with this situation.”

Everyone moved into the house, and Brigette and Dan filled everyone in on what had happened nearly sixteen years ago. Only Kristen had a question when they were finished. “So was that you that I saw in Dan’s truck a few weeks ago?”

Brigette hesitated briefly. “But it wasn’t what you think. We were discussing how we are going to tell Somer and Holly about this.”

Kristen held up her hands. “You don’t ever have to explain anything to me. Right now, we need to focus on finding Somer.”

Everyone consented, and Randy and Eric set down the bags that they had been carrying. The men pulled out flashlights, two-way radios, and thermoses that held hot chocolate and cider. Kayla found herself smiling, glad to have both men along. They had thought of things that she hadn’t.

Kayla held up her hand to get everyone’s attention. “The only suggestion that I have is that whoever finds Somer doesn’t move in until we can get Jamie there.” She looked at Jamie. “The girls share a bond and a comfort zone that right now will probably be the only thing that Somer will respond to.”

Bridget gave an anxious nod. “I agree. I don’t want Somer any more upset than she already seems to be.”

Looking Jamie in the eye she gave her a gentle smile. “I know it is asking a lot, but do you think that you can you handle that?”

Jamie nodded without hesitation. “Yes, I can.”

“Let me know if things get overwhelming.”

Kayla sighed in relief as Jamie began giving the adults ideas of where she thought Somer could be. They all agreed to split up and search each of the places.

 
Kayla tried not to allow her nervousness to show as Jamie climbed into the backseat. She couldn’t imagine what Jamie was thinking, but she knew Jamie would be there for Somer. Their friendship was a good one and had been since she’d moved to Baxley. Her thoughts were interrupted when Jamie spoke as they pulled up to the park.

“She’s here.”

Kayla’s gaze met James’s briefly, as they both turned to look back at Jamie, but neither of them questioned the teenager. Her expression spoke of confidence. Kayla got on the radio and informed everyone that they had found Somer at the park.

All came back stating that they would be there shortly. Kayla put down the radio before handing Jamie her coat, the flashlight, and a thermos. “My cell phone is in the inside zipper pocket. Call us if anything happens.”

James brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Be careful.”

“I will,” she stated as she climbed out of the car. Kayla tried to relax as she watched Jamie disappear. She could have never imagined they would be standing out here like this. James wrapped his arm around her waist, giving her a squeeze, as if he sensed her inner turmoil. He brushed his lips across her forehead.

“Everything will be okay. You know the relationship Jamie and Somer have. If anyone can get through to her, it will be Jamie.”

Kayla nodded, trying to relax. She tapered her nerves down even more when Brigette and Dan arrived. They looked frazzled enough. Kayla had to keep her head. She had to remain calm, but it was difficult. Jamie had been out of their sight for some time now. The wait seemed like an eternity. She jumped when James’s cell phone rang. He gave her another quick squeeze as he reached for his phone and handed it to her.

Kayla answered before the end of the second ring.

“Is everything okay?”

Kayla could hear the smile in Jamie’s voice when she spoke.
 
“We’re fine. Somer wants to talk to you. Oh wait. Actually, she wants to see you.”

“Where are you?” Kayla asked her.

Jamie told Kayla where they were. “Okay, I will be there as soon as I can.”

Kayla hung up the phone, giving everyone a smile of relief. “Jamie found Somer. Somer is okay, but she wants to talk to me.”

Brigette released a pent up breath, some of the strain leaving her face. “Thank God. Please give her a hug for me.”

Kayla reached out and squeezed Brigette’s hand. “I will.”

Kayla gave everyone one last look before heading off in the direction Jamie indicated they were in. It wasn’t hard to find the girls. When she did, Kayla went straight to Somer. She embraced Somer tightly. When she pulled back, the corners of her mouth curled upward. “That was from your mom.”

Kayla situated herself on the ground between the two teenagers and wrapped her arms around both of them so that they could all share their warmth. “Now, what do you want to talk about?”

The most important question fell from Somer’s lips rapidly. “Why did my mom wait so long to tell me that Dan is my father?”

Kayla looked Somer straight in the eyes. “I can’t tell you why your mother did what she did, because I don’t know. But maybe I can give you some history of what may have led to that decision.”

Kayla told her about the rough times that Brigette had experienced growing up in her home life and social life. All of the ridicule that she’d faced, especially after she’d gotten pregnant.
The fact that her mother had never given up and had worked even harder.
That she had kept going to school full-time and had worked to provide for Somer and herself.

“Your mom made the best decision that she could, but only she can tell you why she made it. What I can tell you is that your mom has always loved you. She was always proud of you, and everything that she has done has been for you.” Kayla gave her a gentle smile. “I think the least you can do is give your mom the opportunity to explain.”

Somer was silent for a moment. Finally, she sighed.

“I am willing to hear her out.”

Kayla gave her another hug. “Try to understand as well. When you have all of the information, ask yourself what you would have done if it were you in the same exact situation.”

Somer nodded, and they gathered up everything then headed back to the area where everyone was waiting. Brigette stood there, wringing her hands nervously while Dan was pacing. Somer approached her mother tentatively and embraced her tightly. Kayla reached out and hugged Jamie just as tightly.