“Doyou want to use my phone?” I asked, offering it to him. “You can play somegames or—”
“No,”he grumbled.
“Ifyou wanted to listen to your music, I—”
“Isaid, no,” he repeated loudly, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “I’mtaking a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to go home.”
Isighed, missing so much the days of playing I Spy and talking about nothing atall, as I said, “Okay. Sure.”
***
“TJ.”I shook him again, unable to believe the kid could sleep this heavily in aloud, crowded airport. “TJ!”
Heswatted me away and turned his face in the other direction. “God, go away!”
“Thomas,wake up,” I hissed, gripping his forearm in my hand. “I need you to help melook forGiGi.”
Finallyopening his eyes to slits, he peered at me with a blend of curiosity andirritation. “What? Why do you need me?”
“BecauseI don’t see her,” I stated, not meaning to sound so panicked and concerned. ButI couldn’t help it. The plane had landed forty minutes ago, and I had watchedthe spill of passengers flowing into the terminal. But Gracie was nowhere insight.
“So,look harder,” he grumbled obnoxiously, as he closed his eyes again, but Iwouldn’t give him the chance to dismiss me. Not this time.
“Iam not in the mood to put up with your attitude right now,” I hissed angrily,tightening my hold on his arm. “Get upright nowand help me.”
Hegroaned and forcefully pulled himself from my grasp. “Fine,” he shouted,standing up abruptly and walking off in a huff to help find his aunt. There wasnothing satisfactory in the victory, but I was glad to have another set ofeyes, as I got up to continue the search. But after another forty minutes ofscouring the terminal, bathrooms, and parking lot, I was convinced she wasn’tthere.
“Somethingisn’t right.”
Ihadn’t meant to speak the words aloud, not wanting to worry TJ just yet. But Icouldn’t take them back once they were said and as he looked down at me fromhis six-foot-two perch. I felt relief in seeing a similar concern in his eyes.
“She’sfine,” he said, even though his tone and gaze didn’t agree. “She probably justmissed her flight.”
“Yeah,maybe.”
Ipulled my phone out and dialed her number for the third time since entering theairport. It was sent to voicemail. Again.
“Gracie,I’m at the airport. Where the hell are you? Call me when you get this.”
Hangingup, I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and turned in a slow circle,sweeping my gaze over the sea of travelers one last time. I watched as theycollected their luggage and greeted their loved ones with smiles and kisses. Ienvied them for knowing where their person was, while simultaneously insistingthat she was fine, because she had to be, and I pulled out my phone to call heragain.
CHAPTER TWO
ROSIE
Sleepdidn’t come easily for me that night. The constant checking of my phonewouldn’t allow it, and the frequent phone calls from my elderly parents alsoweren’t helping. They never had any news, and neither did I, so eventually mybrain and body resigned to falling asleep. But it was restless and full ofnightmares with horrific possibilities, so after only a few hours, I gave upand started my day.
Thishouse had been mine for five years, ever since the divorce and my desperationto start over. And I had grown comfortable within its walls. Over the years, Ihad become a new version of myself, alongside the seaside décor and palette ofbeachy colors, and I loved it more than any other house I’d ever called mine.But now, in stillness of the early morning, it was too deathly quiet for mytastes, as I tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. It felt as if I was only aguestand it was never really mine at all. I supposedthat was due to never knowing this type of worry before, the concern for thesafety of my little sister. Gracie was always so good and so painstakinglycareful, that she never gave any of us a reason to worry. And being in thatposition now, my thoughts felt like those of a stranger and the urge to tearout of my skin was almost impossible to bear.
Isat in the kitchen and waited for the Keurig to do its magic. The sun hadbarely begun to rise but my mind was already racing with what to do next. Everyso often, I would catch myself wondering if Iwasjustpanicking and had become ridiculous, but if I could trust anything, it was myintuition. And right now, it was telling me that something was very wrong.
Withcoffee in hand and the urge to do something with the worry colluding my mind, Icalled Gracie’s ex-fiancé, not knowing who else to badger about the whereaboutsof my sister. As if the prick she caught cheating on her would have heard fromher before me. I hadn’t even expected him to answer, to be honest, but he did,and on the first ring at six-thirty in the morning, no less.
“Hey,Rose,” he answered.
“Matt.”
“Wow,this is crazy. How’ve you been?”
