Stay With Me

by Kathryn Shay

  Speechless, Alexis shook her head.

  “Oh, dear,” said Clare.

  “Maybe she went to Max’s.” On shaky limbs, Alexis reached for the phone. “I, um, I don’t know...”

  Portia was by her side in minutes, paging through the phone book to find the Leahys’ number.

  As it was only nine in the morning, a sleepy voice finally picked up. “’ello?”

  “Max, this is Alexis Castle. Is Jamie there?”

  “Um, nope. She said she was spending the night with the McPhersons.” Max hesitated. “You check with them?”

  Swallowing hard, Alexis forced herself not to panic. She gripped the phone hard. “Yes. Do you have any idea where she might be if she’s not with them?”

  “Maybe at Keag’s.”

  “I’ll check.” Alexis practically dropped the phone. Turning to Portia, she said, “I’m going to Spence’s.”

  Portia was right behind her, out the door and down the steps. “I think he was at work last night,” she told Alexis.

  “Oh, God,” Alexis whispered, as she mounted the deck stairs two at a time.

  Behind the screen, the door to Spence’s house was locked, so Alexis pounded on it. Hard. Until her fists hurt. Where could Jamie be? She wouldn’t do anything stupid, would she? Go somewhere without telling anyone? Endanger herself? All right, she’d been upset that her father wanted to see her. And she’d grilled Alexis about why she and Spence had been avoiding each other. But this?

  Rumpled and grumbling, a sleepy-eyed Spence dragged open the door. “What the hell...” When he caught sight of her, his vision cleared and he straightened. “Alexis? Portia? What’s wrong?”

  “Is...is Jamie here?” Alexis asked.

  “Here? No, of course not. I just got in from Guardian an hour ago, and fell right into bed.”

  “She’s...she’s missing.” Alexis shivered as she told Spence what had happened.

  Reaching behind him, Spence grabbed a shirt, threw it on over his shorts and stepped outside barefoot. His face darkened. “Did you call Max?”

  “Yes. She doesn’t know where Jamie is, either.” Alexis clutched Spence’s shirt. “Spence, what if something’s happened to her?”

  “Don’t panic, Alexis.” His eyes narrowed on something beyond her shoulder. “Wait here a second.” He dashed down the steps to the dock, and raced across it to his boat.

  “I’ll check with the other neighbors,” Portia said, and squeezed Alexis’s arm before she left.

  Oh, God, please let her be there. Please. Alexis followed Spence, praying. She reached the dock as he exited from below deck of his cruiser. His grim expression matched his words. “She’s not there. I thought maybe she was tryin’ to scare us.”

  “Scare us?”

  “She’s um, worried about seeing her father this week.”

  “I know. She told me. I’ve been encouraging her to articulate her feelings but she can’t seem to. Has she talked to you?”

  “A little.” He grasped her arms again. “Look, we need to call the police. If she’s been missing since last night...”

  Tears filled Alexis’s eyes. “Police? Oh, God.”

  Spence drew her close for a quick hug. He kissed the top of her head. “Don’t fall apart now—you have to handle this. Let’s get to a phone.” Easing her back, he took her hand and tugged her up the hill. They’d just reached his deck when Jeff came around the corner of Spence’s house.

  With him was a disheveled Jamie.

  Everybody froze.

  Finally, Jeff broke the silence. Holding tightly onto Jamie’s shoulder, keeping her close, he said, “I found her curled up on my patio this morning. I tried to call both of you. No one answered at your place, Alexis, and your line was busy, Dad. Nobody answered their cells either. I called on the way down here from the car, too.”

  Alexis tried to speak but couldn’t. Then, a tearful Jamie bolted from Jeff’s grasp—and catapulted right into Spence’s arms. So forceful was her momentum, he stumbled back a few feet but held on to her. Openmouthed, Alexis watched Spence soothe down Jamie’s hair, and croon to her. “Shh, it’s okay, honey. Everything will be okay.”

  Wildly Jamie shook her head in denial. The hurt began to penetrate Alexis’s frozen veneer as she watched the child of her heart cry in the arms of the man Alexis loved.

  Jamie sobbed, “No, it won’t be all right. I don’t wanna see my father. I don’t wanna go back to Rochester to live. I wanna stay here on the lake.” Burrowing into Spence’s chest, she mumbled, “I want you to be my dad.”

  Stunned by the depth of Jamie’s feelings, Alexis wrapped her arms around her waist and struggled for control. Then, she felt a hand slide around her shoulders. Jeff Keagan, as tall and sturdy as his father, pulled her close. Grateful, Alexis leaned into Spence’s son, as she watched Spence comfort her daughter.

  o0o

  JUDD KEAGAN MOORED his boat up to his son’s dock, his heart thumping in his chest. Damn it, he’d bought and sold millions of dollars worth of stock, built a corporate empire from scratch and hadn’t been half this anxious. But he could no longer sit by and watch Jeff suffer while Spence nursed a grudge against them both. And he was tired of waiting for his son to forgive him. He’d decided, after dinner with Jeff last night, to confront Spence today and lay his cards on the table.

  Though he knew he might lose his own son in the process, he was hoping to restore the relationship between Spence and Jeff. It was the least he could do. Exiting the boat, he strode across the dock and up the hill and deck stairs with trepidation. At the door, he knocked on the screen.

  “Come on in.” Spence called from inside.

  Judd opened the screen and stepped through the doorway, straight into the kitchen. An overwhelming sense of loss blindsided him. He’d never been in his son’s house before. Spence entered the kitchen from an opposite doorway. His hair was wet—as if he’d just showered—and he was dragging on a Guardian Flight T-shirt. When he saw Judd, he stopped abruptly. His face closed down, and Judd was reminded of how they’d squared off in another kitchen, almost thirty years ago.

  “I need to talk to you,” Judd said, in blunt Keagan style.

  Spence nodded to the table. “Sit down.” Then under his breath, he murmured, “It’s been one of those mornings.”

  Settled in a kitchen chair, Judd asked, “What?”

  “Nothin’. Want some coffee?”

  “Yes.” It would give him something to do with his hands. When they were both seated, Judd stared into eyes the exact color and shape of his. This was his flesh and blood. He’d given life to this boy, even though he’d practically killed their relationship. “I’ve come about Jeff.”

  As if a cold wind had blown in from the lake, Spence’s whole demeanor chilled. “Sure, why else would you be here?”

  Though the comment momentarily silenced him, Judd forged on. “Spence, this rift between you two. I feel I’ve caused it.”

  Bleakly, Spence stared at him, his eyes saying, What else is new?

  “I know,” Judd continued. “I’ve caused other problems between you two. But you don’t understand.” He straightened his shoulders for courage. “It’s time you did.”

  Cocking his head, Spence’s brow knitted. “What don’t I understand?”

  Encouraged by the opening, Judd sipped his coffee while he formulated his words. “I know you think I’ve tried to take the boy away from you. Since I couldn’t get you into the business, I got him.”

  “I always thought you did it to punish me.”

  “I know you did. And I was so angry with you, and disappointed in myself, that I let you think it. But I was wrong.” Judd knew his son had never heard him admit to a mistake. “Jeff, um, is important to me. He always has been.” Judd stirred his coffee, staring down, searching for words in the thick dark brew. When he looked up, his son was watching him, a hard, blank expression in his eyes. “But so are you. I love you. And I regret what’s happened between us.”

  Sti
ll the distrustful stare from eyes that were icy-blue.

  “I realize—” Judd cleared his throat “—it’s too late to bridge the gap between us.”

  Spence’s face remained stony. “Then why are you here?”

  “To ask you not to do to Jeff what I did to you. Don’t let the Watkins Glen weekend—which you truly misunderstood—cut you off from your son. The kid made an honest mistake. He wasn’t choosing me over you. He loves you and he wants you in his life.” Judd held Spence’s gaze a long time. “Please, son, don’t make the mistake I did. I’ve regretted it for thirty years, and I can’t sit by and watch you drift from Jeff any further.”

  “You’ve watched it for years. Been a part of it.”

  “Yes, for which I’m sorry.”

  “I see.” Spence looked over Judd’s shoulder. He seemed to be making a decision. Finally he focused on Judd again. “I, um, saw Jeff this morning. It’s complicated why. We talked for a long time. I think things are right between us.” His next words were strained. “And if they’re not, I’ll keep workin’ on them until they are.”

  Judd felt foolish. “I didn’t know all that.” He stood to ease his embarrassment. “I guess my coming here wasn’t necessary.”

  Still seated, Spence didn’t speak. Judd started to put his hand on his son’s shoulder, but lost his nerve. Stoically, he nodded. “Good luck.” His heart heavy—what had he expected?—he made his way to the door. The screen banged behind him like a hammer blow in the silent afternoon. Slowly, feeling old and weary, Judd crossed the deck, trudged down the steps and traversed the dock.

  He’d just gotten aboard when he heard behind him, “Dad, wait!”

  Dad. Judd closed his eyes, willing back the moisture. Finally, he was able to turn around.

  Spence was on the dock, arm outstretched, the sun a golden halo around his big strong form. “Don’t go. Come back up to the house. Let’s talk.”

  Shakily, Judd reached out and clasped his son’s hand. It was the first time they’d touched in thirty years.

  o0o

  FROM THE DECK, Alexis watched Spence and Judd on the Keagan dock. Intuitively, she knew something significant had transpired out there on this soft August afternoon. And she was happy for Spence.

  “Alexis? Are you all right?”

  Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Austin hobble through the doorway of the cottage. “Yes, I’m fine,” she told him.

  More adept with his new walking cast, he joined her on the deck and tracked her gaze. “I had the impression the Keagan men were on the outs.”

  “They were.”

  Spence assisted Judd out of the boat, hesitated, then slipped an arm around his father’s shoulder. They were of equal height; two strong vibrant men, who, she guessed, had finally come to terms with each other.

  Now, it was her turn. “I need to tell you something, Dad.”

  Sitting down on the bench, he propped his injured leg on a low table. “Go ahead. Nothing could be as bad as Jamie’s disappearance last night. I can’t believe I slept through the whole thing.” He glanced up at the cottage’s second floor. “I just checked on her. She’s sleeping like a baby.”

  “Good.” Alexis took the chair opposite him. Folding her hands in her lap, she gave him a weak smile. “Jamie ran away because she doesn’t want to move from the lake. I knew that, but I dismissed it.”

  “She’ll change her mind once she’s back in Rochester with her friends.”

  “No, Dad, she won’t. Anyway, I want to stay, too.”

  “What?”

  “I like it here.”

  Austin scowled. “It would be extremely inconvenient to work out of this town. The airport is inefficient for overseas trips. I suppose you could drive into Rochester every day to our headquarters, but the snow in the winter—”

  “Stop for a second, Dad. You’re getting ahead of me.”

  Austin frowned.

  “First, let me tell you I’ve decided to give Guardian the grant.”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Absolutely nothing. That’s one of the things you need to see.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will.” She took a deep breath. “I analyzed all the data, and it’s my unbiased opinion that Guardian should get the funding for a new helicopter.”

  Her father shrugged impatiently. “Fine. Why is this such a big deal? It’s not totally unexpected, or even of any great magnitude. You’ve made these kinds of decisions before.”

  “It is of great magnitude. Because of the circumstances.”

  “And those are?”

  Briefly, she hesitated. “I’m in love with Spence Keagan.”

  Austin’s face blanked. Then his eyes narrowed on her. The silence stretched out. “You told me you hadn’t forgotten what happened with Greg.”

  “I haven’t. It’s not the same thing.”

  “It sure as hell sounds as if it is.”

  Her heart sank. She was in for a battle. But damn it, she was going to win. “Even if the situation does bear some resemblance to what happened with Greg, I don’t care, Dad. And Spence hasn’t affected my decision.”

  “Do you expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes, I do. Go over the data if you must, and you’ll reach the same conclusion I did.” Lexy surfaced from her hibernation of the past week. “But if you don’t trust my judgment on this, I’ll be reevaluating other decisions I’ve made.”

  “What decisions?”

  “I don’t want to be the next CEO of Castle Enterprises under any circumstances. I’m not sure I ever did. I think I wanted to take Brody’s place so badly for you that I never really thought it through.”

  Her father’s face softened. “Oh, honey—”

  “No, let me finish. It doesn’t matter why I followed in Brody’s footsteps. All I know now is that I want my life back. I want to spend time with Jamie, and I want to move to Catasaga Lake so she can go to high school here. I want to be near Mom’s family, and to be a part of this community.”

  “And be near Keagan.”

  Her stomach knotted painfully. “It’s not that simple with him.” She shook back her hair. “But regardless of whether or not this works out with Spence, I’m staying here.”

  “And do what? If you don’t want to be CEO?”

  “I’d like to head the Foundation. Work just with grants for companies like Guardian. I can do that from anywhere.” She pinned him with a meaningful stare. “But you’ve got to trust me with the Guardian decision, or I won’t stay in the business at all.”

  “You’ll get bored with the Foundation.”

  She smiled. “Right now, even boredom sounds good, though I don’t agree with you that I will. I think I’ll love the work, and I’ll have time for Jamie, and Portia and Clare.” She watched him for a minute. “And for you, Dad, if you can accept the change. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more than a business relationship?”

  o0o

  SPENCE DROPPED anchor in the small, deserted cove and scanned the shore for signs of life. Morning had dawned with stunning clarity and had given the world a soft warm breeze off the water. As soon as he returned from his blissfully uneventful night shift, Spence had gone over to see Alexis, and Jamie had told him she’d taken the Starfish. He’d been hoping she’d be here—pegged it as a good omen that she’d fled to his favorite spot on the lake.

  The Starfish bobbed precariously, tied to a post jutting out of the water, but Alexis was not in sight. He’d just lowered the ladder and vaulted out of his cruiser when she emerged from the woods. He waded through the water to land and stalked toward her, a man with a mission. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous for little girls to be in the woods alone?”

  Barely covering her surprise, she planted her hands on her hips. “And who are you—the Big Bad Wolf?”

  “More like a jackass,” he said under his breath. As he marched closer, he growled, “What if I am?”

  She wore a simple, green, t
erry-cloth, sleeveless top with shorts and canvas sneakers. Her hair rioted around her face, windblown by the lake’s long fingers. Her green eyes glowed like gems. “You know what I think, Keag?” she asked saucily.

  “What?”

  “You’re all bark and no bite.”

  Stifling a grin, he admitted, “Yeah, I’m softenin’ up in my old age.”

  Her face sobered, her arms wrapping around her waist. He wondered if her ulcer hurt. “Jeff stayed when I took Jamie home yesterday morning, didn’t he?”

  “Uh-huh. For a while.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “Great.”

  “Later I saw you with Judd.”

  His hands itched to touch her. “Been spyin’ on me, Mata Hari?”

  Smiling at the suggestion she was a seductive spy, she shook her head. “I guess yesterday was a good day for fathers and kids.”

  “Did Jamie see her father?”

  Alexis shook her head again, then sank down onto the sand. Reaching up, she said, “Sit with me.”

  He bypassed her hand—if he touched her it was all over—and saw by her scowl she’d misinterpreted his action. Dropping down beside her, he smiled.

  “I decided to give Guardian the grant,” she said first.

  “That’s terrific.”

  “I told Dad yesterday.”

  Disappointed, Spence stared out at the lake. This was not the news he wanted. Crooking his knees, he dangled his hands between them. “So, you’re done here.”

  “Hardly.”

  Still he watched the water. There were probably details to sew up. “When will you leave Catasaga?”

  Silence. Then, in a shaky voice, she said, “I’m not leaving Catasaga.”

  His heart rippled in his chest. “You’re not?”

  “No, Jamie and I are moving down here permanently.”

  Some of the tension in his body eased, but he kept his face passive. Too much was at stake to jump the gun.

  Alexis couldn’t read him. Was he happy she was moving to the lake? Did he care that she’d changed her mind? Or had their hurtful words destroyed their love? She studied his face, the craggy lines around his mouth, and, though he tried to hide it, the deep sensitivity in his eyes.