“I don’t remember seeing Max. Did you see Max?” Kaylie asked.
Danica’s eyes flew open. “Didn’t she get on the other boat?” She remembered seeing Max when Treat approached, but after that she’d been swept into the excitement of getting to the island. She hadn’t looked for Max, or anyone else for that matter.
“Please tell me that you didn’t lose my assistant,” Chaz teased. “I’ll call her.” He took out his cell phone and tried to call, but he had no service.
“Excuse me, Bradford? Do you have a way to contact the other boat?” Kaylie asked in her sweetest voice.
“Yes, ma’am. We should be docking in about two minutes. Would you like me to call?”
“Two minutes? We can wait, thank you.”
True to his word, two minutes later they reached the long dock that led to the most glorious island Danica had ever seen.
“This is like walking into a photograph,” Danica said as they stepped from the boat to the dock. She gathered her dress to combat the wind and surveyed the island as she waited for the others to join her. The sand was almost as white as snow, and the deep sandy beach receded into a mass of palm trees. There were lines of tables and two groupings of chairs, set in orderly lines, and just beyond, she spotted what must be the altar, though from so far away she couldn’t make out the design of the structure.
As the other boat docked and their family and friends joined them, Danica’s heart soared. Her hair whipped in the wind. Kaylie struggled with her own dress, her hair flying in the wind, too. Danica tried to keep from appearing as frustrated as she felt with yards of material whipping around her, ruining the lovely updo she’d been so proud of.
A mischievous smile crossed Kaylie’s lips. She took long, determined strides across the dock to Danica’s side, and with a spark in her eyes, she said, “Take it down.”
“What?”
“Your hair. Take it down,” Kaylie answered.
“But they went to all the trouble of making it beautiful and we haven’t even had pictures taken!”
Kaylie shrugged. “Whatever happens, happens, right?”
“Right.” Danica laughed.
“Chaz, honey, come here.” Kaylie asked him to take a picture with his cell phone.
They stood arm in arm, trains in hand, their hair whipping across their cheeks and the happiness of the day displayed in their beaming smiles while Chaz snapped picture after picture. Blake joined in, sweeping Danica off her feet. Chaz clicked away, catching the surprise on her face. The next thing they knew, Camille and Sally were taking pictures, then Marie, and even their father was clicking away like they were all mad, laughing and joking as the wind whipped their dresses and carried their laughter into the afternoon.
Chaz caught every frame of Kaylie pulling the combs from Danica’s hair and her mass of curls springing wild and free.
Even after all the stress of her parents, and Kaylie and Lacy, and the fall in the elevator, she couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day. All of that stuff went along with family, she supposed, but the rest, dancing with Kaylie, the boats, the spa treatment—even though she hated the idea of it—the letter from Blake, it all made for the best wedding day she could imagine.
As the others made their way to the beach, Danica and Kaylie stayed back to thank Bradford and the crew of the other boat.
“Mr. Braden asked us to return for you in three hours. Is that still acceptable?” Bradford asked.
They glanced up. Clouds crawled across the sky, threatening to steal their sunny afternoon.
“The weather reports are calling for rain this evening, but not before seven.” He consulted his watch. “I can remain if you’d like.”
“Oh, no, that’s all right,” Kaylie said. “We’ll be fine. Can we call you if it starts to rain?”
“Yes, ma’am. The staff has a radio. There’s no cell reception on the island.”
Swept away in the excitement of their pending nuptials, Danica and Kaylie hugged the surprised man. They waved as the captains pulled the yachts away from the dock, and then they headed, hand in hand, toward the beach.
At the end of the dock, a thick path had been covered with tiny stones. Kaylie and Danica took one look at each other, then kicked off their heels and left them behind as they walked barefoot through the sand, their trains trailing behind, leaving smooth traces in their wake.
The island was even more beautiful up close than it had first appeared. Palm trees sprouted where the sandy beach met the woods, growing at different angles and measures. A few thick trunks stretched inches above the ground like thick fingers crawling toward the water, with heavy fronds arching above, creating pockets of shade. Other palms grew straight up from the ground, as if they were reaching for the sun, some with roots above the ground, reaching like tentacles around the base of the trees and beyond.
There were long tables with white and gold tablecloths set up and manned by dark-skinned, smiling men, each dressed identically to Bradford.
“This is incredible,” Kaylie said.
They made their way down the beach. The beautiful altar boasted thick, artfully carved wooden pillars with intricate designs whittled from top to bottom. White and pink flowers wrapped around the pillars like vines. A canopy of white gauzy material stretched across the top and hung down the sides, blowing in the wind.
“Kaylie.”
“I know.”
Danica could not remember a time when something had taken her breath away as what lay before her—except, perhaps, for the witnessing the birth of Lexi and Trevor.
Camille was hurrying down the beach toward them.
Danica spotted Lexi and Trevor rolling a green and yellow coconut along the sand, her father and mother standing guard over them. Mom and Dad. No, I can’t think about them.
“You guys okay?” Camille asked.
“Perfect,” Kaylie said with a dreamy look in her eye.
“Good, because I gotta tell you something, and I don’t want you to freak out.”
Danica and Kaylie exchanged a worried look.
Camille took their hands. “We can’t find Max.”
“I told you!” Kaylie said to Danica. “I knew she was missing.”
“That’s ridiculous. She was at the hotel. She brought the garters, remember?” Danica looked down the beach, but even as she scanned the group, she knew that there was no way Camille had simply overlooked Max. “They have a radio. We’ll call the hotel.”
Kaylie was already headed toward the attendants. “She’s the one who planned this whole thing. We can’t have the wedding without her.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure they can bring her over. Treat seems to have unlimited resources.” The words were true, but she had a sinking feeling in her gut about Max. She’d seen her face lose color when she saw Treat, and now Danica wondered if the story about Justin hadn’t been true. If she’d made it up to cover her tracks with Treat.
“Kaylie, does Max date a lot?” she asked.
“Max? No. I told you, I’ve never even heard her talk about a man. To be honest, I wondered if maybe she was gay.”
“She’s definitely not gay. I saw her out on the beach with some hottie last night,” Camille said.
“You did?” Kaylie and Danica asked at the same time. Danica wondered if it was really Treat that she’d been with.
“Yeah, some young hot guy. He had sort of light brownish hair, I think. Why? Is something wrong? Are you worried someone did something to her?” Camille asked.
Definitely not Treat.
“No, no. It’s just that Max never misses anything. Not a phone call, not a meeting, and she’d never miss the wedding that she spent so much time facilitating. She was on the phone day and night getting things organized,” Kaylie said.
They asked one of the attendants to call the hotel and have them page Max.
“Where could she have gone?” Kaylie asked.
“It’s not like she’d forget—or she wouldn’t have seen us. We were
like a herd of elephants we were so loud.” Danica had a thought. “Maybe she was in the bathroom when we left, and she couldn’t find us when she came out?”
“Max? You know she’d be on the radio herself putting a stop to the boat.” Kaylie stared out past the water, and Danica could see the gears of her mind working overtime.
“It’ll be fine, Kaylie. She must have a good reason for not being here.” A gust of wind blew one of the tablecloths up over the food, and the attendants were quick to right the presentation.
Fifteen minutes later they had news. Scarlet had seen Max talking to Treat an hour earlier.
“Where were we an hour ago? How long did it take to get here?” Danica asked.
“Forty minutes or so,” the attendant said.
“And we’ve been hanging out for another half hour,” Kaylie said. “I thought Treat was leaving.”
“He was. Excuse me, sir, would you mind asking Scarlet to try and reach Mr. Braden to see if Max is with him? And if she’s not, could you have her ask Mr. Braden if he knows where Max might have gone?”
Kaylie paced the beach with Camille by her side, holding her train so it didn’t get snagged on a twig.
“I’m fine, Camille. I don’t really care if it gets dirty.”
Danica looked down the beach again, wondering how they would explain to everyone that Max was missing. She spotted Blake and Chaz talking with Weston and Jeff and Michelle and the other teens playing with Lexi and Trevor. Madeline and Elise were seated under an umbrella, along with Abby and Astrid.
Sally and Gage were talking with Blake’s father by the water’s edge.
Danica took a few steps down the beach.
“Where are you going?” Kaylie asked.
“I’m not. Nowhere.”
Where the hell are Mom and Dad? And Lacy?
Chapter Twenty-Five
The attendant carried the radio in his hand as he approached.
“Yes?” Kaylie and Danica answered in unison
“Miss Scarlet couldn’t reach Mr. Braden, but she was able to confirm that he’d missed his flight.”
“Oh no,” Kaylie said as she sank into one of the chairs. “What does this mean? You saw Max with him. She was nervous, or embarrassed. It’s not like they stayed back for a tryst. Danica—”
“Kaylie, don’t overreact. So what, he missed his flight. He probably misses flights once a week. It doesn’t mean it has anything to do with Max.” Danica bit her lower lip. She had no idea what could have happened or where they could be, and she was having the damnedest time trying not to focus on whatever her parents were doing. Not to mention the nagging guilt of knowing that wherever they were, Lacy was certainly not far behind—alone in her anguish.
“Don’t overreact? We can’t get married if she’s not here. I’d never forgive myself.”
Camille put her arm around Kaylie. “Okay, then we’ll wait. What should I tell everyone? Want me to tell them to eat, so they don’t worry?”
“Good idea. Yes, please.” Kaylie gave her a quick hug. “Thank you, Camille.”
“Do you think we have to worry? I mean, girls turn up missing and then they find their bodies. It happens all the time at resorts. Remember that girl in—”
Danica held up her hand. “Enough. We’re not even going to entertain those kinds of thoughts. It’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”
“Extreme? Max is the most efficient, organized, well-mannered person I know. She’d never, ever miss something this important. She’d at least call or text.”
“The phones don’t work. Maybe she did,” Danica said with a nod.
“Yeah, maybe.” Kaylie sighed. “She must be with Treat. At least if she is, we know she’s okay. The kids are probably driving everyone crazy by now.” She looked down the beach. “Here comes Chaz. I have to tell him. He’ll know what to do.”
No, he won’t.
When Chaz caught up to them, he looked from one sister to the other. “Are we still getting married today, or did I miss a memo?”
Kaylie touched his belt. “Yeah, we are.” She smiled playfully up at him.
Really? Just tell him.
He took her hands in his. “Then...what’s the holdup? Trev’s getting a little cranky.”
“Ask Mom to walk him a little. She’s got the golden touch with that boy.”
Danica jumped in. “I think Mom went for a walk.”
“A walk?” Kaylie asked.
“Yeah, I saw her go through the woods. Maybe she just went to use the bathroom or something.” Please don’t be “or something.”
“They have fruit. Just give him some and that’ll keep him busy for a little bit. We have to take care of a few little things.”
He kissed her. “Okay, sounds good.”
When he was far enough away not to hear her, Danica asked, “Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Listen, Max is his work wife, so he’ll just worry.”
“Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that.”
“She is. She takes care of all his stuff. I’m so thankful she does, too. He seriously worries about her like she’s a sister. I’m surprised he didn’t notice she was missing. I don’t want to worry him until we have to.”
Danica wiped wetness from her forehead, too sidetracked to notice what it was from. “I thought you said he’d know what to do. I knew he wouldn’t, but you should still tell him.”
“I will,” Kaylie said.
Danica walked out to the water’s edge, wiping droplets of water from her arms and forehead. She looked out at the water as rain sprinkled her skin. She swiped at it, then realized what it was. “Oh no.”
She turned and ran for Kaylie just as the sky darkened.
“It’s raining,” Kaylie yelled.
The attendants quickly covered the food and took up the tablecloths. “Excuse me, Miss Kaylie, would you like me to radio the captain?”
“Danica!” Kaylie yelled. Just as Danica came into earshot, the rain picked up its pace.
“What should we do?” Danica asked.
“Is there a building here?” Kaylie asked, even though they’d been told there was none.
“Only four small facilities,” he answered.
“Danica?”
Down the beach, their family and friends ran for the cover of the trees. Blake sprinted up the beach toward them in his tuxedo vest, the legs of his pants rolled up. By the time he reached them, his clothing was drenched and his hair lay matted against his forehead.
Kaylie had tears in her eyes, and Danica knew that she, too, looked like a drowned rat. The pleats in her dress were soaked right through to the material beneath.
“Hey, babe,” Blake said, out of breath. A smile crept across his lips as he looked at her through wet lashes.
“Hey.” She couldn’t help but return the smile. Even soaked, he was devastatingly handsome, and his positivity hadn’t been dampened one bit.
“Hey?” Kaylie shouted. “Hey! It’s raining! Do you see what’s happening here? Do you feel the rain? Do you hear my children crying? Do you see what I look like? My hair? My ruined dress?” Her face was beet red; her hair dripped from the ends down her chest.
Danica took a step closer to Blake, her eyes never leaving his. “Whatever happens, happens.” She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
“You guys. You guys! Danica!” Kaylie’s panic heightened.
Danica ignored her sister’s rant. She wanted to remain in his arms for the foreseeable future—forgetting that Max was missing, forgetting that her parents were God only knew where, and forgetting that Lacy was probably tailing them and falling apart as Danica pretended that none of them existed. She knew better. She knew those issues wouldn’t resolve themselves. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t pretend they didn’t exist.
She reluctantly pulled away from Blake. Kaylie’s makeup had streaked with the rain and her tears. Her dress was ruined, and she looked as though she just might punch Dani
ca in the jaw.
“I think we should call the captain,” Danica said calmly.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was obvious that the attendants were used to sudden storms like the one that had arrived in the blink of an eye and was currently wreaking havoc on the island. They had wrapped the food and carried the tables into the center of the woods, where they constructed a wall of tables against the wind. Danica, Kaylie, and their guests hovered beneath the palm trees, within the confines of the makeshift walls, as winds whipped and whirled around them. Angry waves slammed the sandy beach.
“Michelle and the boys took Lexi and Trevor into the bathrooms,” Danica hollered over the winds to Kaylie. “Blake said they’re fine, and the bathrooms aren’t like outhouses, so they’re safe.”
“Our wedding is ruined, Max is missing, and...and...look at our dresses!” Kaylie sobbed.
“Miss Danica?” One of the attendants was handing her the radio. “If you please? It’s Scarlet.”
Danica snagged the receiver. “Scarlet?”
She listened as static on the line scraped at her nerves. “Captain can’t come...too harsh...Max...No justice of the peace. Mr. Braden...officiate...on his way...boat with Ma...” The line went dead.
Danica handed the receiver to the attendant but knew her face would betray any attempt to hide the fear or the worry that gripped her gut. Max and Treat were out there somewhere. In the storm.
“What?” Kaylie yelled.
She felt Blake’s arm around her, turning her to face him. She stared into his dark eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Babe, it’s okay. Tell me what she said.”
Danica nodded, gathering her thoughts and her courage. Had she heard what she thought she heard? She must be misconstruing something.
“Kaylie,” she yelled over the wind. “Where’s the justice of the peace?”
Kaylie looked around. Elise and Madeline shivered with their arms around each other. Weston, Abby, and Astrid huddled around them. Camille and Jeff somehow had smiles on their faces, their hands tightly clasped together as they laughed—laughed—with Chelsea. Marie huddled down low, as if she might blow away with the wind, her beautiful dress now covered in wet, mucky sand.
Sisters in White Page 14
