Mark of the Wiseman (The Wiseman Series Book 1)
Page 16
Agent Roswell returned to his seat and stared blankly at the video tribute of William’s life.
“Who was that?” Missy whispered.
“No one, Sunshine. Just a wrong number.”
Agent Roswell pushed “play” on the DVD player and Carmen put a blanket on the couch.
“Missy,” she called, “the movie’s starting.”
Something bumped in the kitchen. “Coming.”
“Do you need some help?” Carmen asked.
“No, I got it.”
Missy crept in from the kitchen slowly, leaning heavily on her walker.
Agent Roswell fought the urge to run and stand behind her with his hands out like he had when she’d started walking as a toddler.
“Where are your shoes and socks, young lady?” he asked.
“I took them off. My feet are hot.”
“She’s doing really well,” Carmen said to him. “Her physical therapist is blown away with her progress.”
“She’s always been determined.”
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me she was having surgery.”
Agent Roswell kept his eyes on the DVD cover in his hands. “I told you, the opportunity came up really quickly. You were already in Florida.”
“My parents would have understood. I could have visited another time.”
“Like I said, it suddenly came up. I wasn’t going to ask you to drive back here.” His tone turned more playful. “I know how to take care of my daughter too, you know.”
Carmen grinned. “So you say.”
Missy skirted past the coffee table, bumping into the candy dish. Crash! “Oops.”
“Not your fault,” Carmen said, already picking up pieces of glass. “I don’t know why I keep putting it on the edge of the table. Neither one of you even eats Jolly Ranchers.”
“This is why you need to wear something on your feet, Sunshine.” Agent Roswell brought the trashcan over. “How’s school going?”
“I can’t believe it’s fall break already.” Missy sat in the armchair. “This semester is flying by.”
“It certainly is.”
“I am so psyched. I see Bradley at the student union all the time.”
“Who’s Bradley?” Agent Roswell asked.
Carmen pursed her lips. “Jake, Missy talked about Bradley her entire senior year. The soccer player from her high school? They both got accepted to Biltmore, remember?”
“Mmm.”
“Dad! Don’t be like that. Bradley is super nice.”
Agent Roswell raised an eyebrow. “Does Bradley know your dad carries a gun?”
Missy rolled her eyes. “OMG.”
Her cell phone rang.
“No phone calls during family time,” Agent Roswell said. “That was your rule for me, yes?”
Missy looked contrite. “But it’s Olivia. She said she’d call today to hear about my physical therapy. I swear I’ll just be a minute. Please?”
Agent Roswell sighed. “Five minutes.”
Missy grinned and answered the call.
He looked at Carmen. “Can you help me with something?”
“Sure.”
They walked into the kitchen and Agent Roswell put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. “Why doesn’t she just get that thing surgically attached to her ear? Then she wouldn’t have to be bothered with holding it.”
Carmen leaned against the counter. “I could say the same about your phone.”
“That’s different. It’s work.”
“If you say so.” She unfolded the newspaper that had been on the counter for weeks. “I can’t get over this. It’s beyond tragic.”
“What?”
She waved the newspaper. “The Wisemans. It’s crazy. First, a child is kidnapped, then the parents are killed, and then the other children die in a car wreck? What are the odds that a drunk driver would hit that Social Services van?”
“Worst luck than the Kennedys.”
“I guess.” Carmen put the paper down. “What did you need help with?”
“Nothing. I want to talk to you about what happened… with us.”
“We don’t have to.”
“I need to. It’s been a long time, and now with Missy gone a lot, it’s gotten weird between us.”
Carmen clasped her hands together.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or offend you, or whatever I did. Missy was still in high school and I didn’t know if”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Carmen said. “I understand.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“I think you’re the one who doesn’t get it.”
He got a bowl from the cabinet. “Oh?”
“I’m not going anywhere as long as Missy needs me, regardless of what goes on between you and me. I love her too. I know you were messed up when your wife left. I know what the divorce did to Missy… and to you. You’re scared, and I get that.”
Agent Roswell exhaled slowly.
“But Missy is a young lady now and she’s resilient and ready to take on the world.”
Agent Roswell smiled
“She will find her happiness,” Carmen continued. “You know she will, but Jake, you deserve to be happy too.”
“She’s walking now,” Agent Roswell said. “What happens when she doesn’t need us anymore?”
“We’ll still have each other… won’t we?”
Agent Roswell looked up from the bowl he was staring into. He reached out and pulled Carmen closer, kissing her just as he had in the linen closet so long ago.
Carmen blushed. “Um, I’ll pop another bag and bring the popcorn when it’s done.”
“Okay.” He kissed her cheek and walked back into the den. “Missy.” He tapped his watch.
She rolled her eyes, but ended the call. She propped her feet on the table and Agent Roswell looked at the scar on Missy’s right heel.
A tiny black crescent.
He smiled and tickled her foot. “I love you, Sunshine.”
“I love you more, Dad.”
Carmen came back with a big bowl of popcorn and pair of socks.
“But my feet are hot,” Missy complained.
“Please just do it so your father won’t have a stroke.”
Missy put the socks in her lap.
“Hard-headed just like him,” Carmen teased.
When she sat on the couch, Agent Roswell scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
Missy sat up in her seat. “What’s this now?”
“Quiet, Sunshine,” he said. “I can’t hear the movie.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his daughter’s face break into a wide grin as she unrolled the socks and put them on without any further protest.
This was it. This was the moment he’d been seeking. Peace. He had no idea how long it would last, so he’d savor it this time. Unbeknownst to Missy or Carmen, there were no guarantees about the ultimate outcome of Missy’s procedure. She may continue to improve, or revert back to needing the wheelchair. No one had ever done it before.
The day seemed so ordinary, but at this moment, in his house, everyone’s lives were changing, for the better, hopefully. However, Agent Roswell knew there would be another call… from him, from Iris, or maybe someone else. The call might come next week. Maybe next year. Maybe in ten years. He didn’t know.
What he did know was that when the call came, he’d answer and acquiesce to any request. His daughter had been marked, the most tremendous gift that could have ever been given to him, and it rendered him eternally indebted.
Agent Roswell smiled, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and turned his attention to the television screen.
Whenever the call came, he’d be waiting.
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