Holiday Kisses

by Anna J. Stewart

  “Hey, Antony.” He turned and looked back out at the ocean and the array of boats lined up before him like the life-sized toy store of his dreams. He’d forgotten he always wanted a boat.

  “It’s about time,” Antony growled from Chicago. “Don’t you get reception out in the middle of nowhere?”

  Middle of... Xander frowned.

  “That is what you called it, isn’t it?” Antony goaded, and just like that, Xander felt the first signs of a headache pound behind his eyes.

  “I suppose I did.” And how wrong he’d been. “What’s going on?”

  “Tell me you’ve heard from Alethea.”

  Xander straightened. “I don’t think so. Hang on.” He checked his calls, voicemails. “No, nothing. Why?”

  “The school called this morning. She hasn’t been to class in over a week. They checked her dorm room this morning and her things are gone. She’s not there, Xander.”

  Xander squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed two fingers hard against his forehead. “Okay, let’s not panic. I’m sure she’s okay.”

  “Then you’d be the only one who thinks so,” Antony snapped. “Look, I get that you feel guilty over not helping with Dad before but running all the way across the country in a futile attempt to solve our problems isn’t working. We need you here. Mom needs you here.”

  “There’s nothing futile about trying to get jobs for the firm.” Xander wasn’t about to get into the same argument yet again. “And don’t lump all our issues in with our sister. What about her friends? Have any of them seen or heard from her?” He hoofed it double-time toward the Flutterby and his cabin, leaving all thoughts of Christmas and relaxation behind.

  “Last anyone saw her was last week. Dyna’s heading to campus as we speak. She’s going to try to see what she can find out in person.”

  “Okay, good.” Their sister was an assistant prosecutor with the DA in Virginia. If there was info to be had, she’d unearth it. “I’ve got access to her bank account and credit cards. I’ll check those out. Did the college find a note or anything?” The second the words were out of his mouth, his heart stopped. He hadn’t even thought...although maybe he had. Was it niggling intuition that had him pushing his mother to accept that Alethea might need professional help? He’d missed the warning signs with his father. Had he done the same with his sister? “How’s Mom?”

  “Worried,” Antony said. “Ophelia’s with her and Marcy is going to bring the kids over for dinner. It’ll be a good distraction for both Mom and Dad.”

  “Okay.” There wasn’t a day that passed that Xander wasn’t grateful for his sister-in-law and her calm, stabilizing presence in his brother’s life. “What about Alethea’s cell? I assume you’ve all tried calling?”

  “Multiple times. She isn’t picking up. Must be a family trait.”

  Ignoring the gibe, Xander ran up the hill to the inn and ducked around the side path to his cabin. “Give me an hour or so to check some things out. Keep calling her. If it turns out no one’s seen her in more than a few days, we’ll have to file a missing persons report.”

  “Where? Virginia or Chicago?” Antony asked. “We don’t know where—”

  “I might be able to help with that.” Little Charlie Bradley had said her dad was a sheriff’s deputy, right? And Simon’s dad was sheriff. Maybe he’d earned enough clout to ask their advice. “Give me a little time. We’ll find her, Antony. Don’t worry.”

  “You need to come home, Xan.”

  So they could fight in person? So they could both feel helpless in person? Xander already knew what the police were going to say. Legally, Alethea was an adult. If she wanted to drop out of school and take off, there was nothing stopping her. “I can do everything I need to from here.” And with far fewer distractions. “Two hours, okay? I’ll call you back then.”

  He hung up before Antony argued any further. Xander dug out his key as he reached the gate and hurried inside. A few minutes later he’d logged into his sister’s bank account, checked her credit cards. He sank back in his chair as his chest tightened. Other than a cash withdrawal of three hundred dollars a little over a week ago, there hadn’t been any activity.

  His mind raced, unable to settle on one thought before another, even worse one, took over. How many times had he listened to his mother insist everyone grieved in their own way, in their own time? Alethea just needed space. She needed to find her way through the double trauma of their father’s illness and her best friend’s death. It had been easier, Xander supposed, to believe his mother. But deep down he suspected Alethea wasn’t moving forward, that she was stuck and sinking fast. And yet he’d waited for her to come to him.

  Despite what she’d been going through, Alethea was a smart young woman, he told himself. Growing up with four older siblings, she’d been both protected and prepared for what the world had to offer. Still, the idea of his twenty-one-year-old kid sister out there alone, grieving, possibly lost...

  Xander rubbed a hand hard over his chest and tried to quell the mounting panic. “Alethea,” he whispered into the empty room. “Where are you?”

  * * *

  WHILE CALLIOPE OFTEN preferred a quiet night at home with her sister, books and a hot cup of dandelion tea, joining in the celebration of new life was something guaranteed to lift her heart and set her spirit to soar. When the party was a dual celebration—and included Paige’s graduation from nursing school—how could she feel anything other than gleeful?

  Holly and Luke’s celebratory announcement that they were indeed expecting twins—sexes to be determined—was also confirmation that the separation between family and friends could be quite thin at times, if not eradicated completely. Seeing so many happy, laughing faces, so many of those she’d come to consider friends, should have made pushing worry aside far easier.

  Instead, she couldn’t shake the growing unease inside of her.

  Standing on Holly and Luke’s back porch, Calliope rubbed a hand against her chest and stared out at the solitary storm cloud hovering above the beach. Normally clouds like this would dissipate before now. The merging gray and silver bands didn’t carry rain or storms, but swirling emotions that had been buried beneath despair. Someone in Butterfly Harbor was in so much pain it had manifested itself for Calliope to see. And feel.

  “Hey, this is a happy occasion.” Holly pressed a plastic champagne glass filled with sparkling cider into Calliope’s hands before giving her a one-armed hug. “What’s with the frown?”

  Calliope shook her head and faced the radiant mother-to-be. The difference in Holly since their conversation in the kitchen at the diner was astonishing. “Nothing to do with you and Luke, I promise.” She glanced around Holly to where Luke stood beaming among his friends, his stepson Simon joyfully slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “I take it Luke was pleased with the news?”

  “You knew.” Holly inclined her head and looked at her with a bit of wonder. “You could have just told me I was having twins.”

  “It wasn’t my secret to tell.” Calliope tried to ignore the pang of envy sliding through her. She’d always believed Stella was the child she was meant to raise, and while she loved her little sister with every fiber of her being, in recent days, a longing she didn’t know she possessed had reared up and demanded attention. “How do you like Dr. Miakoda?”

  “She’s amazing.” Holly tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear before laying a hand on her rounded stomach. “You were right. All those fears and worries I’ve been having, she listened. I think that was all I needed. As soon as I voiced them, I realized how silly I was being.”

  “You were being cautious,” Calliope corrected. “Which is what a mother does where her children are concerned. I’m glad you’re doing better.”

  “Better than better. Luke and I talked about it and after the babies are born, we’d like you and Paige to be the godmothers. Abby’s al
ready got Simon, so, you know.” Holly shrugged. “You and Paige can fight over which baby you want. If you want—”

  “Holly.” Calliope took her friend’s hand and squeezed as her heart swelled with gratitude. “Thank you. I would love to be one of your children’s godmothers.”

  “Now that that’s settled, you want to share what’s bothering you? I don’t know if you realize,” Holly added with one of her cheeky grins. “But seeing Calliope Jones out of sorts isn’t exactly commonplace.”

  “I don’t know exactly,” Calliope admitted as her attention was pulled back to the cloud. “But I can’t shake the feeling I need to find out.” She glanced over to where Stella and Charlie, along with Marlie O’Neill, Willa’s younger sister, sat braiding each other’s hair and threading in some of Calliope’s trademark tinkle bells.

  “Gonna be a great next generation, huh?” Holly said. “Has Stella asked you about the sandcastle competition yet?”

  “Asked me what?” With all that had been going on, she’d completely forgotten about the holiday event.

  “They still need an adult for their team. Last I heard you were next on their list.

  “I’ll talk to Stella this evening. So the private school is working out okay for Simon?” Calliope asked.

  “Yeah. Better than we could have hoped. They’re not only able to keep up with him, but they challenge him too. They create specialized programs for their students and it’s exactly what he needed. He’s definitely never bored in school anymore.”

  Calliope tried not to chuckle but failed miserably. A bored Simon Saxon was a force to be reckoned with for any and all who lived in Butterfly Harbor. Well before he’d turned ten, he’d been hacking into Wi-Fi systems of kids’ homes who had been bullying him. A creative, albeit felonious, solution to his problems.

  “I have to admit,” Holly continued, “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day my son and Kyle Winters became such good friends. Especially given how Kyle used to be. Matt and Lori have done wonders with him.”

  “‘Used to’ being the important phrase,” Calliope said. “I don’t like to think of any child as hopeless, but Kyle came awfully close.”

  To say Kyle Winters, soon to be Knight since Matt and Lori had begun adoption proceedings for the sixteen-year-old, had turned his life around was an understatement. He wasn’t letting his past define him and had, thanks to the guidance of the deputies in town, learned he had value. Love and acceptance truly were miracle cures.

  “I understand the renovations on the new youth center are coming along nicely. Is that where your dad is today?”

  “Ah, no.” Holly rocked back on her heels. “Dad is playing Santa. He says he plans on being too busy next year with these two so he wants to stretch out his performance as long as he can.” She rubbed her stomach. “So about the sandcastle competition? You know I’d do it if I could manage—”

  “I’ll talk to Stella,” Calliope reassured her. The idea of participating in the annual event still didn’t sit well, but she had to admit, Xander had made some good points when they’d discussed the positive benefits of competition.

  “Okay, you two.” Paige leaned on the railing in front of Calliope and blocked her view. “We’re taking bets on what you’re talking about and seeing as I don’t want to break my streak—”

  “We were discussing what a difference we see in Kyle,” Calliope told her as a low rumble of thunder echoed.

  “That’s just weird,” Holly muttered. “Weather report didn’t say anything about rain.” She glanced back at the overflowing picnic table as the wind picked up.

  “Guess a storm’s brewing.” Paige didn’t look convinced, but her pretty face tightened with concern. “Might be batten-down-the-hatches time.”

  “It’s not a storm.” Exactly. Calliope glanced back at her sister. “But I’m afraid Stella and I need to go. There’s something I have to check on.”

  The cloud was pulling at her, all but screaming at her. Something or someone needed attention.

  “Let Stella stay,” Paige said with a shrug. “Charlie and I can bring her home later.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?” Calliope asked. It would make things easier if she didn’t have to worry about Stella.

  “Of course not. Even if I did, do you want to break that up?” Paige gestured to her daughter, who was laughing so loud and so hard she toppled off the bench. “I sense the beginnings of a lifelong friendship brewing with those two. Make that three. Marlie balances them out. She’s such a quiet little thing. Like her sister.”

  “Abby mentioned Willa’s coming along,” Holly said of the Flutterby Inn’s newest employee. “It’s been a rough few years with their mother’s illness. But Nina’s doing so much better now and Jasper’s enrolled in those pre-college science classes at the community college in Durante. Willa doesn’t know what to do with herself now that her brother’s found his niche.”

  “Willa needs a Charlie,” Calliope agreed, and wondered if the quiet wallflower, so competent at her job, maybe needed a little extra attention. Didn’t everyone?

  As if Holly could read her thoughts, she said, “Everyone needs a Charlie.” Holly sat beside Paige and nudged her. “You do realize I’ve claimed unofficial godmother rights? It’s only fair since you were going to assign me and Luke custody when you’d planned to go back east and make it all good with the police. Thankfully that all got resolved and you never had to do anything with Charlie.” Holly shrugged. “We call that her not so smart phase.”

  “It wasn’t a not so smart phase.” Paige’s cheeks went pink. “But it was good to have options where my girl was concerned.”

  “My turn!” Abby Manning leaped in and sat on the other side of Paige, tall glass of iced tea in one hand. “What are we talking about? Please don’t say the wedding, because I honestly can’t take much more planning. And wait, before you ask, because I know you’re all dying to know. We went with eggshell-colored napkins for the wedding. Whew!”

  “Calliope has an errand to run,” Paige told her with a laugh. “So we’re going to keep an eye on Stella. In the meantime, we’ve been mulling over the future regarding those three.”

  Abby leaned her head on Paige’s shoulder and together the four women looked on at the scene behind them. “Not just those three. All of us. We make a pretty good family, don’t we?”

  “Speaking of, did you invite Kendall?” Abby asked Holly.

  “I did, but I didn’t push.” Holly shook her head.

  Calliope wasn’t surprised. Kendall’s time in the military had ended when an IED had destroyed her patrol save for Kendall and Matt Knight, who had lost his leg dragging Kendall out of the burning vehicle. They’d survived, but barely and while Kendall had been burned over most of her body, it wasn’t the physical scars she carried that gave her the most trouble. Calliope knew there was a deeper pain inside the woman. Not that Kendall talked about any of that. Or about anything, come to think of it.

  “She’s still adjusting, according to Matt. He went out to the lighthouse yesterday to check in on her, took her some pie.”

  “She’s always so...sad,” Paige said. “I like her, but she does guard her solitude.”

  “Some hearts don’t heal,” Calliope said. “Others take a bit more time than the rest.” Thunder rumbled again as if reminding her she was needed elsewhere. “Paige, you sure about Stella?”

  “You have met your sister, right?” Paige asked with a roll of her eyes. “The kid is better behaved than the man I married. Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

  “Good. Okay, thank you. Holly, blessings on you and your two beauties.” Calliope gave Holly a hug and added an extra push of energy for the babies she carried. “I’ll see you all soon. Stella?” Calliope called as she stepped off the porch and into the backyard where the kids were racing around with the dogs.

  A few minutes later, she was tugging on her
sweater and speed-walking down the road toward Main Street. Seconds after that, she was running.

  The cloud had settled among the others that blew across the horizon with the gentle wind. Her thin-soled sandals slapped against the concrete as she darted across Main Street toward the wooden plank stairs leading down to the beach.

  The chill in the air had people packing up their things, bundling into jackets as they headed out, retreating to the stores and the diner. Calliope remained shy of the shoreline, her feet sinking into the damp sand as she scanned one way, then the other. There.

  The solitary woman stood inches from the water, arms huddled around her thin frame, waist-length curly black hair caught in the sea-kissed breeze. The worn jeans and oversize sweatshirt seemed almost too big on her. An overstuffed backpack sat on the sand behind her as she stared out at the endless horizon.

  Calliope’s first instinct was to run toward her, but she found herself frozen as images of Xander shifted through her mind. There, beneath the woman’s pain, a pain so piercing and exquisite Calliope’s entire body stung, she felt the love and affection the woman was clinging to. Calliope looked up at the cloud as the thunder echoed again, not quite so strong. Not quite so deafening.

  Slow and easy, Calliope walked down the beach. The closer she approached, the clearer her focus became. She’d misjudged the woman’s age, put her at maybe late teens, early twenties, but there was no denying she had come here looking for something, searching for something. Xander, Calliope told herself.

  Or someone. Even knowing that, Calliope also knew without a doubt, the young woman felt utterly and completely lost.

  “Hello.” Calliope called to her before she approached. “Getting a little cold out here, isn’t it?”

  The woman blinked and turned to look at her.

  Calliope froze. Those eyes. She knew those eyes. She’d stared into them often enough. Dreamed of them often enough. Xander’s eyes.