Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Mrs. Shirley Evans, I find out, after we’ve spoken for several minutes. She explains that while they’re still at the campground—they’ve been helping volunteers search for Maddie in the grasslands surrounding the site all day—she has a sister who lives close to Denver, about two hours away. Maddie loves her aunt Frannie, and will be good to stay with her until they can get packed up and on their way.
“I’ll explain everything to the police,” Shirley finishes. “But they’ll probably want to speak with you anyway. Can I give them this number?”
I assure her that she can, she thanks me again, and I put her back on speakerphone to tell Maddie goodbye and explain that Aunt Frannie will be on the way to get her very soon.
“And in the meantime, your mom said we could take you for an early dinner at The Burger Palace just over there,” I say, pointing to the brightly colored restaurant across the complex from Trout World. “Does a cheeseburger sound good?”
For the first time, Maddie smiles. “I love cheeseburgers.”
Her mom laughs. “You sound happier already. I knew a cheeseburger would make it all better. Just eat your burger and all your fries and relax with the nice people, okay? And then Aunt Frannie will be there to take you to her house and Daddy and I will be there as soon as we drive from the campground. We love you so much, Maddie, and we’re so glad you’re okay.”
“Love you, too, Mommy,” Maddie says.
I end the call only for my cell to ring a few minutes later, after we’ve tucked Freya into her crate and started across the parking lot. It’s the Sioux Falls Sherriff’s Department. I answer, remaining outside the restaurant to tell my story to law enforcement. The man takes down my statement and explains that Mrs. Evans has waived his offer to have a uniformed officer sent over to sit with Maddie until her aunt arrives.
“She trusts you,” the man says, clearly not thinking it’s the best idea.
“We won’t give her any reason to regret that,” I assure him. “Thanks for your time and feel free to call if I can clarify anything in the future.”
I push inside, pausing as I see Maddie and Tessa giggling together at a table in the corner. They’re bent over one of those coloring pages they give kids at restaurants, scribbling away with mischievous looks on their faces. Maddie looks like a completely different kid than the shattered girl we found in our storage area a half hour ago, and that’s all because of Tessa. I know I wouldn’t have been able to comfort her as well or as easily, no matter how hard I tried.
Tessa has a way with kids. My nephew Chase adores her. He runs to greet “Auntie Tessa” the second she arrives at one of our family gatherings, and that’s not something he does for any of his other aunts, not even Binx, who lets him ride the quarter-operated merry-go-round at the bank where she works as many times as he wants. (And gives him extra lollipops to take home after Mel makes her deposits for the day.)
Tessa’s special to Chase.
And to me.
I can’t help thinking, as I cross the restaurant to join them, that I wouldn’t mind this being my life someday. Solo adventures are fun, but not nearly as fun as an adventure with a gorgeous, fun, big-hearted woman. And if that woman were also the mother of my child?
It’s a crazy thing to think, but I can’t help it. After the pregnancy scare with Darcy, I convinced myself I wasn’t ready to start a family.
But maybe I just wasn’t ready to start a family with Darcy…
“Hey there, I ordered a burger for you with a side salad since you said you wanted something healthy, too,” Tessa says, grinning up at me as I arrive at the table. “And now we’re drawing clown noses and extra horns on all the animals. Would you care to join in?”
“I’d love to,” I say, grabbing a crayon. “Can I give the turtle a mohawk?”
Maddie laughs. “That’s silly.”
“But we like silly?” I ask.
She nods. “I like silly. I make silly faces all the time in clown school.”
I arch a brow. “Oh yeah? Can you show me one?”
Maddie’s eyes fly open so wide she resembles an anime cartoon and her mouth rounds into a lopsided “oh!” that makes both Tessa and I laugh.
“Very good,” Tessa says. “Clearly a girl who excels at her craft. I vote mohawks for all the animals.”
By the time we add mohawks, clown noses, and a few heart-shaped tattoos to the coloring page’s menagerie, our food has arrived. We eat slowly, but Maddie’s aunt is still twenty minutes away when we finish, so we order a banana split to share.
When Aunt Frannie rushes in, her blue eyes the same hue as Maddie’s and her hair a slightly darker shade of blond, Maddie’s face is covered in chocolate ice cream and she’s laughing like we’ve all been friends for ages.