admitted, wondering what was up and why it couldn’t have waited until morning.
“Well she hasn’t arrived back at her apartment,” Roger Van Slyke went on. “My wife and I have gotten no answer there all evening, and we haven’t been able to reach her on her cell phone. So needless to say, we’re very worried.”
“Yes… Yes, of course.” Sully ran his fingers through his hair, trying to wake himself up. “I can see why you would be, sir, but Lauren’s fine. She just had a little car trouble, and it got too late for her to drive back tonight, so she decided to stay here.”
“I see. She decided to stay there…with you.”
Sully suspected he’d just learned who had taught Lauren her Ice Princess tone. Her father’s voice hadn’t had much warmth in it to begin with, and with that remark it had turned cold enough to freeze Fiji.
“Yes, sir,” he said evenly. “She decided to stay here with me and the five boys. And my teacher and housemother,” he added, figuring there was no reason to mention that Otis and Grace lived in a separate cottage.
“I see,” Roger Van Slyke said again. “Well, I’d like to speak to my daughter, please.”
Sully glanced in the direction of the television and checked the clock on the DVD player. “Sir, it’s three o’clock in the morning.”
“I’m well aware of the time, Mr. Sullivan. Now, if you wouldn’t mind getting Lauren…?”
He hesitated, thinking it made absolutely no sense to wake Lauren. But since the man’s son was under a death threat he was probably hyperanxious.
“I’ll go get her, sir.” Setting the receiver on the end table, he headed back to the hallway. He flicked the light on this time, and its dim glow stretched ahead of him.
When he reached his bedroom door, he quietly tapped on it. There was no response, so he knocked a little louder—then tried calling Lauren’s name.
There was still nothing. He hesitantly cracked open the door and called, “Lauren?”
“Sully?” Freckles said from behind him. “Sully, what’s going on?”
“The phone call’s for Lauren, that’s all. You go on back to bed.”
As Freckles turned away, Sully decided that if he stood out here calling for much longer he’d wake the rest of the kids. So he pushed the door open a few more inches and started across the room.
The light from the hall was too faint to help him see, but he could easily navigate his own bedroom in the dark, and all he had to do was make it over to the floor lamp.
When he got to where it should have been, though, it wasn’t there. He felt the chair…then the stool…but where in blazes was the lamp?
“Lauren?” he said into the darkness. “Lauren?” He inched his way toward the bed, until his leg finally touched the mattress. Then he gingerly reached down to where he was sure Lauren’s shoulder would be. He touched her as gently as he could.
And Lauren came awake screaming.
“Oh, God!” he muttered, frantically trying to think of what to say. Screaming women were not his specialty. “Lauren, it’s me,” he tried. “I was only trying to wake you.”
Apparently, she was screaming too loudly to hear him, because she didn’t stop. And if she didn’t stop within the next few seconds, the kids would all wake up and hear her. Or, worse yet, her screams were so loud they might carry to the phone and her father would hear her.
Quickly, he leaned down over her and covered her mouth with his hand. Just as quickly, she bit him—hard.
“Yeoww!” he hollered, yanking his hand away. An instant later, excruciating pain sent every ounce of air whooshing from his body.
“Oh, God!” he moaned as the pain doubled him over onto the bed. Lauren had kneed him in the groin. And she kneed as hard as she bit.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled.
Vaguely, he realized she was trying to pull the sheet around herself and sit up. She couldn’t do that, either, though, because he was slumped on top of her.
“Get
“Well she hasn’t arrived back at her apartment,” Roger Van Slyke went on. “My wife and I have gotten no answer there all evening, and we haven’t been able to reach her on her cell phone. So needless to say, we’re very worried.”
“Yes… Yes, of course.” Sully ran his fingers through his hair, trying to wake himself up. “I can see why you would be, sir, but Lauren’s fine. She just had a little car trouble, and it got too late for her to drive back tonight, so she decided to stay here.”
“I see. She decided to stay there…with you.”
Sully suspected he’d just learned who had taught Lauren her Ice Princess tone. Her father’s voice hadn’t had much warmth in it to begin with, and with that remark it had turned cold enough to freeze Fiji.
“Yes, sir,” he said evenly. “She decided to stay here with me and the five boys. And my teacher and housemother,” he added, figuring there was no reason to mention that Otis and Grace lived in a separate cottage.
“I see,” Roger Van Slyke said again. “Well, I’d like to speak to my daughter, please.”
Sully glanced in the direction of the television and checked the clock on the DVD player. “Sir, it’s three o’clock in the morning.”
“I’m well aware of the time, Mr. Sullivan. Now, if you wouldn’t mind getting Lauren…?”
He hesitated, thinking it made absolutely no sense to wake Lauren. But since the man’s son was under a death threat he was probably hyperanxious.
“I’ll go get her, sir.” Setting the receiver on the end table, he headed back to the hallway. He flicked the light on this time, and its dim glow stretched ahead of him.
When he reached his bedroom door, he quietly tapped on it. There was no response, so he knocked a little louder—then tried calling Lauren’s name.
There was still nothing. He hesitantly cracked open the door and called, “Lauren?”
“Sully?” Freckles said from behind him. “Sully, what’s going on?”
“The phone call’s for Lauren, that’s all. You go on back to bed.”
As Freckles turned away, Sully decided that if he stood out here calling for much longer he’d wake the rest of the kids. So he pushed the door open a few more inches and started across the room.
The light from the hall was too faint to help him see, but he could easily navigate his own bedroom in the dark, and all he had to do was make it over to the floor lamp.
When he got to where it should have been, though, it wasn’t there. He felt the chair…then the stool…but where in blazes was the lamp?
“Lauren?” he said into the darkness. “Lauren?” He inched his way toward the bed, until his leg finally touched the mattress. Then he gingerly reached down to where he was sure Lauren’s shoulder would be. He touched her as gently as he could.
And Lauren came awake screaming.
“Oh, God!” he muttered, frantically trying to think of what to say. Screaming women were not his specialty. “Lauren, it’s me,” he tried. “I was only trying to wake you.”
Apparently, she was screaming too loudly to hear him, because she didn’t stop. And if she didn’t stop within the next few seconds, the kids would all wake up and hear her. Or, worse yet, her screams were so loud they might carry to the phone and her father would hear her.
Quickly, he leaned down over her and covered her mouth with his hand. Just as quickly, she bit him—hard.
“Yeoww!” he hollered, yanking his hand away. An instant later, excruciating pain sent every ounce of air whooshing from his body.
“Oh, God!” he moaned as the pain doubled him over onto the bed. Lauren had kneed him in the groin. And she kneed as hard as she bit.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled.
Vaguely, he realized she was trying to pull the sheet around herself and sit up. She couldn’t do that, either, though, because he was slumped on top of her.
“Get
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