after dark.”
“ How terrible.” He flexed his fingers on hers.
She looked over at him. “Then I came to the Graytons and found my real family. I remember the first few months I felt guilty for being allowed all different kinds of food. Lilly had given me my first Coke that night.” she smiled. “I guess you can say the addiction started then.”
He smiled. “Well, I haven’t even met the Graytons and I like them already.”
“ You would. They would like you as well. They are always looking to take in people like us.” She realized what she’d said too late.
“ People like us?” he asked.
She nodded a little. “I guess so. You know…” She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. “My parents may have abused me physically, but from the sound of it, yours have neglected you. Neglect is a form of abuse, too.”
He thought about it. “I suppose you’re right. Funny, I think I could have handled it a lot better had they tossed me around a little. You know, my father never really yelled at me until after Calvin was gone.”
“ He probably misses him a lot. I can’t imagine what it’s like losing someone so close to you.”
“ You can’t? From what you said, your sister took off at seventeen and hasn’t been back. Isn’t that a lot like losing her?”
She thought about it and then shook her head. “No. I know Marissa is out there somewhere. She chose to leave us; Calvin didn’t get a choice.”
“ I suppose you’re right. But I would think it would hurt just the same. The emptiness, the place they used to fill.” He squeezed her hand a little. “Have you ever thought about looking for her?”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. It was too dark to see anything, but she’d driving this road enough to know what was out there. Trees, homes, an occasional glimpse of the shoreline. Marissa was out there somewhere, probably close enough to reach out and touch if she’d tried.
“ I looked once, shortly after she left,” she whispered.
“ And?”
“ She doesn’t want to be found. If she did, she would have left some clues for me.”
“ What kind of clues?”
She turned and looked at him. “Why are you so interested?”
He shrugged his shoulder and dropped her hand to maneuver around a sharp turn. “It’s a mystery.” He smiled at her when the road straightened out. “I like solving mysteries.”
She tilted her head a little, looking at him across the dark car. “We always talked about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I was determined from the tender age of eleven to open my own bar and grill.” She chuckled. “Marissa had other ideas. She wanted to buy old houses and fix them up. She was always helping Marcus and Roman out when they worked around the house we grew up in. The three of them made a really great team. She kept stacks of newspaper clippings in a box; she’d cut home listings out and dream about fixing the places up. After she left, I drove by every house she’d ever looked at.” The sadness still overwhelmed her sometimes. “She always talked about a place overlooking Dolphin Bay, being close to Spring Haven. I know she’s somewhere close, but until she wants to be found, she is going to stay hidden.”
“ Any idea why she left?”
“ Yes and no. I know it had nothing to do with me or the Graytons. She had a big fight with Roman the day before she left, but I don’t think it had anything to do with that, either. She’d started going out with some boy. Tommy, I think, was his name. Roman didn’t like Tommy. He thought he was bad news, and he was right. I didn’t even like the guy. That last night, when we talked, I told her my thoughts. She sounded so sad, like I’d hurt her somehow.” She hadn’t realized she was crying, until a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, before Luke could see it. Turning her head back towards the window, she shrugged. “Her note said
“ How terrible.” He flexed his fingers on hers.
She looked over at him. “Then I came to the Graytons and found my real family. I remember the first few months I felt guilty for being allowed all different kinds of food. Lilly had given me my first Coke that night.” she smiled. “I guess you can say the addiction started then.”
He smiled. “Well, I haven’t even met the Graytons and I like them already.”
“ You would. They would like you as well. They are always looking to take in people like us.” She realized what she’d said too late.
“ People like us?” he asked.
She nodded a little. “I guess so. You know…” She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. “My parents may have abused me physically, but from the sound of it, yours have neglected you. Neglect is a form of abuse, too.”
He thought about it. “I suppose you’re right. Funny, I think I could have handled it a lot better had they tossed me around a little. You know, my father never really yelled at me until after Calvin was gone.”
“ He probably misses him a lot. I can’t imagine what it’s like losing someone so close to you.”
“ You can’t? From what you said, your sister took off at seventeen and hasn’t been back. Isn’t that a lot like losing her?”
She thought about it and then shook her head. “No. I know Marissa is out there somewhere. She chose to leave us; Calvin didn’t get a choice.”
“ I suppose you’re right. But I would think it would hurt just the same. The emptiness, the place they used to fill.” He squeezed her hand a little. “Have you ever thought about looking for her?”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. It was too dark to see anything, but she’d driving this road enough to know what was out there. Trees, homes, an occasional glimpse of the shoreline. Marissa was out there somewhere, probably close enough to reach out and touch if she’d tried.
“ I looked once, shortly after she left,” she whispered.
“ And?”
“ She doesn’t want to be found. If she did, she would have left some clues for me.”
“ What kind of clues?”
She turned and looked at him. “Why are you so interested?”
He shrugged his shoulder and dropped her hand to maneuver around a sharp turn. “It’s a mystery.” He smiled at her when the road straightened out. “I like solving mysteries.”
She tilted her head a little, looking at him across the dark car. “We always talked about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I was determined from the tender age of eleven to open my own bar and grill.” She chuckled. “Marissa had other ideas. She wanted to buy old houses and fix them up. She was always helping Marcus and Roman out when they worked around the house we grew up in. The three of them made a really great team. She kept stacks of newspaper clippings in a box; she’d cut home listings out and dream about fixing the places up. After she left, I drove by every house she’d ever looked at.” The sadness still overwhelmed her sometimes. “She always talked about a place overlooking Dolphin Bay, being close to Spring Haven. I know she’s somewhere close, but until she wants to be found, she is going to stay hidden.”
“ Any idea why she left?”
“ Yes and no. I know it had nothing to do with me or the Graytons. She had a big fight with Roman the day before she left, but I don’t think it had anything to do with that, either. She’d started going out with some boy. Tommy, I think, was his name. Roman didn’t like Tommy. He thought he was bad news, and he was right. I didn’t even like the guy. That last night, when we talked, I told her my thoughts. She sounded so sad, like I’d hurt her somehow.” She hadn’t realized she was crying, until a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, before Luke could see it. Turning her head back towards the window, she shrugged. “Her note said
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