The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer Page A

Cushions had been pulled from the sofa and chairs and rugs were flipped upside down. Sophie and her children hurried upstairs, toward the noise.
    Trevor was with Leo in the child’s bedroom. The mattress had been half dragged to the floor, which was littered with clothing and toys. In the middle of it all, Leo lay in the throes of a full-force tantrum. His small face was swollen and red. His father knelt next to him, helplessly repeating his name.
    Trevor looked up at Sophie. “Tubee’s missing. We’ve looked everywhere. I don’t suppose you know where he is?”
    “I saw him yesterday,” offered Lacey, trying her best to be helpful.
    “Sorry, man,” said Jonah. “Did you look outside?”
    “We looked everywhere.” Trevor’s T-shirt and hair were damp with sweat. He was on the verge of tears himself.
    Sophie closed her eyes and envisioned the way the house had looked last evening. “Could the Manchesters have accidentally packed him?”
    “Sophie, you’re a genius! Did you hear that, Leo? Maybe he’s with the Manchesters!”
    “No! No! Want Tubee now!” The child lay on the floor roaring, hitting the floor with his fists, kicking it in a furious rhythm.
    Trevor jumped up, dug his cell phone out of his pocket, and walked into the hallway where he could hear himself speak. He punched in a number. A moment later, he said, “Anne, is there any chance Tubee is with you? We can’t find him anywhere here.” After waiting a moment, he said, “That would be amazing, and I’d be so grateful.” Returning to his son’s bedroom, he knelt next to Leo. “Hey, guy, the Manchesters are almost home. The moment they get in the house, they’re going through all their luggage to see if Tubee’s there.”
    It was as if Leo hadn’t heard. He continued to howl like a maddened beast. Next to Sophie, Lacey began to cry quietly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Jonah slunk off to his bedroom and quietly shut the door. Trevor attempted to gather his furious son into his arms, but Leo fought him off, hitting his father’s chest and arms, shouting, “No! Want Tubee!”
    Sophie felt like a voyeur at a terrible catastrophe. Wrapping her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, she guided Lacey downstairs and into the family room. “It’s going to be okay, I don’t want you to worry. Leo is having a tantrum. All kids have tantrums when they’re young. It’s not nice to see but it’s not dangerous. If we could do anything, we would. But right now Trevor is the only one who can help Leo.”
    “It’s so scary, Mommy,” Lacey whispered. “His face is so red.”
    “I know, honey, I know. Many children have a special toy or blanket that gives them security. You had your pink blankie when you were a toddler, remember? You carried it around until you were three years old and it was almost transparent from so many washings. You had tantrums like Leo’s if you misplaced it. One day when you were three, you left it in your bedroom and never needed it again. But Leo has…lost his mommy. We have to remember that. Sadness comes out in different ways. I think Leo is crying for his mommy as much as for Tubee.”
    Lacey’s tears intensified. “That hurts my heart.”
    Sophie cuddled her daughter next to her on the sofa. “It hurts my heart, too, sweetie, but you know what? Sometimes crying is a kind of cure. Sometimes that’s what the body and the heart need to do. It’s hard to watch, but it’s not always a bad thing.”
    “Can’t we do anything to help Leo?”
    “I’m afraid not, although I might go upstairs with a glass of ice water for both Leo and Trevor to drink. For us, I think it’s time we watched some television, something really stupid.” Reaching for the remote, Sophie clicked until she found the cartoon channel. “I’ll be right back.”
    As she headed up the stairs with the ice water, she heard Trevor in the hallway talking on the phone. She saw him go into Leo’s bedroom.
    Trevor knelt on the floor next to