five kids, surrounded by cousins and friends, there hadn’t been much opportunity to be lonely, and he’d been too damned busy building his business over the last fourteen years to have time for loneliness. But now, leaning against the reception desk at the Sand & Surf, Adam felt more alone than he had in a long time.
“Here I come, Adam!” Sarah Lawry called a few minutes later as she came down the stairs.
Adam snapped out of his funk as she approached the registration desk, out of breath from the sprint through the hotel.
Sarah gave Adam a peck on the cheek. “So nice to have you home, and thank you for covering the desk.”
“You must not have had much faith in my abilities if you ran from wherever you were to get down here to relieve me.”
Sarah laughed and patted his arm. “We had full confidence, but Laura said she was certain you had better things to do than watch our desk.”
“I was happy to do it.”
Stephanie’s stepfather, Charlie Grandchamp, came into the hotel. His gray hair was cut into a severe-looking buzz cut, but his entire demeanor softened at the sight of Sarah at the desk, and his blue eyes positively twinkled. There was no other word for it.
Sarah’s face turned bright red, which Adam thought was adorable. “You know Grant’s brother Adam, right?” she said to Charlie.
“Sure.” Charlie shook hands with Adam. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Watching the way Charlie and Sarah looked at each other, Adam experienced yet another craving to be part of something so sweet and sincere. He hadn’t found it yet. Sasha had never turned red at the sight of him. That was for sure.
“I can stay if you guys have plans,” Adam said.
“It’s nothing that won’t keep,” Charlie said.
“The overnight girl gets here in half an hour,” Sarah said.
Charlie plopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the lobby reception area. “I can wait.”
Adam was about to say his good-byes and continue the search for Grant when Stephanie came in.
“Oh, hey, guys,” she said, bending to kiss her dad. “What’s going on?”
“Just waiting for Sarah to be done with work,” Charlie said.
“Any sign of Grant?” Adam asked.
As Stephanie shook her head, her lips set with displeasure. “I went home to see if he was there. He wasn’t, but his phone was, which is why he’s not answering. I can’t imagine where he is. I was going to check on the restaurant and then head over to the Beachcomber to see if he might be there.”
“I’ll do that,” Adam said.
“Thanks, Adam. Send me a text if you find him.”
“You do the same.”
“I will.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, honey,” Charlie said to his daughter. “Probably went for a walk or something and lost track of time.”
“Yeah,” Stephanie said. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”
Adam could tell by the tension he saw around her eyes and mouth that she was downplaying her concerns, which made him even more determined to find his brother.
Chapter 7
With the sun heading for the horizon, Kara Ballard brought her launch to a smooth landing at the floating dock next to McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and helped her passengers disembark. After an endless day on the water, she was ready for some dinner and some peace. She would get the former, but the latter was hardly assured.
Her routine over the last week had been to work all day, pick up something for dinner and then head over to Dan Torrington’s place, where she helped him by typing up the notes he’d made during the day for the memoir he’d been working on before the accident. Fortunately, he was left-handed so he could still write longhand, but the bulky cast on his broken right arm made it impossible for him to type.
They’d talked about getting software that could type for him, but Kara was helping him edit as they went along, so this system was working for him. With his book deadline looming, he needed all the help he could get.
Kara
“Here I come, Adam!” Sarah Lawry called a few minutes later as she came down the stairs.
Adam snapped out of his funk as she approached the registration desk, out of breath from the sprint through the hotel.
Sarah gave Adam a peck on the cheek. “So nice to have you home, and thank you for covering the desk.”
“You must not have had much faith in my abilities if you ran from wherever you were to get down here to relieve me.”
Sarah laughed and patted his arm. “We had full confidence, but Laura said she was certain you had better things to do than watch our desk.”
“I was happy to do it.”
Stephanie’s stepfather, Charlie Grandchamp, came into the hotel. His gray hair was cut into a severe-looking buzz cut, but his entire demeanor softened at the sight of Sarah at the desk, and his blue eyes positively twinkled. There was no other word for it.
Sarah’s face turned bright red, which Adam thought was adorable. “You know Grant’s brother Adam, right?” she said to Charlie.
“Sure.” Charlie shook hands with Adam. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Watching the way Charlie and Sarah looked at each other, Adam experienced yet another craving to be part of something so sweet and sincere. He hadn’t found it yet. Sasha had never turned red at the sight of him. That was for sure.
“I can stay if you guys have plans,” Adam said.
“It’s nothing that won’t keep,” Charlie said.
“The overnight girl gets here in half an hour,” Sarah said.
Charlie plopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the lobby reception area. “I can wait.”
Adam was about to say his good-byes and continue the search for Grant when Stephanie came in.
“Oh, hey, guys,” she said, bending to kiss her dad. “What’s going on?”
“Just waiting for Sarah to be done with work,” Charlie said.
“Any sign of Grant?” Adam asked.
As Stephanie shook her head, her lips set with displeasure. “I went home to see if he was there. He wasn’t, but his phone was, which is why he’s not answering. I can’t imagine where he is. I was going to check on the restaurant and then head over to the Beachcomber to see if he might be there.”
“I’ll do that,” Adam said.
“Thanks, Adam. Send me a text if you find him.”
“You do the same.”
“I will.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, honey,” Charlie said to his daughter. “Probably went for a walk or something and lost track of time.”
“Yeah,” Stephanie said. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”
Adam could tell by the tension he saw around her eyes and mouth that she was downplaying her concerns, which made him even more determined to find his brother.
Chapter 7
With the sun heading for the horizon, Kara Ballard brought her launch to a smooth landing at the floating dock next to McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and helped her passengers disembark. After an endless day on the water, she was ready for some dinner and some peace. She would get the former, but the latter was hardly assured.
Her routine over the last week had been to work all day, pick up something for dinner and then head over to Dan Torrington’s place, where she helped him by typing up the notes he’d made during the day for the memoir he’d been working on before the accident. Fortunately, he was left-handed so he could still write longhand, but the bulky cast on his broken right arm made it impossible for him to type.
They’d talked about getting software that could type for him, but Kara was helping him edit as they went along, so this system was working for him. With his book deadline looming, he needed all the help he could get.
Kara
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