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“Then we do whatever it takes to find her. I’ll go back over the computer files and see if I’ve missed anything. That Rae’s a genius with her online presence. I still haven’t found any links we could follow. I’ll keep trying though, okay? Don’t worry, we’ll find her in time.”
“From your lips to God’s ears, my friend.”
***
Later, sitting in the car beside Beau, she let go of the panic riding her constantly and breathed deeply to lessen the stress she’d been wearing like a too-snug t-shirt. “So, is this a new thing for Mellie? Playing basketball?”
“Yeah. She’s really stoked about the whole thing, so much so that she’s called me twice and texted me numerous times to remind me about tonight. Both Rachel and Luke have been on me too.”
“It’s nice for her to have so many people who care. She’s a good kid.”
“That she is. I’m really fond of her. It’s not easy growing up in today’s world for a teenager, what with the insane social media crap they have to deal with and the crazy bullying that’s on the rise. This kid’s making me… us proud.”
“Probably because she’s terrified of having a godfather who’s a big ole mean FBI agent and can follow her every move.”
“See. You get it.”
Laughing, she felt herself relax and began to look forward to the evening. “This game is being held at the high school, right?”
“Yeah, I guess basketball is a big deal with the schools. Luke called yesterday to brag. He’s thrilled about her decision to join the team.”
“I imagine she’s had a few change-of-heart episodes over the years.”
“So many. Let’s see. When she was a tiny tot, there was ballet because she liked the tutus and lived in them for months, even wore her favorite to bed. Next came swimming and though she moved like a little eel through the water, she couldn’t seem to pay attention to the instructor. Instead, she’d wander off to the side and practice dives – mostly bellyflops.”
Lori giggled at the mental images.
“Then came her horse period. She just knew she wanted to be involved in the equestrian world so Luke bought her a pony. All went well for a while; they had a true love relationship. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite up to the work involved in caring for an animal like that and so they ended up selling off Star and buying her Lulu, a Maltese who got loose one day and either ran away or was stolen.
Her longest activity would be skateboarding. Until she decided to jump some stairs and had to be taken to the emergency room. That’s when Rachel dug in her heels and said no more. Let’s see, in between those were baseball, hiking, track and…”
“Stop!” Lori’s side hurt from laughing. “I get it. She doesn’t have staying power.”
“Wait, you didn’t hear about her theatre debut or band practice, guitar lessons, acting classes, karate, Pilates, or yoga. Finally, they stopped the insanity by making her promise her next choice would be her last if she didn’t stick with it for at least the first round of lessons. After she agreed, they enrolled her in a gymnastics class which she liked well enough. When she first starts something, she’s all in. It’s the sticking with it that hasn’t proved successful.”
“I guess we’ve all been there.”
“True. But she usually knows quickly if she wants to put any effort into some sport. I understand she’s been going to these basketball practices for a few weeks now and is still enamored.”
“And that’s a long time?”
“In her world, that’s like a century.”
Chuckling, she couldn’t help pointing out what she’d always known. “You’re completely nuts about this girl.”
“Completely. Couldn’t imagine a world without her.”
Liking that Beau could be so blunt about his feelings, so honest with her, she suddenly knew what she needed to share. “I’m feeling the same way about Jessi lately, and I have no idea why. But if anything happens to her, a little bit of me will die too, and I’m terrified.”
Pulling into the school’s parking lot, Beau stopped the car and turned to take her into his arms. “I know. I’ve watched it building… this affection you have for the kid. It scares the hell outta me. I want to find her so badly, to make everything better for you, and I can’t.” His voice rang with misery.
“I know. I’ve seen how much you care for her too. Look let’s just enjoy this break with Mellie and her family. We’ll deal with all the other baggage tomorrow. I want you to be able to enjoy your friends.”
“Right. It’s their night. Tomorrow, we’ll dig in again and find our girl or collapse trying.”
Wiping her eyes, Lori turned to get out of the SUV at the same time as Beau exited from his side. Not paying attention, he almost hit a tall female who’d scooted between the cars. “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking.”
“No problem.” A husky voice floated behind her as the female hefting a large gym bag hurried on her way to go inside, leaving behind a strong scent of violets.
