Captured Heart (A Garrett's Point Novel) (3 page)

“I’ve pre-prepared dinners for you. You know what a picky eater our princess is.” Dana opened the freezer door and showed Emma the labeled containers. “All you have to do is thaw, drop it in a pan and warm through. Easy peasy.”

“You know I don’t mind cooking, but thanks.” Emma replied. “Melanie invited us to come by the diner one night to eat with her if that’s alright with you.”

“Oh, Olivia will love that. She loves eating at Mel’s.” Dana scanned the kitchen. “Okay, everything else you may want or need is either in the pantry or the fridge. Help yourself.”

Walking to a panel on the kitchen wall, Dana instructed Emma on the use of the house alarm. “The codes are written down on the inside of this cabinet if you forget. Here’s the passcode if you set it off by accident. It happens.” Dana laughed remembering the handful of times she had herself set it off.

“You know where everything else is. The number to the ski lodge is on the fridge. I don’t know how well the cell coverage is on the mountain, so if you need something and can’t reach us, just leave a message at the lodge.”

Olivia came skidding into the kitchen. “Is it almost time, Mom?” She was holding onto the breakfast bar jumping up and down.

Dana walked around the bar and lifted her daughter into an embrace. “Yes, munchkin. It is.” She hugged Olivia tight and kissed her cheek. “Mommy loves you very much. I want you to promise to be a big helper to Aunt Emma while Daddy and I are away. Can you do that?”

Looking her mother straight in the eyes with a stern expression, Olivia replied very adult-like, “Yes, Mom. I can, and I will. I promise.” She kissed her mother’s cheek.

Jeff walked into the kitchen and took Olivia from Dana. “My turn. Give your old man a kiss good-bye.” Olivia squealed as Jeff tickled her ribs mid-air. Wrapping her legs around her dad’s waist like a monkey, she feathered several kisses to both cheeks. “Love you, Daddy.”

Stroking her hair and giving her a tight squeeze, Jeff said, “Love you more, princess.”

He set her back on her own two feet. “Alright, are we all set?” Jeff looked to Dana and Emma for confirmation. “The car is all packed. I’m ready if you are.”

“Call if you need anything, Emma, and thank you again. We can enjoy ourselves knowing Olivia is with you.” Dana blew one last air kiss to Olivia, which Olivia caught, and they were out the door.

Suddenly the house seemed very quiet. Emma looked at the clock. It was just mid-afternoon on Saturday. They had time for a snack and a walk outside if Olivia was up for it.

They opted for trail mix and carried it with them on their walk. The waterfront houses had a walkway alongside the river. Jeff and Dana’s house sat right at the edge of the river just a few miles from the mouth of the Bay. You could walk the two-mile ridge that followed the waterline and wave to boaters passing by. Emma’s favorite thing to see were the sailboats filling the skyline for miles. They were surreal to her. She imagined the privateers like James Garrett that settled here in 1778 sailing their shipping vessels in and out of the Point.

Sighing and drawing in a deep, cleansing breath, she walked in silence as Olivia talked about her friend Maddie and the argument they had at school yesterday about what game to play at recess.

Emma had brought a blanket for them to sit on. A nice shade tree on an embankment provided a nice place to take a break. “How about we stop here and play the cloud game, Livie?”

Clapping her hands together, Olivia shouted, “Oh, yes! I’m really good at that game.”

Laughing while she spread the blanket, they lay on their backs with hands resting behind their heads. “You go first, Emma.” Tucker plopped down beside Emma.

“I see a boy riding a dragon.” Pointing above her to the right there was a large puffy cloud with rounded angles that extended like a tail. “Do you see it?” she asked Olivia.

“Yes, I do!” Olivia chimed in. “Okay. My turn. I see an ice cream cone. Right there.” she giggled.

“I think you have ice cream on the brain.” Emma teased.

They played the cloud game for about a half-hour before Emma encouraged Olivia it was time to head back. The clouds had suddenly taken on a very grey look. She knew the weather had said there was a possibility of rain. It looked like it was a very good possibility.

“We better hurry, Liv. We still have a long walk back. Let’s hope we beat the rain.”

Just as they climbed the steps up from the water to the back door, droplets began to fall. Storms moved in quickly over the water. One minute it was clear. The next you were drenched.

They removed their shoes at the French doors leading into the kitchen. “Why don’t you go wash up and pick out a good board game we can play after dinner. I’ll get Tucker dried off and dinner together. Is spaghetti okay with you tonight?”

“That’s one of my favorites. Don’t forget the bread!” Olivia practically sang as she bounced upstairs.

That child was so full of love and happiness it just seemed to exude from her. Emma loved that. It made her heart happy to see.

“Focus, Em. Enough cloud-watching for the day. Spaghetti coming up.”

Just then a loud clap of thunder rattled the glass and shortly following lightening sliced the sky above the water. The house darkened even though it was still light outside as the clouds became a blanket of dark grey and black.

“Wow! Looks like we are in for a doozie. I hope Jeff and Dana have missed this heading up the mountain.”

Chapter Three

“Olivia, dinner is ready.” Emma announced. She peeked around the corner to the step-down family room where Olivia was coloring. “Come on in the kitchen. You can help me set the table.”

Emma handed Olivia the silverware and napkins to place on the table while she brought the plates and glasses over. “Did you put cheese on the bread like Mom does?” Olivia asked Emma.

“What do you take me for, a beginner cook?” Emma gasped in mock horror that made Olivia laugh. “Of course I put cheese on the bread.”

Olivia was such a bright child. Being an only child, she was lavished with attention, but it hadn’t ruined her. She was independent and thoughtful. She possessed a loving and generous spirit.

“Tell me about school, Liv. What are you learning about right now?” Emma quizzed.

“I got to take a bag of money to school to count. I had lots of pennies and nickels and dimes. Do you know how much I had in the bag?” Olivia asked excitedly.

“No, I don’t” Emma whispered like they were sharing a big secret. “How much was it?”

“It was ten whole dollars! I got to put it in my piggy bank when I came home.”

“That sounds like it was a lot of fun. Is math your favorite subject this year, Liv?”

“Oh no. Math is okay, but I love going to the library and picking out new books. That’s my favorite thing to do.” Olivia’s eye lit up when she talked about reading. Her dad would tease her that she must have the skinniest eyes of any seven-year-old because she read so many books.

“Maybe we can make a trip to the library in town this week. Would you like that?”

“Yeah! Can we get ice cream too?” she clasped her hands together tightly, eagerly awaiting Emma’s answer.

Chuckling, Emma said, “I think we might be able to fit that in.”

They finished eating and Emma stood to clear plates from the table. “You, little lady, have an orange face. I guess the spaghetti was good.”

Directing Olivia over to the kitchen sink, she wet a paper towel to wash her face. The doorbell rang as she was getting the orange sauce stain from Olivia’s face. Tucker commenced barking in alarm. Handing the wet towel to her, Emma said, “Why don’t you go into the bathroom where you can see and finish cleaning up. I’ll see who’s at the door.”

“OK.” Olivia disappeared down the hall to the bathroom as Emma headed to the front door. She couldn’t imagine who it might be. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Kat and Sydney were out of town and Mel would be finishing up at the diner.

She looked out the peephole and was surprised to see Sheriff McCloud on the other side of the door.

Opening the door, she greeted him. “Good Evening, Grady. What brings you out here this late?”

Her smile faded as she looked at the severity of his expression. “Grady, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Can I come in for a minute, Emma? I need to discuss something with you.” His voice was grated like he’d been chewing on gravel.

“Yes, yes. Of course, come in out of the rain. Sorry, I was just surprised to see you there.” Emma pulled the door open wider for Grady to pass. She closed the door behind him to stop the rain from coming in.

“Quite the storm that blew in, isn’t it?” Emma chattered as she led Grady into the living room off the entryway.

Emma had known Sheriff Grady McCloud, just Grady to her, since they were in kindergarten together. They’d grown up together. As he removed his hat and twisted it in his hands and shifted his weight from his left to his right foot, it was as if he didn’t know what to say. Emma knew Grady was a man of few words, but he wasn’t one to avoid an issue. Something was wrong.

“Again, I’ll ask. Grady, what’s wrong?” Emma waited, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly standing. That was never a good thing.

“Aunt Emma, I got all the pasghetti off my face. Who was at the front…?” Olivia stopped short when she rounded the corner and found Sheriff McCloud standing in her living room.

Her mouth gaped open. “Did you do something wrong, Aunt Emma?” Olivia came to Emma’s side and grasped her hand.

“Of course not, Liv.” Hugging Olivia, she said, “I was just about to find out why Sheriff McCloud had stopped by when you came in.”

Looking back at Grady, her stomach tightened. It seemed his face had turned ashen. He was staring at Olivia like she was a three-eyed monster.

“Could we talk alone, Emma?” Grady’s question was more of a plea.

She watched him for a few seconds before bending down to Olivia’s eye-level. “How about you go set up our board game in the family room and finish coloring until Sheriff McCloud and I talk for a minute, okay?”

Olivia scooted off, and Emma gave her full attention to Grady.

“Why don’t you sit down, Emma.” Grady led her to the sofa where he sat down next to her.

“Emma, we’ve been friends a long time, haven’t we? You trust me, don’t you?” He had taken her hands in his.

“Grady, you know I do, but you are starting to scare me. Just tell me what’s going on.” She squeezed his hands reassuringly. “Just tell me. Is it my parents? Has something happened to one of them?”

Her parents had moved from Garrett’s Point to retire in Florida this past winter.

His chest expanded as he drew in a deep breath collecting himself. “Emma, I received a phone call a little while ago. No, it’s not your parents.”

He shifted in his seat and tried again. “Em, its Jeff and Dana. There’s been an accident. The rain on the mountain and a truck apparently swerved into their lane. They never knew what hit them.”

Her gasp and ice cold hands caused him to hold her tighter. “They’re gone, Em. Both of them. I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t be hearing him correctly. No. He had to be mistaken. It had to be someone else.

Jumping to her feet, her words harsh, “No. You have to be wrong. I just talked to them a few hours ago. No. You
have
to be wrong, Grady!”

Grady stood then and grasped her forearms, steading her. She was trembling now. “Emma, look at me. You’ve got to hold it together for Olivia. You’ve…”

“Oh my God!” Emma sank back on the couch staring toward the family room. “Olivia.” she whispered. “What is she going to do? I can’t tell her this. How will she cope with this?” That’s when the tears started of their own accord. She couldn’t stop them. They streamed down her face like a steady stream from a faucet. She felt numb.

“Listen to me, Emma. She’s going to need you to be her rock even when you don’t feel like you can be.” He held her for a minute to allow her to reign her emotions back in.

She hiccupped trying hard to clamp off the grief that was flooding her.

“Look, Jack has been notified and has to go to Charlottesville to identify the bodies. Then he’ll be here tomorrow.” Upon hearing him say that, the tears threatened to break free once again. “Emma, can you hold it together until then? Jack wants to be here so that you can tell her together.”

He swiped a rogue tear sliding down her face. “Oh, Em, I know your heart is breaking. I know how close you were to Jeff and Dana, even more so with Olivia. “What would they want you to focus on right now? It would be Olivia, wouldn’t it? I know you don’t want to hear it right now, but there will be time to grieve, right now that little girl is going to need all the strength you have to get through this.”

She knew what he was saying was true, but it was like she was having an out-of-body experience hearing what he was saying. The numbness had spread. It was as if she were watching a bad movie she wished she could turn off.