Page 71 of 27 Kisses
I sway on my feet as blackness threatens to overwhelm me. “Garrett was in an accident?”
“No, no. Not an accident. It looks like his car slid off the road and got stuck in the snow. He should have taken his truck.” No one responds to this, and Ramon doesn’t press it. “I saw his car between here and Bishop Fields. There was no one in it. Maybe he walked to Bishop Fields. It’s less than a mile away. But the snow is blowing hard, and it’s really cold. I hope he’s okay.”
I pull my phone from my pocket. My messages to Garrett haven’t been read. I quickly call him. It goes to voicemail, and I hang up, trying not to panic. “His phone is dead.”
“I tried to call him too and Bishop Fields,” Isaac says. “But I just got the answering machine on both.” He nods to Miles. “We were going to go out and look for him?—”
“I’ll do it.” I move to go around Isaac, but he puts his hand on my arm.
“Wait, Christy?—”
He’s interrupted by Lanie flinging herself into my arms. “No, Da. It’s not safe.” The panic in her voice is mirrored in her eyes. I know this panic all too well.
“It’ll be fine, lass. I’ll take it slow.”
“There’s no need. I called Nat. She has a truck. But more importantly, she has keys to the building.”
I’m not happy that he called Nat, but I can’t say why. I’m not sure she likes me much. Not that it matters right now. “Doesn’t Jonah have keys?”
“Probably, but he and Vivian both took off not long after Garrett left.” Isaac smiles as if he understands. He can’t possibly. “Now all we can do is wait.”
“You want me to wait?” I gape at them. “What if Garrett didn’t make it to the event hall? He might be out there right now freezing to death, and you want me to wait?”
“Daddy?” Simon’s eyes are huge. “Is Uncle Garrett hurt?”
“No, bud. He’s fine.”
“You can’t know that!”
Jane steps in front of me, and I’m ready to fight. Sure, I’m being unreasonable, but this is an emergency. “Christy?” Her eyes catch mine. “Stop scaring the children.”
The words in my head are not fit for those same children, but I hold them in and instead smile at Simon. “He’s okay, lad.”
“If Nat doesn’t find him,” Miles says, “we’ll go with you to look for him.”
I nod and walk away, trying to hold in my tears. My panic isn’t reasonable. It’s not that bad out. Garrett knows what he’s doing. Although not taking the truck on the snow-covered roads doesn’t lend much credibility to that.
Deep breaths help, and I take in my surroundings. The red stain on the carpet is now a light pink.
“I’m almost sure I can get out the stain, Mr. Christy,” Reginald says. “But I need vinegar, and there was none here.”
I clear my throat. “Thank you.”
The tree is now upright again, but there are still ornaments on the tree skirt. And the tree looks less put-together. Join the club.
No squawking emus, so Justine must be back outside. My eyes are drawn to the television. Thankfully, it’s showing something other than our home movies.It’s a Wonderful Life.That’s only slightly better.
Garrett’s parents are talking quietly. Are they worried about their son? Or how this looks?
Am I any better than they are? This is all my fault. I drove Garrett out the door and possibly out of my life.
I wouldn’t blame Garrett for not ever wanting to talk to me again. But that’s a later problem. Right now, all I care about is finding Garrett and making sure he’s safe.
Nineteen
GARRETT
One Day until Christmas