Page 22 of July Skies
Dahlia didn’t disagree with that. Nor did she disagree with the sudden vision of Karen sitting in her office, looking like she’d rather step down as mayor than let her daughter ever be interviewed by the likes ofHibiscus Films, Homophobes at Large.
Chapter 13
KAREN
“Where in the world is Christina?” Karen hadn’t been home for lunch for two seconds before she realized her daughter was nowhere to be found. She did, however, discover Xander in front of the TV playing video games.Someone get this boy a real part-time job, please.“Do you know where your sister is?”
Xander shrugged as his character slammed a sword into a monster’s face. “She said something about going out to see a friend. I figured you knew about it.”
While Karen knew that her son was not his sister’s keeper, she certainly wished her children took interest in what the other did sometimes. Because“going out to see a friend”told Karen nothing when she couldn’t name a single one of her daughter’s friends that summer. Oh, she remembered the friends from ten years ago. The birthday parties, the school dances, the parent-teacher associations… when Karen wasn’t mired in the middle of a busy July, she knew a bit about her daughter’s social life. Yet with Christina’s maturity came new friends at school. Asking“Are you going to Leigh Ann Hardy’s birthday party this year?”got Karen a wrinkled nose and a declaration that they hadn’t been friends in three years. Yes, because Karen totally kept up with that hot news.
“Do you knowwhichfriend?” Karen asked.
Xander was too busy taking down a boss to be of any help. Grunting, Karen returned to the kitchen, where she grabbed her phone and attempted to call and text her daughter.
No answer. Typical. Christina might get around to texting her mother back when it was too late to do anything about, well,anything.Yet the only time she actually answered a phone call was if she expected a ride or money.Teenagers, I swear to God…
“If youreallyneed to find her,” Xander called over his shoulder, “you’ve still got that tracking thing on her phone, right?”
Yes, but not on yours.Not that Karen would want to trackher grown son who was well out of high school, but Xander made sure of it when he got a phone upgrade before college. Karen hadn’t touched it once. Maybe there were ways for a paranoid mom to put trackers on a phone remotely, but she wasn’t inclined. Besides, Xander had always been good about telling his mother where he was and who he was with. Christina, on the other hand… well, she was a typical teenaged girl in that she loved her privacy. Especially if certain boys came into question.
I swear, if she’s with a boy I don’t know about right now…Perils of being a busy single-mom. Karen didn’t have time to fret over her daughter’s fragile sexual health. Because Karen definitely remembered whatshewas doing at seventeen!Practicing my making of Xander, that’s what!She shot the back of her son’s head a rueful look as she opened the app on her phone that would track Christina. Assuming her daughter hadn’t figured out how to get rid of it.
“Weird,” she muttered to herself. “It says she’s at Waterlily House.” Maybe Christina had made nice with Leigh Ann after their best friendship in middle school went up in flames for reasons Karen was never privy to know. Because that was one of the only associations Karen had with Waterlily House. Leigh Ann, the English teacher, and of course Sunny Croker, the owner and operator.I was there only two weeks ago to officiate her and Brandelyn’s wedding…Yet wasn’t there something else? She could’ve sworn she had heard the name Waterlily House for non-wedding reasons lately. Hadn’t she recommended it to someone in recent…
Hibiscus Films.
Karen almost dropped her phone. Right. She had suggested Waterlily House as a place for the film crew to stay for the month. Back when Dahlia was on her good side, and Karen was keen to set her up in comfort so she would be in a decent mood. So much for that!
“I’ll be back in a bit.” Karen grabbed her keys. She should probably let Tom, Sissy, and Wanda know that she wouldn’t be making it back to the office for another hour. Did she have appointments? Anything important? She couldn’t remember now. There were more pressing issues at hand. “If you sister calls,don’ttell her I’m heading to Waterlily House.”
“Whoa, what’s going on there? You tracked her, huh?” This was juicy enough news for Xander to pause his game and hang over the back of the couch. “Why would she be there? Someone throwing a party?”
“Not with Sunny back in town,” Karen muttered. She had lunch with Brandy the day before, enjoying tales of sunny beaches, romantic nights, and what young, honeymooning love looked like on a forty-year-old woman’s face.I had been jealous for the past twenty-four hours. Now I’m a mire of rage.There was only one reason for Christina to be at Waterlily House. Xander didn’t need to know what that was. “Keep an eye on things here until I get back. I’ll let you know if I’ll be out late.”
“Oooh, somebody’s in trouble, huh?”
“Aren’t you a bit old to be loving this?”
“I know you’re an only child, Mom, but trust me when I say you’renevertoo old to enjoy the damnation of your younger siblings. It only gets sweeter with age.” He kissed his fingertips as if he savored a fine Italian supper. At this rate, Karen might ask him to whip up one. She’d need all the carbs and oregano in the world. “Go kick her butt for me, would you? I hear you’re the one not too old to do that.”
“I’ll take the compliment of you saying that I’m not too old to do something, and get the hell out of here.” Karen marched out of the house and back to her car. It was still warm from when she first arrived.
A million scenarios flashed through her mind as she drove the mile out of town to reach Waterlily House. The only benign scenario was that Christina reallywashanging out with Leigh Ann, and Hibiscus Films was a coincidence.An unlikely story.Christina knew enough about the film crew and some of her mother’s woes with them. That’s what happened when Karen overshared to the only people left in her family, regardless of how young and unbothered they were. Christina entertained the kind of rebellious stage that might align her with the one woman Karen would rather not talk to right now.
Here was hoping it wasnothinglike that.
Waterlily House occupied most of the land at the end of a short yet winding road right off the highway. The county road ended halfway there, however, and Karen had to begrudgingly slow down to squeak past an old Chevy Impala heading in the opposite direction. She vaguely recognized a man who stayed at the B&B about once a month and frequented the shops and cafés downtown. The man certainly recognized her. Why else would he wave?
“Lovely day, Mayor!” He stepped on the gas as his words finally filtered into Karen’s ears. So did the dust he kicked up behind him.
The proper parking lot at Waterlily House was a mess. Karen snuck behind the Hibiscus Films van, an indication that they were still on the property and not out mucking up the town. The mayor in her was satisfied with this outcome. The mother in her? Absolutely livid!
“Oh, hey, Karen.” Sunny knelt before the rose bushes in the front garden. Her sunhat had covered her face, although Karen would recognize those jeans and that plaid from anywhere.Everyone was shocked she wore a dress to the wedding. Brandy said it would be a suit, but we had bets at city hall it would be a suit made of flannel.“What can I do you for? Brandy’s down at the clinic, if that’s who you’re looking for.”
Karen checked the panic on her face and straightened out her pantsuit. Right. She looked like she was on official business. “Do you know if my daughter’s here?”
“Oooh, right. I thought I saw someone. Assumed she was here to see Leigh Ann. She dropped by earlier for her volunteer work. Sorry, there are so many people here right now, and I’m still barely learning their faces.”
