A Nantucket Wedding(30)

“I’ll just check on the Red Sox.” David went inside, heading toward the den.

    “Felicity?” Ethan swept an arm toward the open passenger door. “The front seat is yours.”

Dear Lord, he is handsome, Felicity thought.



* * *



—

Ethan drove them back into town and down Polpis Road to Moors End Farm, where Felicity found an abundance of ripe tomatoes, eggplant, onions, lettuces, carrots, and red and green peppers. They stashed the bags in the back of the Jeep and headed into town to buy red wine. In the liquor store, Ethan held out various bottles, asking Felicity’s opinion, as if she were sophisticated enough to have an opinion about red wines.

On the drive home, Ethan said, “I hope you’ll help me prepare dinner, Felicity. That will give Alison a break, and besides, that way I’ll get to know you better.”

Felicity almost melted into the leather car seat with pleasure. Ethan wanted to get to know her. So he wasn’t a flirt, after all. He was simply a good guy trying to make connections between his father’s family and Alison’s. It was only that he was so handsome that he seemed to be flirting.



* * *



—

Back at the house, they each took bags from the Jeep to carry inside.

The sun was slowly creeping out from behind the clouds and the air was humid. They carried their groceries down the hall and into the kitchen. They found the family gathered there, all of them with terrified faces.

“What’s happened?” Felicity cried.

Poppy said, “It’s okay, Felicity, we’ll find him. While I was napping, the kids played hide-and-seek, and we seem to have misplaced Luke.”

Felicity’s heart lurched. “ ‘Misplaced’ him? What do you mean?”

Everyone talked at once. Ethan took Felicity’s bags from her and went toward the refrigerator.

Patrick raised his voice. “Let’s have some quiet. We only now found out. Daphne, you’re the oldest, so can you tell us what happened?”

    “That’s not fair,” Poppy snapped. “You can’t blame it on her.”

“I’m not blaming anything on anyone,” Patrick told his wife. “I’m just asking Daphne, who has been so wonderful at entertaining all the kids, to tell us what has happened.”

With everyone looking at her, Daphne seemed to shrink from a broad-shouldered, domineering miniature troop leader into a frightened child.

Patrick knelt next to his daughter and put his arm around her. “It’s okay, Daphne. We just need to know what you know to help us find Luke. Remember, he’s only five, not a big kid like you.”

“We played hide-and-seek,” Daphne said in a very small voice. “It took a long time because the house is so big…”

Alice spoke up. “We took turns. By age, to make it fair. First Daphne hid, then I did, then Hunter, then Luke was last.”

Alison squatted down on her heels to face Daphne. “Honey, can you tell us where you hid? Luke is only five, so I’ll bet he hid somewhere one of you hid.”

“I hid in the closet upstairs where the blankets are!” Hunter yelled. “I climbed to the top shelf and no one could find me in forever!”

“It’s true,” Daphne said. “Hunter was the hardest to find. He had the best hiding place. I hid behind Granddad’s clothes in the closet in their bedroom.”

“I hid behind the sofa in the den,” Alice said.

“So you all played inside the house, right?” Poppy asked.

The three children nodded.

Poppy said, “And no one went outside, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Daphne said in a small voice.

“Jane, where were you?” Poppy demanded. “You were here at the house, right?”

“Right. I sat outside on the deck with Patrick. We were just hanging out, but also we were keeping an eye on the path to the beach to be sure no one went down to the water.”

    Felicity’s breath froze. “Down to the water.”

“Are you sure, Jane?” Alison pushed herself up to a standing position. “You’re absolutely one hundred percent sure you didn’t see anyone go to the water?”

Jane glanced at Patrick. “We didn’t see anyone, did we?”

“I’m sure we didn’t,” Patrick agreed.

Ethan said in a no-nonsense tone, “I’m going down to the beach anyway, just to check.”

“All right, then.” David took charge. “Let’s search the house slowly and thoroughly. We’ll look in every closet, beneath every sofa or bed, any place where a five-year-old could squeeze himself. Alison, you and I and Jane will do this floor. The rest of you do the second floor.”

“What about the attic?” Jane asked.

“Nothing’s up there. It can be accessed only by a pull-down door. Luke couldn’t possibly reach it.”

“Children, go into the den and watch television,” Poppy ordered. “Now.”

“Yay!” yelled Hunter.

“No. I want to help search,” Daphne protested.

“Me, too,” echoed Alice.

Poppy began, “I said—”