A Nantucket Wedding(31)

Ignoring them, Felicity raced up the stairs, calling her son’s name. Jane came close behind her, with Patrick, Alison, and the little girls close behind.

“Luke? Luke!” Felicity called and the others echoed her.

They searched the bedrooms and the bathrooms, looking behind the shower curtain and inside the bathroom cupboards. Nothing. Felicity began to cry quietly. Jane put an arm around her.

“It will be all right. We’ll find him. Luke,” Jane continued in a soft, gentle tone, “wherever you are, please come out. Your mommy is crying because she misses you.”

Suddenly, soundlessly, the cushioned window seat at the end of the hall began to rise up. Luke’s sweet little face appeared, flushed with heat and damp with sweat and tears.

    “Oh, Luke!” Felicity ran to her son, pulled him out of the hollow space, and held him tight. For a moment she just examined her child from head to toe to be sure he was okay. Then, as the others looked on, relieved, Felicity asked, “Honey, why didn’t you come out before, when we were all searching for you?”

Luke squirmed in his mother’s arms. “Daphne said I couldn’t.”

“NO, I did not!” Daphne yelled.

Luke began to cry. “Daphne said to scare you.”

“MOM!” Daphne protested. “I did NOT say that!”

“Daphne said I would get a prize if I didn’t come out.” Luke stared at Daphne, confused and frightened.

“You little liar!” Daphne cried, stamping her foot.

Poppy bent to soothe her daughter. “Luke’s only five. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

Alice put her hands on her hips, looking like an indignant schoolteacher. “Yes, Luke does too know what he’s saying!”

“Alice,” Poppy said in syrupy tones, “let’s all be friendly, okay?”

Don’t you dare tell my child what to do! Felicity thought, but clamped her lips together. Clearly this was a moment. Felicity had been here before, when children fought and the parents had to sort it out without hurting anyone’s feelings. Felicity wanted to defuse the possible grenade of the situation, but she also wanted Luke to know she believed him.

Alice glared at her mother. Felicity stroked Luke’s hair. The little boy was calming down, but Daphne stood with her fist clenched, nearly vibrating with anger. Patrick looked at Felicity, waiting for her to say something. In spite of her sweet words, Poppy was glaring at Felicity as if she wanted to set her on fire with her eyes.

“Yes,” Felicity said calmly, “Poppy is right. We should all be friendly. No one got hurt, everyone’s fine, and I’ll bet we’re all hungry for dinner. I’m going to take Luke into the bathroom and wash his face. Alice, want to come help? Poppy, maybe you can go downstairs and tell the others that Luke is okay.”

    Poppy’s eyes narrowed. She was, after all, a vice president of a major company. She was used to giving the orders. She aimed a last dart at Felicity, unwilling to go away with the matter unsettled. “I guess we’ll never know the truth—”

“Mommy!” Daphne cried.

“—but we’re all so glad Luke is okay, right? That’s the important thing.”



* * *



—

In the bathroom, Jane held Luke while Alice, Daphne, and Hunter crowded in the doorway, watching. Felicity gently washed Luke’s tears away with a cool cloth.

Or tried to. Luke’s tears kept rolling down his cheeks and his entire small body shook with his effort to swallow his sobs.

“I want to go home, Mommy,” Luke cried. “Please. I want Fuzzy. I want my bed. I want Daddy.”

Oh, give me the wisdom of Solomon, Felicity prayed. She’d like to go home, too, right now, escape back to the house she knew and loved, back to Noah’s consolation and warm embrace. But she knew she couldn’t leave now. It would make the episode with Luke in the window seat into a more significant matter than it really was. She couldn’t let this shadow her mother’s wedding or the long relationship Felicity and her family would have with their future extended family. And no one had been hurt.

“We are going home, sweetie,” Felicity said. “But first Ethan and I are going to cook a delicious dinner! After we eat, we’re getting on the ferry to Hyannis. Daddy will be waiting for us, to drive us home.”

“And we can watch a DVD during the drive,” Alice added helpfully. “Maybe Mary Poppins.”

“Mary Poopins!” Luke yelled, laughing hysterically at his joke.

“Mary Poopins!” Hunter echoed, falling on the floor with laughter.

“Honestly.” Daphne rolled her eyes.

Disaster averted, Felicity thought. But she kind of hated Poppy.



* * *



—

    Felicity and Ethan prepared the aromatic eggplant parmesan for the adults and corkscrew pasta with tomato sauce for the children. With warm garlic bread and a salad, it would be a soothing meal to end a complicated day. The red wine would help, too.

Felicity was amused and a little bit smug about all the times Jane came into the kitchen, saying she needed to fill the ice bucket, and maybe she’d prepare a tray of nuts and olives to nibble on with their drinks on the deck. Ethan was focused on cooking, though, so Felicity didn’t think Jane would be jealous, and anyway, what was she even thinking! Felicity was married and Jane was married and she and Jane were finally becoming good friends. It was absolutely adolescent to want Ethan to flirt with her in front of Jane!