It's Better This Way(59)

He shrugged. “I haven’t been able to reach her.”

“Oh?” Carrie frowned, as if mentally reviewing the last time she’d seen her aunt. “You know, come to think of it, the last time I saw her, she didn’t seem quite herself. I asked if she wasn’t feeling well, and she assured me she was fine.”

“And you haven’t talked to her since then?”

Growing thoughtful, Carrie shook her head.

Heath was growing more apprehensive by the minute. “Did she say anything else?”

    Carrie shook her head. “No. Sorry.” She reached for her phone. “Maybe my mother knows.”

The sisters were close; if anyone knew, it would be Amanda. Heath waited for what felt like an eternity for Julia’s sister to pick up.

“Mom,” Carrie said, “Heath is here. He hasn’t been able to reach Aunt Julia. Do you have any idea of where she might be?”

“No. Has he tried calling her?”

Heath could hear Amanda through the phone. Try calling Julia? As if that hadn’t already occurred to him! “Would you mind if I spoke to her?” he asked, and held out his hand for Carrie to give him her phone.

Obediently, Carrie handed it to him. “Amanda, this is Heath. I haven’t heard or seen Julia since yesterday morning. She didn’t show this morning and now I’m concerned. Did she say anything to you about going away?”

“No. Come to think of it, I tried calling her myself yesterday afternoon, and she didn’t answer. I left her a message.”

“And she didn’t return the call?”

“No. I’d forgotten all about it. That isn’t like Julia.”

“I’ve called several times and it automatically goes to voicemail.”

“Has anyone thought to check her condo?” Amanda asked, a thin line of panic infiltrating her voice. “For all we know she might have fallen or—”

Heath didn’t wait for her to finish. Setting the phone down, he asked Carrie, “Do you have a master key in case of an emergency?”

    She nodded and was already reaching for it before he finished asking the question.

“Call me as soon as you find her.” Amanda’s faint voice echoed over the phone where Heath had set it down.

“Will do, Mom,” Carrie yelled into her phone as she and Heath raced for the elevator.

By the time they reached Julia’s condo, Heath’s pulse was racing at a speed he knew wasn’t doing his heart any good. He felt dizzy with worry. If anything had happened to Julia, he didn’t know how he would find the strength to continue. Now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to face life without her beside him.

Carrie was frightened and her hand shook as she inserted the key that would open the lock. The instant the door swung open, Heath raced inside.

He called out her name several times as he ran from one room to another, only to come back empty.

Carrie remained in the middle of the living room, and when she saw him, Heath shook his head. “She’s not here.”

Slumping onto her sofa, he ran his fingers through his hair. “Where could she be?” he asked with a low moan. It was essential he keep calm; however, he was finding that harder to do with every passing minute.

He reached for his phone while Carrie checked the condo herself, in case he’d missed some clue as to where Julia had gone. He intended to text Hillary, but before he found her name in his contact list, his phone rang. Because he had his phone in his hand, he answered on the first ring.

“Dad,” Michael said impatiently, “I thought you said you were coming in to the office today.”

The appointment had completely fled his mind in his concern over Julia. “I ran into a bit of a snag,” he said, rushing his words together in his eagerness to get his son off the phone. “Julia is missing.”

    “Julia? You know she stopped by uninvited yesterday morning, don’t you?”

“She did what?”

“She had some idea that if she reached out to me we’d find a way to bring our families together.”

Heath’s blood went cold. “What did you say to her?” he asked, unable to hide his anxiety.

“I didn’t say much of anything. I let her have her say and then basically told her nothing she said would change the way Adam and I feel about her or her daughters.”

Heath groaned. Hearing this, he was convinced Julia’s disappearance was linked to the visit with Michael.

“Dad, come on, you can’t fault me for being honest,” he said, and then added, on a teasing note, “She seemed to think we should form a circle and sing ‘Kumbaya,’ which is ridiculous. She has no understanding of what she put Mom and Edward through. I can forgive her, sure, but that doesn’t mean I will have anything to do with her.”

Heath’s eyes slammed closed as he battled for control of his temper. “Do. You. Realize. What. You’ve. Done?” He enunciated each word between clenched teeth, with barely controlled anger.

“Dad, calm down. If you want to blame me that she’s missing now, then fine. All I did was tell Julia the truth. Look how upset you are right now, thinking I have somehow offended her. Can’t you accept that the anger you feel is happening because of her? You’re upset with me and Adam because of her. If you continue in this relationship it will only build a wall between us. With each argument it will grow taller and thicker. I was honest with Julia and she was honest with me. Maybe she’s taking time to assess what it means for the two of you to stay together. Adam and I feel it would be better if she moved on to greener pastures.”