This Time Forever Page 18

  “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” Samuel accused.

  She looked at him sheepishly. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

  “About our date next week, I hope.”

  “Are you sure you’re coming back?”

  “To tell the truth, I was going to send someone else. But now, even two software mergers couldn’t keep me away.”

  Rebekka laughed. “You’re funny.”

  “I was being serious.” He tried to look offended, but his eyes were laughing.

  “Right. I wonder what’s keeping Belle?”

  “Should we go in and look for her?”

  “We’d better.”

  They went into the school and down the hall to Belle’s first grade classroom. The teacher looked up at them expectantly. “May I help you?”

  “I’m here to pick up Belle,” Rebekka said, thinking the woman must not remember her from the two times she had come into the classroom with her young charge.

  “Yes, I recognize you. But Belle already left. Right when the bell rang. You didn’t see her in the hall?”

  “No. She was supposed to meet me outside.”

  The teacher looked worried. “I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe she’s down at the office.”

  Rebekka’s heart thumped heavily in her breast. “I’ll check the office,” she told Samuel. “Would you mind going back to the car in case she goes there?”

  Samuel nodded. “Don’t worry. She’s a smart little scamp. I’ll bet she’s fine. Probably heard we were having five-way chili again for dinner and decided to hide out until the danger was past.”

  Rebekka gave him a brief smile of gratitude before turning away. Belle had hated the chili as much as she did. It had been the first thing they’d agreed on in a long time. But the cook wasn’t making the chili tonight, so Belle had no reason to hide—unless she’d been upset about Rebekka’s pending date with Damon. Was this the child’s way of rebelling? Anger nearly blotted out the worry in Rebekka’s chest. Belle was all too capable of such a thing.

  But Rebekka had also seen Belle when she was helpless and crying—very much a child in need. Damon had been away on business the first of the summer, and Rebekka had left the intercom to Belle’s room on, just to be sure she was all right. Around midnight, Belle had started to cry. Rebekka had gone to her room to offer comfort, but Belle had turned her face to her brown teddy bear and refused to look at her. Rebekka had stayed with her anyway, until the child was asleep. She had looked so young and helpless, and Rebekka’s heart had ached at not being able to comfort her.

  “She does that sometimes,” Damon said when she told him about the incident later. “Not very often. Usually when it happens she’ll come into my bed, or I’ll hear her and go in. I just hold her till she goes to sleep.”

  “She wouldn’t let me touch her.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been hard on you.”

  Rebekka swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “She was the one suffering. I wish she’d let me help.”

  Now, Rebekka stored the memories away. This wasn’t the middle of the night, and Damon wasn’t away on business. Belle had to be pulling one of her tricks. Please let it be one of her tricks.

  Belle wasn’t in the office, and she wasn’t anywhere on the school grounds. The principal contacted the police while Rebekka called Damon. In her emotional state she stumbled over her words, and her slight French accent was more pronounced.

  “Have you called Bri?” Damon asked. “She went home with them before.”

  “Yes. She’s not there.”

  He sighed. “I’m coming right now.”

  She hung up and waited for Samuel and several of the other teachers who were checking the bathrooms again. She prayed hard. What if someone had taken Belle?

  * * * * *

  Damon’s throat felt dry. He wanted to break every speed limit to arrive at the school faster. Where could Belle be?

  It was his fault, of course. He should have taken better care of her.

  But how?

  He didn’t know. He’d stopped going out of town on business unless it couldn’t possibly be avoided, and he spent quality time with Belle, reading stories and just plain talking. He supplied her with everything she wanted or needed—except a mother, which was hardly his fault. Charlotte had been dead only two years, although with her long illness, he’d mourned her for longer than that. He couldn’t help it that he hadn’t found a new wife. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been trying.

  “I’m going to spank her,” he said aloud. It made him feel better to say the words, though he knew he wouldn’t follow through. He hadn’t spanked either of his children since they had been very small and just learning to obey.

  At the school, he found a nearly frantic Rebekka with a distraught teacher and the principal. They were talking with two police officers. “You’re sure you’ve searched everywhere?” one asked.

  “Yes.” Rebekka’s voice was barely controlled, and her smoky gray eyes screamed worried. She spied Damon with obvious relief. “Here’s her father now, thank heaven.”

  As he talked with the police, Samuel appeared from one of the halls. He nodded at Damon, his face grave. “I checked the playground again. Nothing.”

  Damon left his cell number with the officers and began driving the streets. He called his neighbors in Alpine as he drove, asking them to put out the word about Belle’s disappearance. If Belle was all right, he wouldn’t put it past her to be able to find her way home alone. All the same, a sick feeling developed in his gut. He had dealt with powerful men in his business ventures, had faced losing his wife, and had survived when Karissa had chosen to work things out with her husband. But he couldn’t imagine life without his Belle. She had been his reason for going on when it had appeared easier to give up. Not even his precious son had given him that. A sob threatened to erupt from his throat, but he bit it down. He had to remain calm. Losing control would not bring Belle back to him.

  He drove the streets slowly, searching for his daughter. He stopped to ask people if they had seen her. They shook their heads, pity showing in their eyes. Several of the fathers began to help him search, going door to door to talk with the neighbors. Damon gave them his cell number and prayed harder.

  He called the police and the school, where Rebekka and Samuel waited, but they had no news. Next he drove to the Hergarters’ to see if they had seen Belle. Jesse had already arrived home from the office, and he answered the door.

  His brown eyes took in the situation at once. “Brionney just told me about Belle. You haven’t found her yet?”

  Damon shook his head, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. His stomach churned, and he tasted gall in the back of his throat.

  Jesse put an arm around him. “Look, don’t worry. We’ll find her. She’s probably just gone to some friend’s house to play.”

  “The principal is calling her classmates now,” Damon managed. His hands twisted the ends of his short moustache, as he was too stressed to care about his efforts to break the habit. “I thought I was a good father,” he said with a groan. “I tried to be everything to her, but . . .” He stopped talking, knowing that one more word would bring an unending torrent of tears.

  It wouldn’t have mattered. Jesse’s eyes had already filled with moisture. He turned and faced the entryway, where his two oldest daughters and Brionney waited anxiously. “We’re not going to the drive-in tonight,” he told them. “We need to help find Belle.”

  “Of course,” Brionney agreed. “We can go to the movie any night.”

  The girls’ faces showed disappointment but also indecision, as though they were trying to be brave about their sacrifice. “What will you do when you find her?” Camille asked. “Are you going to spank her?”

  Damon forced a slight grin for the child’s benefit. “I might at that. She needs to learn to be obedient.”

  “Does this mean you’re not going on your date?” Savannah asked, her blue eyes earnest.

/>   Damon didn’t hide his surprise. “How did you know about that?”

  “Belle told us. She said you and Rebekka were going to go out without her,” Camille said. “She hates Rebekka. I don’t know why. Rebekka is so nice and pretty.”

  Brionney looked apologetically at Damon. “Girls, come on. Let’s get the boys ready. We can walk around the neighborhood and look for Belle.” She paused. “On second thought, I could probably call everyone a lot faster.”

  “You call, I’ll walk,” Jesse said, stepping onto the porch. “Divide and conquer.” The girls and Brionney hovered in the doorway.

  Damon turned and sprinted to his Mercedes. “Call me if you find anything.” Belle was no closer to being found, but his friends’ willingness to help made him feel inexplicably better.

  *****

  Camille watched Damon drive slowly away.“He looks so sad,” she said. Savannah nodded, glancing toward the hall that led to their bedrooms.

  “Of course he’s sad,” their mother said. “If one of you were missing, I don’t know what I’d do. Come on, let’s go make some calls.” She disappeared into the house.

  Camille looked at the neighbor’s house, where her daddy was already knocking at the door. All of this was Belle’s fault. Bossy little Belle, who didn’t seem to care for anybody but herself. Tears stung Camille’s eyes. She looked at Savannah, who was unusually quiet. “Savvy,” she began.

  Savannah shook her head. “We promised,” she whispered.

  “But this isn’t good.”

  “She’s our friend.”

  “She’s my friend mostly,” Camille corrected. “She’s in my class. And I think we should tell.”

  Savannah’s expression was agonized. “Just a little longer?”

  “Okay.” Camille didn’t want to see the look on her parents’ faces when they heard. They might not even get her the weeping fig she wanted for her room, and that would break her heart. She adored plants and someday wanted to have a greenhouse like her friend Karissa, who lived in Alaska. The only reason Camille had gone along with Belle’s plan in the first place was because Belle had promised her a real yucca plant.

  Camille felt someone watching her, and turned to see her mother in the doorway leading to the kitchen. Brionney stared thoughtfully at them until Camille squirmed under the look in her intense blue eyes.

  “What if Belle found her way to the river?” Brionney asked. “She’s very little, even if she is smart. She might get hurt.”

  “Oh, she won’t,” Savannah said quickly.

  Camille regarded her mother’s face solemnly. She knows, she thought. But how?

  Brionney’s lips pursed. “I thought so. Come on into the kitchen, girls. We’re going to have a little chat.”

  Camille felt her sense of dread immediately fade. Her mother would know what to do. Belle wouldn’t be able to boss her mother. Not even Dad did that.

  * * * * *

  Damon had been waiting for his phone to ring with such prayerful anxiety that when it did, he started. “Hello?” He carefully guided the car to the side of the road.

  “Damon, it’s Jesse. Look, it’s about Belle.”

  “You found her?” Damon almost couldn’t get out the words. The next few seconds could change his life forever.

  Jesse’s voice held a note of embarrassment. “We found her. She’s safe. I’ll let Brionney explain. She’s the one who found her.”

  Tears of relief streamed down Damon’s face. He barely heard Brionney’s explanation. “When you first called and I told the girls about Belle, I thought they were acting sort of weird. I mean, they were so quiet—not at all concerned about Belle as I expected they would be. I thought at first it was because they were so excited about going to the drive-in, but then when you showed up and they began asking questions about your plans tonight, I put two and two together.”

  Brionney paused dramatically before continuing. “They planned this whole thing with Belle so you wouldn’t go out with Rebekka. Can you believe that? This whole time, she’s been hiding in Camille’s room. They were even going to sneak her into the van and let her go to the movie with us! I’m so sorry, Damon. Believe me, they are going to be punished.”

  “I’ll be right there. Thanks.” Damon hung up the phone and bowed his head in a silent prayer of gratitude. As the fear gave way to relief, he started to feel angry. He added a plea to the Lord that he would be wise in finding an appropriate punishment for his daughter. He suddenly wished he had an earthly partner with whom to share the overwhelming burden of parenthood. What would Charlotte have done? There was no way of knowing.

  He called the school and talked to Rebekka. “I’ve found her.”

  “Where?”

  “At the Hergarters’. She was hiding in Camille’s room.”

  “Why would she . . . ? Oh, I see. She didn’t want us to go out.”

  Rebekka was certainly sharp. “That’s right.”

  “I should have realized. Well, it did cross my mind, actually, but I thought . . .”

  “That she wouldn’t resort to this.” He managed a laugh. “Me, too. But look, Bekka, do you mind if we cancel for tonight? I think Belle needs me.”

  “Are you sure that isn’t playing right into her hands?” Rebekka didn’t sound happy.

  “Maybe. But I’m her father, and I see this as a plea for help. I have to be here for her.”

  “I understand.”

  “Thanks. We’ll take a rain check, all right?”

  She sighed. “Okay. The important thing is that Belle is safe.”

  “Call off the search there, will you? I’ll let the police know.” Damon hung up the phone feeling guilty, but at the same time relieved. He was attracted to Rebekka, far more than he cared to admit, but his relationship with Belle had to come first.

  At the Hergarters’, he found an unusually docile Belle waiting for him. Her face was pale and her eyes huge in her small face. Yet unlike Savannah and Camille, her eyes were dry and unreddened by tears. “Oh, ma Belle,” he said, sweeping her into his arms. “You gave me such a scare.”

  Now she began to cry softly, burrowing her face into his shoulder. “You want to be with Rebekka more than me. Why? She’s just going to leave, like all the other nannies. You shouldn’t start to love her.”

  He held her more tightly. “I love you, ma Belle. That’s who I love. I’m always going to be here for you.” He didn’t bother to wipe the tears from his face as he made his way to the door. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  She was right, in a way. Rebekka was going to leave them. Unless he married her. But he didn’t even know her well enough to imagine that, even though they lived in the same house. One thing was certain: Belle was afraid of loving and losing another friend. What could he do about that? Rebekka was so young and beautiful and unpredictable. No wonder Belle didn’t feel she could be trusted.

  As he drove home, Damon wondered what Rebekka was doing at that moment. Had she gone back to the house, or was she with Samuel? Should he even care? Why did he suddenly feel so alone?

  Once again, he prayed. But this time his words weren’t for Belle but for himself, for the utter loneliness burgeoning in his soul. If only he had someone to talk to, someone who loved Belle as much as he did. Someone he could hold and love. Could such a person even exist?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Rebekka was happy that Damon had found Belle, but distressed that he had canceled the date she’d anticipated with pleasure for the past week. The logical side of her knew that Belle was acting out to protect her place in her father’s heart, but the feminine side of her felt rejected. Rejected again as Marc had rejected her.

  As though feeling her unspoken pain, Samuel took over. He talked to the principal and then ushered her out to the Altima. Without asking permission, he took the keys from her and started the ignition. “Hey, since you’re free tonight after all, do you suppose we could have that date now?”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Well . . . I don’t
. . .”

  “Why not? I’m sure old Damon won’t mind.” He grinned. “And I do mean old.”

  “He’s not even forty.”

  “And you’re twenty-four.”

  “So?”

  “So let’s go dancing.”

  She looked down at the suit she was wearing. “In this?”

  “No. We’ll stop by the house for a change.”

  A smile found its way to her lips despite her dour mood. “Okay. Let’s go. But no chili.”

  Samuel laughed, and she laughed with him. “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary,” she said.

  “Not yet,” he responded, making her feel warm inside. “But I might have gotten her away from the dog.”

  Rebekka rolled her eyes. “You are so funny.”

  “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Then his brow furrowed. “Uh, that is if you can tell me how to get back to Damon’s.”

  At the house, Damon’s car was in the drive but there was no sign of anyone. Rebekka and Samuel went up to their rooms, which were in the same wing. “I’ll race you,” he challenged.

  Rebekka agreed, but she purposely took her time, dressing carefully in a clingy black skirt that reached all the way to the floor and a black top that shimmered with crimson highlights to accentuate her dark auburn hair. Dressy enough for a nice place, and yet comfortable enough to go anywhere. For an added touch, she swept her hair into a pile on the crown of her head and freshened her makeup.

  Samuel was waiting for her in the sitting room, playing a simple tune on the Steinway. As he sensed her presence he turned, his hands falling immediately idle. “You look . . .” He searched for the words. “Absolutely gorgeous.” He bowed his head over her hand and kissed it as though in another time and place. Rebekka felt goose bumps ripple up her arm and tingle down her spine.