Page 43 of No Ordinary Girl
He smiled again. It was heartbreaking to watch him. A smile is a happy thing, but it can also hold so much pain. “I like to sing her lullabies at night, and sometimes we read picture books. Her favorite book is calledSome Babies. She loves that book. On the weekends, I take her to the park.”
I noticed how he used the present tense. Somehow, he felt like she was still out there, somewhere. And I felt his love for her. He held no animosity toward her. I couldn’t imagine him ever laying a finger on her.
It wasn’t him. And it wasn’t his wife.
“What do you all do together, as a family?”
His mood darkened instantly. The bright cheery carefree feeling was suddenly weighted down by responsibility, by monotony, by a hint of contempt.
I pulled my hand from his for a second, surprised. He was not happy in his marriage. He loved his children, but he didn’t love his wife.
I rested my hands on his again. I shut my eyes, and tried to go deeper. “Please close your eyes, and take a deep breath,” I urged. I wanted to get into his mind, and the space was distracting him, even the sight of my own face was blurring his thoughts.
“How long have you been married, Mason?”
“Seven years,” he said matter-of-factly. And I saw Jenna in her wedding dress; young and beautiful and carefree – she seemed like a whole different person. They were happy… then.
“Are you happy in your marriage?” I asked. The blunt question took him by surprise and I felt him flinch, both physically and emotionally.
“Uh… of course. Of course I am. Jenna is an amazing woman.” He did mean those last words but the first few were a lie. She had changed. He had changed. They no longer met eye to eye. There had been happier times when Calvin was born, but then the problems started, even before Haley came.
“Do you love your wife?”
He pulled away swiftly. “Enough with these pointless questions,” he scoffed. “We’re done. I don’t see how any of this will help find my daughter.”
As soon as he stood up, I high-tailed it out of there. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was going to kick me out if I didn’t leave immediately.
He had torn his hands from mine so quickly, but in that brief fraction of a second, I sensed enough. There was someone else. I couldn’t quite see her. I had no idea what she looked like, but I got the feeling that she was quite different than Mrs. Henderson. Perhaps someone younger, more adventurous, not quite so uptight. I thought of Mischa, the babysitter. A possibility.
They both had someone else.
He stomped out of the office and darted to the kitchen. Simone studied me with keen interest, desperately wanting to know what the hell I had done. Leo’s interview had taken about twenty minutes. Mine had taken five, if that.
Two strikes! It was official – I really was no good at this. Well, Maybe I’d have better luck with the babysitter.
Me: I’m in Michigan. I brought Pompom. He liked the plane ride.
Kylie: Did you find her yet? It’s so sad.
Me: Not yet, but we will soon, hopefully.
Kylie: What are you doing for Halloween?! What are you dressing up as?!
Me: I don’t know… nothing. How about u?
Kylie: Mommy, Daddy and me are all going to dress up as cats. You should dress up as a witch.
Me: Lol! Yes, I would fit it around here. Miss you. xx
Kylie: xx
From:Calista Summers
To: Annabelle Jenkins
Subject: Hi
Dear Anna,
