Chapter 15 #2
He strode into the dining room, eyeing his children. No one greeted him. Seemed everyone’s moods were about the same.
“Anyone seen Julia this morning?” he asked.
“Nope. Did she even come home last night?” Kyle asked.
He slid his eyes sideways, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, she did. I went to the restaurant last night, and we came home together.”
Sierra lifted her eyes from her iced latte. “Really?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod.
“She must still be asleep, then. Her car’s here,” Kyle answered. “And I’ve been up for hours.”
No doubt waiting for Julia to emerge from her room so he could speak with her, Grant thought, as he sipped his coffee. “I’d better check on her.”
“I’ll come–”
“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “I can manage it.”
After another sip, he set his coffee on the table and navigated upstairs to Julia’s room. A knock on the door produced nothing. He tried again, this time louder. “Julia?”
She didn’t answer. “Julia? Are you okay?”
He wondered if she was hiding under her covers again. “I’m coming in. If you’re hiding under the covers again–”
His words cut off as he swung the door open, finding an empty bedroom and a bed not slept in. Her purse still sat on the dresser, but her phone wasn’t next to her bed. His brow furrowed. Where was Julia?
He pulled his phone from his pocket and keyed in her number before pressing the phone to his ear. After a few rings, her voicemail greeting played. He ended the call before it finished, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
He shoved it aside. She probably went for a walk or went out with her sister. Or someone else. His nose wrinkled as he tried her cell phone again. It went straight to voicemail again.
His eyes fell onto the bed. With a shake of his head, he left the room behind and hurried down the stairs. “Worthington?”
“Yes, sir?” the man asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Did one of the maids make Julia’s bed this morning? She slept here last night, didn’t she?”
“Not that I am aware of, sir, but allow me to check again.”
He nodded as he pulled his phone from his pocket and checked it, considering calling her again. Worthington strode into the room before he could. “No one made the bed this morning, sir. Perhaps Mrs. Harrington did it herself.”
“Maybe,” he said as he chewed his lower lip. He didn’t think that was the case. Where was Julia?
“She’s not here?” Kyle asked as he strode into the kitchen and refilled his coffee.
“No. And it doesn’t look like she slept in her bed.”
“Perhaps check with her sister, sir?” Worthington suggested.
“Yeah, maybe. She…doesn’t like me. Wait,” he said as he dug into his pocket. “I’ll call the police and ask for Ethan.”
“Why him?” Kyle asked.
“Never mind,” Grant said as he dialed the number for the local police. He asked for the chief, giving his name.
A second later, Ethan’s voice answered. “Chief Whitmore.”
“Ethan, it’s Grant.”
“Please tell me you’re not in trouble.”
“I’m not, but I’m a little concerned about Julia. She’s not here. Her bed hasn’t been slept in. I can’t get a hold of her.”
“I’m sure she’s just out hiking.”
“Her car is here, too. And…I…there’s a reason Sierra asked for police protection. Please, can you just see if you can find her?”
“Sure. I’ll check with Ally. Why don’t you come down to the station?”
“See you there,” he said, ending the call. “I’m heading to the station.”
“Do they think something happened to her?”
“No, they think she’s fine, but he asked me to head down there while they try to find her.”
“I’ll come, too,” Kyle said as he set his coffee mug on the counter.
“I will inform the driver, sir,” Worthington said.
Within fifteen minutes, they stood in Ethan’s office.
“Anything?” Grant asked.
“Not yet,” he said. “No answer on her cell.”
His radio crackled to life on the desk. “Whitmore for the Chief.”
“You got her, Ally?”
“No,” Alicia’s voice answered through the static, “but I’m pretty sure I know where she is.”
“Morning hike?” he asked.
“No. The Julia’s not at the dock.”
Grant’s eyebrows furrowed at the words. Was this some kind of code? “What does that mean?”
Ethan snapped his gaze up to him. “Uh, Luke’s sailboat is named Gentle Julia .”
His stomach clenched as he heard the man’s name coupled with his boat, named after Julia.
“If they’re sailing, they wouldn’t have cell reception.”
Grant tried to process the statement. Had they sailed all night? Where were they? Why hadn’t she left a note?
“She didn’t leave a note,” Grant murmured. Why had she not left one if she’d gone sailing?
“I’m pretty certain that’s where she is,” Alicia’s voice said through the radio. “They went out last night to look at the boat.”
“I took her home after that,” Grant said with a shake of his head, trying to will it not to be true.
“Why don’t you head down to the dock with Ally, and see if she comes in? I’m honestly surprised they’re not back yet, but…”
“I don’t think–” Grant started.
“We’ll keep looking, but head down there for now and when the Julia pulls in you’ll know.”
“I can go there if you want to stay–”
“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. The last thing he wanted was Kyle to greet her. “Let’s go.”
They left the police station behind and climbed into the car. Grant’s muscles tensed as they approached the dock. He climbed from the car, offering a nod to Alicia who leaned against a police cruiser. She motioned toward a sailboat in the distance. “That’s the Julia coming back.”
Ethan’s Bronco pulled up a few moments later.
Grant wasn’t certain what he preferred. Did he want her to be on the boat with Luke and safe? Or did he want her to be somewhere unknown just as long as she wasn’t with her ex?
He held his breath as the boat slid closer and closer until it approached the dock. His heart sank when he spotted Julia’s form, securing a downed sail.
Luke leapt to the dock and secured the boat.
“Good morning, Juju. Your husband’s a little concerned,” Ally said.
“I’m sorry,” she answered as she climbed to the dock with Luke’s help. “We fell asleep.”
She’d been out all night. They’d fallen asleep on the boat. Likely after reconnecting following the conversation he’d interrupted.
His stomach twisted into knots as she approached. His head pounded as disappointment and even anger brewed inside of him. She’d betrayed him.
“Told you we should have done something,” Kyle whispered.
The comment made him clench his fists.
“No worries, Juju,” Alicia said. “But your husband seemed…concerned. I figured you were out with Luke. Midnight sail?”
“Yes,” she answered, flicking him a gaze filled with guilt.
“We’ve been worried. I think we need to talk,” he said, his voice gruffer than he’d expected from the rawness of his nerves and the hangover.
She offered a nod as he reached for her, the motion harder than he’d hoped.
“Whoa,” Ethan and Alicia said, positioning themselves between him and Julia.
“Oh, come on,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “You can’t be serious?”
“I am. You seem…angry. I’m not willing to let my sister go with you right now.”
“Ally, it’s fine,” Julia said. “We do need to talk.”
Her sister slid her eyebrows up. “Call me if you need anything.”
She nodded as she offered her sister a hug. She offered Luke a soft smile. He waved, a slight smile on his lips.
The scene turned Grant’s stomach. She wanted to talk, too. This couldn’t be good. They remained silent on the ride home, but Julia’s tension was obvious. She avoided his gaze, her fingers in fists as she chewed her lower lip.
He hated every minute of this. As they strode into the house, he couldn’t hold back anymore. “What the hell happened, Julia?”
“We went sailing…and…” Her voice trailed off as she crossed into the kitchen.
“You couldn’t leave a note?” His voice was sharp, though he struggled to stop it from wavering and betraying the turmoil roiling inside him.
“I didn’t think we’d be this late,” she said with a shrug as she defended her actions. “I didn’t think anyone would miss me. I thought I’d be back before anyone was awake.”
His features scrunched at her words. “Oh, right, so you figured you’d just hide it. Nice.”
“That’s not exactly what I said,” she answered, heat entering her voice.
“So, what are you saying, Julia? That you didn’t sneak out of the house last night for a romantic sail with your ex-fiancé?”
“I didn’t sneak,” she answered, her features settling into an unimpressed frown.
“Didn’t you? You didn’t leave a note, figured you’d be back before anyone knew. Were you planning on announcing it over breakfast?”
She heaved a sigh as she shook her head.
“But you fell asleep instead.”
“Yes,” she said with a nod.
Anger burned within him as he slid his eyes closed, one question burning through his mind. It came out as a low growl when he spoke again. “Did you sleep with him?”
Her features turned stony. “No.”
He flicked his gaze down to the floor, her expression twisting his gut. “Sorry, but I needed to know. We are still married.”
“Yeah, well, maybe we shouldn’t be.”
The words sliced his heart like a knife. She stormed from the kitchen toward the foyer, and he followed behind her.
“Where are you going?”
“Out,” she shouted over her shoulder as she swiped her keys from the table and thundered through the door, slamming it behind her. As she twisted, he spotted the pain in her eyes, not just anger, but hurt.
The loud noise startled him as much as their fight.
“Daddy!” Sierra shouted from next to him. “Go after her!”
Grant hesitated for a second, unsure what to do for one of the few times in his life. He took a step toward the door, flinging it open when her engine revved and the Jeep whipped out of the driveway.
He stared after it as she disappeared, possibly for good. As her car disappeared, a cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Was this the moment that would define their future? Was this the moment their relationship ended?