Chapter 18 #2
I was still working on the base of the Disney castle when I felt a presence settle beside me. When I glanced to my right, I spotted Victor sitting there. Puzzled, I looked at Daddy, wondering what was going on.
“Hey, Bekah!” Vic said, shoulder bumping me.
“Hey, Vic.”
I felt bad because I hadn’t been able to make it to Beans and Things over the past few weeks. Barely functioning would do that to a person.
“What’s going on? Why are you here? Not that I’m not excited to see you, of course.”
Daddy cleared his throat, “I texted him. Daddy has a case to go on. So I figured you could use a familiar face.”
My heart warmed. Daddy knew how to take care of me, knowing exactly what I needed. “Wait, you have to leave?”
“I do, Sweets. I would love nothing more than to stay here, but this is a big one, and it’s all hands on deck. Seth won’t be staying behind this time. We need him on the ground, working in the local area.”
I hated that Daddy was leaving so soon after we had gotten back, but I knew that’s what happens. Duty called, and someone needed him more than I did.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“You be good, okay? Matt is swinging by to pick me up, so you will have the truck if you need to leave for any reason. I want you to keep your phone nearby and charged, understand.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Daddy will be home before you know it. Vic, take care of our girl tonight. I left some money on the counter for pizza and wings. Veg out and watch movies, but don’t stay up too late.”
“I’ve got her, Beau, be safe.”
The doorbell rang, and Daddy looked torn. I could tell that he had an internal battle going on. He didn’t want to leave me, but he knew that someone was in trouble. He let out a breath and blew me a kiss before grabbing his bag and heading out the door.
I was alone for the first time since Alicia’s birthday. Well, not really alone because I had Vic, but the bed would feel empty tonight. Shaking my head, I turned toward my best friend and gave him a big hug.
“Want to watch Encanto and finish my Legos?” I asked, pulling away.
“Duh. I’ll order our pizza while you put on the movie.”
We divided and handled our tasks before settling in and picking up where I had left off in the build.
Vic stayed the night with me that first night, but I’d been alone ever since.
Of course he was checking in daily, but it wasn’t the same.
I wished Daddy were home. I wish that Seth weren’t with the rest of the guys.
I really wished that my sister were still here, but that pain had eased more and more as the days go by.
It had been almost a week since the team left for their case, and I had been going insane.
The first few days weren’t so bad, but as more time passed, the more I struggled.
Being alone had left me with plenty of time to obsess over the little things.
One of those things that has been nagging me was the mysterious man I noticed in the cemetery.
Logically, I knew he could just be someone visiting a loved one, but something in my gut was telling me that wasn’t the case.
It didn’t help that every time I left Daddy’s house, because why would I torture myself by staying at my home, I felt like I was being watched. Yet, as far as I could tell, there wasn’t a single thing out of the ordinary.
I just had this gut feeling that something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I’d tried my best not to leave the house often, but I didn’t want to be a hermit until Daddy got home.
Going to Beans and Things was a reason to get out of the house.
Plus, it wouldn’t be much longer before they stopped selling my favorite drink.
So, I’d been trying to go and visit whenever Victor was working. It was cutting into my coffee allowance that Daddy had put me on, but it’s been totally worth it. When not at Beans and Things, I was working in my fairy garden.
Over the last few weeks, I’d been so busy that my poor fairies’ home had been neglected. I’d been working diligently to winterize the garden for the upcoming season. The temperature had been dropping every day. Before I knew it, Christmas time would be here, and I couldn’t wait.
The next best season in the year was Christmas, coming second to pumpkin spice season, of course.
I loved all things Christmas and enjoyed decorating my home.
When Alicia was alive, Grandma and Grandpa used to take us to the local tree farm.
We would spend hours walking through all the trees, trying to find the perfect one to bring home.
After our grandparents had passed, I still tried to carry on the tradition with Alicia.
Then, when she was taken, I couldn’t bear doing it alone.
It had been three years since I had a real Christmas tree, and if I was being honest with myself, I missed it.
I missed it a lot. Maybe this year is the time to try again.
Maybe it was time to make new memories and help keep the tradition Alicia loved so much alive.
I also didn’t think that my Charlie Brown tree would survive many more years before it finally fell apart.
Gloria came by the house, but there wasn’t much for her to clean since Daddy hadn’t been home. It was so nice to sit and spend time with her. Gloria told me all about her life growing up in Mexico and how she met her husband. Their love story was one that romance books were made of.
I was starting to get a little antsy again, though.
Deciding that I needed to get out of the house, I opted to take a walk.
Making sure to grab my phone, I slipped on my tennis shoes and grabbed Daddy’s hoodie.
His hoodie was another victim that Daddy might never get back, just like his blanket.
The blanket that now miraculously had a twin at the office.
Not that I was complaining. One day, I had left my blanket at the office by accident and had a whole meltdown about having to sleep without it. Daddy drove all the way to the office and grabbed it for me that night. The following day, there was a delivery with an identical blanket.
Daddy wrapped himself with it for a few days, so it smelled like him before taking it to the office and leaving it there. It now had a permanent place on the couch where I liked to sit and read in the afternoons while Daddy finished up his work for the day.
After closing the door behind me, I took off down the sidewalk with nowhere in mind. I just needed to get out of the house and have some fresh air. Soon, it would be too cold for me to walk, so I wanted to take advantage of it now.
Being sure to watch my surroundings, I noticed a van that wasn’t normally in our neighborhood. The tan van had blacked-out windows and no identifying marks on it. The hair on my arm rose and a sinking feeling sat heavy in my stomach.
There was something off with this, but I couldn’t figure out what. I was probably just overreacting. The van most likely belonged to one of the neighbors and was harmless. Realizing that I couldn’t see Daddy’s house anymore, I turned and started making my way back.
After crawling into Daddy’s bed and turning on the TV, I realized that my heart was still racing and my mind was still trying to piece together what was wrong with that van.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled my messages up with Daddy.
Rebekah: I miss you, Daddy. Goodnight
I’d sent the same message every night since Daddy left on his case. He hadn’t texted back, but I didn’t expect him to. Sending up a prayer to whoever might be listening, I curled up with my blankets and Ophelia, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.