Chapter 41
D enny was glad to know that Gordon, a harsh man, was upstairs. She had to wonder if Alec had led him away to avoid conflict. In any case, Denny was happy to have Gordon gone so she could stroke her little Rosie for a moment. As she did, her mind explored the avenues of leaving Skye and returning home to her failing bookstore and the reality of her illness. She both wanted to return home and to stay here. She felt tugged in both directions. Not to mention Alec, the first man she’d found herself truly attracted to in years.
She cut her time with Rosie short in case Gordon returned. Did her older sister really have an attraction for him? How weird was that? Denny supposed no more peculiar than her falling for Alec—she knew she had—a man who lived on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. She didn’t even know if he liked dogs or books. Or if he was smitten with Lydia or Molly.
When she reached the kitchen, she found her sister tying on an apron—cinching it tightly around her waist. Denny reminded herself that Maureen hadn’t even met Gordon when she put on that curvaceous fuchsia dress. She couldn’t recall seeing her older sister in such high heels nor swishing around as she had earlier. But her flirtatious mannerisms had certainly been for his attention once they’d met. Denny had never seen Maureen so aflutter. Not since high school when the captain of the football team asked her out to the homecoming dance. Not fair. Maureen was over the moon when James pursued her in college and then proposed almost immediately. Denny replayed Maureen and her mother planning the opulent wedding and sit-down dinner for three hundred guests after the church ceremony in record time. An event worthy of the cover of a magazine for brides. Is that when her parents went into debt, a truth that still sent Denny reeling?
Denny felt as if she were shrinking while thoughts about her uncertain future gyrated through her brain. If she did get married, who would walk her down the aisle and give her away? Who would pay for the wedding? Not to mention her gown. And the food—Denny would be happy with a buffet and fold-up chairs.
Whom was she kidding? She had no groom. She had no future. She’d be happy with a justice of the peace if only someone like Alec loved her. She felt like a crumb swirling down the drain. Was life even worth living?
Whoa, now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. Get a grip, she told herself.
She wandered into the dining room and saw that several people were seated at tables. Denny rushed into the kitchen. “Hungry customers,” she said to her sister.
Maureen handed her an order pad. “Find out what they want, please.”
Denny might as well keep busy. “Okay, will do.” Minutes later she took orders from the two couples and then returned to Maureen. “Do you know how to make this stuff?”
Maureen pulled fresh biscuits from the oven. “Yes. A piece of cake.”
Denny inhaled the tantalizing aromas. “Even the smoked kippers?”
“‘Fake it ’til you bake it’ is my motto.” Maureen winked at her. “Anything I can’t concoct, you can tell them the ingredients went bad when the electricity went out.”
Gordon sauntered into the kitchen and stood watching Maureen. He inhaled through his nostrils. “Smells good,” he said. “You’re an angel.”
“Why thank you, kind sir.” Maureen’s face radiated happiness.
“If they give you a bad time, tell them it’s on the house,” Gordon said to Denny. “Meaning no charge.”
“Sorry.” Molly tottered into the kitchen looking groggy. “I fell asleep.” She flushed water into the kettle. “We’ll be needing hot water for tea.”
“I should have thought of that.” Working in a kitchen was a new terrain to Denny. She admired her sister’s proficiency. “In the meantime, I’ll offer them coffee.” Denny took hold of the coffee carafe’s handle. If she knew nothing else, she could plaster on a phony smile when her insides felt like melting Jell-O. An American couple who’d walked here from a nearby hotel was grateful for the coffee. The other couple, visiting from London, said they preferred tea. “Coming right up,” Denny said.
Denny and Molly worked in tandem keeping those two couples satisfied, but what would happen if more hungry people arrived? Each time Denny stepped into the kitchen she heard Maureen singing or humming, “Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing. Onward, the sailors cry,” as she prepared oatmeal and egg dishes, pan-fried sausages, and chatted with Gordon, who seemed captivated with her.
Denny pulled out Maureen’s cell phone and took as many photos as she could between delivering orders and clearing away plates.
“Sis, Amanda could help you,” Maureen said.” It wouldn’t hurt her to pull her own weight.”
“Maybe Lydia could pitch in. She should be helping too, right? I assume you’re paying her.”
“Where is she?” Maureen asked.
“In the dining room somewhere, I think.” Denny poked her head out of the kitchen. “She and Amanda must have scampered upstairs together.”
“Please tell me they wouldn’t go outside—would they?” Maureen asked.
“I doubt it after what they went through. And the snow is still coming down. Unbelievable.” Denny gazed out the window and saw two men with shovels. “I’ll run upstairs and check in our room.”
“Thanks, otherwise I’ll be worried sick.” Maureen set a fry pan on the stove top. “I’ve got cooking to do.” She appeared in her element, anything but worried.
“Happy to help. I’ll find her. She’s probably with Lydia.” Denny hurried up the stairs to their room and opened the door to find Lydia dozing atop her bed. She lifted her head when the door opened.
“Do you know where Amanda is?” Denny asked.
“ Nee —no idea. I thought she was with you.” Lydia pushed herself to a sitting position.
“Never mind, I’ll find her.” Denny checked in Maureen’s room and found it empty, then went back for her jacket and hat. Planning to head outside to look for Amanda, Denny wrestled on her jacket and hat and trotted down the stairs too fast and ran into Alec, who wrapped his arms around Denny to stabilize her. Their faces were only inches apart. She had a crazy notion to kiss him, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing. Neither moved for a minute as she breathed in the intoxicating aromas of his breath and aftershave.
The world seemed to stop revolving, but Denny’s thoughts zigzagged through the stratosphere. She reminded herself she barely knew Alec. He had never shown her much attention. Although he’d been very helpful with Rosie. He had been helpful in the attic. And he seemed to get along well with Gordon, but what did that have to do with anything?
“Have you seen Amanda?” she finally asked—the last thing on her mind when it should be her priority.
“I saw Lydia in the attic a while ago, but Amanda wasn’t with her.” Alec’s hand stayed anchored at her waist. “Should we check for Amanda outside?”
Denny bristled with irritation, but she kept her face from grimacing. “Lydia was up in the attic with you?”
“Yes, but that was half an hour ago.” He glanced out the window. “I thought you were looking for your sister’s daughter, Amanda.”
“Yes, I am. That little scamp must be outside somewhere playing in the snow.”
She and Alec bundled up and stepped out into the storm. A blast of freezing air slapped Denny’s face. Denny took Alec’s elbow. They walked around the hotel, passed the two men shoveling snow. A lost cause because the snow accumulated again wherever they’d cleared. Denny saw several kids embroiled in a snowball fight, but none were Amanda.
“Do you think she might’ve walked to Portree?” Alec asked Denny.
“I doubt it, although I suppose she could have accepted a ride. I wouldn’t put it past her to hitchhike.” Denny cringed at the thought of Amanda getting in a car with a stranger.
“Not many vehicles on the road, but it’s possible.”
“Don’t you have any snowplows?” Denny asked, feeling cranky.
“No. It rarely snows on Skye. I’ve never seen so much snow. On the higher elevations, that’s a whole different story.” Alec approached the kids throwing snowballs and spoke to them for several minutes. He returned to Denny and said, “They said a car stopped for a few minutes, but they couldn’t tell if anyone got in. Then it continued on down the road, they think toward Portree. But they’re not sure.”
Denny felt heat radiating from under her collar. She was tempted to tromp over there herself and ask them, but the kids were traveling in a pack away from them. She’d never catch up.
Alec and Denny circled back once more around the hotel, twice to make sure, and then finally toddled into the kitchen where they found Maureen serving up a sumptuous breakfast to Gordan.
“I assume you found her,” Maureen said.
“Not yet.” Denny was tempted to describe Lydia’s lazing on her bed.
“Maybe she’s downstairs with the pups,” Alec said.
Denny took the excuse to descend the stairs to see Rosie, then came back up again. She saw fear in Maureen’s eyes when Denny said, “Nope, Amanda’s not there.”
“Better call the police,” Maureen said. “She might have been kidnapped.”
“I can hear their questions now,” Gordon said. “She’s been missing for only an hour.”
Maureen tore off her apron, dropped it on a counter. “I’ve got to find her.”
“Does she have a history of running away?” Alec asked.
“No, but she’s my daughter.”
“I’ll drop everything and look for her,” Gordon said. “No one knows this island better than I do. And I’ll call everyone I know, which includes most of the business owners in Portree. But I’m guessing they’re not open today.”
“Thank you so much.” Maureen grasped his forearm.
Denny wanted to point out that he hadn’t done anything for Maureen yet except flirt. Denny was determined to find Amanda. “If she’d been kidnapped, wouldn’t someone have called asking for ransom money?” She watched Maureen’s face blanche.
“Just because no one has called demanding ransom money doesn’t mean she hasn’t been abducted,” Maureen said.
“Between Gordon and me, we can put out the red alert to everyone on the island,” Alec said. “And let’s look for her. You up for it, Gordon?”
“As soon as the hotel is back to running.” Gordon glanced Maureen’s way, and she frowned. “On second thought, maybe I had better go with you,” Gordon said. “What would you like, Maureen?”
Denny answered for her sister. “She wants her daughter back.”
“I have an idea,” Gordon said. “We split up instead of running all around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
Denny did not appreciate his glib attitude. She saw nothing amusing in the situation.
“No one has been kidnapped on Skye for over one hundred years,” Gordon said. “Not to my knowledge.”
Denny hoped he was speaking the truth. But she also knew the world was full of evil people.