Gemma’s fork clattered on the plate.
Frankie dropped her arms from around her father and took two steps back. “I . . . I . . . I have a sister?” she sputtered.
He paled. “I thought we’d discussed this when you turned eighteen.”
All the air left Frankie’s lungs, and her chest grew tight. The walls were closing in around her. She shook her head. “No. Never.”
Suzy reentered the room. “Here he is. Everyone, meet my grandson, Charlie.”
A familiar brown-haired man waved. “I’m sorry I’m lat—Frankie?”
Her eyes went wide and her vision fuzzy. Her heart thudded against her ribs. Her palms grew wet and clammy. She started to shake. It was all too much. She needed air. She needed to get away.
“Excuse me.” Without a clue as to where she was going, Frankie opened the glass door by the kitchen and ran toward the forest.
CHAPTER 18
Tears trickled down from Frankie’s eyes as she pumped her arms and legs. Question after question ran rampant through her mind.
Is Dad keeping more information from me? How could he not know he never mentioned a sister? Why didn’t he take both of us?
She felt betrayed. She felt angry. She felt lost. All this time, she’d had another biological family member. Had her sister found a good home? Or had she grown up all alone?
Her sides began to cramp. She couldn’t run any longer. Slowing her pace, she sank down onto her hands and knees and breathed hard. Sharp, dried, and sticky pine needles stuck to her palms. She felt a pinecone digging into her knee. It was eerily silent except for the soft hooting of an owl somewhere off in the distance. It smelled like a mixture of vanilla and fresh butterscotch.
She glanced up. The thick canopy of trees obscured the sky, matching her mood. Was her sister looking at the same sky? Was she older? Younger? Sitting down, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them, rocking back and forth. Her throat constricted as she dry sobbed.
I have a sister. Would we have been friends? Do we look alike or share any common interests?
For years, she’d tried to put on a strong front, not ever dwelling too much on who her birth parents might have been or the circumstances of the adoption. Back then, she’d claimed she didn’t care if she ever saw her official adoption agency records—she never wanted to hurt or offend her dad—but if she was truly honest with herself, she’d always been curious.
I was afraid of what I might or might not find. I didn’t want to be left with more questions that couldn’t be answered. What’s the point of learning the names of people who didn’t want me?
She rubbed her hands against her forearms, shivering slightly. She’d been so hot when she was running, and now, she was cold. She replayed her father’s confession in her head. His ashen face caused her to shiver.
I need time to figure out what my next move is going to be. I overreacted when I ran out of the house. I ruined dinner. Dad’s probably freaking out. I hope he and Suzy aren’t furious with me. At least Gemma is there to help defuse the situation.
She stood and winced. Her body was achy. She wasn’t certain how much time had passed. She squinted. The small amounts of light visible through the gaps in the dense forest scape had faded. Frankie was having a difficult time seeing what was in front of her. She felt as if she were stuck inside a maze.
Which direction had she come from? Every direction she looked appeared the same. Maybe she could use the location services from her phone to help her. She patted her pockets. They were flat and empty. She’d forgotten she’d tucked her phone away in her purse before they sat down for dinner.
How could I be so dumb as to blindly run into a forest!
She held her head in her hands. Panicking had gotten her into this mess in the first place. If she wanted to find a solution to her problem, the only thing she could do so was to try and muster up whatever composure she had remaining. She took a deep breath, held it for ten seconds, then exhaled.
“Okay, Frankie, you have two options,” she said to herself. “One, you could stay put until help comes to you, or two, you could start moving and hope that if you walk in a straight line, it’ll lead you out of the forest.”
Neither one sounded particularly appealing.
If I stay here, it could be a long cold night. I don’t want to find out if there are bears, coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, or who knows what other beastly animals in these woods. So by default, that leaves option two.
Sending a silent prayer that she was doing the right thing, Frankie made an educated guess and started walking. Her feet crunched against the fallen leaves and pine needles. Progress was painfully slow as she kept her head directed toward the ground, watching for exposed tree roots.
Trying to keep her mood positive, she started softly singing “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely” to herself.
She crossed her arms toward her body, tucking her hands under her armpits. The chiffon sleeves of her blouse looked beautiful, but they weren’t practical for an evening in the mountains.
Suddenly, she heard the familiar voice of her skating partner yelling in the distance. “Fran-kie! Fran-kie! Can you hear me? Where are you?”
