She’d slept for three hours between getting home and helping her mom out of bed, but was ironically too awake to go to sleep.
Lummus Park Beach was a short walk away.The water always gave her a sense of peace.And she was long overdue for a break from all the crazy thoughts racing through her mind on a daily basis: the missing woman, Mike MacArthur, and Cujo.
***
Bundled in neon-orange life preservers and white retro swimming goggles, Amaya and Zeph sat cross-legged on the front of Cujo’s paddleboard.An hour of splashing and squealing with excitement had tired them out.
“What does ‘get lucky’ mean Uncle Jo-Jo?”Zeph looked up at him.
Cujo paused mid-stroke.He really hoped she meant that in a different context.
“What makes you ask, Zeph?”
“Because Mommy told Daddy he was going to get lucky tonight.”
Cujo rolled his eyes and kept paddling.Of course she meant it the way he thought.
“It probably means Daddy is going to win whatever game they’re going to play.”He took the twins overnight whenever he could, but he didn’t need a visual on how Devon and Elisa used the time.
“Go faster, Uncle Jo-Jo.”
His miniature passengers made for a good core workout as he fought to keep the board afloat.The focus and physical effort provided an outlet for the frustration Drea’s escape the previous night had caused.
He needed to call her.He’d put it off in the morning, not wanting to do it in front of the girls, but once they were in bed, he would.
Cujo jumped off the board, grabbed a twin under each arm, and set them down on the sand.
He picked up the paddle and put the handle between the two of them.“Why don’t you each hold on to one side of the handle and drag it behind you?”It would get all sandy and he’d need to clean out his truck when he got home, but it was worth the silly grins from his nieces.
Cujo rubbed his hand along the scar that ran down his abdomen.There were moments, more so since the twins were born, when he came close to revisiting his decision to never have children.Usually when one, or both of them, looked at him like he walked on water.
They trekked back to the truck, stowed the equipment, and dried off with thick towels.
“We’re hungry, Uncle Jo-Jo,” Amaya said once the twins were dressed.
“I bet.Try this.”He rummaged in the cooler and handed each of them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off.
Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted Drea walking toward them.He tried to ignore the tightening in his chest at the sight of her.Clearly she hadn’t seen him.Heck, he didn’t think she saw anyone.Lost in her own world, gazing wistfully out to sea, she made no contact with anybody, not even a smile.He threw on his zip-up hoodie but didn’t fasten it.
“Girls, come here.”He grabbed one in each arm and jogged across the boardwalk.“Drea, wait up,” he called.She didn’t respond.“Girls, shout “Drea” as loud as you can.”
“Drea, Drea!”they screamed in unison, waving their hands.Amaya splatting her sandwich on Cujo’s forehead.Please God, don’t let there be peanut butter in my hair.
Drea turned, and Cujo saw her smile.A breathtaking smile that quickly dissolved into fits of laughter.
“Amaya and Zephyr, this is Drea.Drea, these are my nieces.”
Drea managed to stop giggling, but every now and then her eyes would flit to his PB&J-smeared head.“Hello cuties… what have you been up to?”
“I hit Uncle Jo-Jo with my sandwich and dropped it,” Amaya said with tears in her eyes.
Cujo kissed her cheek.“Don’t worry about it, Ya-Ya, I’ll get you another.”
“I thought it was kind of funny,” Drea added, taking a tissue out of her purse.“Jelly,” she said as she stood on tiptoes to reach it.Cujo stooped forward, still holding onto his nieces tightly.
He could feel her breath against his cheek and watched as she bit her bottom lip in concentration.Her eyes caught his in a heated exchange and suddenly he didn’t want her to continue to wherever she was headed.
“We’re going to take a walk.Come with us.”
