I didn’t think about it in an “Oh my God no way I can do that” way. I thought about it in an “Oh my God I can’t wait and I hope I don’t mess things up again” way.
However, I did have one matter of business I still needed to attend to before I went onto what would likely be the next trauma of my life.
I’d had an idea and I had to get the wheels in motion before I headed off to Crete because I wasn’t going to be going alone. So I put my latest plan into action.
I turned to Hector and said, “I need to talk to Lee.”
Hector’s brows went up.
“Why do you need to talk to Lee?” Ally asked from across the table. being nosy again and also loud.
Lee heard his sister, his head turned and his eyes came to me. “You need something, Sadie?” he asked.
Oh boy. It was now or never.
“Do you have some time to talk at your office, maybe tomorrow?”
At this point, Lee’s body turned to me but his eyes flicked to Hector before coming back to mine.
“I’m right here, we don’t need to be at the office,” he replied on a (very handsome) smile.
“Well, it’s kind of business,” I told him.
“Business?”
“Yes.”
“What do you need?” he asked.
“I need you to find my mother.”
The air in the room instantly changed, it went supercharged with something I didn’t understand.
The women were all looking at each other in confusion. The men were looking at each other with closed, set faces.
This I did not take as good.
I forged into the crackling silence. “You find people, don’t you?” I asked Lee.
His eyes had locked on Hector but they came back to me and he nodded.
“Well, my Mom disappeared and I thought, maybe, you could find her.”
“Sadie –” Hector said from beside me.
“I’ll pay,” I threw in, just in case Lee thought I was asking for a freebie.
“It’s not the money, Sadie, it’s –” Lee started but Tom interrupted him.
“Tomorrow, we’ll meet,” Tom surprised me by announcing (and inviting himself to come along) and everyone’s eyes swung to him. “Four o’clock, Lee’s office,” Tom looked at Lee. “Be sure Vance is there.”
I looked at Tom, confused as to why he’d want Vance there when Hector said in a weird, low voice, “Tom.”
I turned to Hector. His face was blank but his eyes were active and I was sensing something unsettled in him. This I did not take as good either.
“We’ll talk,” Tom went on and I looked back to him. “I’ll be there, Lee, Vance, Hank, Eddie and you,” Tom said to Hector.
“And me,” I put in and Tom looked at me.
“And you, Sadie,” he agreed.
“Thank you,” I said to Tom.
My expression of gratitude made every man in the room look uncomfortable and every woman in the room look at me with concerned eyes.
This alarmed me. Like, loads.
“Is there something I should know?” I asked Tom.
“Tomorrow, four o’clock,” Tom replied.
“Yes, but –” I started.
“Four,” Tom said firmly but gently.
I pulled my lips in, wanting to push it. But he’d gone out of his way with dinner, photos, giving me the picture.
So instead of pushing it, I said, “Okay.”
Hector pushed his chair back. “Time for us to go,” he announced.
Oh my.
All thoughts of the weird conversation flew out of my head as Hector pulled me out of my chair.
I tried to give Tom a handshake but he refused it and instead gave me a hug. The hug exchange continued throughout the rest of the group, including Hank (who I barely even knew!).
Then Hector led me out to the Bronco, helped me in, got in the driver’s seat, turned the ignition and we were away.
My overnight bag was in his backseat.
My knees were shaking.
My skin was tingling.
My stomach was in not entirely unpleasant knots.
Blooming heck!
Chapter Fourteen
Sadie’s Gift
Sadie
Hector dropped my overnight bag by the door in his bedroom, walked to the side of the bed and turned on the light.
His eyes came to me. “You need anything?”
I tried to think of something I needed.
Courage? A single personality that knew who she was and what she was about rather than multiple ones who had no idea what they were doing? The true ability to rewind my life and go back to the minute my father was shipped off to prison and move, right then and there, to Crete rather than waiting for my life to unravel and bring me to this scary pass?
“No,” I answered.
He started to empty his pockets, dropping stuff on the nightstand.
In a nervous panic, I leaned over and unzipped my overnight bag.
I grabbed my pajamas (white camisole, multiple pastels in plaid on white background drawstring bottoms, more of Buddy’s trip to Victoria’s Secret) and my toiletries case.