Quietly, Frederick took Lillian’s bag and, with an uneasy smile, passed it to the valet and went inside, leaving Lillian on the curb as Aiden and Luke returned.
Once the others had gathered around on the sidewalk, Luke ushered them inside to check in and get their rooms. The lobby was all dark wood and formal furnishings. Tan valences were drawn in perfect pleats at the top of the windows, the furniture upholstered in burnt orange and dark butter creams. Luke popped over to the front desk and spoke to the clerk. Things had been so crazy and haphazard getting out of town that it hadn’t occurred to Callie until now how they were going to split the rooms, so she asked Luke, who’d offered to get their keys. She felt jittery and edgy, wondering how this would all play out.
“I kept our family together,” he said. “I’ve put Mom, Juliette, and Mitchell in one room; you, Olivia, and Wyatt in a second; and then I figured I could share with Frederick and Aiden.” His gaze moved over to Frederick and it seemed as if just looking at him was difficult for Luke. He was uneasy and tense.
It was really the only way to divvy it up, but she worried about Luke and Frederick.
“I won’t say anything to upset him,” he said flatly, still clearly distressed by the situation, but deciphering her thoughts easily.
She let out an anxious breath. “I know.”
The front desk clerk gave Luke the keys and told him the rooms were ready. Luke thanked her and handed them out. “Why don’t we all settle in and then we can get a bite downstairs?” he told the group as they all moved toward the elevator.
When the doors pinged open, they piled in, their luggage filling half the space. Not everyone could fit.
“I’ll wait for the next one,” Luke said.
Callie stepped back beside him. “Me too.” Maybe if she was alone for a moment with him, she could get him to talk.
She stared at the doors as they closed, not knowing how to begin, her heart thudding in her ears. Time was limited before the next elevator opened, and she had to know what was going on in that head of his. “What a mess,” she said, finally looking up at him and bringing the subject out into the open.
He sucked in a breath and it looked as though he didn’t want to talk. Then, out of nowhere, he spoke, making her jump. “You know, everything was going along just fine before all this.” He rubbed his eyes and then dragged his fingertips over his temples for a split second before dropping his hands.
“I couldn’t keep it from you once I knew,” she said. She’d have wanted to know.
“Says who?” he nearly stormed. “You? You get to make decisions about my family? If you hadn’t meddled in our lives, we wouldn’t be facing any of this right now.”
The doors swished open, taking her off guard. Luke stepped into the elevator and hit the button. Callie scrambled in, her mind going a hundred miles an hour.
“So you’d rather have had me hold on to this information—sensitive information that wasn’t mine to keep?”
“I’d rather have had you not snoop.”
As they stood there in silence, she worried that he might have a point. If she hadn’t read Alice’s journal or tried to open the lockbox, she wouldn’t be in this situation right now. It was her nosiness that had brought all this on. Guilt swelled in her stomach. If she had just managed to keep her mouth shut to Frederick, it would have been in his hands. When the doors opened again, Luke got out and walked toward his room. Callie stepped into the hallway and leaned against the wall, trying to get herself together.
Callie had been in the bathroom trying not to listen to the hurricane updates. They made her so nervous she could hardly stand it. She’d showered, dried her hair and reapplied her make-up, pushing away tears over Luke. As she came out of the bathroom, she couldn’t deny how good it felt to be clean and in fresh clothes.
“My turn,” Olivia said, standing and stretching her back.
Callie nodded, relenting and turning the television up. The images were too distressing without the sound and she had to know what was going on. The wind had increased and the swells were growing out at sea. The announcer stood in front of an enormous red circular model of the storm, the pathway drawn directly toward the Outer Banks. “This hurricane is not hype,” he said. “It’s moving dangerously close to the Outer Banks and coming in fast. The National Weather Service warns of catastrophic waves to the barrier islands of North Carolina if our projection is correct. Residents are urged to evacuate immediately. Please take this storm seriously and get out before it makes landfall. Leave storm surge areas as quickly as possible.”
Olivia texted Gladys that she was all right and then jumped in the shower while Callie and Wyatt kept their eyes on the screen, but Callie was preoccupied with thoughts about whether or not to tell Frederick that Luke knew that he was his father before they were all caught in a very awkward situation. But that would mean meddling further and she’d already messed things up. And now she had Lillian to think about too. Would Lillian say anything? Callie didn’t want to get in the middle of things, especially after what Luke had said, but she felt terrible keeping it from Frederick. Should she just wait for Frederick to say something? Or Lillian? She took in a deep breath and let it out, her head starting to pound.
“Are you okay, Callie?” Wyatt asked, his little face crumpling as he looked at her.
“Yep!” she lied, inwardly cringing that she had to tell yet another fib. “I’m just worried about the storm.” She fixed her eyes on the TV. The newscaster suggested that residents call their family members to tell them they were okay. Callie didn’t want to consider the fact that her mother hadn’t tried to call her or text. But that was just how things were. Seeing Frederick and Luke, however, had made her think about all the time she’d lost with her mother, times they could’ve been together but hadn’t. “I’m just going to step out into the hallway a minute and make a phone call.” She held up her phone.
With a nod from Wyatt, Callie let herself out of the room, propping the door open with the lock bar. She wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to say to her mother as she dialed her number, but she just wanted to talk to her. The phone rang three times before she heard that familiar voice. Callie could still recall those golden years before her father had left when her mother used to sing to her before bed to comfort her.
“Mom? It’s Callie.” She leaned against the wall, running the back of her hand along the patterned wallpaper.
“Oh, hello. How are you?”
Callie chewed on the inside of her lip. “I’m fine. I wanted to call to tell you that. Have you seen the hurricane headed for the Outer Banks? I’ve evacuated, so I’m not in harm’s way.” She didn’t want to tell her she was in Richmond. She wasn’t ready to see her mother yet, and they didn’t have the kind of time she’d need for that visit. She just needed to be comforted at this point.
“That’s good to hear,” her mother said. Surprisingly, her tone didn’t sound hollow like she remembered it being.