Page 3 of Unexpected Danger
None of those questions would be answered tonight. Brodie shoveled a few more bites into his mouth, willing himself not to fall asleep at the table.
Chapter 2
It had been a wearisome day. First, a trip to the police department to report the texts and the suspicious man, then a full day of work.
Londyn hung her jacket on the hook just inside the door when her phone rang. Because the number came up as unavailable, she allowed it to go to voicemail. A few seconds later, her notifications dinged, indicating a message. Likely someone telling her she owed money on her student loans, although she’d never attended college. Or a spam call about a car warranty, which she’d never purchased since her car was over ten years old.
She scrolled to the voicemail icon and clicked it.
Only silence.
Londyn disconnected. It could be just someone with the wrong number. Or someone who had butt-dialed her. Or it could be related to the texts she’d received. Or it could be nothing at all.
Strange.
Could it be related to the man she’d seen outside the apartment yesterday? Or to the texts she’d received?
Perhaps she could call and see if Mom was available to talk. A stretch, but they hadn’t spoken since Mom’s most recent wedding. Perhaps a call would alleviate some stress, and maybe Mom would have some advice regarding the texts. Of course, the chances were slim. But still…
Londyn scrolled through her contacts and pressed the number beside Mom’s image.
Mom answered on the fifth ring just as Londyn was about to hang up.
“Hello?” Mom was laughing as she said the single word, and there was a male voice in the background. Likely Jason, Mom’s newest husband, although Londyn couldn’t be positive because she’d only met him twice.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Londyn, how are you?” Mom sounded distracted.
“Fine, except for some scary…”
“Londyn, you should see this place. Jason and I are having such a fantastic time. Amelia Island is just gorgeous, and there’ssomuch to do here. Yesterday, we visited Fernandina Beach, and let’s just say I may have done a little too much shopping!” Mom giggled, and Londyn heard Jason in the background mentioning that she had, in fact, donea lotof shopping.
“I was hoping…”
“And here in a few,” Mom continued, “we’re headed to Amelia Island State Park for some horseback riding. Definitely going to be different horseback riding than what we did in Pronghorn Falls. This will be along the beach, just like in the movies.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun. Look, Mom…”
“Oh, it will be. We’ll be going birding too. At this rate, we may just pack up all our stuff in Phoenix and move to the beach.”
Jason’s voice boomed across the line. “I’m all for that.”
They’d just moved to Arizona from Pronghorn Falls, and now they wanted to move again?
Londyn was about to attempt to get a word in edgewise again when Mom spoke. “Have you heard from Logan?”
Londyn couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard from her younger brother. “No, I haven’t.”
“Me either. Look, Londyn, I gotta go. Thanks for calling, and we’ll chat soon, okay?”
Mom didn’t wait for Londyn to respond before clicking off. Londyn held the phone in front of her, discouraged once again that she’d heard all about Mom’s life, but Mom hadn’t taken the time to even ask about hers. Nothing new there. No wonder Mom had been married five times. There was room in her life only for herself.
She sighed. It wasn’t like she could call Dad either. Londyn hadn’t seen or heard from him since the divorce. His decision to all but disown her and Logan hurt in a way Londyn wasn’t sure she could ever truly overcome. He’d married his much-younger secretary, the one who’d been the catalyst that caused his and Mom’s divorce. In short, there was no room in his life for his previous family. When he replaced Mom, he’d also replaced Londyn and Logan as well.
She pushed aside the rejection she’d experienced from both parents. That was another thing she missed about Pronghorn Falls—Aileen Brenneman. Brodie’s mom was like the mother she’d always wanted but never had. Brodie and Roarke had no idea how blessed they were to have Aileen for their mom—someone who actually cared. Someone who loved them. Someone who was always there.
Shouldn’t a mother be concerned about her daughter? Maybe ask how things were going? Be there when her daughter was struggling with something?
