Page 75 of A Summer Mismatch
“Alligator!” a woman screamed.
Her scream set off someone else who screamed, and suddenly there was motion and panic everywhere, except for the music that came to a sudden, screeching halt.
“It’s fine. No need to panic!” someone yelled, but panic was contagious and people were rushing over each other to get away from the beach. Alligators didn’t swim in this ocean. It could have crawled onto the beach from the swampy area the bridge went over, she supposed. But it most likely wouldn’t want anything to do with this huge group of people, with the noise and the movement.
The watermelon gala drew a lot of tourists, and she could only imagine the panic that might roll through them at the thought of an alligator so close. She herself shuddered at the thought of them, and she’d grown up in Florida. Even Sweetie made her a little nervous, though she adored Bear, and didn’t even mind Sweetie as long as Aaron was close by.
She scanned the crowd and found grandma’s friends, Rosa and Harry, along with their spouses, making their way over to her.
The gala organizer was on the microphone, pleading with everyone to calm down, but no one was listening.
“Julia!” She turned to see Grandpa walking toward her, his suit soaked and in disarray.
She ran to him and took his hand. “What happened?”
Before he could answer, Timothy ran up behind them. “See, Horace, I made it in time.” He glanced over Grandpa’s shoulder. “Sweetie was a nice touch, though.”
She peered toward the ocean to where a familiar alligator-dog combo combed the edge of the crowd. Smitty stood off to the side, his face tucked into a scowl.
Grandpa’s panicked eyes met hers.
“You did this?” Betrayal wound through her. He’d sent Timothy. He’d set Sweetie loose. He’d worked with Smitty. And all so he could break up her and Logan? “Why would you be so hurtful?”
“Horace? Julia?” Grandma Winnie’s voice sounded distant, weak, though she was standing only feet from them, her expression horrified as she took in Julia. Lydia, who’d been holding Grandma Winnie’s arm, let go to stomp toward Smitty with a murderous expression. Julia was extremely glad she wasn’t Smitty Byrd.
“Why are you wearing that dress?” Winnie asked Julia.
Julia’s stomach twisted. “Because you made this for me.”
“No. I didn’t make that for you.”
“Yes, you did. It was in the cream dress bag you gave me.”
“No. Your dress was in the gray dress bag.” Her face looked pale as she blinked slowly, and then started to sway.
“Grandpa!” Julia called out. She knew her voice sounded too shrill but she was unable to keep the panic from it. She grabbed for Grandma Winnie.
Grandpa raced past Julia, catching Grandma Winnie just as she collapsed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Logan
Loganracedtotheconservation center, avoiding the road construction by driving through every side street he could turn onto, before he hit the major highway out of Diamond Cove and into Orlando. He called the SFWCC director’s cell phone, and when he didn’t answer, he tried his home phone.
“Hello. Robertson residence,” the familiar voice of Gary Robertson said.
“Sir, this is Logan Kent. I just got the blood results back from the lab for Adia. She has EEHV-viraemia.”
Gary drew in a sharp breath. He knew what that meant as well as Logan—the potentially deadly virus had entered her bloodstream. “I’ll start the phone tree. I assume you’re already on your way there?”
“About thirty minutes away in Diamond Cove, but I’m speeding.”
“Drive safe,” Gary commanded him. “You’re no good to us hurt.” With that, he hung up and Logan eased up on the gas a little. Gary was right. His family couldn’t deal with another accident. He would get to the wildlife center soon enough, though his heart felt like it was on the verge of bursting through his chest from adrenaline.
While Julia talked to—and then danced with—Timothy, the lab had called. Adia’s virus had turned dangerous and immediate attention was required.
When he’d raced to the dance floor to tell Julia about Aida, he’d seen Julia and Timothy kiss. The sight of it stopped him in his tracks, and in his panic over Adia, he’d rushed off before he could talk to her about it.
